Logitech Z10 computer stereo speakers
CAVEAT EMPTOR: If your idea of listening to music involves 4 or more subwoofers in the back of your car, or the subwoofer under your desk vibrates the entire room...then these speakers are not for you. Besides, what on earth are you doing here on audiogon?
HAVING SAID THAT, you're an audiophile, or someone who appreciates and enjoys listening to good quality-recorded music, then you need to demo these speakers. I've been looking for computer speakers that just let the music in, as the musicians intended when they recorded the cd. I listened to a lot of computer speakers, some costing three times the amount of the Z10, and was very disappointed. Either too much bass, or too bright and fatiguing, or just not enough detail coming through. I tried the Swan M200's. Before they blew-up after 20-minutes of play, I thought they sounded very good, but a bit too forward, a bit too bright and fatiguing. Newegg had a lot of them returned with a faulty amp problems, and no longer carry that model. A Mark II model is due out soon. I also went to a local Guitar Center and listened to a pair of M-Audio BX5. Way too much bass for my taste. I accidentally came upon the Z10 at a CompUSA. I had not heard of them before. They certainly have a nice look about them, and come with some pretty useful software. But I want to focus on the music. They were hooked-up to a new Mac Pro dual core workstation. I launched iTunes to an internet jazz station, and then to one of the classical stations, and I thought they sounded pretty good considering the acoustics and ambient noise of the store. Well with a 30-day return policy, I gave them a try. I have a Mac Dual Core workstation, and I know the Mac sound card is excellent. I always burn my cd's in Apple Lossless format before I transfer them to iTunes and my iPod. The sound of these Z10 speakers is amazing for the price. The speakers soundstage is well defined, and the tonal range is not over emphasized in any one area. The high frequencies are very clear and not fatiguing at all. The midrange is sweet and voices (especially female) sound very natural. These speakers have a nice warmth to them, which helps alleviate some of the digital edge that cd's are known for. The bass sounds fine, not earth shattering, but also not very taut. A slight increase in the lower frequency setting using the iTunes equalizer, seem to do the trick. Also set the volume control in iTunes to about 50-60% and use the control on the speaker to adjust the gain. These speakers don't get very loud, but put out sufficient volume for a room or office setting. And the Z10's allow lots of detail to come through that's contained in the source material. Therefore if your music (cd, mp3 downloads, dvd) is poorly recorded and/or very compressed (like the majority of rock) these speakers will not be forgiving, and you will hear the imperfections of the recording process.
Am I giving praise to a $129.00 computer speaker? Especially after owning Dynaudio Confidence 5, and Merlin TSM MX speakers...
You bet I am! If you love listening to music while you work on your computer, or you need and inexpensive but quality speaker for a small room using an iPod, etc. You need to give these Z10 an audition.
A special note of thanks to Marc Liyanage whose wrote the code for Mac (10.4) iTunes support. You can download the LogitechLCDTool at http://www.entropy.ch/software/macosx/lcdtool/
NOTE: This review only pertains to the results I heard on the Mac and an iPod, and I'm unable comment on what they might sound like on a PC.
