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!

I recently bought 2 smaller flat screened LED LCD Tv's. One is a 19 inch FAVI, one is a 22 inch LG. I had my fingers crossed that the speakers that came with the TV would be adequate, since I was only intending to use these tvs in my bedroom and kitchen, not as main viewing, gaming, or DVD movie watching. This was not the case, not even with the larger, more expensive LG. So I looked for a relatively cheap alternative to the normal TV audio hookup which would have required buying a receiver, bookshelf speakers, speaker wiring etc. After researching the internet I found this 2.1 speaker system. It is surprising to me that the vendors do not advertise that these "PC, gaming" speakers are also a great alternative to your small tv listening pleasure. They work wonders and don't cost nearly as much as separate components would. Hooking up to the TV is as simple as plugging the standard 3.5mm. wired jack which is attached to the logitech remote into the headphone "out" jack on the TV. I am sure most small flat panel TVs have one. But check before you buy. The other connections between the speakers and subwoofer are simple and instructions are easy to follow. The logitech remote has controls for volume, bass volume, and off/on. Plus, once you have everything set up the way you like, you should still be able to adjust the volume through the TV remote (my preference). What about the sound you ask? For my purposes (see paragraph 1), this system was a great alternative. The subwoofer is big and strong and seems to be well balanced. If it gets too boomy you simply adjust the bass volume on the handy wired remote. Remember, when connecting to a tv, you should have two levels of adjustment at your disposal. The first level is through the tv bass/treble controls. The second level is through this system itself using the remote. Between the two you should be able to find a nice balance between bass and treble that is satisfying to your ears. It is not that complicated. Really. Since hooking this up to my LG, the sound has been quite full bodied, volume level is much louder if I choose to raise it, the subwoofer compliments the speakers nicely (just be sure to adjust the bass volume to taste.) I like the look of the speakers with the two-toned black and silver colors. Looks sleek and modern. The speakers look and feel like they are durable. The subwoofer is substantial, sort of heavy and has limited connection options... It is really designed to be linked to these speakers. The dimension of the subwoofer is 11 in. X 11 in. X 15 in. (H X W X D). On a side note, the wired remote has a rather bright blue light on it when turned on. I kind of like it, makes a nice blue nightlight. But there are easy options if you do not care for it. Simply press the off button and off goes the light. Or keep the system turned on but place a piece of black electrical tape over the blue light. Problem solved. To sum up, this 2.1 speaker system saved my new LG 22 inch flat panel tv from being an audio annoyance. It sounds great now, I have no problem hearing dialect, if I turn on a music channel it sounds pretty damn sweet, and it gets plenty loud enough for my purposes. Unfortunately I missed the Thanksgiving Day price of $79. I hadn't done enough research to go for it that day. A few days later it had raised to the current price of about $115. It is too bad I missed the really good price, but I guess it was not meant to be. So now might be a good time to get it before it goes up anymore. Plus, I read somewhere that Logitech is phasing this unit out, but the replacement unit has less wattage and a smaller subwoofer than this one has. Strange, you would think they would add to it instead of taking away from it, but who am I to decide these things. I say get this one while they last.

We bought this for the design studio team. And was being loaned out to other departments such as sales meetings, public events to just plain cranking it out when nobody was in the office except for me. It's great sound with a subwoofer. I bought the exact same one because of the sound quality. And it's workmanship. Although I have had this product for 13 years, it has taken me 13 years to finally write a review. Sorry. Without any doubt, if you are looking for a sound system, Logitech is a brand to be reckoned with!

If you can still acquire this system and are thinking about it, go for it. This system cannot be beat in terms of power for a 2.1 system. If the bass is overpowering, it can be turned down to near silence. I do wish it used speaker wire instead or rca connectors, though this is not a big enough issue to rate it any less. My opinion, best balance of power and audio fidelity for the price, get it if you still find it.