Logitech Laptop Speaker Z305, Clip-on Usb Speaker

These speakers arrived quickly (thanks to overnight shipping) and in a brand new plastic container. One thing I will say about this container is that it was difficult for me to open it. I had to end up using a knife to slice it open carefully. It's hard to not demolish the package while trying to get the speakers out. With that said i was impressed by the speakers once I got them out of the package. They seem very well built - nice and strudy and it appears that these speakers will last if taken care of properly. These speakers are in the form of a speaker bar with the speakers on either end of the bar. In the middle are three buttons which power on/off the speakers, and volume controls. One thing I will mention about these speakers is that they always power on when booting up your laptop. Also when you come out of hibernation or sleep mode these speakers will power on as well. I think the button is more made so you can turn off the speakers once the notebook is powered on if you don't want to use them. There is an input jack so you can listen to your ipod or other portable device through these speakers. There is a USB cord which plugs into a free USB port on your laptop. These speakers have a compartment on the bottom where you can wrap the USB cable and tuck in the USB plug when putting the speakers away. The package even comes with a nice vinyl bag to put the speakers inside of for travel purposes. While this bag does not provide a hard case to protect the speakers, I find that the speakers are quite sturdy and should hold up to travel as long as they are treated with care. What I like is there is a nice rubber grip to hold the speakers onto your laptop. The rubber helps protect your laptop from being scratched or damaged while holding the speakers securely in place on the laptop. The hole in the middle of the grip allows a space for your webcam and microphone to work without being blocked off. Once you set the speaker on the laptop you plug the USB cable into a free port on your laptop (or into a powered USB hub). Windows should recognize that a USB device has been inserted and will detect your specific hardware and install the necessary drivers. Be patient during this process as it may take a couple of minutes. Once it is done installing windows will notify you to let you know the drivers for the device have finished installing. Windows should automatically make these Logitech speakers your default laptop speakers. If not you need to right click the speaker volume by your clock and click on playback devices. On this screen right click the Logitech speakers and tell it to be the default. A word of caution: before starting to play music make sure your windows volume is turned down! The speaker volume will be set to 100%. If trying to play music at that level you could damage your speakers. These speakers get quite loud. To start off I would set it at volume level 7 and go from there. As for the sound quality they sound great for USB powered speakers. One cannot expect to have house shaking/windows shattering bass or sound from speakers that rely on power from your USB port or hub. I have noticed that these speakers provide adequate bass for a portable speaker - you can definitely hear the bass. These speakers also sound clear and there is great stereo separation (you can hear a clear distinct left and right channel separation). As you listen to music you should be able to hear things in music you've never heard before if you've used your cheap internal laptop speakers for all this time. I found myself listening to a lot of my music collection over again just to hear how it sounded through these Logitech speakers. I admit that these speakers may be a little bit more than you may wish to spend. I used to buy cheaper USB speakers and paid for it in sound quality (bad sound) or the speakers didn't hold up long. It's definitely worth to pay a little more for better quality speakers. I think they are worth every penny and sound fantastic for the price.

This is my first (or at least my first highly favorable (I forget))review after hundreds of purchases from Amazon. I am writing because this item [ASIN:B003VAK1I2 Logitech USB Laptop Speaker Z305]] has provided me so much child-like pleasure at such a low cost that those who have witnessed my delight urged that I pass it on.My approach to music is very much result oriented. I have studied sound reproduction techniques since I was a kid, and much later in life I was able to acquire a very good sound system from which I derive enormous pleasure. Nonetheless, while my my ability to distinguish good reproduction from bad is real, what I really love is music and that love extends to some music, both live and recorded, from almost every genre.In recent years, I have greatly enjoyed expanding my musical horizons by exploring streaming music from my small notebook computer, currently a Lenovo x220. Like any such machine that I've encountered, the x220 has very poor external speakers but I can get excellent sound for my own consumption through use of a USB amp and good headphones or ear speakers. It's another matter if I want to share something new or superb with a friend or family member (especially when to do so I must to bring the music to another room).To satisfy that want at the lowest possible price, I skeptically bought from Amazon, on the basis of reviews, a Z305. Once I got past the very secure packaging, I was and remain (after several months of listening) blown away by the sound quality/dollar (I'd now pay twice as much or more for a replacement), the design (which is as smart as advertised), the ease of use, and, at least for my x220, the perfect fit.My computer listening is largely limited to the middle ranges, across a wide variety of music types, from chorale, symphony, and opera to jazz and rock. The volume from the Z305 is sufficient in a pinch to make listening to such music pleasurable for a group scattered across a 20'x 25' room. The tiny speakers on the Z305 can reveal only limited detail on a crowded sound stage -- there is no way that a speaker like this can clearly distinguish the individual voices, other than soloists, in e.g., a Bach cantata. But the essentials of all well recorded music come through wonderfully, and, for the up close listener, each individual instrument in a string quartet (or a jazz or rock band) is perfectly distinct, as are the soloists in chorale or pop vocals. And the speakers somehow give an illusion of bass that is sufficient for learning about new music but poses no threat to real woofers or subwoofers. The output is simply of a far better quality than anyone deserves for this low price.In other words, while these are by no means high end (or even hi-fi) speakers, they are terrific for their intended use, they suck up very little power, can be set up or removed and stowed away neatly in less than 30 seconds, can be carried anywhere in a briefcase while adding only a little extra weight and, if you catch the right music, can keep you and fellow listeners (or streaming video watchers) captivated for hours.So, thank you to Logitech, Amazon, and the Amazon reviewers who, against my better judgement, persuaded me to make one of my few totally satisfactory purchases.