Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech Z-4I 2.1 Speaker System

I purchased the Z-4i's after researching computer speakers on line and listening to some. I decided on these, plus they match my MacMini.

They are a good value for the money; I paid $75. I did not want a big subwoofer, otherwise, would likely have gotten the Z-2300. I also considered the Altec Lansing VS2321 & similar, but liked these better for several reasons. I don't do gaming or have a real need for good audio with my computer, but just could not tolerate the MacMini's speaker, or the speakers in my Hanns-G monitor.

The Z-4i's should not be mistaken for a full, high-quality audio system. They are perfectly adequate as computer speakers. Sound is pleasant & crisp, plenty of volume available, nice and small and attractive. I particularly like the remote control that puts on/off, volume, subwoofer level, aux input and headphone output at your fingertips, independent of where you put the L/R speakers.

The subwoofer gets "boomy" at relatively low volume levels. I solved that by putting the sub on a stand to raise it off the floor.

Strengths: Value for the money; appearance; convenience.

Weaknesses: Boomy bass

I bought this speaker system for the office, so I was not looking for something to rattle the walls and wake up the kids. I wanted something with a good base sound for mellow background tunes, and this system really delivers. I read the reviews that talk about this system not having the best mid-range sound, and I would have to agree. Certain CD's seem to lack a little clarity, but for the most part the sound is terrific! Bottom line, I was not looking for a state of the art digital monster speaker system, but I did want something that out performed the ordinary. After the rest of the office goes home and I am burning the midnight oil, I have been know to open the system up a little to hear what it can do... You can hear the thump of the sub four offices down, and the satellite speakers can really blast you away. Anyway, great speakers for the price, and I am positive you will not be disappointed with you purchase.

For the price this is a great setup. Full bass, great treble, a touch weak in the midrange but its not bad, and for the price not bad at all. There is pretty hefty dose of power in these speakers, they can rattle the paintings on your wall handily. Setup is straightforward, plug and play. I really like the volume control knob: its unobtrusive and makes volume control on your computer much nicer, nice touch Logitech. Looks perfect with my Apple iMac G5 Desktop with 17" M9843LL/A (1.8 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive).

A good product at a good price, well designed and good looking in the bargain, with a reputation for excellent customer support. I'd buy it again.

Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" sounded glorious on these speakers. The woofer has a rich quality and doesn't buzz out at higher decibels, keeping a clean sounding Fugue. The mid-range and high still keep a clear sound during the Toccata and didn't miss a note, but still abstained from getting tinny.
Kodo Drummer's "Monochrome" managed to get through the quiet parts without any hiss and, again, deep bass notes really resonate here without the irritating buzz found in cheaper speakers.
The impression of movement allowed by a 2.1 system was consistent and for basic PC use, there's enough immersion for the single user. First-person shooters come alive with proper speaker placement.
The only word of warning I can think of is to not push these speakers past 3/4 full volume. If it makes the windows rattle, that's loud enough and anything over that is simply ridiculous. These speakers can push enough air at less than 50%.

I bought this as an addition to a pair of Altec speakers that I had used with a couple of laptops over the past 5 years. With the rebates it seemed like the system was practically free, I wanted an additional set of speakers to either plug my iPod into to listen in another room or to plug my laptop into to free up the Altec's for the another room. I did not need speakers that were portable and these are definitely not easily portable. I had had good luck with Logitech products before so if it hadn't worked out, it wouldn't have been a disaster. So WOW I unpacked them, plugged them in finished downloading 491.3 DAYS of jazz music from my CD's onto my new laptop and iPod and I'm thrilled! I've had a Bose Wave Radio/CD that I'd been playing all these CD's on for years but this is so much easier and a whole lot cheaper than buying another Bose. While I'm a jazz afficiando and my hearing is excellent so I can't stand "buzz or fuzz" speakers but I am not a real sound geek, if you are, well then you'll have to pay a whole lot more to be happy.
I'm sort of past playing computer games where sound is important so I don't know about how computer games would sound on them...I assume that some sort of surround sound would be more interesting. But if you want to listen to jazz at home on your laptop without spending a fortune...these "rock".