The pioneering Logitech Z-5450 Digital is pricier than most in its class but is the first well-implemented wireless desktop system we’ve found. It combines room-filling sound with a great selection of 5.1-channel interfaces and decoders. But its two wireless rear surround satellites are what make this 315-watt THX-compliant speaker megasystem stand out from the crowd.

The test setup blasted out our noise sample at 97 dB (measured at 18 inches)—about as loud as a subway train and a mere 7 dB under what Logitech’s top-of-the-line Z5500 Digital manages. The AC-powered surround satellites, despite their larger cabinets, were sonically identical to the front speakers, ensuring seamless 3D imaging and panning. The system’s overall frequency response was marred, however, by exaggerated high and low ends that towered almost 20 dB above the midrange. The cost-saving bandpass subwoofer design, which produces high output across a relatively narrow frequency range, is one reason.