SPEAKERS: Logitech Z-2300 2.1Ch, THX Certified

[steve_sarge]

Logitech Z-2300 2.1Ch, THX Certified Speakers

I have recently changed my mind as to the use I have for 5.1 on my main PC and decided I'd do a Downgrade to 2.1 Speakers.

What I wanted was a consumer level speaker that sounded Crisp and Clear for Music, Movies and Gaming.

Off I go to My Local PC Store and see what 2.1 gear he has in store.

Being that I'm part of the furniture at Carbil Computers, Chris knew exactly where to steer me....

So off I toddle with a box of Z-2300 2.1 Speakers not really knowing what to expect in the way of the difference in quality between these and my Old (6 month old) X-540 5.1 Speakers.

I get home, move stuff, sweat, juggle, swap......e.t.c.........

In the end, I came up looking pretty good (so did my office)





I am more than happy with the overall design of these and the crisp sound they produce (remember the part where I wanted "Consumer Level Speakers")

I decided that I'd look up a comparison between these and the X-540 speakers on the Logitech Site and was blown away by the power difference between the 2....


The Speakers (for those that aren't super Savvy on names) goes a little something like

Satellites = The wee speakers that sit on the desk (generally 2 or more of)
Subwoofer = the BIG BOX looking Speaker that more than likely sits under the desk because of it's size (this is where the Thump comes from)

Okay, that settled, the difference between my New Z-2300 and the Older X-540 is:


Satellites Power RMS (I won't get into the RMS Meaning, but this is ideally the number that counts):

Z-2300: 2.5-inch polished aluminum phase plug driver @ (40 watts EACH)

X-540: (2) 2" drivers per satellite @ (2 x 7.4W front, 15.4W centre, 2 x 7.4W rear)

Bear in mind that 2 x 7.4 Watts WILL NOT give you 14.8W... It is merely a gimmick

Subwoofer:

Z-2300: 8-inch long-throw ported driver with sixth-order bass reflex enclosure @ (120 watts RMS)

X-540: Subwoofer: 5.25" ported driver @ (25 watts RMS)

To Sum the numbers up, this gives a TOTAL RMS of:

Z-2300: 200 watts RMS

X-540: 70 watts RMS

That's a HUGE Difference

For those that own the X-230, here are specs to compare:

# Drivers:
Satellites: (2) 2" drivers per satellite
Subwoofer: 5.25" ported driver

# Total RMS power: 32 watts RMS
Satellites: 12 watts RMS (6 watts x 2)
Subwoofer: 20 watts RMS

And the X-530 Speakers are about IDENTICAL to their younger brother the X-540.

I just got off the Phone to Yoda and he spotted some Z-4 Speakers at JB HiFi:

These are quite closely matched to the X-230 Speakers, but look nicer...... That is all

[GSte]

Glad you noticed a difference here mate, I love that feeling when you get some new hardware and it lives up to your expectations..... what have you used them for so far? Music? Gaming? Movies? All 3?

[steve_sarge]

Originally Posted by GSte

Glad you noticed a difference here mate, I love that feeling when you get some new hardware and it lives up to your expectations..... what have you used them for so far? Music? Gaming? Movies? All 3?

mate, these speakers have well and truly exceeded my expectations. I was thinking I'd heard about the best that Logitech had to offer in the way of "Dull" sounding Speakers... Not the case. These are brilliant for mainstream speakers to say the least.

I "NOW" enjoy listening to music, watching "Stereo Encoded" movies (as the rear fill is now gone) and playing games. Yep, all 3. The only thing I will say, is that the FPS Games I play need the directional sound of a 3D environment. I've found that the headphone solution has always served me well in this case and I wwasn't even happy with the 5.1 X-540's when I had them setup in the office.

So, at the end of the day, for my music listening needs (and the occasion where I'll watch a movie on the computer) these are more than adequate.

I have a 42" Plasma and Surround in the lounge for movies.

[GSte]

Very nice mate, might look into buying a set of these, been thinking of upgrading my current speakers for a while as they cost me a whopping £9, and aren't what you might call "top of the line"

[Clunk]

I missed this one

The neatness is making my eyes bleed

Nice job mate

[steve_sarge]

Originally Posted by GSte

Very nice mate, might look into buying a set of these, been thinking of upgrading my current speakers for a while as they cost me a whopping £9, and aren't what you might call "top of the line"

Clunk, Cheers. It's not exactly "Neat" as such, as the cables are in a bit of a mess. If I was a little more dilligent in wiring stuff up, it'd look nicer from the lounge. Being that I don't do daytime movies, it looks okay in the dark.

GSte, these Z-2300 speakers are great (and my mate Yoda, who got a mention in the post, bought some too)

He said the other day that he got a headache in record time of 3.5 minutes out of them :-)

There may be better quality or spec speaker setups more readily available to you where you are, but Tasmania is a bit isolated from the Mainland of Australia and we need to freight our stuff in at that little extra premium.

In saying that, I do highly recommend these if you are wanting a good set of consumer level speakers, but in the same breath, from the few posts I've read, there are some nice sounding, well built speakers available to you guys at a comparatively better price.

Do a bit of research, listen to some set up and make your own thoughts (is my suggestion) as you may have fussier ears than me. The reason I say this is because there are guys here on this forum that have indicated that certain audio equipment is not "doing it" for them and it is better that your ears enjoy the sound.

BUT>>>> I love my speakers.

[GSte]

Originally Posted by steve_sarge

He said the other day that he got a headache in record time of 3.5 minutes out of them :-)

Originally Posted by steve_sarge

Do a bit of research, listen to some set up and make your own thoughts (is my suggestion) as you may have fussier ears than me. The reason I say this is because there are guys here on this forum that have indicated that certain audio equipment is not "doing it" for them and it is better that your ears enjoy the sound.

Tbh mate I think I'd be impressed with pretty much anything after these £9 efforts, but of course I'll undoubtedly do hours of painstaking research before I buy..... and I wonder why I have no time any more!!

[steve_sarge]

Originally Posted by GSte

I wonder why I have no time any more!!

I'm hearing you there. I went out on a whim with these ones. when they said THX on them, I was nearly instantly sold on that. I was still a wee bit skeptical on the quality tho as I've only owned Logitech Speakers in the past (starting with R20 speakers) and I haven't been "Blown Away" with any Logitech gear until now.

If you are quite happy to take my word for it, definitely get some of these.

If anyone else can suggest something better that is local to you, it'd pay to get a listen in on their suggestion too.

Numbers and figures are somewhat irrelevant in the argument of what you are going to like at the end of the day. You get get an 800Watt speaker system that will sound dreadful, or again, it can swing the other way.

The Z-2300s are crisp enough for my needs and don't sound horrible by any means.