Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer

I'd read a LOT of reviews here and elsewhere before I finally decided on and purchased the Logitech Z-2300 speaker system for my computer. After putting the speakers through their paces for a couple weeks after I received them, I must say I am fairly impressed.I have tried many, many different computer speaker systems over the years, and most have been seriously lacking. When I first got into using home computers, computer speaker systems didn't exist. If you wanted to get sound out of your computer, you had to run it through your home stereo system, and you were lucky if your computer system had stereo outputs. Sound was often an afterthought in those days, but as computer technology evolved it became more and more important. (Just FYI - I purchased my first home computer in 1986... so I've been working with them for a while. :))Nowadays a lot of people consider computer technology synonymous with audio technology: MP3's, iTunes, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, etc. - but until the mid to late 90's this technology was still being developed or didn't even exist; and even while it was being developed most of us didn't have computers powerful enough to use it, or hard drives large enough to store the music files. iTunes didn't even exist until 2001: that's only nine years ago boys and girls.It makes me wonder after all the years of development and evolution of computer audio technology why so many computer speaker systems still SUCK!! I'm not certain if it was just an acceptance of the initial audio formats, or that the flooding of the market of really cheap headphones, earphones and speaker systems just caused people to become used to sub-par sound being the norm. Whatever the reason, sadly there are many that have never experienced what their computer is truly capable of audio-wise. The best computer speaker system I've heard was one I built myself - It consisted of a Linear Power 652 car stereo amplifier running off of a very large 12V power supply and was powering a pair of the legendary Realistic Minimus 7 speakers (a 4" midbass/midrange driver coupled with a 1" fabric dome tweeter in a cast aluminum speaker enclosure; they were one of the best small "bookshelf" speakers of their era, and are still considered so...even though it was sold through Radio Shack - I guess even they got it right once in a while) and a Kicker 8" car stereo subwoofer in a custom enclosure - the satellites were getting 30 watts RMS per channel and the sub was getting 65 watts RMS... the first time I played the video game Descent: Freespace (circa 1998) with them and picked up the Vulcan cannon, the sub was playing so loudly (without distortion I might I add) it was vibrating my filing cabinet so much my next door neighbors came over to find out what all the gunfire was about!That being said, I am not going to endorse the Logitech Z-2300 speakers as the best system I have ever heard on my computer - but they are pretty decent. The bass is solid and not over-empowering, despite what a few people have reported; it all depends on how much you adjust the bass control on the speakers vs. your computer audio out vs. how loud you play your speakers overall and how you adjust your music apps and/or audio card's EQ settings. A lot of people have their EQ settings for their favorite music player cranked up for bass and high end because their headphones/earphones lack this response, but then when they connect a decent set of speakers to their computer it sounds bad or the music is distorted; turn off those EQ settings!I've read some comments that the Z-2300 speakers lack mid-response. Personally I think they have a bit too MUCH mid-response and they sound a bit nasal and/or hollow as a result: I mean, essentially the speaker is one big mid-driver with an aluminum "bullet" center (or "phase plug" as Logitech calls it) to give better high-end response. I've found that adjusting the EQ down a bit in your sound card's settings or your music app in the 1K, 2K and 4K ranges helps... you'll have to play around with a bit to adjust it to your own taste. I have also personally found the satellite speakers sound better without the grills as they are not very acoustically transparent. For those of you that already own these speakers try this simple experiment - gently blow on the palm of your hand from a few inches away and then move the grill in between your hand and mouth and you'll see how much air flow they are blocking. If they are blocking the movement of air from the speakers, then they are blocking sound! This usually affects the high frequencies and upper midrange the most. Regardless of that, these satellite speakers actually image halfway decently.Overall I recommend this speaker system... for the price of around a hundred bucks you are getting a very solid 8" subwoofer that is powered from a 120 watt RMS amplifier, while the two satellite speakers are getting 40 watts RMS each (if you don't know what the difference between Peak and RMS audio power is, look here for an explanation: [...] The speaker system actually does sound pretty decent.If you look around you can find very good powered home subwoofers for less that you could attempt to build a speaker system out of. The problem with this is that while most of these subs have gain (volume) and adjustable crossover controls, they are simply an add-on subwoofer... they have no amplified outputs that you can hook up decent pair of satellite speakers to. For that you'd have to have a separate amplifier to hook up some satellite speakers and that means more money and complexity. (Or you could just use your original pair of wimpy and substandard powered computer speakers along with the sub, but that would pretty much negate the whole point of upgrading, wouldn't it?) So, if you don't like the sound of the included satellite speakers, you're not stuck with them. Simply replace them with whatever small (typically bookshelf-type) speakers you'd like - Boston, Bose, Polk, etc. You'll have to create or buy a pair of custom speaker wires, but that's no big deal. I simply used an old pair of RCA audio cables, cut the RCA connectors off one end and stripped the wires to plug them into the speakers and plugged the RCA jacks on the other end into the Z-2300 speaker output RCA connectors. If you can't handle that, stick with the original speakers that came with the set...or get a friend to help.Either way, you are getting an exceptional powered sub that happens to have a built-in power amp to run a set of external speakers, as well as an external wired remote/adapter that controls power (on/off), volume and sub-woofer level. You can't buy ANY decent home audio subwoofer for around a hundred - hundred-twenty bucks that can even come close to this in terms of power, performance and/or features. And you get a pair of satellite speaker thrown in for free. They have a fair amount of power handling and don't image too bad. I can honestly say this is one of the best computer audio systems I've heard in about the past 20 or so years I've been working with computers and it would probably rival a lot of people's home audio systems.. this is no typical wimpy "boom-box" sound. If you want some serious audio output from your computer, look no further!

First, I will have to say that I am a music engineer/producer, so when it comes to music, I know what I'm talking about. Secondly, I just bought this product and, no I don't work for Logitech, or anyone else who`s related to the company, or their distributors.Setting up:For those who are curious a bit about the speaker set up, it is very easy. The subwoofer acts as the "motherboard", so to speak. Everything hooks into it, from the back. The subwoofer is the power supply source (there's no adapter, just a standard plug, so this will save room on a power strip), and the wired remote plugs into the sub, and the computer. The satellites plug into the sub as well. If you wish to plug the speakers up something else (a videogame console, a DVD player, VCR, etc.) a RCA splitter cord is provided to hook it up. When plugging this thing up, do NOT plug it up to the electrical socket first and then connect the components. Plug it into the wall last. Additionally, there is a on/off feature on the wired remote, as well as a switch on the back of the sub. The ON LED light on the wired remote is a pretty blue color.When you set up the speakers, you should note that the satellites are very directional sensitive. That is, adjusting the angle of the speakers will have a great deal to do with the how the sound is directed towards your head, and thus the overall quality. Take the time to adjust this to the best sounding position. These speakers are decently compact. My computer is sitting on a tiny IKEA computer desk, along with other studio gear, including two rack-mounted processors. I have plenty of room for these speakers. Do NOT sit these speakers next to your head. It's a good idea to have them farther away from you than your monitor is sitting, if possible. As for the subwoofer, do the smart thing and put it on the floor. It doesn't need to be elevated no more than a foot off the ground, if that much. Also give the sub room to breathe, and for the love of common sense, don't block the side air hole, and don't direct the woofer at your computer tower.The Sound:Like I said before, I am a music producer, additionally I am a classically trained musician with 20 years experience (I'm 28). So I know what I'm talking about. Also I should note that I am using a fairly new desktop computer, an Emachines, which is about a year old. I also have a nice Sony 5.1 stereo system. These speakers kick my Sony's tail, all around. The only way it could be better is if it was a perfect surround sound system, and that would be a pain to deal with, unless you have the room and money for it.Some people have said the mids on these speakers are weak. I'm not hearing it at all. What I have noticed is that the upper highs are very strong. If you are having this problem here's simple solution. I'm using Windows Media Player 9.0. On the "rock" EQ setting just move the 16kHz level down a wee bit. If you're using another kind of media player, just turn down the EQ between 12-20kHz down by 5-10%. If you're hearing hiss out of the speakers then you might have them too close to your head to begin with (I can only hear it when I lean over next to it, and if the volume is past 60%). Otherwise, you might have a shielding problem.These speakers are quite loud. Be careful not to damage your hearing with these. I really see no point in turning the master volume past 40% and the sub past 25%.Also keep in mind that these speakers are quality. Don't play hip hop on a classical EQ setting. You should get used to switching your EQ setting (which is easy enough on Windows Media Player) for the appropriate thing you are listening to. If you're listening to talk radio, set it to "speech", and turn the woofer down to zero.The only draw back on this speaker system is that you can't turn the woofer down to perfect zero, meaning that you can't bypass it. That would be a good bonus. But turning down the EQ in the 20Hz to 50 Hz range should do the trick if you want to by pass it.For this price, these speakers are a steal. The quality of these things in my opinion are triple the price, if not more.The z2300 as well deserving of 5 stars. If you want killer sound on your computer without spending a few thousand bucks, this is the way to go. I bought these for my home studio to mix the record I'm working on, and I'm so glad I did it. It far beats spending $400 on a single studio monitor.If anyone wants so advice or semi-technical assistance as far as these speakers are concerned, I'd be more than glad to offer some advice if you wish, just email me at GSFU (at) aol (dot) com.