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Logitech X-620

Logitech X-620

Written by John Yan on 1/5/2004 for
More On: Logitech X-620
With the awesome Z-680 set from Logitech, where do they go. Well, with the new speaker sets being released by Logitech, the Z-680 still remains the high end model. But Logitech’s new lineup includes some nice sets for the more budget minded consumer. Today, we look at a 6.1 set from Logitech that’s labeled the X-620. It features six speakers and a sub woofer for a price of, $99?!? That’s right. For $99 you can have 6.1 surround sound. Let’s see how well the set is and if the $99 price tag makes this one of the more attractive sets out there.

The X-620 is the top of the X line that compliments the popular Z line of speakers. The X-620 is rated at 70.1 watts total RMS power. The satellites add up to 45.8 watts with the two fronts at 7.4 watts, the two rears at 7.5 watts, and the front and rear center at 8.0 watts. For the satellites, they feature a 2-inch high excursion driver. The other 24.3 watts is from the subwoofer. The subwoofer features an 8” pressure driver. 70.1 watts spread among 7 units doesn’t seem like a lot but as you will read later, it’s more than ample and a great fit for small sized rooms.

Controls are located in the right front speaker where there’s a power button, volume knob, surround sound switch, and headphone jacks. The bass knob is on the subwoofer, on the back where the connectors for the speakers are. That’s been common for a lot of sets but I would’ve preferred the bass knob to be with the other controls so that it was in a more convenient location. The right front speaker attaches to the subwoofer with a very secure serial plug and thumb screws. To connect to the sound card, a very long tri-cable from the right front speaker extends from the unit into three 1/8” plugs that are color coded similar to most sound card connections.

Like other sets from Logitech, you can hang the speakers on the wall. What’s nice about the X-620 sets are that you don’t have to unscrew the stand like the other Logitech sets. Rotation of the speaker is all that you need to put the base in position to be hung on the wall. There’s also a notch for a nail or screw in the bottom of the base so that you can hang it easily. It’s a nice touch by Logitech to make it very easy to convert the speaker from a standing mode to wall mounted mode.

Also, like most of the lower priced sets from Logitech, all the connectors for the speakers are regular composite like plugs. This does limit the distance you can place the speakers since the length of the cables are limited but with some parts from Radio Shack you can lengthen the connections. Each connector plug is color coded so you know what speakers connect to where thus making it less confusing.

The subwoofer not only provides the bass but also houses the connections for each speaker and the serial connector for the controls on the right front speaker. As stated before, the plugs and connections are color coded so you can easily see what goes where. The power cord also runs from the back of the subwoofer.
On the back of the right front speaker is a three way switch for 4.1, 5.1, and 6.1 operation. Depending on your source, you place the switch on the one that mimics what’s coming in. For example, if you are using a 6.1 sound card, flip the switch to 6.1. 5.1 users, of course, use 5.1. Connecting a 4.1 source or a game console with the included adapter, you would use 4.1.

For tests I used an AMD64 system with an FIC motherboard. The motherboard features a Realtek ALC655 5.1 channel sound. I ran through a list of games, movies, and music. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a 6.1 system to test the set on currently. So how well does the set do for each?

With music, I played various hits on both CD and high bit rate MP3s. I preferred to listen to the music in 4.1 rather than having the voice come from the center speaker so after a few adjustments I sat back and listened to a few tunes. The bass was good and pretty powerful for the set. I didn’t think the voices came out as well and the mid’s and high’s were not as distinct. Even so, the music coming out of the speakers weren’t too bad and some songs did performed better than others.

Watching The Matrix Reloaded and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, I was happy with how the sound was, especially coming from a very inexpensive priced set. The bass was ample and had a good deep sound while the satellites provided good highs and good surround sound. Voices and other center sounds came out well from the more powerful center channel. The bass really helped enhance the action sequences. Without a 6.1 card, I wasn’t able to determine the benefit of a rear center speaker. From my experience with different surround sound systems, it was hard to notice a rear center speaker in most movies I saw. But, those that do want six speakers, the X-620 provides them for you to watch movies with on your computer system.

Playing games in surround sound was also a lot of fun and the X-620 held up very well with the various games I tried out. Even with games that don’t utilize surround sound, the X-620 had more than enough power and good clarity to provide good quality sound. Whereas the Z-680’s where too powerful for my small office, the X-620 was just right and weren’t overkill. The set does come with an adapter to connect console systems, but you won’t get true surround sound from consoles as it just takes the front inputs and expands them to the other speakers. But, you could plug the console with a digital connection to a receiver and plug the X-620 into the receiver’s speaker output and have true surround sound in games that way. Unlike the Z-680 the set doesn’t feature a decoder for surround sound.

Logitech’s always come out with some nice sets at very good prices. The X-620 continues the tradition. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like others but at $99 and allowing you to have 6.1 surround sound is just an awesome deal. The speakers sound good and the bass compliments the set nicely. I did like the setup for movies and games more so than music. Me, being a light music listener, wasn’t disappointed in that aspect and I weighed the set more on game and movie performance. Of course it can’t compare to the other high end offerings from Logitech but at the price of $99, the set really stands out especially if you have a small office like I do. If you’re looking for an inexpensive setup for your 6.1 sound card and don’t have too much to spend, you should definitely give the X-620 a listen to. Now let’s see some 6.1 high ends sets, Logitech!
A good buy for the price, the X-620 set is great for budget gamers and a good buy for small offices or work areas.

Rating: 8.2 Good

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.


About Author

I've been reviewing products since 1997 and started out at Gaming Nexus. As one of the original writers, I was tapped to do action games and hardware. Nowadays, I work with a great group of folks on here to bring to you news and reviews on all things PC and consoles.

As for what I enjoy, I love action and survival games. I'm more of a PC gamer now than I used to be, but still enjoy the occasional console fair. Lately, I've been really playing a ton of retro games after building an arcade cabinet for myself and the kids. There's some old games I love to revisit and the cabinet really does a great job at bringing back that nostalgic feeling of going to the arcade.

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