19 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Phenomenal. These are the speakers you're looking for!
Date of Review: Jan 29, 2007
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend these speakers because they sound beyond exceptional, will get louder than a sane person will play them, and are ridiculously low-priced. Can I give them six stars?
I am going to be starting a new job soon and wanted to get some decent speakers for listening to music while I work. I also need good speakers because I do a fair amount of loops based tracks in Apple's "Garage Band" for use in a live music setting. After doing a quick Google search, I came across these and was taken by the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I decided to risk the $114.38. ($87.22 plus shipping)
I can't express how utterly blown away I am by the sound that these speakers can produce! By now you've probably read about the wall-crumbling bass and the ease with which you will be able to irritate your neighbors. These traits are most definitely true, but what is truly astounding is the detail of the sound reproduction. These are VERY accurate speakers! The highs jump out into the room and the mids are perfect for vocals. And what I love about the bass is that it's so satisfyingly warm and punchy. I know you've read that about other speakers and have heard unimpressive results. Simply speaking, these speakers will not disappoint you. Like a good pair of reference monitors, these give you everything. If it's in the recording, you're going to hear it. The sound stage is wide and will give you the impression that you are listening to MUCH larger tower speakers. Really!
For the sake of comparison, I did my own little subjective A/B test, pitting the Z-2300s against my current computer speakers which are JBL's Creature II speakers. I've had the JBLs for about 2 years now and have found them to be very adequate, and I am accustomed to their sound. I hooked the Logitechs into my iPod and left the JBLs connected to my computer. By simultaneously playing identical tracks on my computer and iPod and simply switching the speaker's power/standby buttons on and off, I was able to get a pretty fair idea of the difference. These speakers are in an entirely different league. I still can't believe the difference in dynamic range. These speakers would easily outperform many home systems.
I've read that the manual is lacking but I honestly don't know what could be added. There is a very clear diagram showing how the connections are made and a concise set of instructions detailing how to hook it up and get it working. Most people will intuitively know how the system sets up and will use the manual for confirmation. As for the length of the cables, they could probably be a little longer. I don't think it will be an issue in my new office, but if it is, I will extend them with an RCA cable and double-ended adapter.
To me, the look of a speaker is secondary to its sound. That being said, these are downright sharp looking. I like the way you can just barely see the phase plug shimmering behind the grille cloth. The wired remote contol is really sweet too. I love that it's independent from the speakers and I think the headphone jack will come in handy. Both the bass control and overall volume knob have a smooth feel. The bass knob even has a nice little detent right at the 12 o'clock position. I find it to be a perfect setting for low-volume listening and 10 or 11 o'clock when I feel like cranking things up.
If you have a highly developed ear, you will LOVE these speakers. Even if you can't recognize the subtle nuances in your music collection, I promise you will find yourself enjoying your music more. I will be recommending these to everyone I know. I can't believe Logitech got it so right. In the audio world, you just can't get sound like this for such a low price!
