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Logitech Z-3 Wood Grained 2.1 Speakers

Logitech Z-3 Wood Grained 2.1 Speakers

List Price: $99.99
Your Price: $73.94
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Newegg
Review: Buy these from the computer site Newegg.com instead. They only cost $65.00, not $99.00 as they're currently listed for as I'm writing this review. I love these speakers, but I would definitely buy my electronics from somewhere other than Target because they have a tendency to overprice their stuff...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good sound to price ratio
Review: For the price, these speakers rock. I'm really enjoying the satellite volume controller. One thing I'm not fond of is the PS2 type connection on the woofer, if it's bumped or slightly jiggled, the sound can cut in and out on the speakers. Overall, I definitely recommend these speakers.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Price, although super boomy bass
Review: I got these about half a year ago to replace an old caimbridge soundworks 5.1 system which would have taken up too much space in my new dorm room. The speakers weren't of the same quality, but I also ended up paying about 1/5th the price.

Nevertheless, the two sattelite speakers are decent. However the subwoofer was really bass-y and boomy, and was simply overpowering for the system. The bass would also go through walls even on the some pretty quiet overall volume settings (even though there's a sub volume control, at the lowest setting the subwoofer is still way too strong). I ended up having to go into my SBLive settings and turning the bass almost all the way off.

The system is fine now, and works great!

For those that love bass, this is probably the system for you. Although if you are in a dorm room or in an apartment complex, I'd be wary of angry neighbors....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LUB IT~
Review: I LUB it~ and Good Deal!!!
great Speakers!
although the bass is a bit too strong~

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't fall for the fake rebate
Review: I purchased 2 Z-3 systems in December of 2004. They both produce a fantastic sound as I expected from logitech. However do not expect a rebate when contemplating the purchase price. I received 2 emails denying rebates on both purchases. I followed the instructions in detail, yet their reasons for denial is vague and unspecific.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Subwoofer placement is critical - then they can be great.
Review: I was really excited to replace my Harman Kardon sub/sats that came with the Dell.... the truth is the HK's were actually really pretty darn good. But I thought I'd make the leap to something better. The Z3's came, I unpacked them, and hooked them up. The first thing you notice is that the satellites are very heavy.... ah, a good sign....??? I placed the satellites on the desk and the subwoofer on the floor under my desk. Fired up the system. Ugh. Terrible. Granted, the subwoofer has an independent volume control, but no matter where you set that, the separation from sub to sats is horrible. The sats are too treble'y, the sub is too boomy (in a bad resonant way) and so all you hear is screachy treble and this really weird crappy boomy sound from under the desk. Keep reading, it gets better... I wasn't willing to throw in the towel, so I went to Home Depot, bought some wood, and built a box, 14" high, 10" square all sides. I filled the box with sand to kill the resonance, and put the sub on the box. Now the sub sits on this box under my desk, with the sats sitting on the desk right over it.
Simply bringing that sub up to nearly the same level as the sats made a HUGE difference; I mean the critical difference. I'm sure that sitting what is basically a low-quality sub on 40 lbs of sand has helped it 1000% as well. It has made the sub very clean with none of that goofy resonant boominess left. So for the $60 + $25 other materials, I have a speaker system that was everything I hoped for!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: slick looking, great sounding, affordable speakers
Review: ive been using these speakers for about three months now with my laptop. they are absolutely incredible. i liked them so much that i bought two more sets for family and friends. everyone who sees them comments on the cool looking and easy to use remote, which i think is one of the best features. also, you can take the grill off of the speakers to make them look even more sweet. i looked at a lot of other speakers before buying these, and for the price, these were by far the best deal. although they might not sound as nice as altec lansing speakers, they are pretty close. the volume goes way louder than i ever need it to go, and the sound is still sharp and clear at loud volumes. the only slight downfall is that the sub volume is on the back of the subwoofer. this is no problem for me though, since i keep my sub at a constant level anyways, unless it is for a party or something. from my experience, i have found logitech to make very durable and quality products. i would recommend this to anyone looking for quality upgrades to their current computer speakers. also, since the price on these is so affordable, i would not recommend any other speakers at all!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A+++ Speakers, Great Sound, Great Price
Review: Ive had these speakers for little over a week now and they sound great. THERE IS NO BASS PROBLEM JUST COMBINE A SOUND BLASTER LIVE! AND THESE SPEAKERS U HAVE GREAT SOUND. IF YOU DONT LIKE BASS WITH THE SOUND BLASTER LIVE! YOU CAN TURN DOWN BASS ALL THE WAY WITH THE BASS CONTROL ON THE CARD.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Attractive and decent-sounding speakers, but not much volume
Review: Logitech's Z-3 speakers are a quality set of basic stereo-plus-subwoofer speakers for use with a computer, game unit, or small near-field (close-up) audio setup. They are quite pretty, with faux-wood cabinets and brushed metal accents, and despite their small size are quite heavy. While the set is not exceptionally loud for its rated power, the subwoofer provides substantial bass (perhaps too much at higher settings), and the stereo mid- and high-range satellite speakers offer smooth sound, an attractive and functional design, and solid metal bases for stability. The wired remote, with its simple power button, large analog volume knob, and funky blue LED power light, is an especially nice design.

I purchased the Z-3 speakers for use with a digital stage piano in our living room. Logitech includes a wired-in male mini-stereo plug (the kind that connects to a computer, portable CD player, or other mini-headphone jack), as well as an adapter that converts the mini plug to two female RCA jacks, which plug into standard left and right RCA cables used by stereo systems. I needed additional adapters (which I had, fortunately) to convert those RCA connectors to 1/4" mono phono plugs on the musical keyboard, but that was to be expected, since the Z-3s aren't aimed at musicians anyway.

Wiring up the system was straightforward: the power plug is part of the subwoofer, so you don't have to worry about multiple power cables snaking around-which also means there's no way to run the satellite speakers alone, without the subwoofer. Oddly, you must separate the main cables (which connect the subwoofer to the satellites and remote in a bundle) by peeling the wires away from each other, like licorice strips, to get them to the length you need, which is something the otherwise-good (and very short) manual fails to mention. As shipped, the free cables are too short to reach either side of a computer monitor, never mind a piano. Some might be wary of doing any wire-separating without anything in writing to make clear that it's safe (which it is, since you're just peeling off some rubber). The satellites are very nicely designed, with two stable cast-metal feet and removable soft speaker grilles that protect from poking fingers but don't seem to colour the sound significantly.

The volume remote is worth a mention on its own. Some PC speakers provide all sorts of doodads on the remote (or just put the controls on one of the speakers), and they often use little clicky buttons to control the volume. The Z-3 gives you just the basics, and is better for it. There is a power switch (which doubles as mute-just turn the power off!) and a very large, smooth-feeling old-style volume knob. There is a standard mini-headphone jack, slightly recessed, which could be awkward if your phones have a bulky plug, but none of mine do. The LED power button is a trendy blue, and perhaps a tad bright if you use it in a dark room. The remote itself is plastic, but feels solid and well built, like the rest of the set.

Although the Z-3s are rated at 40 watts total power (17 for the two satellites, 23 for the subwoofer), they don't seem to have much more overall real-world volume than my old Yamaha YST-M7 computer speakers, which lack a subwoofer and are only supposed to put out 10 watts total. That shows how meaningless wattage ratings really are for these kinds of speakers. But it's good for me, since my young daughters tend to turn everything to 10 if given a chance, and when 10 isn't that loud, it can be a relief. If you crank up the Z-3 subwoofer (it has a separate bass knob on the back), you can get room-shaking bass, of course, but at the expense of being able to hear much high-end articulation from the satellites. Apparently, if you have a hotter source signal than the piano I used, turning the Z-3s up yields too much high end in the sound, but I didn't find that in our setup.

With the stage piano, I found a subwoofer setting just a few notches above minimum to work best. The high keys give a realistic tinkle, while the lowest ones vibrate the keyboard authentically, and the midrange is rich and lush. Overall, the Z-3s beat my old Yamahas for overall richness and evenness of sound. Audiophiles might disagree, but they'd be spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for speakers, while the Z-3s barely break three figures in Canadian dollars. It would be nice to have some equalization control for the midrange and high end, but few computer speaker systems offer that, and it's always possible to add an external EQ unit between the sound source and the speakers if you insist.

There are less expensive "2.1" PC speaker systems, as well as more powerful and better-sounding ones, but if you want a set of speakers that look good in addition to sounding just fine for most near-field, low-volume applications, the Logitech Z-3 might be your ticket. For my application, they're great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great sound
Review: Mine have been rained on a few times and still sound great, wind will never knock them down (the footings are metal) and they just look sweet. I can't get over the sound, plenty of depth and volume. Pleasantly surprised.


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