Customer Reviews

Logitech Z560 4.1 Computer Speakers (5-Speaker, Black)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

These babies are well worth the money!

Let me start by explaining a little about myself. I am very into home theater and car audio, and I prefer a "bassy" system, with a powerful low-end, and the Z560's provide just that. They have very good mids and highs (although a tweeter would have been a nice addition), and really kick with the high-powered subwoofer. I've noticed a number of complaints about the subwoofer "blowing", and this is most likely due to the lack of the "break-in" period for the sub. As with all subwoofers (and speakers for that matter), these speakers must be properly broker in. You see, when the rubber surrounds are first used, they are quite tight, and have a tendancy to damage the voice-coils of the speaker/sub when high wattage is pumped through them. High end home theater systems usually recommend a 20-30 hour break-in, however, since the Logitech's are a bit looser than true hi-fi systems, a ten hour break in is probably plenty. What this means is that you should not crank the volume up past 1/3 for the first ten hours you use the system. I've also read that classical music is a good break-in music choice since it is very light and not too heavy on the bass.

So remember, when you first set up your Z-560's, DO NOT crank them all the way up and blow the sub.

I have had these speakers for 6 months now and I love them. The sound quality is incredible - this system sound quality can easily compete with home stereo systems in a $1,500 to $2,000 price range - and it can easily compete volume wise.

I have been into great sound systems for almost 20 years now. Just to give you an idea of where my tastes run and what I consider to be high quality sound, let me tell you a quick story. I bought a pair of Infinity Kappa home stereo speakers - at the time they cost a $1,000 a pair - (the "baby" 3 way system of the line at that time - a 10" woofer, 4 1/2 midrange, and ribbon tweeter) - about 15 years ago - I still have them, they still work great - the rest of the original system has died. So I know great audio!

This system is dangerous for apartment dwellers! It has very deep base at loud volumes - watching DVDs with this 400 watt system is awesome! You will be making the neighbors very upset if you crank this system! The base will be heard and felt by all the apartments immediately above, below, and around you. This system sounds great with any type of music, and watching movies on DVD is great - it sounds better than most of my friends home movie surround sound systems!

Believe it or not the system is slightly underpowered for the 4 satellite speakers - the sound balance between the base and mid-range and highs is perfect - but when you are watching movies and really crank the volume, during really loud intense sequences - the amp sometimes - clips giving a very loud pop over the satellite speakers. I've did this several times watching the U-571 DVD battle sequences. The first day I got my system I tested it using the U-571 DVD. I was watching the submarine vs. battleship - battle sequence at near full volume - the battleship fired and the speakers made a very ugly pop! I was terrifed that I had blown my speakers the first day out of the box! It turns out the speakers are fine - but the amp does clip on very loud battle sequences on DVD - so avoid the temptation to crank your system more than half way - otherwise you will greatly reduce your speakers lifespan!

The only major complaint I have about the system is the cheap plastic pushdown connections for hooking up the speaker wire on the back of the subwoofer/amp. The wires are held in place by the plastic tabs using spring tension - if you trip over your wires once or twice - tension no longer is there and you lose one of you speaker channels if something bumps the wire. Otherwise the system is of very high quality.

You can mount the satellite speakers to your wall easily - the speaker mounts are reversible & easily changed.

OK - let me start by saying that I spent the better part of a month online and in stores trying to determine the best speakers for my new multimedia entertainment center computer that I was building. After looking at review after review, I "settled" for the Z560's over the Klipsch due to the price differential.

To put it mildly - I was not dissapointed!

These speakers are amazing. I have them paired with an Audigy sound card, and if you turn them up all the way while you are right in front of this set, you will accomplish 3 things:

1) You will shake the foundation of your house, perhaps causing irreparable damage.

2) You will make quick enemies with your neighbors. If you live far away from the closest neighbors, you will then make enemies with the wildlife!

3) You will be checking yourself into a school for the deaf shortly thereafter, as your eardrums will not know what hit them.

If you don't belive me, that's fine. It will be your loss! Try them, if you don't like them, you can always return them. Or you can spend hundreds more for a marginal improvement that you won't be able to notice anyway!

PS - please pair these sepakers with a good sound card. You'll hurt their feelings otherwise ;)

I read about the Monsoon PM 9s in Maximum PC where they got a score of 8 out of 10. I also read the reviews at Circuit City.com. I bought the Monsoons and they are good speakers, but I am settling on Logitech Z-560s. In the course of deciding on which speakers to buy, I also bought the Klipsch 4.1 set for 199. THe Klipsch were richer and more powerful but also muddier. For playing Warcraft 3 or other sonicly rich games, I would go with the Klipsch over Monsoon if I was okay with the extra 99 dollars. For music too, but I found I had to really work the graphic equalizer and the various volume controls to get the Klipsch to not distort. Actually, this was true for the Monsoons also. I thought I would plug the speakers in and get great sound automatically. I had to open three menus: the Audigy sound control, the Windows volume control, and the Nero Ahead graphic equalizer and volume control. The defalt settings had me thinking the speakers were really bad, and then I remembered all the good reviews. SO I started opening up applications to find the audio settings. Three menus!!! (I have a Sound Blaster Audigy sound card and was using Nero Ahead for play back of CD songs ripped to my hard drive.)Man, what a diference when I got the sound settings tamed. The Monsoon speakers went from awful to very good, as did the Klipsch. These two were pretty close in total quality, though the MOnsoons were clearer and the Klipsch were a little richer. And there is the rub - just very good. I now have the Logitech 4.1 THX speakers (Z-560). These combine the uummph of the Klipsch with the clarity of the Monsoons. Maximum PC called them the Klipsch killers and they were right. The Logitech rock. They handle volume well, they are rich, and they are clear. I am glad I took the time and effort to listen to all three at home. I almost didn't try the Logitechs cause I was getting worn out with all the setting up and unpacking. But it was worth it.

i've been shopping around for computer speakers quite awhile, and it ultimately came down to a choice between Klipsch or Logitech...and i must say that these Logitech speakers won me over due to the price difference. however do not let the price difference fool you, i compared these to my friends Klipsch system...i couldn't tell the difference between the output music qualities. the only difference that i could distinguish was that when the speakers were on with no music playing the Logitech speakers seems to have a little hiss going on in the background...but nothing that fiddling around with your computer audio settings won't fix. please ignore other peoples complaints about speakers blowing out on the first use...as with all audio systems you need to break them in, either keep the volume soft or play some classical music for the speakers to adjust...for the subs, it seems that for some it has been a problem caue they blow out? however mine has been working great. do use your common sense, if you insist on blasting everything on max for continuous usage of course you will damage the speakers (and the foundations of your house, ear drums, relationship with wife/girlfriend/mom)...don't believe that junk up about how a high end audio system should be able to perform just like normal with everything settings on max forever, would you keep a ferrari's engine screaming at 9000 rpm's for a hour and start blaming the company that your ferrari is making funny noises? the only complaints i have is that after i bought these Logitech came out with a 5.1 system =)

pros
- a very good audio system for the money you're spending
- clear mid to high range
- on par with Klipsch's 4.1
- extremely powerful subs
- continuous output at 400 watts (Kipsch is only capable of sudden outbursts that hit 400 watts)
- a good choice for gaming, dvd playback, and whatever

cons
- wires were a bit short
- 4.1 technology is kinda old with the current media darlings 5.1 and the newly surfacing 6.1
- the soft hiss when nothing is playing
- you could save up and buy the Logitech Z680 5.1 THX sys...

If you've got the space for a large subwoofer and four tweeters, and LOVE loud music, get these speakers. The sound is unbelievable. The bass can shake your dorm/house and really makes you feel it. And, they're not expensive! I really don't know how Logitech can make any money on these puppies.

I mostly listen to rock/techno and these speakers can handle anything I throw it's way. Haven't had them fail yet--knock on wood--but I suspect that they blow when people continually crack it louder and louder until distortion makes em blow. So if you hear the woofer having a hard time, turn the bass down a little! I find quarter volume good for regular listening. Half volume is LOUD. Almost full volume--the entire floor of the dorm I live on can feel the bass. I am not joking!

High's are high, lows are LOW. The M3D sounds great, I leave it on almost always since I only have a two channel sound card. Quality is superb on the speakers--just look at each sattelite. They look and feel like extremely high quality speakers. The woofer is massive, and get can warm. The control panel is low quality plastic and knobs, but looks pretty with them blue and green lights. Go easy on it.

Get these speakers...and tip the mail delivery person...they're heavy ;-)

I was frankly scared buying this product at first; the sub seemed fragile and prone to "blowing." However, I took caution from all of those reviews and gave this system a 2-day "break-in" period. I played various genres of music round-the-clock for 48 hours at moderate volume to break-in the drivers of the various speakers, so as to avoid a blowout from a virgin speaker. I HIGHLY SUGGEST anyone who buys this to do the same, because you will get better sounding speakers, and at least no blowouts.

As for the actual quality, it is really amazing.... the sub can handle anything your computer can throw at it. I was a little disappointed at first because the highs weren't too crisp, but removing the grills fixed that pronto. I'm very impressed by the quality of these speakers, and I'm glad I took heed from the other reviewers. Remember, don't just buy these and crank them up right away in audiophilic glee; give them a chance to break in first. BTW.... these are pretty damn loud speakers, make sure your windows volume settings are around 25% across the board.

These speakers ROCK! 400 watts, 200 for the sub alone, 50 per channel. I sit here typing this review playing music through these speakers while a stereo system (a real one, not a glorified boombox.) sits behind me, dormant. these speakers are excellent. the early sub-blowout problems with these have been ironed out.

anyone who wants highend speakers for a PC will have these recommended to them by me. If you try them with the "Eagles : Hell Freezes Over" concert DVD you will be HIGHLY impressed. only a midlevel home theater system could match these. the Z560s can crush a lowball hometheater system and still have enough power to beat down a few more. you can hang the speakers on the wall by reversing the speakers mounts. they send you a nice allen wrench with the set to do this. they ship in a BIG box.. and the system is heavy, use proper lifting rules. Bend the knees not the back.

a few notes on use. to mimizie hiss keep the control pods volume low(point the line at the other knobs) and set the windows volumes master, wave, ect. until they are at a comfortable level(around 30-40% for me). no hiss! The "fader" is really just a control for the rear speakers volume, it will not affect the fronts. thats it.. oh, leave the windows bass setting at the middle(default) you can use the windows treble control to set it to a good level as the speakers dont have this control.

Pros :
Great sound
Reversable speaker mounts.
Kicking bass!
THX Certified.
The box is bigger than you expect ;)

Cons :
Fader is mislabled, should be called Rear Volume.
The box is heavier than you expect ;)

I don't understand why these speakers are not fully rated at 5 stars. I was debating between buying the altec lansing 641 and the logitech z560 and I like what I chose. I have yet to turn the speakers up past 75 percent because I dont want the paint chipping off my wall. These are very loud, and they are great quality as well. The highs could be a little better, which is in my opinion is the only thing the altec lansing 641 has better than these, but the deep rumble of the bass makes up for that. If you are a gamer, these will blow you away.
I think they are the best speakers for the price out there. I know I did a great deal of research between these speakers and teh altec lansing 641, and if you like good speakers and you are in the market for 4.1's you are probably doing the same. So my final advice for you is, if you like slightly better high's, and bass that is a little "punchier," then go with the altec lansing 641, but if you like great midrange, and more than generous bass, with enough power to get you evicted then go with the logitech z560.

i am *not* a gamer, i like listening to music, and i found that the original location i had the setup in (about 12'x12')was too bassy even with the bass turned down to 'zero'. if i could turn down the base some more, i would rate this a 5.

the new location is a much larger space, and the sub is far away (~12 feet) from the other speakers (it's an L-shaped room). this setup sounds *really* good.

all in all, i am very happy with them now.
the speakers were also really easy to mount onto walls: very well designed.

i recommend these very highly for gamers and people who like bass.