3. A Decoder Bristling With Features

Essentially, a little black plastic box with a silver fascia surrounding it, the Control Center of the 5450 isn't all that attractive - in our opinion - because of its cheap plastic look. On the other hand, its capabilities are really interesting! On the rear, there are three analog 1/8" (3.5 mm) inputs, which can be used as either stereo line inputs or in 5.1 mode; a little switch selects between the two. The 5450 also provides decoding functions; these are most likely to be used on the three stereo input connections for digital home cinema. On the digital side, there are two S/P DIF inputs: one optical and one coaxial. With a total of six inputs, the 5450 would function perfectly at the center of an effective and "versatile" audio installation! It also provides, on the left side, a portable player input and a headphone output, both of the same type of connector (1/8" jack, as usual).

Naturally, to provide the necessary support for a 5.1 system, the 5450 can decode Dolby Digital and DTS, but it can also handle signals up to 24 bits/96 kHz such as DTS 96/24 or the similar PCM signal. For handling stereo signals, there's Dolby Pro Logic II with a choice between "music" and "cinema" modes, and all the necessary adjustments (panorama, dimension, central image width, delay). In terms of power, Logitech states a power differential between the channels of 0.5W, which is a bit ridiculous. More realistically, the subwoofer provides around 115W and each channel approximately 40W, which should be sufficient to produce high sound levels and, more generally, very satisfying sound quality.

Technical Characteristics