Logitech Speaker System Z520 (Black)

by Logitech

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.8 x 6.9 inches ; 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002FU5QMA
• Item model number: 980-000337
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #73 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Computer Speakers
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 16, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer Now hear this--everything. The Speaker System Z520 transforms your desktop into a room-filling sound experience. Unlike traditional front-firing speakers that focus all the sound only in one direction, Logitech 360-degree sound technology projects sound evenly in all directions. So you hear the full range of sound not just in front of the speakers, but everywhere in the room. High-performance extras like the two-way design (a separate main driver and tweeter in each speaker), deliver detailed lows, mids and highs. 26 watts (RMS) of power let you crank up the volume. There's even a convenient iPod input. So you can turn these self-powered speakers into a standalone system for listening to your favorite tunes in any room.

Hear it all, all around the room, with detailed 360-degree sound You don't miss a beat. You want to hear every waling sax note, subtle background vocal and smooth bass line. And you want to hear it all, not just when you're sitting at your computer, but wherever you are in the room. That's a lot to ask from most desktop speakers, with one notable exception. Engineered with Logitech 360-degree sound technology, the Speaker System Z520 delivers powerful full-spectrum sound all around the room. Combined with 26 watts (RMS) of party-volume power and an input for your iPod, you're in for a music experience that ordinary speakers just can't match.

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Key Features

Traditional desktop speakers focus sound in one listening “sweet spot”		Logitech 360-degree sound for room-filling audio clarity without dead spots A lot of desktop speakers promise a great sound experience. And that's true—as long as you sit in the narrow “sweet spot” directly in front of the speakers. But when you move out of that sweet spot, it can sound more like a dead spot. Details drop out. Your music starts to sound muddy.
Logitech 360-degree speakers project sound evenly in all directions for a full-room sweet spot		Logitech solved this audio challenge with 360-degree sound technology. Rather than using only a forward-firing driver, Logitech speakers are acoustically engineered with both forward- and backward-firing drivers. Result? Your whole room becomes a sweet spot. That's because sound is projected and reflected more evenly and over a wider range of space. And high, mid-range and low frequencies hold together. So your music sounds full and crisp, even if you're behind the speakers.
		Amplified two-way design for twice the listening pleasure Many desktop speakers in this price range use only one driver in each speaker. But each of these Logitech speakers has two separate drivers designed to give you a clearer, richer, more textured listening experience. The main driver delivers warm, natural mid-range and deep bass. The tweeter sings with crisp, clear highs. And dual integrated amplifiers keep every sound in perfect balance.
		26 watts deliver powerful party-level volume Feel free to crank up the volume. With 26 watts (RMS) of power, you'll have ample sound to wake the neighbors. And high volume doesn't have to mean ear-splitting screeching and crackling. Your music comes across in rich, clear, distortion-free detail, even at volumes loud enough for a Saturday night dance party.
		On-speaker iPod input for quick and easy connectivity Why settle for speakers that only work with your computer? The Speaker System Z520 also works with your iPod or any other MP3 player. Just plug your iPod directly into the speaker input and listen to all your favorite songs in 360-degree room-filling sound. These versatile speakers also make a great standalone system for your iPod. So you can easily add music to any room in your house.
		Clutter-free twin speaker design—easy on the eyes and simple to set up You don't have to take up a lot of room on your desk to have a room full of great-sounding music, movies and games. Your new speakers are small enough to fit easily on your desk without occupying much workspace. They're simple to set up, right out of the box. And they're designed to complement the clean, contemporary style of the latest notebooks and monitors.

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Enhance your listening experience with great Logitech products.

Logitech Speaker System 523 Connect your 40-watt (RMS) Logitech Speaker System Z523, and rediscover the art of listening. Speakers with 360-degree sound help project audio evenly in all directions, so you get a great listening experience throughout the room.		Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4 Noise Isolating Earphones Featuring the same speaker technology and sound signatures used in our higher-end products, these compact earphones deliver detailed bass with crisp and clean mids and highs.		Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 Noise Isolating Earphones Housed in a sleek, liquid silver body, the top-fire speaker produces a detailed and full soundstage—ideal for listening to a braod range of music genres.

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What's in the Box Package Contents Logitech Speaker System Z520 Power supply Quick-start guide 2-year limited hardware warranty System Requirements Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later Sound card or 3.5 mm audio out

Product Description

The Logitech Speaker System Z520. Bring your music to life-at your desk and around the house. Its 360-degree sound helps project audio evenly in all directions, so you get a great listening experience throughout the room. Amplified two-way design realistically reproduces your music, videos and games with clear, natural sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good set. Just lacking that extra punch., September 25, 2009

By 

I. R. Smart. "Tzu Crazy" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Logitech Speaker System Z520 (Black) (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

This latest desktop speaker system from Logitech is a very smart-looking set, that is incredibly easy to set up. The box is simply packaged, with the speakers side by side, and a power brick in a separate white box. The glossy volume dial and Logitech logos were covered in pieces of film to protect them from scratches during transportation. A nice touch!

Setting up the speakers is simple, and takes under a minute:

1.) Take speakers out of box
2.) Connect left speaker to right speaker
3.) Plug AC cord into right speaker, and plug into wall socket
4.) Plug speaker cord into sound card (these are not USB speakers)
5.) Turn on

I did this testing with my MacBook Pro and iTunes 9, as well as streaming music to the speakers via an Airport Express. In both cases, the results were similar:

The sound is "good." Very clear mid-to-high range, with the low end just begging to be filled out a little more. The Chemical Brothers' beats came out very nicely in the mid and high range, and classical music sounds wonderful.

With a little subwoofer, this would be a truly excellent set. As it is, the "average" user will be quite happy with the Z520. Hardcore gamers will, however, choose a 2.1 set (i.e. two speakers + subwoofer) to give them the extra punch this set could do with. (I'd recommend them the Logitech Z Cinema or the Z-2300, or Klipsch ProMedia 2.1)

Overall, though, a very solid set of speakers. Recommended.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good compact choice - at the right price, December 28, 2010

By 

Snap, Crackle and Pop (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Logitech Speaker System Z520 (Black) (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

THE QUICK TAKE: Logitech makes very good speakers, in terms of build quality and sound quality, for their price point. So the key things to keep in mind are (1) make sure you understand what type of speaker system you need, and (2) keep an eye on the price of the options you're looking at. At a discount, these are a reasonably good choice for someone looking for moderately good sound in a fairly compact package.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR NEEDS: No tiny 2.0 speaker system is going to give you a lot of bass, so this entire class of speaker is something of a trade-off of sound quality and space. If you're looking for bass, consider a 2.1 system with a subwoofer / bass extension speaker. The Logitech Z523 Speaker System and the Logitech Z623 Speaker System are examples.

Or, if you want to stick with 2.0, you can move up in price and size to something like the Audioengine 2 or the M-Audio AV-40. At the list price for these Logitech speakers, those systems are their competition, and the Z520 just doesn't match up.

PHYSICAL DESIGN AND FEATURES: In my opinion the Logitech designs are much more attractive than some of the recent Altec Lansing designs (their main competition). The backward angle of the face also adds an important enhancement to sound quality - the speaker cones, especially the tweeters, only perform as intended when they are aimed toward your ears. (That's why lots of users of the box-shaped, monitor-style speakers mentioned above angle the speakers toward them, and add wedge shaped inserts underneath.) Be sure to experiment with what sounds best to you - "toe-in" the speakers by aiming them toward where you are sitting.

The cabinets are large enough (9.1 inches tall, 4.8 inches wide, and 6.5 inches deep) to give better sound than many small speaker systems - the size of the enclosure is a very important factor in speaker performance. But it's unfortunately not large enough, especially given the inefficient shape, to really compete with some of the more serious speaker systems mentioned above. Still, if you get them and think they're a bit bigger than you expected - just realize that's part of what's giving you better quality sound.

Logitech states that the system has 26 watts of total power, which is quite a bit better than most small 2.0 speaker systems and will help to provide undistorted sound. (It won't reach what most people would think of as "party" levels of sound, though.) On power, the Z520 speakers compare fairly well with the other 2.0 systems from Audioengine and M-Audio.

DON'T EXPECT MUCH FROM THE OMNIDIRECTIONAL FEATURE: I really don't understand what Logitech had in mind with the rear-firing tweeter on these speakers. Perhaps they're just trying to find some selling point in a competitive product niche. But sonically it doesn't make much sense given the way it's designed and built. It's too small to add much in a large room, and it's not going to help (and it may hinder) for the way most people place these.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good set of speakers, September 26, 2009

By 

T. Stratton (Chambersburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logitech Speaker System Z520 (Black) (Personal Computers)

(What's this?)

Once again Logitec puts out an excellent product for computer accesories. These are great speakers, especially to add decent sound to you laptop. Construction and quality is solid. Sound is very good, with crystal clear sound produced. If you want a set of speakers, but don't want to mess with the extra woofer found on many sets, then these are for you.

These speakers are large enough to provide ample speaker size without being overly bulky. The both look good and produce excellent sound. You won't get the "vibrating" base of a more expensive system with a separate woofer, but with these you won't miss it. I'm sitting here listening to them as I write this review, playing my MP3 player through them.....quite impressed.

I can honestly recommend these.