I finally got sick of listening to music on the crappy computer speakers I used to have and decided to purchase a new set. After reading a few reviews and wanting something that was decent but wouldn’t break the bank, I decided on the logitech Z-4. Avalible from Amazon for $69.99 USD.

Full Disclosure : I am not affiliated with Logitech in any way. I simply wanted some new speakers and thought that I would provide a review as content for my blog. I did get a discount on the retail price because of my day job, but that hardly factors into the end results.

So whats in the box?

The logitech Z-4 is a set of 2.1 speakers, meaning there are two speakers for stereo (left and right) and one subwoofer. There is also a wired controller that has a volume knob, a seperate knob for bass, an on/off button, a headphones jack and an extra input jack.

The wired remote really is a nice feature. You can have the controller sitting on your desk for quick tweaks. Unlike other systems which have the controls on the speakers or on the sub, requiring you to bend down and reach over to find the controls – The wired controller places the important controls where you want them.

The Stereo speakers look pretty cool and are 9″ high by 3″ wide, 3″ deep and sit on a sturdy metal base. The sub is of the 8″ variety and sits in a 9″ cube.

So whats does it sound like?

After setting up the speakers, I couldn’t wait to turn it up really loud and test the bass. (Isn’t that what everybody does?) So I grabbed my copy of the Smashing Pumpkins new album Zeitgeist and turned it up real loud.

And it sounded terrible.

This wasn’t the speakers fault though. I had placed the sub on my desk which is backed against a wall and it was resonating with my desk, producing a very loud very muddy boomy bottom end that over powered almost everything else.

I knew this was going to take a little while to fix, so I googled some suggestions for optimal subwoofer placement. (Ignore anyone who says that its best to put it in the corner against the wall – yes it will be at its loudest. But it will sound like crap.) After dealing with the contraints of cable length I rested on placing the sub under my desk on the carpet and about 12″ away from the wall.

Bass is a funny thing, everybody seems to have differing opinions on what good bass sounds like and many of the reviews for the Z-4 stated that they thought the sub was a little lacking – Now bear in mind these are computer speakers, not high tech studio monitors or top-end audiophile equipment, so one can’t expect perfect sound. That said, I don’t find the sub lacking at all. In fact, for listening to music I turn the sub down slightly, to around 11 o’clock, this ensures that I can hear a more faithful reproduction of the entire spectrum. Muse’s Absolution sounds pretty good on the Z-4.

The three main uses for computer speakers for most of us are: listening to music, watching DVDs and playing games.

After being quite satisfied with the Z-4′s musical reproductions, I decided to give it a go at the other tasks that computer users would throw at it. When watching DVDs I felt that this may have been the area where other reviewers thought the bass to be lacking and turning it up certainly helps with that low end rumble and cinema effect. I can imagine that for a while at least (unless you live in an apartment) the computer is not going to be the main cinematic attraction in your house anyway.

Now I have a pretty out-dated system, so for games so I decided to install my copy of Age of Mythology to test how the Z-4 fairs in that arena. The sounds that came out of the speakers where lush, smooth and deep. The quality of the voice acting really shone through, the stereo imaging was good and the buildings fell with nice rumbles as they collapsed. Again adjust the bass to your tastes.

All in all, I am pretty pleased with my new speakers and it would be hard to find anything in the same price range that would compete on sound quality or design features. Logitech have done a good job with the Z-4.

I would give the unit 8.5/10