The Logical Choice (Logitech X 120)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Logitech X 120
Date:	06/04/05 (2654 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great output that is a sign of technological advancements, Look really stylish and modern, Are very well priced for what you get

Disadvantages: Turning them on is more difficult than it should be

#Introduction#

The most bizarre of circumstances has led to the purchase of a new set of audio speakers for my home computer. It seems that the old ones, the original set that came with the computer, practically imploded on themselves and went bust. I think it was a combination of age, an existing fault that had got worse and the level of usage that they had had over the years. I can appreciate that a set of computer speakers won’t make for the most exciting of reviews that you will ever read, but I hope that I can offer something that most can enjoy.


#Computer Speakers#

Along with a mouse, keyboard and monitor, a set of speakers is a fairly integral part of any computer set-up. The level of sound media that people have access to on a regular basis, via their PC’s, has certainly increased and people want to add sound to their experience. As with many modern technologically orientated products nowadays, speakers come in all different shapes and sizes. There is something different for people who require varying types of audio output from their computers. With the upsurge in people watching movies on their PC’s sets of four and five speakers are now available so that people can create that much coveted ‘surround sound’ effect. Speakers are supplied as standard with the majority of computers, but from my experience some can be of a pretty poor quality.


#Logitech#

The company has slowly emerged as a major player in the global market of manufacturing and supplying computer accessories and peripherals. Logitech tend to be leaders in producing new and innovative mice that sell on a huge scale globally. The firm was founded by a group of university graduates just over two decades ago and since then they have expanded and built up a reputation for producing products of a high standard. In 2003, they announced the sale of 500 million mouse units since the company started production. In the year leading up to that, they had sold 100 million globally that broke predictions and records. Their other main achievement is the introduction of the first ever cordless optical mouse in 2001. They do tend to dominate the market for computer speakers and this division of the company has seen marked growth in the last few years.


#Audio Output#

The very first time that use the speakers for your listening pleasure, will probably have quite an effect on you. The quality of the sound, whether it be music, speech or just cursor clicks, is just so much better and that much more rewarding. It does in a sense feel that much more involving than what you get from older speakers. You can really hear the full body and dimension of the sound media being emitted from the speakers and I certainly hear little things in songs that had previously evaded my rather insensitive ears. There is a clear improvement in the audio quality from these Logitech speakers and it makes buying them worthwhile.

The level to which the speakers can be turned up, or how loud they will go, is quite incredible. I have only done it on the one occasion since buying them, but on full volume the sound is almost deafening. It probably would be if you stayed near them long enough. I think that for such a small pair of speakers to have such a huge output is fantastic and if ever the occasion arose, you could really bang out your tunes. The bass/treble button is very good, but I like to have the bass turned right up because that’s the way I am. There is certainly a marked difference between the two settings and that is another thing that I really like about these speakers.


#Styling and Colour#

The set of speakers that I have been able to acquire are mainly matt black, with a silvery/grey fabric front that is pretty traditional on any speaker units that you come across. They do look rather good along side the black tower, although the white monitor does mess up the look a little. They certainly have a very modern look about them and they would fit anybodies modern day expectations. At the top, the curve off and appear almost to have a snout or peak. This is certainly very funky and something quite new to me. It is just a gimmick or a mark of style; it doesn’t improve the overall listening quality. I do think they look rather ‘executive’ in their way and certainly would fit alongside almost anybodies computers. The styling isn’t the most important thing in my opinion, but it does add that something that extra and these certainly do that.


#Buttons and Functions#

There are three buttons/knobs that appear on the front of the main speaker. The on/off button is situated in the centre and when pushed in the speakers are turned on. The volume control sits to the right of centre and it twisted clockwise the volume is increased and vice versa. The treble/bass knobs are the same, situated on the left and you twist this accordingly. There is a port for headphones below that can come in useful if you want to do a bit of quiet listening with out disturbing others. The advantage of putting the headphones via the speakers is that the quality is much better than straight from the PC. A green LED indicates whether the speakers are on or off. The buttons make the speakers very easy to use and enable you cater the audio to your requirements.


#Durability#

The product, from what I have seen so far, is very sturdy and extremely durable. The outer casing is very tough having been made with strengthened plastic and in two well connected parts. The overall production quality appears to be of the highest quality and with the naked eye it looks perfect. As far as the likely lifetime of such a product goes, I would expect these speakers to be good to go for at least another 10 years. However, I do feel advances will mean that there are much better ones out there in the next few years. They design is one that means they should stand up to everyday wear and tear, without any problem at all.


#Installation#

The speakers couldn’t be simpler to install. To use the word install, is possibly a little incorrect because there isn’t any need for any software to be uploaded to your machine in order for the speakers to work. The best thing to do is to turn of your computer first just for your own safety. Remove the old speakers and then place the new ones in position. There are two wires or leads that run from either speaker. One of the two, will be the link between the two speakers. The other lead on the main speaker, should be connected to the audio port of the computer. The remaining lead on the support speaker should be plugged into the mains socket. Once this is done, reboot your computer and you are away.


#Additional Information#

The speakers are relatively heavy, compared with the set that I had previously. This is because they are of a much higher quality in every sense. They are much more tough and secure; damaging the inner workings is like to be much more difficult. They are also weighted so that they are more difficult to knock over and damage. The distribution of weight evenly throughout the two units means that you are far less likely to send one of them tumbling off the desk. There are a number of small rubber pads, placed on the bottom of each speaker, that prevent huge movements and marking the desk/worksurface.


#Little Niggle#

This is going to sound really silly to some people and as though I am trying to pick a fault just to make my review complete. However, turning the speakers on and off is perhaps a little more arduous than it really should be. The button has to be firmly pushed in, so that it effectively clicks in place, for the speakers to be given power. This can't be done with holding the speaker with one hand and turning it one with a finger on the other hand. If you do it without holding the speaker firm, it will slide wildy across the desk and out of your control. Smothering the speaker day after, can't help with wear and tear and I would have thought that the firm may have addressed an issue such as this in their product testing.


#Conclusion#

I would certainly recommend this set of speakers, should there be a need for existing ones to be replaced. There is no need to go out and spend money on a new set, if you have ones that are capable of doing a job for you. The one thing that I would say, to slightly contradict my last statement, is that the technology has come a long way in the past few years and the quality of the output is now that much better and you do get a much better listening experience from them.

The Logitech product seems to be very reliable and extremely efficient at doing the job it is in place to do. There isn’t really a single thing that I would change about the Logitech X120 speakers that I have bought. They have got every aspect right, from styling to performance and they have come up with a very competitive price to retail them at. I picked these up from my local Staples superstore for just £19.99, which was just about right for me. I went out with a budget of £25 in mind and I think got away with a bargain. So, if your speakers are a big knackered and could do with replacing, these could be the ones for you.

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