Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

PCW Shop & Compare

Logitech Z Cinema 2.1 Speaker System

Z Cinema 2.1 Speaker System

Compare Prices

* Total cost includes estimated tax and shipping in the continental US. Prices and availability are subject to change by merchant without notice. Sales taxes and shipping costs are only estimates. Please check with merchant for details.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS
Most recent User Reviews for

Logitech Z Cinema 2.1 Speaker System

  • Reviewed by: TomSnodgrass

    05-09-09

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: 1) Extremely easy to set up. 2) Volume integrated with windows media center.

    Weaknesses:1) Cables too short. 2) Speakers don't automatically power down when system is computer sleeps. 3) Power button on remote powers down speakers only.

    Overall Evaluation: I bought this speaker system as I wanted a speaker system that fully integrated into the windows media center remote control. I want to have 1 simple remote that operates just like any normal tv and any one can pick up and use. A system that does not require you a person to have several remotes to do each and every task. This system accomplished that. It does have several draw backs though. 1) The volume isn't that much more than the speakers in my 46" 1080p monitor that I was using previously; however the sound is much better. I was hoping to have significantly more volume for listening to music. In addition the volume control is not very good. The only usable volume settings are volume = 20 to volume = 25. I think it's better when using other players besides media center; but I bought it for media center. 2) The speaker cables are really a joke. They are only 6ft long and there is really no way to extend them. The left and right have completely different cable types and completely proprietary to this speaker set. 3) I'm using the old remote that came with my windows media center PC; because the power off button on the logitech remote powers off the speakers rather than putting the computer system to sleep as it should. The right way to to this is to have this button put the computer system to sleep and then the speakers should monitor for the computer going to sleep and sleep themselves the same way my monitor does. But all this doesn't really matter as I am happy with the remote that came with my PC. Thee good: 1) The system was extremely easy to setup. Just plug it in and use it. Don't bother installing the software on the CD. If you get the remote annoying logitech display whenever you touch the remote control, launch the z-cinema remote control and select display settings-> off. 2) The volume control of the speaker system automatically integrated into media center I have been able to use my standard media center remote control with no effort. Would I by again? I can't find anything else better on the market that integrates volume into media center. I wish someone would come out with system like this that integrates volume into media center with a full 5.1 or 7.1 system that had 500 watts, wireless rear speakers, standard speaker wire for the front satelite speakers.

  • Reviewed by: d_esmond

    09-30-08

    Duration of ownership: 3 Months

    Strengths: Great highs, mids, and bass (hard to achieve for a computer speaker system!), nice remote, Sleek, attractive design

    Weaknesses:USB-only interface was a mistake, no front-panel controls, short cables, propriety connectors, buggy software!

    Overall Evaluation: Hardware-wise, these are worth their price tag. Not only do they look great, but the satellites have both a decent-sized woofer in addition to the tweeter. The sub puts out plenty of tight, clean bass.However, Logitech made several descisions that drop their value. First is that they made them USB-only. USB audio has some advantages (no need for a sound card and an extra D/A conversion, software volume control corresponds to hardware volume control, among others) but its also fraught with disadvantages too. For one, any slowdown in your computer will have a tendency to affect the sound as well. If some process hogs up your CPU time, you are likely to hear glitches in the audio coming out of the speakers. Another problem with a USB-only interface is that the speakers then become wholly dependent on the quality of their software driver. With most speakers there are no drivers because they use a simple one-way connection to pump audio out. Because this set depends so much on its driver, any bug in that driver (and there are several) will affect the experience (not to mention limiting this set's usefulness on Mac, Linux, and older Windows machines).I really wish Logitech had allowed for regular 4-channel analog and optical/coaxial digital inputs that could bypass the USB functionality of these--I would likely have taken advantage of a digital audio input to drive them rather than the flaky USB driver. It does have a 2-channel minijack input (to hook up an iPod or other such device) but without the USB connection you lose some of the actual functionality of the set.The software is somewhat intrusive (it pops up a somewhat ugly full-screen overlay of the speakers' current settings) and it's definitely bloated and a bit buggy. I hope Logitech will continue to fix bugs and streamline the software but I am not optimistic.That said, these are the best-sounding 2.1 speakers I have heard. Normally sat/sub systems butcher mids because the sats are too small to play them and the sub is too big to play them. Because the Z Cinema uses larger than normal sats (they look more like bookshelf-size speakers than traditional satellites) it is able to better reproduce the mids--which is of great comfort to music buffs such as myself.The remote is good, but really only of much use if you're sitting a distance away from your PC. I use these at a desk so I find myself instead wishing Logitech had put some controls on the speakers themselves (that said, due to the USB interface you can control most of the functions from the software.Other reviewers have mentioned the short-ish cables. It's true, they are pretty short and not easily extendable. It's an odd decision because these speakers appear to be aimed at people who will use them at least in part for movies and videos, yet it would be difficult to use them with an HTPC connected to a large screen monitor because the cables are not long enough to get enough separation. That said, I only use them at my desk mainly for music so the short cables weren't a problem.For the right scenario and person who wants sound a cut above 99% of other computer speakers, these would be a good choice. Otherwise I hope Logitech will take these back to the drawing board. The audio components themselves are great, but the usefulness of this set is strongly reduced by not having flexible input choices and the option of "divorcing" the set's control from the PC itself.

  • Reviewed by: iseestars

    07-16-08

    Duration of ownership: 1 Months

    Strengths: Very accurate high-mids/highs/bassSRS TruSurround HD broadens the sound stageUSB eliminates the need for a soundcardRemote controlNo distortion at full volume

    Weaknesses:Poor auxilary input functionalityHeadphone out doesn't give as good sound as the speakers themselvesNo on-unit volume controlsMax volume is considerably lower than many other speakers

    Overall Evaluation: I paid $100 for these after rebate and for that price, they are excellent computer speakers. They accurately capture high-mids/highs unlike standard cheapo computer speakers. They don't sound muddy at all.The subwoofer that comes with it is beefy and can provide good punch, but it will NOT shake your room. It instead delivers reliable, accurate bass. You can still use it for things like hip-hop, etc... as long as your goal isn't for the rest of your house/residence to be able to hear it several floors down.There's a slight hole in the lower-mids. It was very bad when I first got these, but filled out after break-in. They were also very chimey. One con to these is that the break-in period is somewhat longer than usual, but it does pay off. I turned treble down all the way and bass up all the way during breakin period until normal listening was more tolerable.These speakers are USB and have their own sound card. This means that they bypass any on-board or add-in card you may have installed. This can be a good thing because you can run them off any windows pc pretty easily. It can also be a bad thing because it's dependent on the software. This means several things:1) If your soundcard has sophisticated equalization options and other features, they are totally lost on this.2) These add an extra layer, which means if your machine is maxed out it can contribute to slowdown.Some assorted other things:* You can't use these in conjunction with a standard soundcard. You have to close out any apps and kill the process for it under XP if you want to switch between the two. In Vista, you have to reboot your machine.* The aux input isn't very useful because SRS is disabled when you use it.* The headphone out is poor quality. Sound ends up being very trebly (even on quality headphones with good bass). This is confounded by the fact that you can't use these in conjunction with another sound card.* Controlling the virtual center and surround channels is only available in MCE or Vista and even then it's somewhat buggy. It doesn't always give you access to them.* The remote is very good, but it also a mixed bag. You have no controls on the speakers themselves. You also have no ability to add additional speakers to this system.That said, these are fantastic speakers and I would definitely buy them again at this price. The SRS really broadens the sound stage and makes things come alive. SRS off also sounds very good. The gap in mid-range is only noticable with SRS on, but only when comparing it to other audio equipment.This is somewhat of a niche product. These actually do an admirable job with movies. The midrange gap is noticable, but only if you have better equipment to compare it to. You can hear voices etc... fine unlike many cheapo speakers. If you prefer to be able to hook this up to many devices, the z-2300 is probably a better setup to get and cheaper. However, these are probably slightly better speakers.These are ideal for a computer or HTPC setup in a small room. They will not replace a full surround setup. The virtual surround makes them sound better than a standard 2.1 setup, but doesn't create anything near true surround.Make sure you do your research and understand what these speakers are and what to expect from them before you get them. I'm very happy with these, but I'm not trying to replace a full surround system and I'm not comparing them to $300 speakers.Overall these are excellent computer speakers for $150 or less. Anything more than that and you should seriously consider looking at other options or possibly a receiver/sub/2 fronts from somewhere like av123.

  • Reviewed by: titanguy58

    07-09-08

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Beautiful design, remote control with many functions, sound is fantastic, high quality and very well built.

    Weaknesses:The speakers are a bit overpriced.

    Overall Evaluation: These speakers are very versatile. They work great for music, movies, and gaming. The range is great. The remote control is very useful and has lots of functions. This set is one of the best looking speaker systems out there.

  • Reviewed by: deshwasi

    07-08-08

    Duration of ownership: 20 Days

    Strengths: Stylish, Good Sound, Nice remote, No messy wires

    Weaknesses:none

    Overall Evaluation: These are a great pair of speakers for folks who do not want to wire themselves around with a 5.1 setup but still want some surround sound. the speakers are unique in the sense they connect to the PC using USB cable and bypass the sound processing of the PC completely. they sound excellent while playing music and do provide some surround when playing surround-sound movies.

See more user reviews »

Featured APC Accessories

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.
Shop & Compare Sections