playbakda's Full Review: Logitech Z-2300 2 Speakers
I’ve had these speakers for about six weeks and I think they have a great sound. I have them hooked up to a new Alienware system with a SoundBlaster X-Fi card. I use the card for both gaming and music. The system is located in a 11’ x 11’ home office with the speakers located at each corner of 5’ desk and the subwoofer in front of the desk.
I have switched from a 5.1 system I got with my previous Alienware system. I’m in my 50’s and have seen about every sound gimmick come down the pike. There are a lot of people who love 5.1 and have time to tweak them, I’m just not one of them. I’ve had the 5.1 system for about five years hooked to a SoundBlaster Live card. I’m pretty adept with computers, so I have kept up with the drivers, played with the balance, moved the speakers and done about everything I can to “feel” the game. I usually play Call of Duty or Far Cry type games. I also play RTS games of the C&C stripe.
I must be getting old, because I’m tired of screwing around with sound systems. I’m at a point where I just want to sit down and hear some great sound without going through all of the situational adjustments (FPS game, music, RTS game, SAT TV, etc). If you just want something that has great fidelity and some oomph in the low range, this is your system.
What I like:
1. The sound for music is fantastic. I have eclectic tastes in music and all of it sounds great across the board with excellent fidelity. Some songs you can hear every instrument and note. It’s as good as the source (mp3, wma, etc) can make it.
2. The stereo effect is wonderful. It’s like having a center speaker without having the clutter of a physical speaker on your desk, plus you still get a great sense of left/right effects.
3. The subwoofer will rock you. I have it front of a solid wood desk and it will shake the desk at half bass. When I play COD or MOH, it’s like you are on Omaha beach during an artillery barrage. It’s as real as I need it. I don’t need 5.1 to hear the shell whistling past me to get a great effect.
4. I really like the control. It sits well on the desk next to my keyboard. Nice big dials that index the bass and volume well. There is good size off switch that is easy to hit if you need to kill the sound quickly without searching for a mute button. There is also a plug for headphones. Makes it convenient if you don’t want to have to keep reaching around the back of the system. It also has a blue power light which I prefer.
5. Very, very, very easy to set up. Just plug the speakers into the subwoofer and then plug the system cable into the sound card. Turn it on.
6. Uses the system software for balance and treble. It will also use the software equalizer. You may ask why this is important. Half my problem with my last set of speakers is that the computer had an equalizer, the installed SoundBlaster software had an equalizer, the player had an equalizer and the speaker system had a equalizer, speaker balance. Give me a break. There were four sets of adjustments that you had to manage depending on what you were doing at the time (game, music, TV). I never knew which control was in control. My results were mixed at best. Now I just worry about the computers settings and I get great sound in any of my apps.
7. I have not detected the irritating hum my last system had during quiet times or when no music was playing.
8. I like the style of the speakers. Silver with black cloth covers. They seem very substantial.
What I don’t like:
1. I may be old fashioned, but I want the option to change the length of my speaker wires. I don’t know why Logitech has gone this route, but the speaker wire is permanently affixed to the back of the speaker and terminates with an RCA plug. I prefer heavy gauge speaker wire and would like the option to move the subwoofer farther away. This requires me to buy expensive RCA cable as opposed to regular speaker wire.
2. The subwoofer is probably physically bigger than it should be for a small room system. There is no room for it under the desk (that’s why it’s in front of it:). I’m still experimenting with placement. Make no mistake, this puppy is big. It also has metal heat vanes on the back that give it additional length. If you are working with limited space, make sure you pay attention to the dimensions.
3. While I like the control, it makes placing the subwoofer across the room somewhat problematic. The wire from the subwoofer to the controller is a 6’ long thick proprietary cable. The system sound plug then runs from the controller to the sound card. The speakers cords run directly to the subwoofer. This system is meant for close-in.
Conclusion:
This is a great trouble free set of speakers with great sound. Just plug and play without a lot of fuss. I knocked off a star because of the reduced flexibility enforced by the proprietary cabling system. That being said, I don't think you can beat the sound at this price. To be honest, I have a pretty decent ear and these are as good as any system I have listened to.
If you love music, you will love the Logitech Z-2300, a 2.1 speaker system that combines everything you need in a sound system: THX-certified performa...More at PCNation
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