Logitech SoundMan Xtrusio DSR-100

The Sound

The first music these speakers reproduced indicated that they had some strong potential.  As these first sonic impressions were actually in the final stages of the setup during the tuning stage, this was a strong start for the system.  Initially the system showed moderate strength in the lower midrange frequencies that can sometimes be lacking in a satellites/subwoofer system.  However, with a few adjustments to the 100 Hz and 10 kHz knobs, the system quickly zeroed in on a fairly level frequency response.  These frequencies were well chosen as adjustment points for the system by working to balance the natural response of the drivers through equalization.

Overall, the system is very musical; it also has the power to bring it up to a high intensity gaming system as well.  For music listening, it maintains strength into the lower midrange frequencies, effectively bridging the gap between the subwoofer and satellite responses.  This indicates that the driver choice was well matched with the crossover point.  The end result is that there is little to no dip in the low midrange frequencies that causes other system to sound somewhat hollow at lower levels.  For listening to CDs or MP3s, the system will accurately reproduce the spectrum.

When changing gears into gaming mode, the power in the system keeps up to most demands.  The sub and satellites are fairly powerful for the level of system.  A little Unreal Tournament revealed that the system ramps up well to higher SPL levels.  The first distortion was evident in the upper midrange frequencies in the satellites, and some muddiness in the subwoofer became evident in the subwoofer as things got more intense.  However, at that point, the volume was high enough to need to sit back and the sub was flapping against our pant legs.  So as a 4.1 gaming system, it definitely keeps up.

Noise in the system is at a fairly typical level for computer speakers.  The noise level is low enough that it is possible to hear the noise off of the sound card as changes in the software mixer are made.  What this means is that the speaker system is adding a relatively low level of extra noise when compared to what’s coming off the soundcard, so it is a relatively quietly system.

The sound quality from the system overall is very strong.  For listening to DVDs using the included PowerDVD software set to 4 channel output, an effective surround sound environment is created.  By creating a sonically strong system, it can serve multiple purposes that need quality reproduction by extending beyond high intensity gaming to both music and games.