Logitech Speaker System Z323 with Subwoofer

"List Price: ","$69.99"
"Price: ","$57.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details "
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Product Description
Transport yourself into your music, movies and games with the 30-watt (RMS) Logitech Speaker System Z323. With 360-degree sound, the Z323 speakers help project audio evenly in all directions, so you get a great listening experience throughout the room. 1 dual RCA jack and a 3.5 mm jack make it easy to connect your gaming console, DVD player or iPod.

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Product Details

Color: Black
Brand: Logitech
Model: 980-000354
Format: CD-ROM
Original language:
English
Number of items: 1
Dimensions: 9.75" h x
9.87" w x
9.37" l,
8.00 pounds

CPU: PowerPC G4 2.1 GHz
Memory: 2000000MB SDRAM
Hard Disk: 60GB
Processors: 1

Features

Immersive Logitech 360-degree sound for crystal-clear, room-filling audio.
Ported, down-firing subwoofer delivers deep, rich bass
RCA and 3.5 mm inputs for easy connections to gaming console, DVD player or iPod.
Integrated headphone jack for private listening.
30 Watt (RMS) of power produces big, bold full-range sound


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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
88 of 96 people found the following review helpful.
Great 360 degree speaker system.

By Jim
At 30 Watts RMS, Logitech's Z323 speaker system is the smaller sibling to their 40 Watt RMS Z523 system. As I indicate in my Amazon review of the Z523 system, I am mightily impressed with it, as I am with the Z323 system. As I say in my review of the Z523 system, it makes the other PC/MP3-player type speaker systems I own and have owned obsolete (one major reason for this being that the system features "360 degree" or omnidirectional sound). The decrease in wattage comes at a thirty dollar decrease in the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The subwoofer is smaller (approximately 8 1/2 inches high measuring from the bottom of the feet by 5 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches deep, compared to approximately 10 inches high by 9 X 9 for the Z523 sub), and unlike the bass control knob for the Z523 system, which is conveniently located right below the volume knob on the right satellite, the bass control for the Z323 system is inconveniently located on the upper rear of the sub. I say inconveniently because I like to be able to change the bass level depending on what I'm listening to, and in order to change the bass level on the Z323 system I have to get up and walk around my desk and get down on the floor. With the Z523 system I just reach in front of me to the right speaker.

The Z323 satellites are virtually the same size, shape, and design as the Z523 satellites. (One difference is that the Z323 satellites have ports on the front while the Z523 have rear-facing ports.) A side by side "experiential" comparison with the Z523 satellites leads me to rate the Z323 satellites equal or perhaps a tad better, and the highs seem slightly warmer. When playing a selection by the German band Seabound on which the speaker whispers some lyrics (in English), I could make out the words when listening with the Z323s whereas I could not make them out as easily when listening with the Z523s.

Classical music sounds great on the Z323 system. A side by side comparison of the Z323 with the Z523 systems playing selections from the recently released recording of Mozart's opera Idomeneo conducted by Rene Jacobs, as well as a sampling of BBC Radio 3, leads me to rate each system equal in sound quality.

When listening to rock music played through my laptop with the laptop volume and the subwoofer bass knob turned to the maximum levels, the Z323 subwoofer's sound became distorted and I had to turn the bass knob down to nearly the half-way point before it was undistorted. I have never experienced that with the Z523 system, and sometimes I play that system very loud (e.g., when working out in an adjacent room).

Like the Z523 system, the Z323 system delivers "360 degree" or omnidirectional sound, made possible by the fact that the satellites have speakers on their backs as well as their fronts.

And like the Z523 system, the Z323 system sounds great whether the source is my laptop, MP3 player, or portable CD player.

If I had to choose one system over the other, assuming floor space to accommodate the subwoofer is not an issue and assuming the additional cost of the Z523 over the Z323 is not a deal-breaker, I would choose the Z523 system over the Z323 system for three reasons: Location of the bass control knob is considerably more convenient (for me, at least); I don't like that the Z323 subwoofer sound gets distorted when I turned the audio volume and subwoofer volume to their maximum levels; and because the speakers on the Z323 satellites are unprotected, unlike the speakers on the Z523 satellites which are protected by metal grills. (Regarding the distortion at high volume and high bass level, nothing appears to be loose; the screws that secure the subwoofer speaker to the cabinet are tight and the port cone is not at all loose. My guess is that the smaller subwoofer simply can't handle that much volume. Regarding the unprotected speakers on the Z323 satellites, this matters to me because I seem to be prone to knocking over PC speakers, causing them to fall from desktop to floor, and I anticipate that one of these days the cat will knock one over.) Having said all that, if my set up was such that I worked in a small room and I could place the subwoofer close enough to me on the floor that I could reach down behind it to adjust the bass knob, and I didn't anticipate ever wanting to play the system very loud (by which I mean really blasting it), then I think the Z323 system would be an excellent choice. (I rated it 3 out of 5 stars for "Comfort" and 4 for "Ease of use" because of what to me is the inconvenient location of the bass knob.)
38 of 46 people found the following review helpful.
Not bad for the price range, not spectacular though

By Naomi (Storm)
Having owned several speaker systems through the years and generally finding the Logitech series a bit on the bassy side overall, I was excited to be able to test out the new Z323 set to see how their systems have come along.

Comparison speakers:
Creative Labs SBS260 (~$30), Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 THX (~$400)

Sound Tests:
Music: Janice Ian - Breaking Silence, Eagles - Hotel California (Live - Hell Freezes Over) both FLAC
Games: World of Warcraft, Plants vs. Zombies (because I can!)
Movies: Fifth Element (Opera scene), Top Gun (first dogfight)

Sound Card:
Creative Labs X-Fi, default Windows sound control panel applet

Music Test:
I like using both the Janice Ian and Eagles song because both songs have a very high fidelity requirement. The bass should be punchy but not overwhelming and the treble in the instruments should be clear and sharp. Having a good sound system will also make a world of difference when hearing the vocals.

The Logitechs performed much better than the Sound Blasters (as expected), the sub providing much more "oomph" than the built in woofer in the smaller SBS260's. When compared to the Klipschs' though, the sound quality was noticeably lacking in the clarity department. The treble and higher notes were reproduced relatively faithfully, although the depth of the vocal range felt very flat and limited. What was particularly noticeable however, was the bass bleed. First, the subwoofer had to be turned down to at least half-power in order to stop bass-distortion, but even at that point the bass was very "thuddy". Within the song "Hotel California," the bass drum should strike and feel like a quick blow to the chest, however the Logitech's produced a sound akin to being hit by a hollow funnel bat - a reverberation of bass. So as an example, a bass drum note which ideally should have been about 0.3s long was more like 0.5s long because of the bleed.

Game Test:
Neither World of Warcraft nor Plants vs. Zombies really uses surround sound in their gaming products like some other games (Doom 3 springs to mind), however for the immersion effect, the Z323's worked well enough. While I won't go so far as to say that it felt like I was in Azeroth fighting the Scourge horde, the sound was clear enough to serve its purpose. You could set the Z323s up in a room, turn them up and forget about anything outside that little world.

Movie Test:
Again the fuzziness of the speakers and the bass bleed came into the forefront with the movie test. If you're planning on watching movies at around half volume, these speakers aren't bad, but they're definitely not the first choice for building a media center type PC (unless you're just streaming from the PC, of course). The "surround" aspect of the speakers was firmly planted in the "not bad" area, but not really excelling. These speakers sound immersive for being a 2.1 system, but don't buy the hype that these will replace a true surround system.

Conclusion:
In the sub-$100 range, these speakers aren't bad at all. There aren't too many speakers on the market right now in the $50-80 price range that can truly be called awesome speakers - including these. While these may not be an amazing speaker, they are above adequate. That being said, if you're just looking for a cheap pair of speakers to get sound that's better than the ones built into your monitor, there are cheaper alternatives available which produce sound not too far off from these. On the flip side of the coin, these speakers are not the ones to get if you're looking to build PC to watch movies on or play environmentally immersive games (nor if you're just an audiophile, but I suppose that's implied).

These speakers are a good choice for users who have limited space available and don't plan on playing their sound on very high volume (like apartment dwellers or kids computers).

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Wonderful addition for a desktop computer

By A. Hudson
I own a lot of Logitech products from webcams to notebook risers so I knew I was receiving a quality item.

Setting up the system took about five minutes and that was opening the box and plugging in the wires. I decided to try them out on my desktop computer. I placed the satellite speakers on the each of the monitor on my desk and the sub-woofer on the floor but raised it a bit on a small stand. The system was `plug n' play' and no software was needed.

I tested these out with watching videos on a well known video site. I watched TV/movie clips which came in very clear. I played a few music videos but found myself adjusting the bass level, which is at the back of the sub-woofer to find a comfortable level for listening. Once I found what I considered to be the right setting for me I decided to play some of my Amazon Video on Demand TV shows. I was very impressed with the sound quality. It is very clear and no interference whatsoever from any of the other devices I have in my office. Having the satellite speakers on the side of my desk I had full benefits of the `360' sound. It was nice not to have the sound directional but to be able to walk around and still hear the sound from the side very well.

I have been using these speakers for two weeks now and did not know what I was missing until I plugged these in. The speakers are very attractive as well with a nice shiny look to them. At the time of writing this review I cannot thing of one negative thing about these speakers. I would recommend these to someone looking for a great set of speakers without wanting to break the bank. I would also say these are great speakers for apartments or dorms since you can adjust the bass level on the sub-woofer. Logitech has done it once again with another quality product.

See all 93 customer reviews...