For around the same price as the
Cyber Acoustics A-3640A, the Logitech Z-4 are also 2.1 speakers, and was situated right next to the Cyber Acoustics. Time for a comparo!
The Speakers
The entire set looks very polished - literally. The satellite housings are black and glossy, while proudly displaying three naked drivers. The drivers themselves are thin magnets held in place by a rubber diaphragm, which is positioned within an electromagnetic field. They are sealed very well, and one can tell simply by pushing one of the drivers in. When you do so, the other drivers pop out! These drivers seriously look flimsy, and the rubber diaphragm can be torn easily. But the naked drivers mounted on a glossy black housing looks sexy, doesn't it?
The subwoofer is much smaller in comparison to the Cyber Acoustics, and is not quite as powerful either. It has a black matted finish and is a sealed subwoofer (not ported). The subwoofer is also an 8" driver, and is a pressure driver. Not sure what that means, but it sounds as though it was meant to be in a sealed enclosure for a tighter bass line rather than thumping loudness.
The wired remote is very classy and has a polished feel as well. A large volume dial that felt weighted and precise as if from an audiophile's high-end amplifier from back in the 70s or 80s. The remote also has a smaller knob for bass. A small mechanical power switch illuminates a blue LED. The wired remote isn't as heavy as the Cyber Acoustics', however, and still have the risk of falling behind the desk due to wire tension. Unlike the Cyber Acoustic, which only has a headphone jack, the Logitech Z-4 also has a line-in jack as well on the remote itself. A very nice touch indeed. If you have an MP3 player, this is added convenience for the user who does not need to turn on the PC just to listen to some tunes.
The Test
I used the same music and
MP3 player when I tested the
Cyber Acoustic. Bass-heavy hip-hop and rap, wailing Queens of the Stone Age, middling Interpol, and some classical music (along with the game "Prey" soundtrack Volume 1) are what goes out of my player to these speakers.
I actually tested these speakers out before the Cyber Acoustics, and my initial impression was "not bad". I can tell something was missing, but felt it was fine for the $100 price. Of course, this impression was blown away once I heard the Cyber Acoustics (and at the same price as well!). It was when I was testing the CA speakers that I noticed what was wrong.
First off, the bass is not as loud, but it does sound tight and accurate. Dare I say, probably more accurate than the CA, which is loud and boomy, but can be controlled by the bass knob. The Logitech Z-4 just doesn't seem to be able to shake me as hard as the CA, even with the bass turned all the way up. The hip-hop crowd is not going to like this verdict.
Rock seems to sound a little better, due to the fact that it does not rely too much on the sub, but rather a good mix between the satellites along with the sub. Here, I found that the middle frequencies are flat, but pronounced. Highs are non-existent, but do not affect the wailing guitars of Queens of the Stone Age as much. However, Interpol does suffer here, as the passage I used to test was heavy on mids.
The Logitech performed the worst with orchestral music, which relies on mostly highs and mids, and subtle and accurate bass response. The bass was good, as expected with a sealed pressure driver design. However, without a good tweeter like the CA, highs were muddy and pretty much doesn't even exist. And everything in between suffers because of the flat mid-frequency response of the pressure driven drivers.
Turning it up does cause some distortion in the upper range, but really... do you really want to turn up the volume on these...speakers? At least the satellites don't overpower the sub in the higher volume, which I must say, compliments them a bit (unlike my old
Altec AVS300 2.1 speakers).
Actually, the non-existing highs, flat mids... it very much reminds me of the
Altec AVS Lansing 2100 2.1 speakers! What a nostalgic trip back in time, huh?
The Verdict
All in all, I was actually very disappointed with the Logitech Z-4. They do not seem to care for people with more distinct ears. If you just want a speaker to look good on your glass desktop and large flat monitor, this would be it.
However, there are better sounding speakers to be had for the same price.
|
Gumtree.com
