A Decoder Bristling With Features
Essentially, a little black plastic box with a silver fascia surrounding it, the Control Centre of the 5450 isn't all that attractive - in our opinion - because of its cheap plastic look. On the other hand, its capabilities are really interesting! On the rear, there are three analogue 1/8" (3.5 mm) inputs, which can be used as either stereo line inputs or in 5.1 mode; a little switch selects between the two. The 5450 also provides decoding functions; these are most likely to be used on the three stereo input connections for digital home cinema. On the digital side, there are two S/P DIF inputs: one optical and one coaxial. With a total of six inputs, the 5450 would function perfectly at the centre of an effective and "versatile" audio installation! It also provides, on the left side, a portable player input and a headphone output, both of the same type of connector (1/8" jack, as usual).
Naturally, to provide the necessary support for a 5.1 system, the 5450 can decode Dolby Digital and DTS, but it can also handle signals up to 24 bits/96 kHz such as DTS 96/24 or the similar PCM signal. For handling stereo signals, there's Dolby Pro Logic II with a choice between "music" and "cinema" modes, and all the necessary adjustments (panorama, dimension, central image width, delay). In terms of power, Logitech states a power differential between the channels of 0.5W, which is a bit ridiculous. More realistically, the subwoofer provides around 115W and each channel approximately 40W, which should be sufficient to produce high sound levels and, more generally, very satisfying sound quality.
