Logitech - Z553 2.1-Ch. Home Theater Speaker System with 20W Subwoofer

I bought these because of the way they are styled, the build quality is solid, works as designed. The clarity of the sattellite speakers is clear, but the bass just is not balanced to the other speakers, needed to have just a little more punch. If you are close to the system it kind of thumps, but walk 10 ft away and it does not, and you have to have the bass dial all the way up for any bass . Suppose to be a balanced system? not so much. Works for a small room, anything other than that and it really does not work so well. The price for this system is too much for what you get, there are too many systems that cost less that sound comparable. If this was priced at 50.00, then you are getting a great system for the price piont.

just got this baby from best buy when its on a clearance sales for 80, works like a charm so far since. the 40 watts subwoofer delivers nice packs of bass(though it wasnt really good, it can do better), average high and medium on each 10 watts speakers. love that it allows you to adjust the bass to your liking though it was placed at an awkward position, at the back of the volume control. love the design, solid black speakers and subwoofer with red cables definitely spice things up in the room. also love it cuz it allows you to connect to 3 devices simultaneously. could be a bit pricey, tagged at 120 as the original price, other speakers at this price range could do better. but, got mine on the clearance sale for 70 which was a steal. easy installation is also a plus, just plug-and-play. rockin the house ever since!

First thing's first: My review for these speakers is very dependent upon the price I paid for them. I got these for $30 a piece (I bought two). My review still stands at the $52.99 pricetag that several online retailers are showing right now. I love these speakers. These speakers are worth well over $50. I would say that the $99 price tag that I was seeing these at several weeks back might be a little high given the lack of THX certification found with some other Logitech speakers at that price point, but I would've been happy having paid $75 for these. CONS: - Aesthetics: Probably a turn-off for some, though I don't mind. What you see on the product page is what you're getting, but you are able to switch out the speakers for others with RCA inputs if you really hate the look and just need the sub/amp and maybe the control pod. Additionally, the cables are red. If I have exposed cables, I prefer that they be black. Both left and right speakers have red cables, as does the control pod. Even the included AUX cable is red. The only black cable is the power to the sub. I do like the red LED on the control pod, but mostly because it matches my case lights. - Cable length: I could do with a few more feet of length on the speaker cables, but I managed. I suspect this length is pretty standard, I was just spoiled with my old 5.1 system that had 25 foot cables (though that system also had 40W per speaker and I was draining a fair amount of power just in cable length). You can always get standard RCA extensions, but you'll lose some volume capacity by doing so. - Bass: Honestly, this system has all the bass I need, but I'm not an audiophile. I have an 8" sub in my car that's way more than I need, but this 4" sub does just fine for my needs. It is good enough that you'll be able to hear some (a small amount of) thump on your other floors, but don't expect the same kind of bass that makes your rearview mirror vibrate like mad or really upsets your neighbors. I end up leaving my bass control near 100% most of the time (gaming or listening to electronica). There is no independent input for the sub (like a center/sub jack you'll see with a 5.1 system). PROS: - Price! If you find these for the $30 I paid, jump on it! I'd still happily pay the $53 I've been seeing around. - Sound quality: You can expect the quality of a $75-$150 set of PC speakers. I'm very happy with it. Sounds are clean and clear for the entire volume range. There is no disparity between the left and right speakers (as I've seen at least one other person mention) for either of the two sets I received. - Build quality: I have no complaints on build quality. It feels solid and well-built. I worry a bit about the exposed speaker cones, but if you don't poke them hard they'll be fine, plus they look kind of neat. The speakers hold their angle very well when adjusted. - Control pod: I adore this thing. It's has good rubber on the bottom to keep it from sliding and it's made to be heavy to hold itself in place. The entire top cylinder (visible in the product images) is the volume control and slides very smoothly and pleasantly. In the rear of the control are a headphone jack, an AUX input, and a bass control. The headphone jack (no duh) automatically disables sound to the speakers when used. The bass control (which I love, considering my old unit required me to crawl under my desk to adjust the bass) is a simple wheel that you can feel your way to without needing to look behind the unit. I lovethat there's an AUX input on the control pod because my spouse will often sit with her laptop nearby and want the better speakers without having to use my desktop. The AUX input can be left plugged in and does not disable any other inputs, they just overlap if you have more than one audio source. Finally, I really like that the control pod cable isn't integrated with one of the speaker cables (like many systems like this, particularly Logitech), which allows you to switch to any RCA-cabled speakers if you so choose. - 3x Inputs: The system has three inputs, one AUX in the control pod (as mentioned previous), one AUX in the subwoofer, and one red/white RCA input in the subwoofer. I really like having several options so that I can have my computer in the AUX, a cable box in the RCA, and a phone for podcasts or a nearby computer in the control pod AUX. I've tested them all and they work as expected. - Subwoofer design: I really like the vertical down-firing sub, though others may not. The casing is all plastic and the build quality is good. I like that I can fit it in a tight footprint, but it may not work for your setup. From the bottom of the rubber foot to the top of the sub, it's just under 15". If you include the diameter of the feet, you'll need just over 7" across for your footprint. - Vertical angle adjustable: It's convenient and allows for wall-mounting, although you can't pass 90° horizontal (aim upward) if you chose to wall-mount. The angle holds well. - Wall-mountable: It's nice that the system has this capability (thus it being listed as a "pro"), but if this is what you're buying for, it's not exactly going to be a simple procedure. There wasn't any sort of hardware or instructions included for wall-mounting, but the rubber feet are removable and provide a hole through which a screw or nail could pass, though I don't see you getting the flawless flush mount the product pictures show since you'll likely have the head of a screw exposed. I'd recommend only actually screwing in the top hole that's hidden by the speaker, then maybe leaving the other two holes empty or fashioning your own black plugs. (Note: I did not wall-mount my speakers) In summary, these things are great! They aren't for you if you need a huge kick from your bass or you hate seeing the color red. There were enough negative reviews on some sites that I felt compelled to actually right a written review, so that's saying something considering I only provide written reviews when I feel strongly about a product (maybe once every year or two?).

I bought these on clearance for $50. They're great speakers for $50 and are much better than the other logitec offerings at this price point, better than their $50 and $65 speakers. I wouldn't want to pay more for them... at $50 it's good sound for the value. More than that and value drops off sharply. For a bit more you can do inexpensive bookshelf speakers and a t-class amplifier for great sound at a low price, but these look real fun and take up less desk space than the bookshelf units. Anyway... so the first pair I got in there was a spot on the volume at around 50% that made the left channel fade out, pop and hiss. I had read about this in a review before so I wasn't really surprised. Disappointed but not surprised. I was happy enough with the build quality and sound from the speakers so I quickly returned them locally and had them send me another set. This second set sounds great and is without fault. I was skeptical of the little 4" woofer but it does really well. I've mine in the corner about 6" from either wall. I'm not going to say anything like "dazzling highs and hard hitting base" but I'll say they sound great, better than most computer speakers I've checked out. especially at $50. We'll see how long they last but if I get a couple of years out of them I'll be a happy camper. I'd say they're just right for a small living room or bedroom sized area for mp3 player sound or tv audio. They're perfect for your desk.

The directions don't explain that you have to go into your computer system and adjust tones, the room the speakers are used in and volume to get the best sound although it's plug in and play. I ventured and found it for myself. I really loved them after that discovery.

I was really drawn by the look of this product. I trusted that even though it only had 2 speakers, that I was going to be blown away by the features and sound quality. The power/volume knob was very touchy. After you heard the "click" to power on, the red power light would come on but turn right off. Had to mess with it a few times to get it to stay on, but I finally got tired of it. Also, the chords were short, not making it very able to be a surround sound system. The speakers' sound was average quality, and actually didn't reach the loudness I desired. Overall dissatisfied. Realistically is worth about $30-$50. =(

Good sound for the price. I'm using them to augment the sound on a bedroom TV and they're excellent in that role. Certainly not something you'd use for a primary home theater setup, but for a computer or a secondary TV they are very solid.

I will be the first to admit that I am not an audiophile but I can't go a day without my music and when my Logitech Z313 speakers went out on me I searched for a replacement because I was happy with what I was getting out of them. Then I saw these on clearance for five dollars less than the Z313 speakers and thought I would give them a shot. Setup of these speakers is easy. While I am not a fan of connections that are soldered into speakers and subwoofers, (the demise of my Z313 set was a direct result of not being able to swap out cables) the cables are heavy duty so that offsets that worry. While the cables themselves are short they are easily extendable. I would recommend getting a new line in cable as the one provided is a bit on the flimsy side but still functional. The option to wall mount your speakers is nice as well. As far as sound quality is concerned these are great. You get great sound and bass right out of the box but if you know how to tweak an equalizer you can really milk these guys for quality sound. Add the fact that you can connect up to three other devices without unplugging anything else is awesome as well. Great for casual television viewing and gaming. If these speakers were still 120.00 I would say pass until the price goes down as these speakers are only slightly better than the z313 model but what the z313 got wrong (unable to replace cables, volume dongle, only one line in) the z553 got right. At 45.00 you can't go wrong.