Logitech Speaker System Z523 with Subwoofer

I would recommend this speaker system to anyone who needs a good set of computer speakers. I've had mine for a few months now, and I could not be happier (for the price range). As someone who lives with two part-time audio engineers, I know what speakers should sound like. These may not be the highest fidelity speaker out there, but for the price I was genuinely surprised. They are also MUCH louder than anticipated, especially the subwoofer! The week before last, I invited close to thirty people to my house for a graduation party. They did just fine rising over the conversation and the music could be heard in all the major rooms in the house. The bass may not rattle your teeth even while your sitting next to it (come on, it is pretty small) but you will be able to feel it in your feet from across the room without it being distorted or risking blowing the cone of the speakerThere are two reasons that this product is not perfect (in my opinion). The speakers are not perfect for voices, (MUCH better with music) and the 'BASS' knob is exactly that. It controls the bass for the speakers as well as the amount of power going to the subwoofer, which makes things easier, but I would prefer the independent control.The subwoofer is about 8 in x 10 in and the speakers are 3 in (wide) x 4.5 in (deep) x 7 in (tall)The cords for are all about 5 feet in lengthAs the picture shows, there is a mic as well as headphone input on the side of the Right speaker, and the speakers will play from both the input into the sub and from the 3.5mm headphone jack at the same timeOverall, these are a great buy for anyone who wants a very nice set of computer speakers, or even a small theater system. Great buy, couldn't be much happier.

This product can be summed up in one simple sentence: You get exactly what you pay for. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Let me go into a little more detail.First of all, sound quality. These speakers sound totally acceptable. I bought these speakers to use as all-purpose multimedia speakers in a medium-sized bedroom for four months, and so far, they've delivered exactly to my expectations. They sound totally okay, but nothing more. The speakers pump out good treble and midrange, but the rear-firing "every-direction"-elements tend to creep me out a little bit. They don't make any cheesy "3D"-effect, but they do mess a bit with the timing of the sound which could affect some kinds of music and speech - although they also deliver sound in all directions, as promised. In other words, if you will be listening from a lot of different positions, these speakers are a good choice. If you will be listening mostly directly in front of the speakers then you should be prepared to spend some time optimizing the positioning and getting used to the small delay change.The midrange-bass-rollover is where these speakers don't really deliver. There is a noticeable "gap" of bandwidth between where the satellite drivers bottom out and where the sub begins where most audio simply disappears, and the frequency response of the subwoofer is in no way linear. Expect to be spending some time twiddling the "bass" control on the right speaker - I've found an acceptable setting just a hair above the nine o'clock position, but it varies as well by what volume the speakers are set at, so be prepared. There is some bass in the subwoofer, but it's mostly a bit woolly and undefinable. There's no "punch" in the sub without turning the bass so high that the distortion become noticeable or other frequencies become so high that listening is impossible.Also note that the sub has two elements, one small down-firing and one large front-firing - but it's only the down-firing element that is powered, the other element is only a passive slave. I disagree with this design choice, but I guess that's the way to go in order to get the most out of the cheapest materials.Inputs. These speakers have plenty of them, and I love that! The speakers have inputs for three simultaneous audio sources - one male minijack cable on the right speaker, one minijack female input on the right speaker and double RCA connectors on the sub. The speakers mix these inputs together so that you can listen to multiple audio sources simultaneously - e.g. music from an external CD player or TV while still hearing sounds from an attached computer. This is a really nice feature and improves usability greatly.Controls. There are only two controls on the speakers: Volume and bass. The volume knob also controls power, and has a yellow LED on it which lights up when the speakers are on (I wish it was blue...). The volume knob is not linear! The speakers turn on at the 7 o'clock position, but there is no audio until you turn it to 9 o'clock, but then the audio suddenly get's really loud up until 10 o'clock, and then there's just a little more volume to be heard between 10 o'clock and 5 o'clock. This means that fine-tuning audio volume often is a little bit tricky. The bass control suffers from a few of the same symptoms, in addition to what I mentioned above.Interference! Note that these speakers are highly affected by cellphone interference! I can't have my iPhone within 10 cm of the right speaker (where the inputs are), and I can't have my iPhone connected to the speakers at all when not playing music. Playing music covers up most of the noise, but it's really noticeable when it's quiet.Finish and build. The speakers and sub are visually appealing, and build quality seems good. The sub does suffer from internal resonance, but that is to be expected at this price. The satellite speakers are prone to attracting quite a lot of dust and finger marks on the front finish.All in all a good speaker package for the price. I do wish that Logitech would have dropped the useless rear-firing speaker elements and put the money into making a separate high-range and midrange element in the front of the speakers instead, so as to improve audio quality. Recommended for casual listening, listeners looking for a short-term solution, office desk speakers or as a second or even third set of speakers for the home. Not recommended for critical listening, surround sound systems or larger rooms.

I bought this product exactly 1 year ago. I literally just got done preaching this product very highly on Xbox Live to one of my friends on Call of Duty. He was talking about how he wanted a sound system to use for gaming and movies now that he has his own personal living space, and he wants something high quality and inexpensive. I told him about this system and how much I love it. I use it as a TV sound system 100% of the time. I love the bass control. I love the volume range. I love how I can plug my phone or laptop into it the same time i'm playing Xbox, so I can listen to music and own n00bs at the same time, and when I do this, the volume levels are perfect, neither one is too loud or soft. I love the speaker design, and the 360 degree surround because it actually WORKS, and isn't just a gimmick. I also love the down-firing subwoofer, it's perfect for my setup where I have the sub tucked in the bottom of my entertainment center and the box performs nicely.What I love the MOST, is that after a whole year of EVERYDAY use, and this thing is not used lightly... it still sounds PERFECT. The speakers are still loud, the subwoofer still pounds, and there's no scratchiness or crackling at ALL. The highs are still high, and I can still hear voices clearly in movies without having to turn the bass down.I'm soooo glad I spent the money on this, and I will definitely be buying a similar version when this one finally goes.. but I feel like there's at least another few years left on it.Money very well spent, and I highly recommend this. And I have never had a problem with it, but if you ever have any problems, I hear that Logitech is amazing with customer service. I trust their brand completely now and am a loyal customer. Thanks!