Logic3 TX101 SoundStage speaker review

Is this the one speaker to rule them all?

28 November 2007 13:00 GMT / By Paul Lester

Logic3 has made a name for itself as a producer of iPod accessories and portable speakers, so has branched out somewhat with the release of the Logic3 TX101 SoundStage 5.1, a surround speaker in the same mould as the popular Yamaha YSP.

It's 150W of total power output doesn't sound like a lot by current standards, but with 13 drivers and two subwoofers covered neatly by the black finish screen it should have the capabilities to impress.

To begin with this is a fairly large speaker, aligning itself pretty neatly underneath a typically sized 50-inch screen.

You'll find two brackets in the box that can be used as a stand or to mount the thing to the wall and there's a composite A/V cable in the box to get you started. Luckily you're not forced into using this.

Unlike the poorly thought out design of the recently reviewed Evesham X2 you'll find a decent array of connectivity here that includes two optical outputs alongside the composite RCA.

Setup is pretty straightforward and the remote control, although rather simplistic, does offer good access to the front, rear, center and subwoofer speakers, so it's easy to make quick adjustments to each.

Sub aside, tweaking each of the speakers didn't appear to make a massive amount of difference, we found more success when adjusting the DSP effects and surround sound mode.

The latter, when switched to 5.1, is actually pretty impressive with a digital surround signal, although when attempting to create a psuedo surround experience from a stereo signal we noticed a subtle echo which didn't really give us the impression of encompassing audio.

Despite this we were pleasantly surprised by the improvement over your television's built-in speakers. Bass is particularly pronounced and although the high and mid-range tones got a bit lost amongst each other it's not to an extent that it becomes an annoyance.

A long with the main functionality of the Soundstage there's an FM tuner built-in so you can listen to radio and an auxiliary channel for hooking up an MP3 player.

Part of the reason we're sounding so positive here despite some aspects of the audio performance being rather average is the price.

At £249.99 it's a far cheaper solution than admittedly more capable rivals, but if you're looking for a way to boost your television's audio on the cheap without buying a dedicated surround system, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Verdict

The SoundStage 5.1 isn't as impressive acoustically as Yamaha's YSP, but if you feed it a surround sound signal and you're in a room shaped to take advantage of the acoustic reflection, it's not half bad.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Logic3
Price as reviewed: £249.99
The good: One speaker, a decent array of connectivity, straightforward setup, FM radio
The bad: Not much
Quick verdict: It isn't as impressive acoustically as Yamaha's YSP, but it's not half bad
Score