It’s hard to understand how it is that I always want something, yet when Christmas or my birthday comes around, I’ve got no idea what I’d like…in a realistic sense, that is. After much pondering I eventually I came to the conclusion that the only notable thing I wanted this past Christmas was a set of computer speakers. I had never bothered upgrading from the flimsy hunks of junk that came in the bundle when I bought my computer, so it was a case of anything being an improvement. However, my involvement in getting new speakers could not end there, as it is imperative with my family to specify exactly what I want, or else I’ll undoubtedly get whatever is on sale.
After searching around and reading a number of reviews, I specified the beefy Logitech Z-5500 speaker system. Of course, I didn’t receive the Z-5500, but rather the Logitech Z-5300E system... It was on sale.
Grateful, although a tad disappointed at first, I decided to try out the Z-5300E system anyways and see how it stacked up. It didn’t take long to realize I had no need to exchange them for the more powerful and expensive Z-5500 speakers, as I had more than enough juice with the Z-5300E bad boys.
Set ‘er Up
Setting up the Z-5300E system is a snatch. The box includes an input cable, a video game console adaptor, 5 speakers with attached cables, a subwoofer, a remote control, and a small installation guide. I had been coming from a simple 2 speaker system, so the majority of time spent setting this up was just clearing space for three more speakers and the subwoofer.
Once you have removed all the Styrofoam and plastic packaging, it’s simply a matter of putting the speakers in their proper locations and then connecting the 5 cables to the subwoofer, which is best placed under your desk. The speakers are labeled as to their proper locations and the cables are colour-coded, so only illiterate and colour-blind individuals need worry about getting it right. Once you’ve got the speakers set up, you plug in a clunky remote to the back of the subwoofer, connect a supplied cable from the sub to your PC, select the type of sound card you have with a switch on the back of the sub, and then plug in the sub. Once you’ve done that, all you need to do is turn on the power on the back of the sub and with the remote, and you’re good to go. It’s all very simple and straightforward.
The only slight issues I ran into were that the cables for the two rear speakers are a bit on the short side, as is the cable to the remote. I’m probably going to get some extensions for the rear speaker cables just so I have a little more leeway in where I can place the speakers and so I can get the cables completely out of the way.
Physical Quality & The Superficial Stuff
I’m not too sure how well this whole system will hold up. During installation one of the screws for the d-sub connector for the remote control ripped out its bracket from the subwoofer, but fortunately it’s a completely inconsequential item and not something I’m going to worry about. The subwoofer is otherwise very sturdy feeling and the most substantial part of the whole system. The speakers are made of decent quality plastic, but I wouldn’t want to drop them on a hard surface. Given the quality of the sound, I have no worries about the guts of the speakers, because poorly constructed and cheap materials could never be this good. The only cause for concern is the remote control, which is made of cruddy plastic and feels very cheap, but it does seem to work just fine. Overall I’d say that the build quality is slightly better than average and it doesn’t have me worrying, but it’s a little early for me to say anything conclusively.
The speakers and remote take on today’s popular silver and black colour combination, while the subwoofer is pure black. The remote is cumbersome and has orange and green lights in it, so I really would have preferred something more stylish like the control center for the Z-5500, but I’ll survive. The speakers come with black fabric covers, but they can easily be removed to give the speakers a look I much prefer. Size-wise they’re your typical computer speakers, not taking up much desk space, but if you’re really limited by space you can mount the four corner speakers to your walls and swivel them. The center speaker can sit on top of a CRT monitor, but is otherwise limited to sitting on your desk in front of the monitor. The sub is the bulkiest and by far the heaviest component, plus you are supposed to keep it 6 inches away from anything for proper ventilation, so it can be a little tricky finding a spot for it, especially since you are limited by the length of the speaker cables. When it comes down to it, the system is nothing special in the looks or size department – again I’d probably put it just slightly above average.
Sound Quality
Speakers - I primarily wanted the speakers for listening to a wide variety of music, but since getting them I decided to see how they handled movies. With the music they’ve been perfect, handling country to rock to hip-hop/rap with no deficiencies in the highs, lows, or anywhere in between. I have found that when listening to a few songs at a very low volume that the subwoofer can be overpowering, but you can easily decrease the sub’s volume and fix that. At higher volumes the sound is crystal-clear and free of distortion, and it really just doesn’t get much better. When I watched
Crash on my computer, I practically felt like I was in an IMAX theatre – no surprise since the Z-5300E is THX certified - except for the fact I was looking at a 17 inch monitor…
Subwoofer - I like big bass, and this thing delivers. With the sub volume at its max, and the overall volume at about half strength, there is some serious vibration going on, with walls rattling and pictures going crooked. Going above half strength gets to be a bit too loud for me, but the bass just keeps on going and I managed to knock over a picture that was resting against a wall on the complete other side of my house. It also caused some books to fall off of nearby shelves. I haven’t even attempted to see what’ll happen with the volume cranked all the way up.
Long gone are the days when you needed big speakers for high quality sound. These speakers are little and leave little to be desired. Only if you a true audiophile that doesn’t have to worry about noise violations
might you find yourself a little disappointed with these speakers, but for most of us these speakers are already more than we’ll ever need.
Controls
The only real control that comes with the Z-5300E system is the wired remote, which is basically just a volume knob. The remote allows you to adjust the volume of the sub, the volume of the rear speakers (fader), the volume of the center speaker, and then it also lets you adjust the overall volume. There is also a
matrix button that turns on a surround-sound mode, but everything sounds better with it turned off. The remote also has a headphone jack and a power button. It’s all very easy to understand and use.
Price & Warranty
The MSRP is a little steep at $250 (C$299), though still not too bad for what you get. However, a quick scan of American online retailers shows a price closer to $140-150 (C$160-180), which is a great deal, especially when some of those retailers offer free shipping in the US. Unfortunately such good deals don’t tend to exist in Canada, and it’s closer to C$250 when everything is said and done. Even so, that’s a very good price for what you get.
The Z-5300E 5.1 surround system does come with a 2-year limited warranty, but in my experience all "limited" warranties are completely useless and don’t cover anything that might actually go wrong.
Final Thoughts
Logitech has a winner with its Z-5300E speaker system, and even though it’s not as impressive as the Z-5500 system I had wanted, I’m more than satisfied with it. Anything I would have gained with the Z-5500s would be going to waste 99% of the time. Having the Z-5300E computer speakers has added a whole new dimension to listening to music and watching movies. I would have liked longer cables for the rear speakers and a nicer remote/control center, but other than that I’ve got no complaints. The price is attractive, it’s easy to set up, easy to configure, it looks pretty good, and best of all the sound quality is simply fantastic. If you’re looking for some outstanding computer speakers, look no further.
--Update: March 10th, 2006—
So I lied, and now I’ve got the Z-5500 computer speakers. I didn’t expect the Z-5500 speakers to drop to the price of the Z-5300E speakers, but they did, and now I’m happier.
Click here to read my review of the Logitech Z-5500 Computer Speakers
