Logitech Z Cinéma Advanced Surround Sound System - 980-000085 - Amazing Deal! - Refurbished
Logitech Z Cinema Advanced Surround Sound System

I did quite a bit of research before buying these, and my main worry was that they would not be loud enough. Let me just say, that I was not at all disappointing with how loud they can go. I got these to blast music at a party (15-20 people in 650ft apt), and at only half volume it was almost painfully too loud! Now I don't want to mislead anyone...because I too have had issues with the sound with some programs. When playing music through Zune, the speakers can go incredibly loud and not distort at all. However, when using Windows Media Center (as well as a few other dvd programs) the speakers max out a pretty low levels. Now I'm pretty savvy with computers, and both the software volume, as well as the system volume are at %100, and still it's not that loud. It's fine if you're sitting right in front of the computer, but not from across the room. I don't know why Zune can go so loud, but WMC cannot? I thought it was strange, but hey...I'm just passing this info along. I love the look of the speakers, although the speakers themselves, as well as the sub are much bigger than I had thought. They look modern and expensive though, which is what I love. The only thing that truly annoys me is the software that comes with the speakers, it's so intrusive and annoying to have it pop up every time you push something on the remote. You can turn off the software display, but not permanently...you have to do it each time you start your computer. The sound is quite nice...for a 2.1 system, it is by far the best I have ever heard. The surround feature is def. not a replacement for a true 5.1 setup, although it does add a noticeable side feeling, and I feel makes the sound a little clearer. It's perfect for someone like me who lives in a smaller space, and who doesn't want to constantly upset neighbors. Although believe me, these suckers can upset the neighbors if you want them to. I guess in final, these speakers are fantastic with Music (from Zune anyway), but only okay with movies and WMC. If you can figure out how to get around the volume issue, these would be perfect speakers! Overall though, it's a great value and a great set of speakers. I would purchase them again!
 
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Great audio quality. The included remote makes volume control and track selection a breeze from across the room. However, the lack of a physical power button and microphone input, to me, cripples this otherwise extremely versatile speakers system.
 
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I love this speaker. It has great surround system.
 
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The sounds are great coming from all speakers. The integration of the bass sound with the tweeter and mid bass is exceptional in quality. Extremely easy to hook this up! For those wanting to not have to worry about sound cards and just pretty much plug and play, this is the unit. That is what I was after as I did not want to get a fancy sound card when USB has the capacity to deliver exceptional sound quality. The one thing that I would say is this unit does not get as loud as the Z2300 series my friend has. In fact, when I first plugged this in, I was not able to listen to the voices on a movie well. I figured out that my master sound volume was too low and adjusted it. The thing is, this unit does not by itself determine it's volume... That's the part that was weird because they claim 200 RMS or 180 RMS what not and I was not hearing that kind of volume. I turned up my volume on different programs and it seemed to help a little more than the master volume. Then I upgraded my realplayer and when it showed up at half volume on my desktop then my Z Cinema speakers were much louder as I could then turn the Real player up another half way up! Since then, I have had very acceptable volume from this system. It just took figuring out some things and tweaking some things... I hope I ultimately don't discourage a potential buyer because these speakers are WELL worth the price tag in quality and easy of use and in volume when you get it working as it should. I just wanted to make sure if any of you did experience this, you had an idea of the steps I took to achieve a better volume :)
 
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I actually had the bose companion 3's before I bought this (which sticker for $250). I was on my 2nd set of Companion 3's and it was starting to cut in and out. I decided to pick up these to replace them. Install was very easy (I did have to restart) but once running the software fired right up, no problems (I'm using vista ultimate) The very first thing I noticed is how "Crisp" the sound is. It is very very clear. I would have to say the sound quality is equally as good as the companion 3's. These do sound a touch more "Crisp" I'm guessing it's due to the usb hook up which is digital which at first I didn't really like the idea of that, but after hearing it and if you have a newer computer I would go for it. The remote is great, I can use it to control rhapsody across the room which I couldn't do with my bose. You can also have the software display on screen information about what track you are listening to. Major media players are supported (itunes, windows media, winamp, etc) However even though the control does control rhapsody it does not display song information. I really wish they would have added a touch button on the front of the speakers for volume control, but I will get over it. The remote is really geared toward windows media center which imo, sucks but still provides plenty of other functionality. Things I don't like over the bose/cons: *Speakers are a little big compare to the bose *No dial or touch pad on speakers for volume (must use remote or software) *Sub is bigger than the bose and kinda big in general, it does seem to pack a little more punch than the bose, but very close *USB only (you can hook up an aux cable if you want, but usb must be hooked up for it to work) *Remote is IR and must be pointed at receiver (the speaker for it to work) *SRS is not that great, I think it sounds better with it off Things I like over the bose/pros: *Although IR, I do like having the remote which can control your media player (itunes, rhapsody, wmp, etc) *Excellent clarity *Sub in my opinion packs a touch more punch then the bose *Can Adjust bass/treble from remote *Doesn't distort at high volume To conclude, I think these are worth the $175 but wouldn't do jumping jacks over that price. However I did get in at that price with a $60 rebate. For $115 bucks with nice sub and remote, you really can't go wrong for a 2.1 system and highly recommend picking this up with the rebate!
 
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So, my first set of these was pretty much DOA. I set them up as instructed by the manuals and they didn't produce any sound. On further investigation, I found that they were basically just "stuck" in headphone mode--that is, their headphone jack was permanently turned on and the speakers seemed to be permanently muted. I sent them back to Buy.com for replacement which took about 12 days.<br><br> The replacements actually produce sound, and sound great at that. I must say, however, that I was expecting a bit more bass from a 110 watt, 8" subwoofer. But a little fiddling with its bass and treble settings and the EQs in iTunes and the like can squeeze some more bass out of it. On the whole, though, I'd say that the highs, mids, and lows are well balanced. I haven't had much chance to test the SRS surround sound processor with movies and such, but it does seem to add more depth to music.<br><br> One gripe I have is that the USB connection (these do NOT connect by 3.5" stereo mini-plug) is a bit quirky on my laptop. These speakers essentially seem to act as an external sound card/processor as well, so plugging/unplugging them makes my laptop switch back and forth between its integrated sound and the Z Cinema system. It doesn't do that very well, so sometimes it requires me to manually switch in Control Panel, and/or restart.<br><br> On the plus side, these speakers come with a Media Center remote whose receiver is in the right speaker, so it eliminates a bit of the clutter of having a separate USB infrared receiver, as the stand-alone MC remotes do.<br><br> Bottom line: if you're looking for a feature-packed 2.1 system, and you're willing to fork over the extra dough, then look no further. On the other hand, if you're just looking for 2.1 that's hassle free and has lots of watts, then you might want to look elsewhere (perhaps the Logitech z-2300).<br><br>
 
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