SPEAKERS SURROUND WITHOUT SURROUNDING

Watching a movie, playing a video game or even watching television these days, the focus seems to be all about high definition. Yet what you hear is really just as important as what you see. And while what we're seeing on the screen is still pretty much two dimensional, three dimensional sound can truly enhance the viewing experience.

The whole idea about sound that surrounds you is to give you an immersive experience to what you are observing. In the real world, even with your eyes closed, you can tell where something is related to your position as well as the direction it's moving and how close it is to you. These audible dimensions are what movie theatres try to create even when you're watching a two dimensional screen. Just look at the walls when you walk in to your local movie house and check out the rows of speakers on the walls all around you. That really nice television setup you recently purchased or are going to buy more than likely has the ability to surround you in some kind of digital sound and if you don't have the right speakers set up in the proper manner, you're really shortchanging yourself. Speakers can really make or break the overall experience. So while you're keeping your eye on the ball, make sure you also keep your ear to the ground.

Recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, Logitech introduced what is now their top-of-the-line computer speaker system. The Z Cinema Advanced Surround Sound System offers sound that surrounds you but it does so with only the basic 2.1 configuration which consists of a left and right speaker setup along with a subwoofer for gut-vibrating bass. Incorporating SR TruSurround HD, this technology puts you literally in the middle of a large "sweet spot." Normally you have be centrally positioned with 5 speakers surrounding your location to get the audible feeling of being immersed. But using some really sophisticated audio projection techniques via electronic controls, you really do get the feeling that what you are hearing is coming from all around you. You really have to hear it to believe it.

The Z Cinema offers 180 watts RMS of total power. And while there are other speaker systems that offer more wattage, that level is more than enough to provide a quality sound with little distortion even when you really crank up the volume. It's enough to rattle the walls and have your neighbors calling up to complain.

The Z Cinema's right speaker's amber display becomes visible only when you turn it on and offers a volume graphic level, indicators to show when the surround electronics are engaged and USB and Auxiliary port usage.

The other nice feature of the Z Cinema is that you can control much of the Z Cinema's functions as well as a Windows Media Center PC's operations with the included wireless remote control. You can, for example, adjust the volume and mute the speakers with a single click of the remote. Most speaker systems offer only a wired remote with limited functions.

The Z Cinema sells for $299.99 and currently only supports computers running the Windows operating system.

www.logitech.com

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