This 5.1 speaker system pumps great bass, but not exagerated. This is THE BEST speaker system, in my opinion, for music, since there is a lot of bass, but not TOO MUCH to be boomy such as how the Klipsch's and Logitechs are. However, with the Logitechs, you can change that. The Klipsch's 500watt power rating is rated in BURSTS, not overall power, so you will find unballanced bass sometimes. This is not an issue with the Logitech Z-680s OR the 550 MegaWorks.

Now, as the MegaWorks are great for music, they are still great for games. The only problem is that here, you need good random bursts of power, and the 550s don't always have this power. In games, the sound of the game is more exciting when you EMPHASIZE the sound with boomy bass, but not here. These speakers stay at the same steady rate, which takes away from games. They are still good and to most online gamers thist won't matter anyway. For invovling single player games, however, you will notice a difference.

The same here goes for movies. You need a great ammount of emphasized bass to make the movies that much more exciting, thusly making the speakers stand out THAT MUCH MORE. These speakers don't always pack that punch.

But then again, if you are into music, these are great speakers! You can tell taht they did not spend time on the center channel addition, but if you only want to use the center channel occasionally (if you are a more "occasional" movie watcher or gamer) then this is the perfect setup for you. if you love music, then these are great. And with the addition of the center channel, this speaker system can suit anyone's needs, even if they don't use that center channel a lot.

This is on the list of the top three major 5.1 systems:

The Logitech Z-680 is the best, overall, because of its great customization access (such as the digital encoding - something not found on these speakers, the NICE volume control unit, the tone, bass, etc. - much more flexible control than the 550 MegaWorks)

The MegaWorks 550 THX speakers are great for the avid music listener and casual gamer/movie goer. If you are a steady gamer here (like yours truly) you will want the speakers I listed above.

I don't see any point anymore in getting the Klipsch 5.1 setup. They USED to be the supreme and BEST speakers available - but now two other competetors are just making better products. But don't let this surprise you - Klipsch is developing the 6.1 system as I type this review! ;)

Now, the Logitechs may be the best speakers, but for the price, you can't really go WRONG, it's just that hardcore gamers and movie watchers will want something a little more "advanced" - this is because the 550s are a PLAIN system - no digital, not fancy customization controlls, etc. - this is the best ALL ANALOG system on the market right now, in my opinion.

However in the end (or as you can see) I ended up with the Creative Megaworks 5.1. Why did I choose this over Logitech? Well for starters this hissing issue didn't sound promising what so ever (apparently even the updated control pods still have hiss), and since previously owning the Logitech Z-560's I was looking for something different. Since owning the Z-560's I was a very proud owner of this particular product. Mids and Highs were decent, and the Bass? Absolutely awesome! Fortunately I managed to stay on 1 set, and didn't blow any amps or subs like 50 thousand people around the world. However there comes a time when you crave for the 5.1 setup, and that was the main reason why the Z-560's made it's departure.

Well in reference to the Creative Megaworks THX 5.1's (the whole reason why I'm writing my opinion) I can honestly say that I'm a happy consumer. Upon opening the box (which was well packaged) everything seemed larger then expected. Out came 5 well designed satelites and 1 decent sized subwoofer (but not as big as the Z-560's) and installtion was in progress. Upon powering up these babies, I kept in mind the "Burn In" process as I didn't want to expereince any funny smells of burnt out amps or subwoofers, so being cautious was the key. However I couldn't help but max the volume out, though this why only for a few seconds :P

So in my opinion how do they sound? Well for me they took a bit of "getting use to". My previous set was famously known for it's "boomy" subwoofer and in a sense I expected my Creatives to sound a little along the same line. However I was required to increase subwoofer levels to about 70% (on Audigy settings) which was quite a big increase from 40% (Z-560's). I was a little disappointed at first as I wasn't exactly feeling the 'rush' of power throughout the system. However please don't get me wrong, these speakers can pump once you get the volume level cranking.

In terms of quality, the reviews were absolutely right. Mids and Highs were clearly and well produced, and the subwoofer pumped out that 'punchy' bass many reviews noted. Without a doubt this a great sounding system, and does well in all departments such as Mp3's, games and DVD movies.

Did I pick up any cons? Well for starters the center channel stand is quite interesting. The center channel on the Megaworks includes a stand which seems to collapse on it's own weight. Angling the stand at about 90 Degrees will maybe sustain the angel for a while however a small force (bumping the table) will course it to collapse. However it doesn't effect my situation as the center speaker is placed on top of my monitor and is angled down towards my position, but it just bothers me as it's not exactly adjustable. The control center is a fairly simple unit which in a sense can be a good and bad thing. The increasing of the volume may feel a little strange at first, but you get use to it. But genereally the control center is fairly decent, with controls over the center, rear, sub, treble and of course the master volume and not to mention the headphone jack.

But as implied in the above, I'm a fairly happy consumer of one of Creative's finest products. 500 Watts (Burst) Power is obviously enough for any general computer user, though in my opinion it's the quality that makes the Megaworks stand out from the crowd. From assumption, I don't think the Megaworks could out perform the Z-680's in terms of volume, though seriously does any see themselves needing to go that loud? I don't ever see myself at 100% for more then 10 Seconds.

But all in all, for cosumers looking for a speaker set I believe the Megaworks will not disappoint you.

ok review add on after a few months of experience.
awsome still, no issues at all, creative have excellent tech support if anyone ever needs it. some of the best midrange and low range sounds out there. considering the fact that these are 3.5 inch drivers in the satillites it should be able to do well, and combine it with a 8 inch downfiring sub, highs are half decent but can be better:).