Logitech Z-5 USB Stereo Speakers for Mac and PC | 
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| Brand: Logitech
Category: CE
List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $69.99
You Save: $30.00 (30%)
New (25) Used (1) from $69.99
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 2829
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 7
Dimensions (in): 6 x 8 x 11
MPN: 980-000168
Model: 980-000168
UPC: 097855052902
EAN: 0097855052902
ASIN: B001F51G0W
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Omnidirectional acoustic technology provides great sound at a consistent level, no matter where you are in the room | | • | USB connectivity delivers pure digital audio thats easily moved with your laptop from room to room, without the need for external power adapter or batteries | | • | Includes a sleek remote control that works with a Mac or PC to let you wirelessly navigate and enjoy your entertainment options | | • | Mac and PC compatibility allows you to use these speakers with any computer |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Logitech Z-5 speakers use omnidirectional acoustics that create a substantially wider sweet spot, an especially helpful feature if you often move your laptop around your home or office. An innovative speaker technology previously found only in expensive home-theater systems, omnidirectional acoustics on the Logitech Z-5 speakers use forward- and backward-firing drivers to transmit sound evenly in all directions. Whether you're listening to your favorite song or watching a video on YouTube, you'll enjoy rich, articulate sound and minimal distortion, from every corner of your room. Delivering pure digital audio that's easily moved with your laptop, the Z-5 omnidirectional speakers can be quickly connected to any PC or Mac via USB. There's no need for an external power adapter or batteries.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
Happy with the results for what I was expecting... November 20, 2008
Thomas Duff (Portland, OR United States)
The Logitech Z-5 USB speakers are not going to replace my Z Cinema setup any time soon, but they're very good for what I wanted them for. The quick setup with USB is perfect for laptop use, when you want something better than the laptop speaker sound. Sound quality is adequate for desktop speakers, especially with the omni-directional sound in the mid-range. I miss the bass response of the Z Cinema subwoofer, but on the other hand, I can move the Z-5 speakers around without breaking a sweat. :)
The black tower styling meshes well with today's trend towards black computer components. The footprint is sufficiently small as to not take up precious deskspace. In that regard, it's even a bit better than the desktop speaker portion of the Z Cinema setup. If I was ditching the "out of the box" PC speakers that normally ship with a new computer, I'd be very happy to replace them with the Z-5 speakers. Not so much if I were looking for a surround-sound total sound immersion, however.
Again, with the right expectations, these speakers fit their niche quite well.
 Very cool looking speaker for a gadget lover November 19, 2008
Y. Kim (Champaign, IL USA)
I have been pretty satisfied with speaker systems from Logitech. The one I am using now is Logitech Z-680 5.1 channel THX certified speaker system and it still works great for my home theatre system. When I found about a Z-5 USB speaker, it instantly attracts my attention, since I have been looking for a nice PC speaker with a USB connection. Specifically, my 4 year old notebook computer does not generate any sound and I need a decent speaker for it. Since I am tired of having problem in the sound cord connected to the sound port of the computer, I was looking for a USB speaker system. I also know that a USB speaker gives better sound quality than a normal PC speaker on the market. I have been using USB sound devices like a USB audio interface (Line 6 Toneport UX1), a USB phone for Skype (IPEVO phone) and so on and they all show terrific sound quality. So, my expectation was high for this product. After a month long use of a Z-5, I would like to give 3 stars out of 5. Here is why.
When I got this product, I was amazed by the finish and look of this speaker. This speaker is gorgeous. It has a really nice black finish and every bit of a speaker is nicely made. The tower like shape works great on the desk. When I grab a speaker, I feel very good because of soft cloth material that wrapped the speaker. I was naturally expecting silky sound coming out from this speaker, even if the nice looking case and fabric do not necessarily correlate to the high quality sound. The remote comes with it is also a real beauty and the rubber used for this remote gives me very nice feeling when I grab it. It is tiny and black.
The setup was very easy. The Z-5 works without the setup CD that comes with it. Windows XP recognizes it as a USB audio device and it starts to work right away. If you use a setup CD for the installation, you will have a tiny utility that can map your favorite music player software to the audio note button on a remote. There is no other feature to adjust the detailed parameters of a Z-5 speaker. I am a type of guy who loves to change the parameters of a speaker to get the best sound for a given environment. However, for this speaker, there is nothing I can control of. I know this speaker is omni directional speaker, so I thought that I could control the ambience or surround effect of it. Wrong. there isn't any thing that I can adjust. And I am using a third party audio player software and the remote does not work with that application. So I wish I can configure the speaker with my favorite application, however, there is no way to do that right now. It works with iTunes and Windows Media Player well, though.
When it comes to the sound, the Z-5 gives very comfortable sound that most of people like. The mid- and high-range sound is good and very expressive. So, if you love listening songs with a vocal and an acoustic guitar, you will love the Z-5. However, if you like the sound in all ranges equally, you might be little disappointed, since the bass coming out from the Z-5 is weak and not rich. I have tested the Z-5 with many different kinds of CDs and now I am using it to mainly listen internet radio and video files I ripped from various sources. It means that I use the Z-5 not for a music listening but for a casual use. Omnidirectional sound is working for me. I put the speaker on a desk and walk around the desk frequently. I still listen the same quality and volume of the sound in any direction. By the way, if has a regular 3.5 mm sound input jack in the back for external sound sources, such as iPod and MP3 players.
Still, a USB speaker that does not need an external power source (it is powered only by a USB cord) meets my purpose and the sleek look and color of the speaker makes me happy. However, when some one pays this much money for a PC speaker, he/she is expecting better sound than this. I think this speaker is for a gadget lover who wants to put a really nice looking speaker on his desk. Yes, I love gadgets and cool looking products, so I am OK with the Z-5.
Very Cool 360 Degree Sound November 19, 2008
Scott Bright (Grayslake, IL USA)
I'm really becoming a big Logitech fan. Their products seem to be very high quality and the packaging is always very impressive. The Z-5s are no exception. They are a big upgrade from built in laptop speakers. They are very sleek and look great on your desktop. The 360 degree sound really does work. As speakers for a desktop computer, there are some things that might cause some people to select a different product. Among these points are the absence of bass (sub woofer) and the lack of a headphone jack.
Notes:
- Very easy to install. Just plugged them in and they started working.
- The Omni directional sound is really cool. I thought my old speakers were working in addition to these at first because the sound seemed to come from everywhere.
- Remote is really cool.
- Both the sound and the power come through the USB cable so no power cord/adapter is needed. These function as both the sound card and the speakers.
- Included extension cable so the speakers can be moved farther from each other.
- External device input for connecting your mp3 player. But the computer need to be on to give power to the speakers.
Concerns:
- No Headphone Jack. I really miss this.
- No Volume control on the speakers. You have to use the remote or the system volume control.
- Not a lot of bass. I did notice the lower bass response with these speakers.
- Portability - They are portable within the house, but might be a little too big to take elsewhere if you are thinking of taking them with your laptop.
 Very Nice November 17, 2008
David Stapleton (California)
These USB speakers are truly very nice, however, after 3 weeks with them I switched back to my Creative iTrigue L3500 set of speakers, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let us start at the beginning.
Pros
Visually, these speakers are gorgeous, with a shiny black lacquered like appearance for the for the hard plastic parts and a 360 degree black mesh fabric around the actual acoustics.
Installation was a breeze (nice to install something that did not require a call to the help desk), really plug and play. The cables were long enough for a desktop setup and they are powered through the USB port, so no extra power pack to deal with.
Sound was excellent, although, being used to it, I missed the extra bass from a sub woofer.
USB connection eliminates the need for a sound card, the combination of front and rear firing acoustics make for nice wide sweet spot.
Includes a remote to control value and such, very nice if you use your laptop for sound or TV/movies and sit across the room like I do.
The top of each speaker is slightly concave and makes for a nice little dish to hold the remote and other miscellaneous bits that I tend to have lying about.
Cons
USB connection means that the system processor is responsible for the sound (not much of a problem if you have a dual or quad system)
Volume control is through the system, maybe not a problem for most people, but I found myself constantly adjusting the system volume versus just reaching over and adjusting a volume knob (for me it was just slightly more work)
The remote seemed to occasionally confuse my HP Pavilion (which has its own remote and IR sensor)
Being USB speakers you would need a powered USB hub to use them as stand alone speakers for an iPod.
All in all, I did like these speakers, and they are a good match for either a desktop or laptop base station (I would not take them on the road with me). For me the loss of the sub woofer bass and the volume control were the deciding factors that drew me back to my older speakers.
P-)
OK for the money November 15, 2008
Charles Donovan (St. Louis)
I have a little Bose system already hooked up to my computer, so I gave these to my wife. Overall, they don't compare to mine, but then again they didn't cost near as much. These are OK, but I wouldn't turn them up loud--too hissy. The omnidirectional feature is nice, though, they fill her little work room with soft music.
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