Introduction

Every single electronic device on this planet takes an input, does something to it, then spits out an output.  PC users, especially gamers, are familiar with the visual output of a computer.  Mods, hacks, and overclocking techniques are employed to enhance the visual quality to the user.  But in the end, the 'transducer' takes that final image signal and produces something us humans can perceive.  This transducer would be a monitor.  We all know about the pros and cons of LCDs and CRTs, and understand how that technology has evolved over the years.  But what about audio?  We may have el cheapo AC97 codecs on our mobos, or even high-end pro-level sound subsystems, but the fact remains the same - the sound you hear is only as good as the speakers changing electrical signals into air movements.  In this article, we take a look at Logitech's Z4i system, and examine its ability to reproduce sound. 

Features

The following are the technical specifications as stated by Logitech:

The Logitech Z4i is an affordable 2.1 speaker system consisting of a subwoofer and two vertical satellites.  The color scheme is silver and white, and matches quite well with white Apple computers, and aluminum-silver PCs as well. 

The satellites are made of plastic, and each one has an active concave driver and two flat passive radiators.  They come with metal stands which be removed, and the enclosures have holes for hanging.  The speaker cable is attached, and is about 6 feet long.  If this is too short for your application, you'd need to purchase some RCA extension cables.  There are no protective grilles or covers over the drivers of the satellites. 

A small pod houses the power button, bass and volume controls, as well as a headphone jack and a line input jack too.  A blue LED indicates power.  It connects to the subwoofer using a DB9 connector, just like any RS-232 serial port.  Just like the satellites, the control pod cable is also attached, and is about 6 feet long as well.  If this is too short, you'll need a DB9 straight-through extension cable with thumbscrews on the male end, and hex nuts on the female end. 

The rear of the subwoofer contains the connections to the satellites, input signal, control pod, and the power cord.  As you can see, the input jack is the standard 3.5mm stereo jack used by computers, and the satellites are regular RCA jacks.  The DB9 is the connection to the control pod.  Thankfully, the subwoofer is made of some wood-like material (not plastic or aluminum) which improves bass response.  The grille is made of metal and quite rigid.  The actual subwoofer driver is estimated to be 8" in diameter. 

Listening Observations

Speakers are not easy to measure without high-end test equipment that can produce waterfall (spectral-decay) plots, an anechoic chamber, and calibrated signal-generating equipment.  Therefore, we've decided to measure using typical home-office settings using our ears.

Test 1: PC, Listening to music, watching online videos

Speakers were set about 30 inches apart on the desk, and the subwoofer was underneath facing the listener.  At relatively low to medium volume levels, the Z4i sounded good.  Familiar music sounded like it should have, and viewing videos online was also pretty good.   Online videos are compressed heavily to begin with, so There was an observed high-frequency roll-off, but it is hardly noticeable.  When the volume is turned up, the crossover from satellite to subwoofer becomes more apparent, and it seems that the subwoofer tends to overcompensate the mid-bass a bit too much.  Sadly, the soundstage disappears from stereo to mono on the lower mid-bass frequencies.  Distortion begins to set in at very high volumes, therefore this system is really designed for near-field use.  Don't expect the Z4i to fill up a medium to large sized room with distortion-free sound while vacuuming the carpet. 

Test 2: PC gaming

Many games use positional audio, and with the Z4i being a 2.1 system, it simply cannot recreate the soundfield of larger surround systems.  As for frequency response and dynamics, the Z4i is a delight.  The same mid-bass issue still exists, but to a lesser degree because of the less directional nature of the recorded sound effects in many games when played back on a non-surround system. 

Test 3: DVD movies

For this test, the speakers were placed 8 feet apart, and hung on a wall behind a TV.  A set-top DVD player was used as a source in order to minimize digital noise from computer components, and noise from the PC cooling fans and HDD.  Again, the mid-bass problem exhibited itself more especially in action sequences.  Very low frequencies in high volumes such as walking tripods or a T-Rex caused the subwoofer to bottom out and distort horribly.  However, turning down the bass knob resulted in less bass, but much less distortion.  No noticeable noise or hiss was observed during quiet portions of movies.  With the speakers being 8 feet apart, off-axis response becomes more pronounced.  However, the Z4i did not exhibit any dramatically noticeable frequency dips when the listener is about 45 degrees off-axis.

Conclusion

All in all, the Logitech Z4i is a great buy.  It sounds great, looks very cool, and is not a burden on the credit card.  When used as a 2.1 system for a small to medium room or desktop application, it is tough to beat its price/performance ratio.  The design issues we found were minor, namely the attached cables.  As for performance, the mid-bass tends to be muddy and overcompensated a bit by the subwoofer.  The Z4i can be found online from $50 to $80.

Overall...93%