I have always been a big fan of Logitech speakers and have used other models in the past. In the past I had a set of Logitech Z-560s and loved them, however when I moved I had no use for a 4.1 system anymore. I then moved down to the Z-340s which is a small 2.1 system.
Going from a 400w 4.1 system to a 33w 2.1 was a drastic downgrade for me. The Z-340s were just simply not powerful enough for my needs but at the same time I had no use for a 4.1 or above system. Logitech has since filled the gap between the Z-340s and Z-560s with their Z-2200s. The Z-2200s are THX-certified and offer 200 watts in a 2.1 system which is exactly what I wanted. Below is the technical information for these speakers that were pulled from Logitech’s website.
Technical Specifications
Total RMS power: 200 watts RMS
Satellites: 80 watts RMS (40w x 2)
Subwoofer: 120 watts RMS
Total peak power: 400 watts
Signal to noise ratio: >100db
Frequency response: 35Hz – 20kHz
Drivers:
Satellites: 3-inch phase plug driver
Subwoofer: 8-inch long-throw ported driver
Speaker dimensions
Satellites: (H) 7 inches x (W) 4.25 inches x (D) 6 inches
Subwoofer: (H) 11 inches x (W) 11 inches x (D) 15 inches .3
SoundTouch™ wired remote control
Master volume
Subwoofer volume
Headphone jack
Power/Standby
Package Contents
2 satellites speakers
1 subwoofer
Power cord
Color coded audio cables
SoundTouch™ remote control
Two-year limited warranty
Owner’s Manual
The speakers come packed in a very large box and is quite heavy. Luckily there are hand hold cutouts on each side to easily pick up the box because I’m no body builder. The contents were packaged with styrofoam very well to avoid damage during shipping and everything is wrapped in plastic bags.
The manual for the speakers and the game console adapter come packaged together in a plastic bag. The remote control also comes wrapped in plastic for protection. One small detail that I really found helpful was that the tape securing the bags was folded over to create a tab. This was very nice because I was able to easily remove the tape and then the bag. Seeing great attention to detail from a company is very commendable because it shows they care about their product down to the way it is packed.
The wired remote control allows you to turn the speakers on and off, plug in a set of headphones, and adjust the volume and bass. From the profile shot you can see that it has a pretty sleek design and has 4 rubber feet on the bottom to keep it in place. The volume and bass knob are very nice and smoothly rotate so that you can do fine adjustments on the volume level. I also like that Logitech is still using a blue LED for the power indicator light.
The two cables coming out of the control pod are the remote control cable mini jack for your sound card. They both look to be a decent length and will probably work for most home setups. I have a somewhat spread out workstation so we shall see if they are long enough later. If you intend to use these speakers for a game console such as Playstation 2 or Xbox an adapter is included so you can do that. I will take a look at doing that at the end of this review and test it out.
The satellites look almost identical to that of the Z-560s and Z-680s with a slight color change. The drivers of the satellites are protected by a mesh grill which has an opening on each side to allow sound to get out better. From the front of the speaker it does not look like there is any cutout but at an angle you can see what I am talking about.
The mesh grill that protects the 3″ drivers behind them can be easily removed just by pulling them off. In the past I have found that the sound is crisper and less muffled without the grills so I always go without them. I also really like the look of the satellites with the drivers exposed compared to the mesh grill.
The speaker cable is hard wired to the back of the satellites eliminating the possibility of lengthening them which could be a problem during installation. It would have been nice to see removable wiring so that other cable could have been used but this will have to do unless you want to do some modifications. You can also see at the back of the satellites towards the bottom there is a single screw securing the stand to the speaker. If you remove the screw you can rotate the stand which gives you the ability to mount the satellite to the wall. The stand of the satellites look really nice and the rubber feet keep them firmly seated. The feet have the holes in the middle so that you can mount them to the wall without any modification.
The overall size of the subwoofer is just as large as the one that came with the Z-560s and overall looks the same. The front of the subwoofer has a grill which protects the 8″ driver and can’t be removed unless you modify it. The side of the box is ported which is how the Z-560 and Z-680 subwoofer is designed. I liked the look of the subwoofer when I had my Z-560s and am glad that Logitech didn’t change the design.
The back of the subwoofer is a little different than the one for the Z-560s. The heatsink is larger on this subwoofer than it previously was which will help in cooling it down. There are two female RCA connections on the back which will accommodate the plugs from the two satellites. There is also a on/off toggle switch for the power which is new for this setup. Also new is the connection for the wired remote which I am assuming is a serial connection by the looks of it. I like the new changes that were made for these Z-2200s over the original Z-560 subwoofer improving on the overall functionality of it.
I wanted to give you an idea of the size of these Z-2200s compared to my old Z-340s. In the first picture you can see that the Z-2200 satellite is huge in comparison to the Z-340 satellite. Not only is the size much larger but the Z-2200 satellite is much more aesthetically pleasing. The Z-2200 subwoofer is also huge compared to the one from the Z-340s and looks a lot nicer.
Installation of these speakers was simple due to the fact that they are only a 2.1 setup. I put both of my satellites onto my desk where they would sound the best. I also put the subwoofer under my desk in the corner so that it would have the best sound. I plugged the control pod and satellites into the back of the subwoofer then plugged the power in. The speaker and control pod wire was not as long as I need and limited where I was able to put my subwoofer and computer. I ended up having to move my computer so the subwoofer could be in a decent location. I think this is the first and only negative aspect of the speakers, as far as design goes. For the subwoofer placement it would have been nice to have a longer control pod cable so it could be placed farther away. For the satellites I think copper speaker wire or removable RCA connections would have been better. This would have added the ability to put the speakers anywhere in conjunction the subwoofer.
Test setup
I have these speakers setup in the living room which is a good room to test in since it is the largest. If your room is smaller than a living room then this will serve as a good baseline for their ability to fill a room with adequate volume. Before I just cranked the speakers up to the maximum volume I burnt them in slowly for about a week. Doing this will normally give you better quality sound and prevent damage to your speakers. I then pushed the speakers to see what they could do. I tested the speakers with MP3 playback, DVD playback, PC games, and Playstation 2.
MP3s
I first started testing with some MP3s of different genres in an effort to cover everything. I normally only listen to Christian punk however I also played some rap, techno, and classical music to see how these speakers sounded. The sound from these speakers is amazing and full. The highs, mids, and bass from the satellites is impressive and I was easily able to separate all of the ranges out and not have one overpower the others. The subwoofer also is very impressive, especially with techno and rap when the bass hits. The subwoofer also does a good job not to overpower the satellites and having the ability to control the volume bass also helps.
PC games
Gaming was a joy with these 2200s especially after using the Z-340s for so long. I loaded Valve’s Counter Strike: Source beta and Counter Strike: Condition Zero. While playing both of these games I was really impressed with what they were able to do. I really noticed how I could tell where sounds were coming from in relation to where I was. The quality and overall volume of both the satellites and subwoofer was also very impressive. The volume got to be too loud for my personal comfort somewhere in-between a quarter and half way turned up. However running the volume above the half way mark did not cause any distortion.
DVD
I then fired up Monsters Inc. DVD which is THX optimized so these speakers can really be tested. I was really surprised when I started the movie up and it went through the THX intro movie. The sound quality was exceptional and very detailed. I didn’t really think these speakers were going to sound as good as they do since they are not a 5.1 system. Much to my surprise they sounded great and having the ability to adjust the volume and bass separately made it simple to get the movie sounding just the way I wanted it. One of the biggest things I noticed while watching the movie was how crisp and vibrant all of the sound was. When Sully would hit the ground it would actually sound like a large object hitting the ground. When people would start screaming the highs and mids were able to fully capture the emotion. Being this impressed with Logitech’s 2.1 system I have to imagine that their 5.1 system would leave me speechless.
Playstation 2
Since these speakers do come with a game console adapter I wanted to see how they sounded with my Playstation 2. I plugged the RCA connections from the Playstation 2 into the adapter and then plugged the mini jack from the speakers into the adapter. I put in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 to test with and used the TVs built in speakers to compare against. The second the game loaded I could tell there simply was no comparison to my TV. The speakers sounded excellent just like they did with every other test they went though. Ryu’s hadouken was much more powerful sounding and all of the other sounds associated with the game were greatly improved.
Conclusion
I just want to say in this first sentence of my conclusion that these are the best 2.1 speakers I have ever heard. These speakers performed exceptionally in every testing environment and were more than loud enough for a large living room. The satellites have very good range of highs and mids even without a tweeter built in.
The subwoofer is extremely powerful and has a huge punch for a 2.1 setup. I really like the THX-certification, it is great to have this feature to have if you intend on using these speakers for DVD playback. I am very impressed with these speakers and would highly recommend them to anyone searching for a 2.1 setup with a good amount of power.
I would say these are a bit overkill for someone who just wants basic sound only because of the price and should go with something like the Z-340s. However if you are an avid gamer, watch a lot of DVDs, or want quality music you will love these speakers.
Because I am so impressed with these speakers I am going to give them a 9.5/10 and award them the OCmodshop Seal of Approval. I would really like to thank Logitech for the sending these speakers to review.
Pros/h4>
- 200w of awesome power
- THX certified
- Amazing sound quality
- Satellites and subwoofer extremely powerful
- Great remote control
- Removable satellite grills
- Wall mountable
- Adapter for game console use
- Everything packaged well
Cons
- Satellite cables are hard wired
- Cable are too short