Logitech Z-2300 2 Speakers

I was hesitant to buy these initially due to the mixed reviews at Cnet.com, especially the ones complaining about the lack of midrange. But I was in quite a predicament. I gave my old speakers to my mom and was in the market for some new replacements.

Nothing fancy at first, so I ended up with the Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 system. I spent a little over a hundred bucks at Best Buy and boy what a mistake it was. If you really want to hear speakers with a lacking midrange, get a pair of these to audition. I returned them promptly. I have also owned a Klipsch 2.1 system (which broke) as well which is a competitor to the Logitech 2.1 system.

I was back in the market for new speakers and ran into the Logitech Z-2300 2.1 system on Cnet. The editors gave it rave reviews, but the user reviews were more mixed. It was on sale on Amazon.com (and still is, this time even better with a rebate offer making it $50!!!) I ordered them on Amazon and they came promptly to my door step.

First thing I noticed was that the box was frickin' heavy (not too heavy that I can't lift, but surprisingly heavy). The box was rated a weight of ~35 pounds. But at the same time I was delighted by the weight because I was thinking about the sub driver and its beefy, yet necessary MDF enclosure.

Plugging up was a breeze. Hooking up a computer speaker system shouldn't be a chore and shouldn't take a rocket scientist, and this was as easy as they get. One thing a potential buyer should know is that the speaker cables are on the short side so speaker placement might be limited. You could hack the wires and extend them, but I wasn't ready to throw my warranty away (2 years might I add). But I was able to space my satellites adequately to maintain stereo imaging.

The wired desktop remote is pretty neat. A large and tactile volume knob accompanied by a small "bass" gain knob and a power switch. There's also a built in headphone jack on the desktop remote. Upon plugging in your headphones, the speakers turn off. I was upset that there wasn't an extra auxiliary input for a total of two inputs. For me that was a big downside because I wanted to hook up both my computer and iPod at the same time to minimize fumbling behind my computer to switch the cables. Luckily I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and fabricated myself a little "combiner" cable using two male stereo 3.5mm jack plug and one female stereo 3.5mm jack socket. You can't simply hook them together because of interference if by chance you use both the computer and iPod sources at the same time. But if you go to this link: http://www.tkk.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/linesum.html you can simply use some resistors to build a simple mixer/combiner that prevents any intereference. Anyways, it's beyond this review and I'm only presenting it to those who are in the same situation. In the end, I don't have to fumble with wires anymore.

And now finally on with the sound. The highs are very crisp and detailed. I was afraid they wouldn't be there because of the single driver satellites. But the aluminum phase plug design is truly magnificent. Not only does it look great, it actually functions great at focusing the highs. A simple Google search will show you how the phase plug works on a true phase plug design. The phase plug also allows a much lighter driver mass and more free movement. That's probably one of the reasons that the Z-2300 happen to have some of the highest SPL's in its category. Besides just loud sound, they are very clear. In comparison to the Klipsch 2.1 which uses a separate tweeter, the highs are much softer and less bright (more pleasant to the ears).

The midrange was very present! Trust me I know. As I said earlier, I auditioned the Altec Lansing VS4121, and the downfiring woofers produced the strangest sounds I have ever heard. In contrast the Z-2300 was just warmer. I think the reason some users might be lacking midrange may be because of their bass gain setting. I do understand that the sub is on the large size and many will compensate by putting the bass gain less than halfway. I found doing this definitely affects midrange performance. Putting the bass gain at 1/3 gives a very hollow sound. Probably the sound most of the negative reviews are coming from. For my typical listening I put the bass gain at halfway or a little past. The bass shouldn't overpower the sound given the music, and the midrange is much more present. If the bass is overpowering, it's most likely because of the type of music you are listening (i.e. dance, hip-hop, etc.). In that case, it's only normal because that music is typically mixed with earthshaking bass, and the Z-2300 performs magnficently. Listening to classical and jazz with the bass gain a fraction past half, and the sound is very balanced.

The bass is simply strong in good ways and bad, but mostly good. I can see how it can become bad because you have to put the bass gain a little high to acheive normal midrange levels and subsequently raise the subwoofer level a little more. But I feel that the subwoofer really rounds out the overall sound by giving a very warm foundation. The sound is more true to a live performance (with tower speakers amplifying the sound). You go to a live rock or jazz concert, and yep there's plenty of earthshaking bass. So to those complaining that the Z-2300 has a heavy sound, I would have to disagree. Most of my recordings do not sound heavy, and not far to what the recording studio wanted it to be heard. If it's hip-hop or pop or techno, the studio wanted to hear and feel the bass and the Z-2300 delivers. On good rock recordings the bass is at a perfect level with the bass gain at mid or slightly past. Classical is perfect since there is not much bass to begin with. The bass does not distort at high levels and I have pushed them hard. In contrast to the Klipsch 2.1, the Klipsch was very prone to distorting most likely because of its undersized port.

Another thing that will ditcate your listening experience is the size and shape of your room. These speakers are suited for midsized to large rooms. If your room is small, the bass may become on the heavy side. If your room is small in the first place, you might want to consider the size of the sub enclosure because it is rather big. These speakers easily fill up a large room.

If you're ready to drop your audiophilic tendencies which always crave realistic reproduction etc., when you crank the bass up it really shakes the walls. It's really unbelievable for a $100 dollar 2.1 set.

These speakers also perform fantastic for movies! Because of the large subwoofer, explosions and various sound effects really fill the room. The Altec Lansings VS4121 really suffered here because of it's underpowered sub and lacking midrange. You can expect equal performance with games. And of course you won't get surround sound from these 2.1 speakers, so consider that for games and movies. I find 2.1 systems more than adaquate for a computer because it's cumbersome finding spots to place surround speakers in a typical bedroom. Plus most people already own a surround sound system for their television.

One minor problem is the blue power LED light on the destop remote. If you leave your speakers on at night, it will light up the room a little bit. Just turn off the speakers to turn the light off.

Those considering a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 against this, simply look at the reviews at amazon describing of the reliability and quality. My left speaker stopped working, and the volume knob when adjusted makes a loud crackling sound (probably a bad potentiometer). I had them for about a year. Yes the sound on the Klipsch was amazing, although I wasn't satisfied with the subwoofer performance (distorted). In comparison, the Logitech, which I've had for a year as well, have no reliability issues and comes with a 2 year warranty! The Klipsch only has a 1 year warranty. The sound is very similar between the two. The highs were more detailed on the Klipsch although sometimes harsh, while the bass is much stronger on the Logitech. Now the price breakdown: I paid $150 for the Klipsch, $100 for the Logitech. On Amazon the Klipsch is now $99 while the Logitech is $55 after rebate! And for those who care, they're both THX certified (if that really matters). Hmm tough decision. I think you know what to do.

If you are an audiophile looking for top of class performance, you really shouldn't be looking at computer speakers in the first place. For 2.1 computer speakers, these are as good as they get.