Z Cinéma Advanced Surround Sound System
Rating: 
(4.5 / 5)
When I got my speakers in the mail, they came in this monstrous box that looked more like it held a large microwave or a small fridge. And while I was hoping for a lot of packaging in there, it turned out that the speaker system was really that big. The satellites are 10" and a fairly normal size for desktop speakers, but the subwoofer was absolutely huge at 11.5"x11.5"x16". So needless to say it wouldn’t fit anywhere on my desk, or anywhere underneath. I had to put my subwoofer beside my desk. Size aside, let me say that I never thought I would get anything out of a huge speaker system like this, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Setting up the speakers was very easy. Both satellites plug into the subwoofer very easily and the left and right have different types of connectors so it’s impossible to get them mixed up. The speakers connect to your computer via USB instead of the sound card so you get an awesome digital sound.
When I plugged the speakers into my 64-bit Vista box they were detected instantly and within 30 seconds they were ready to go. I installed the software that comes with them, but that was only to be able to control them through the software. The speakers worked just fine without it. They come with a remote control that you are forced to use to control the speakers’ volume, power, etc. That’s the only thing I really don’t like about them. I’d like to be able to control power and volume directly from the speakers themselves.
As far as sound goes, these are the best speakers I’ve ever heard coming out of a PC. In preparation for this review I looked at several other reviews of these speakers and some of them were perfunctory at best, and others weren’t pleased with the volume output. Well, I’m telling you right now that these speakers can put out some sound. I started by opening my Zune software and putting on a couple songs and blasting the speakers at full volume. And while they topped out pretty quickly, the volume was more than adequate. The speakers blasted at top volume without distorting in the least as far as I could tell, and I could hear them very clearly from two rooms away. So while I would prefer finer volume control, these speakers are so loud you won’t want for power… especially while sitting at your PC.
Then I played a couple movies and blasted the volume again. And again, I had no problem hearing dialogue from two rooms away with no distortion again. The surround sound concept with only two speakers works really well when you’re right in front of the PC, but watching a movie from across the room didn’t show the effect very well showing that there’s really no substitute for multiple satellites when you want true surround sound. That said, I really wasn’t disappointed with the quality of the surround when I was at my PC.
The Bottom Line: Not really being a gamer, I never thought I would benefit from powerful speakers like this, but I was wrong. I find that everything (unfortunately even error dings) is made richer with quality sound. These speakers are powerful enough for even the most hardcore gamers and the surround sound works really well while sitting directly in front of them. I had hoped to put together a test directly from my TV, but was disappointed to find that these speakers can only connect (getting full sound design quality) to USB. So while these are great PC speakers, that’s all they are. I do love them though. The power is terrific while preserving the quality even at the highest output. I wish they had finer volume control though. In all though, these are top-quality speakers and I’m sure they’ll be sitting at the top of their class for a long time to come.