Logitech 360 Degree Speaker Systems

Logitech may just be one of the first speakers many people buy. Why? Because they are attached to their computer. The name is practically synonymous with computer peripherals and control devices. If it is small and cool there is a pretty good chance either Logitech made it, is going to buy the company that made it, or has a version of their own on the market somewhere. Their speaker lines are billed (rightfully so) as an upgrade to whatever is coming with your Dell or HP computer. Their newest additions to their speaker line go in a new direction - all directions.

The three new speaker system offerings are the Z320, Z523, and the Z520. This is going to be a bit hard to keep straight so we'll tackle one at a time. The lowest cost option is the 2.0 Z320 system. The Z320 consists of a pair of desktop speakers with 2" concave drivers that retail for $69.99. The back of the driver is open making it a true dipole speaker. This is where Logitech is getting their "360 degree" claim. This will not only shoot sound forward but backwards reflecting the sound off the back wall. This may give a larger and more expansive sound or it may just confuse the listener with sound that is arriving a few milliseconds later. The effectiveness of the dipole speaker will really depend on how well the speakers are set up. The Z320s have a volume control on the front of one of the speakers with a headphone jack on the side. A 3.5mm input jack connects to your computer with a 10 watt internal amp providing the power. The speakers are designed to work with Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. The speakers are rated down to 70Hz.

The Z523 is a 2.1 speaker system with a similar driver configuration as the Z320. The Z523 system includes two desktop speakers a a small bass module. There are actually two 3.5mm inputs on one of the speakers as well as a stereo RCA input on the sub. This allows you to connect in two ways (3.5mm or stereo RCA) leaving the 3.5mm jack on the side of the speaker free for portables like iPods. A headphone jack is available on one of the speakers as well for discrete listening. The speakers sport a 2" dome driver that again is open in the back in a dipole configuration. There is both a volume control and a bass control for the speakers. The sub looks to be front firing but that is actually a passive radiator (they call it a "pressure driver"). The passive radiator is 6.5 inches but the downfiring driver (the one that provides the power) is only 4 inches. The speakers are recommended for use with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. The system is rated down to 35Hz and retails for $99.99.

The Z520 is the top of the line speaker in the new line. The 2.0 system retails for $129.99 and consists of two desktop speakers. These speakers are the only one that sport two drivers per enclosure even though they are still only rated down to 70Hz like the Z320s. While we have little faith that these speakers will play to 70Hz with authority, the fact that the Z320s have the same rating makes us even less confident of their ability. The Z520s sport two drivers with the tweeter having an open back for the dipole 360 sound. Again Logitech recommends Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later with a sound card with these speakers. There is a volume control on the front of one of the speakers with a headphone jack on the side of the same speaker.

Conclusion

While we have no real faith that these speakers will perform anywhere near their spec'ed response, we do think they'll sound a lot better than the free ones that come with your new computer purchase. While the open back, dipole design is probably more gimmick than anything else, it may just help these speakers sound a bit bigger than they actually are. Aesthetics alone should sell quite a few of these as the gloss black look should entice more than a few buyers.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.