Digital Trends

Logitech Z3 2.1

December 28th, 2003 | by Ian Bell

Introduction

It seems like every new computer speaker system has to have four to five speakers, Dolby Digital or THX certification and lots of power to even be considered a good system. But what if you don't want a speaker system that takes up every square inch in your room or shakes the house? For some of us, we want a 2.1 system that sounds great and looks good in our offices. This is what we think Logitech was aiming for with the Z3 speaker system. Priced at around $80, the Logitech Z3 speaker system offers exceptional sound and a unique design that looks great in any office or home setting.

Features and Design

We really have to give Logitech props for introducing a speaker system that looks somewhat different than the norm. Featuring bleached wood styling and die cast metal legs on the satellites and the same wood styling on the subwoofer, Logitech has taken design cues from the home audio realm and integrated them nicely into these computer speakers. The die cast metal legs on the satellites help to give the speakers a nice hefty feel typically associated with the quality audiophiles have come to respect. You can also remove the speaker legs to give you more flexibility with their placement, should you decide to get a little creative. The satellites also feature a brushed metal faceplate that Logitech went out of their way to protect by adding a thick plastic peel-away skin to the finish. You can choose to pull the plastic off to give the speakers a very shiny and appealing look to them, or keep the film on and use the included speaker covers. The overall look of the Z3 system gives a strong impression of 70's contemporary styling with a home audio feel.

The subwoofer features the same wood styling found on the satellite speakers and looks smaller than what you would expect from a speaker system of this caliber. But do not be deceived as this subwoofer features an oversized 8-inch driver in a sealed enclosure, which allows you to get a very deep bass in a box smaller than what you would get with a ported enclosure. Neither the satellites nor the subwoofer feature a real wood veneer, but the cover certainly looks the part.

The satellites plug directly into the subwoofer and are driven using an AC adapter built into the subwoofer amplifier. Controls for the satellites are located in an in-line control unit that is integrated into the speaker cables. You will find the volume controls, power button and a headphone jack in this control unit. The subwoofer's volume control is located on the back of the subwoofer itself and not in the in-line control unit. Logitech includes a very brief instruction manual and an RCA audio/stereo-mini jack cable adapter so you can plug these speakers directly into the back of your gaming console (Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube) providing your game console has this input type. The satellites utilize a single 2-inch aluminum phase plug driver with a small port located above the driver.

The satellites have a power rating of 8.5 watts RMS each with the subwoofer using 23 watts RMS of power for total system power equaling 40 watts RMS or 80 watts of peak power. The signal to noise ratio is >92dB (decibels) which means the system is very efficient considering it only uses 40 watts RMS of total power. Logitech offers a 2-year warranty for the Z3 speaker system. For complete system specs please click on the specs tab located above this review or the specifications link located below this review.