Customer Reviews

Logitech USB Laptop Speaker Z305

5 star:		(318)
4 star:		(82)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I have a 17" HP Entertainment Laptop. It's supposed to have some pretty good Altec Lansing top firing speakers and I've always thought they were decent until I installed this. The sound was much richer and even at full volume I did not detect any significant distortion.

This is the best laptop-specific speaker I've ever tried. The clip on design gets the speakers off your desk and the USB connection allows the speakers to be used anywhere, even while the laptop is sitting on your lap. The sound controls are simple. The speaker has an on/off button as well as volume up and down. That's it. It's simple and just brings a higher quality sound to the laptop without being obtrusive or bulky.

The length of the speaker is very well thought out. It's about 2" too short from extending the full length of my laptop. I would imagine they're a bit big for smaller laptops and just right for the average 15.4" laptop screen.

The carrying case is a nice touch if you travel, but I think even without the case these speakers will be fine. They're very sturdy and have no soft parts that can be easily damaged.

If portability is important to you, and you listen to music, play games, or chat on web cam, I think you will really enjoy these speakers. For $59.99 it's a very cheap way to upgrade your laptops sound system.

Let me preface this by saying two things. One: I almost never write reviews on products I buy. Two: I take my music seriously. I use a pair of $1,600.00 professional studio monitors for my desktop speakers.

Now the review. I needed something portable for a new 15.6" HP laptop. The reviews on this were good so I figured it was worth a try. I wasn't expecting much given the small size, USB power source, and low price.

When I fired this up for the first time, my jaw was on the floor! This thing is ridiculously good. Obviously, it doesn't output much mid or low base, but above that this thing is great! It puts out enough volume that I had to turn it down slightly in a 10' x 12' room. The sound is what I would expect from something costing hundreds of dollars, not $60.00. This thing has "air", it has a flat sounding frequency response, it's just amazing.

To the reviewers who are complaining that the price is high, I say: You've got to be kidding! For the sound quality it produces, this thing is stupid cheap.

I can't recommend this unit highly enough.

I have serious issues with the speakers on my MacBook. For one, I can't even figure out where exactly the speakers are since there are no standard speaker holes like you see with other laptops. Perhaps, that simple fact is the reason why I typically have to have the volume all the way up to hear things on my laptop. The sound quality really doesn't drive me batty until I'm doing something several feet away from the laptop, like cooking dinner while listening to music or a pod cast, and I can't hear what's playing. The Logitech z305 Clip-on Laptop Speaker solves this problem and delivers great sound quality and volume. (Yay!)

At times I can be technically impaired when it comes to installing new electronic devices. Thankfully, Logitech makes their instructions crystal clear and easy to follow. Installing this speaker on your laptop is very simple. You just have to clip it on the monitor portion of the laptop and plug it into your USB port. After that I just needed to enable the speaker with a few clicks in my Mac settings and I was set. From start to finish installation and configuration took me about 30 seconds. Since the speaker is powered by the laptop, there's no need to worry about batteries. The clip is nicely padded so you won't have to worry that it will damage your laptop.

When the speaker is not in use you can store it in the nice little drawstring storage bag that was included. I could live with or without the storage bag, but I certainly think it was a nice touch.

Overall, I think this is a great product that is easy to use and thoughtfully designed.

These are speakers designed for laptops or netbooks so there are some exceptions made to the quality of the sound due to size constraints.

First off, these are sturdy and well made which is expected for most Logitech devices. It folds in very nicely into a foot long bar that Logitech was nice enough to provide a case for. It is not exceptionally heavy although I will come back to the issue of weight later.

They clip on rather easily in the top of the laptop screen. No issue with it blocking your view or damaging it but it will not fit some of the newer generation laptops where the screen comes up to the very edge of the case. A simple USB cable plugs into your port and it works like a charm as a simple plug and play device. No batteries or additional power cables needed. The USB cable hides in its own little receptacle when not being used. However, they are a tad bit heavy if you have a smaller laptop and especially if you have a very small netbook(take into account the width of this speaker as well). This limits its versatility compared to some of the other laptop speakers out there. However, it is a perfect fit for a full sized laptop like what I use. Even with a full laptop, you feel the balance and additional weight of the speaker especially if you have it on your lap.

The sound it a bit odd if good. They advertise full 360 degree surround sound which is true and pretty impressive. However, since the speakers face away from you, the sound is mildly distorted. This mild sound distortion in especially noticeable in the middle and upper range especially when you really up the volume. This distortion is not as noticeable if you're standing behind the laptop(facing the direction of the speakers) but then that makes it a tad hard to use the laptop. The bass is not great but that's expected for a small speaker.

The volume buttons on the speakers are not exactly useful. They are hard to reach since you can't see them and they have no bearing on your computer's volume control. I'd just turn them all the way up and rely on the computer volume settings.

In summary these are a great replacement for those small semi-portable laptop speakers. They are portable and well made but are a bit heavy and wide especially on smaller netbooks. Overall a good product.

The Logitech Z305 USB Laptop Speaker is a set of stereo speakers in a tube-like enclosure with a spring-tension clip that allows you to connect the "speaker bar" to your laptop lid.

I love the convenience of using a laptop but hate my laptop's weak speakers, so this looked like it might be a fantastic product. Logitech claims the Z305 "gives you dramatically better sound quality than built-in laptops speakers." And that statement is pretty accurate. All system sounds, audio tracks and music sound MUCH better with the Z305 than with my laptop's built-in speakers.

Although Logitech advertises "360-degree sound" with the Z305, I was skeptical since the two speakers are located on either end of the "tube" and are clipped behind your laptop screen. I anticipated that the sound would be somewhat muffled by the lack of speaker placement directed forward toward the laptop user. I was wrong. The sound is fantastic.

There are really only two issues that I have with the Logitech Z305:

1) Logitech claims the Z305 is "plug-and-play" but every time I connect the Z305 to my laptop I have to manually go to the speaker control panel in Windows 7, select the Z305 speakers and make them the default speakers for the PC. Connecting the Z305 is NOT "plug-and-play" like regular speakers using the headphone jack. Since these are USB speakers you have to tell your PC that you want to use them instead of the built-in speakers. This is even explained in the Z305's instruction manual. "Plug-and-play audio" is false advertising.

2) Since the Z305 is supposed to be clipped to your laptop screen you might have trouble if your laptop has a weak screen hinge. My laptop is fine, but when I tried using the Z305 on a friend's Dell Latitude notebook the weight of the Z305 caused the screen to fall backward. In short, if your laptop has a weak hinge then don't try to clip the Z305 to your screen.

Despite these two issues, I really enjoy using the Z305. If you frequently travel with your laptop and want to have quality speakers with you wherever you go then the Logitech Laptop Speaker Z305 is an ideal solution.

I just received the Logitech Z305 speaker today, and I am very happy with it. So much so, that I think it may be the best and only portable USB powered laptop speaker to get. What follows is my review and comparison of the 3 USB powered speakers I now have:

1. The first USB powered speaker I purchased was the Altec Lansing iML237USB ORBIT:

Altec Lansing iML237USB ORBIT, Ultra Portable USB-Powered Speaker

I was pleased with the sound quality of the Altec Lansing ORBIT. And at about $23 including shipping, you probably cannot get a better sounding USB powered speaker for the money.

2. But after a while, I wanted the convenience of having a USB powered speaker that I could attach onto the laptop. So, I asked for and received the Logitech Z205 for Christmas which cost about $46 including shipping:

Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205

with A Lightweight, Clip-on Design and USB Stereo Sound, This Smart Speaker Is A

The Logitech Z205 was indeed convenient as it clipped on top of the laptop. But although it sounded appreciably better than the built-in speakers on any of my laptops and netbooks, I was nonetheless underwhelmed by the sound quality. The Altec Lansing ORBIT at half the price sounded much better.

3. So then I read the CNET review of the more expensive Logitech Z305 which also clips on top of the laptop. CNET basically concluded that the Z305 corrected the sonic deficiencies it had found in the Z205 and was worth the extra $10 - $20. Based on this review, I ended up ordering the Z305 from Amazon for $49.99 including shipping -- which meant that it was only $4 more than the Z205. I received it today and could not be more pleased. It sounds great -- easily the best of the 3 USB powered speakers I now have -- with decent bass, a nice open sound and good stereo separation. I would actually characterize the sound as "high fidelity". With its high sound quality and clip-on convenience, I think it's probably the best and only USB powered speaker one should get.

CONCLUSIONS: If you want good sound quality for little money, get the Altec Lansing ORBIT for $23. If you want high sound quality and clip-on convenience, get the Logitech Z305 for $50. Given these two outstanding speaker choices, I wouldn't even consider getting the Logitech Z205 for $46.

Not much of a rave: "It's okay." For fifty bucks, I expected more, especially with the descriptions Logitech has on Amazon's page:
"360-degree room filling sound" this does not have (and I haven't used it in a particularly large room). It sounds like the speaker is behind the laptop, and I'm not sure what size room Logitech might be referring to. The bathroom in an airplane perhaps?

I bought this for listening to Netflix and certainly did not expect more than a louder speaker, hoped for better because of the glowing reviews here, but I was tempted to send it back after my first movie listening experience was less than satisfying. The volume was too low at about two feet away, and no, I am not deaf. I gave the speaker another chance with a higher budget film, and it was better, but still merely better than my built-ins. Did I get a lemon? Everyone else is raving about this speaker!

I am not sending it back, as it's a nifty design for travel and does a decent enough job, though I find the lack of volume a disappointment. The sound quality is okay, but nothing to rave about. I didn't expect better than okay for fifty dollars, but I certainly expected more than what I got. Maybe folks ought to tone down their positivity when discovering something merely better than their built-ins. My MacBook's speakers are tinny and quiet, but I'd call the Z305 a "twenty buck improvement."

I got the Logitech Z305 USB Speaker to use with my HP Mini 210 Netbook (see my review). This has turned out to be a good match. When I first took the Z305 out of the package, I thought it might be a little big, but it is far from unwieldy. When clipped on to my 210, it extends past the edges about an inch and a half on each side. However, I don't see this as an issue. It is also worth noting that the clip attachment is spaced such that it should not obscure embedded webcams.

While Logitech included instructions, most will find them unnecessary. The functions of the product (power, volume up and down, etc.) are laid out in an intuitive way. While I don't really need ongoing access to them, it is a tad awkward that the power and volume controls are essentially on the back of the device when it is attached to a laptop.

On first use my 210 installed the device drivers without any prompting so setup is pretty easy. TIP: Depending on your laptop, you may have to go in and change the sound controls in the control panel in order to redirect sound from the internal speakers to the Z305. This is computer and OS specific, but it is a good thing to check if you are not getting any output from your Z305.

That's all well and good, but it would be all for naught if the Z305 didn't sound good. I'm pleased to report that it delivers in this area quite nicely. Volume is more than adequate, and it doesn't distort as the volume increases. I had a hard time believe that this fairly small speaker set produced the rich sound that it does. I tried a variety of genres of music, and I found that the Z305 handles them as well can be expected for a system that does not have a subwoofer. However this is the trade-off for portability, but it is worth making given the clarity that the Z305 produces. I have to qualify the preceding statements with the fact that I am not the most discriminating when it comes to audio. I can tell you whether I think it sounds good or not, but I can't back it up with a lot of technical detail. Consider this a layman's opinion.

As a bonus feature the Z305 also accepts auxiliary input through a standard 3.5 mm port. I connected my Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 Player (see my review) for a test, and I thought that the speakers did a good job with the enhanced sound output of the X-Fi.

Finally the Z305 has a couple of features that are aimed at portability. The USB cable stows in a built-in compartment. It is fairly easy to get the cable in and out. It also comes with a nylon carrying case. At a glance you could mistake it for an umbrella, but it does provide protection from dust at a minimum.

Overall there is a lot to like in Logitech's Z305 USB Speaker. It's easy to use, portable, and has very good sound. I would recommend it to anyone looking for on the go quality sound. If you have any questions that I have not addressed, please feel free to ask in the comments below.

I am puzzled and confused by the Amazon reviews, which I have come to trust on most products. This product is clearly better than my Gateway laptop speakers but in no way should be considered good sound. It plays louder, true, but has NO bass and the upper highs are not crisp. It has the distinctive tin can sound of cheap speakers. Maybe my expectations were too high but I expected more from Logitech. While I do not regret buying this item, I feel it should be priced at $30 TOPS! The good: it is plug and play. The clips system has rubber surfaces and works well. Sound is sufficently loud but again, is not going to impress anyone. To put things in perspective, I don't think any desktop non-powered speakers could sound any worse than this does. However, I guess size and portability have clear tradeoffs.

Alternative: Wally's sells the Kinyo ArtDio sound bar which is smaller and only costs $12. Pros: has better high frequencies, speakers are directly aimed at you, much cheaper (and better value), more portable. Cons: less volume, less bass, rests on top of your laptop instead of grabbing the top.

I bought two of these to augment the notoriously crappy speakers on my and my wife's ThinkPads. We plan to travel and want to pack as light as possible -- while still being able to share a movie on the laptop or listen to music without wearing headphones.

Pros:
- Great design! Clips quickly and easily to the screen (I even managed to clip one to my wife's standalone monitor, although it was a tight fit). Built-in cord storage, AUX input for your iPod (though you still need USB power to use it that way). I was worried that the clip would cover up the webcam built into my screen, but it does not. Small and lightweight.
- Sounds better than my built-in speakers

Cons:
- There is a fair amount of distortion. The speaker does a fair job of reproducing the entire spectrum of frequencies except for the subwoofer range, so the sound is much more rich than you will get from the typical laptop speaker. However, it changes the tonal quality of the music, making it sound like it's coming from a plastic tube -- which it is, of course. This is particularly pronounced towards the low-mid to low frequencies. Also, by default the high-end sounds muffled. I had to increase it quite a bit in my iTunes equalizer, and it's definitely acceptable now. Also, dropping down the 4kHz adjuster in the equalizer got rid of a lot of weird distortion without sacrificing sound quality of the music itself.

Bottom line:
I did my research, and this seems to be the best product out there if one considers a combination of sound quality and functional design. It is very compact and self-contained in a way that regular speakers are not; it attaches and removes quickly and easily - some of the competitors use knobs to screw theirs on and off, which is a major annoyance whenever you want to close your laptop screen and move somewhere else. Others don't build in any attachment mechanism - apparently expecting you to put it on top of your keyboard, covering up a lot of controls on most laptops. Others have very poor sound quality. It's a very good and well-thought-out product, but I hope Logitech continues to improve its sound quality.