REVIEWS / SPEAKERS / LOGITECH INDIA

Logitech Z305 Laptop Speaker - Compact but Not Competent

26 Apr, 2011, 9:44 am IST | by Ashish Koshy , Aaron Almeida | Speakers

Speakers

Just hangs there, could have played some music as well

Just hangs there, could have played some music as well
Sleek design but average build quality

PRICE IN INDIA

3,695

TECH2 RATING

5.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

7.0

How we test

CONTACT

Logitech India

 kdas@logitech.com            

 +91 9810 991 545

 http://www.logitech.com/en-in/home

Laptops and netbook owners are sometimes forced to suffer with the poor to average sound quality that comes with their little devices. However, with the inclusion of laptop and capsule speakers, users now have a choice of some good music as well. Logitech is one such company that a long time back, came with some really good laptop speakers in the form of the AudioHub speakers. The Z305 is their latest inclusion and we give it a try to see whether it meets our expectations.

Just hangs there, could have played some music as well

Just hangs there, could have played some music as well

 


Design and Build Quality
The speaker has a cylindrical design and at a length of 12 inches, will easily fit a laptop or a netbook. There is a driver at either end and a clip in the middle to grasp the laptop/netbook. A volume rocker and the power button is housed in the middle and there’s a groove below the speaker which is meant to house the USB cable. The speaker also has a 3.5 mm audio jack which lets you connect to other portable media players or speakers.

The Z305 is not the most stylish thing that we’ve seen around and in terms of build quality, the plastic doesn’t feel solid. We felt that the clip could have grasped the laptop better than it does, however it’s not a major issue.

Performance
We connected the Z305 to the Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 and tried music of various genres on this speaker. We noticed that the volume of the speaker was really strange. In our first instance, the speaker sounded quite soft but after restarting it, the volume went down! We switched it off and turned it on again and lo and behold, the speaker’s volume went back to normal! It’s quite likely that this might be a problem with the piece that came in for review.

Sleek design but average build quality

Sleek design but average build quality

 


From a general perspective, we felt that the speaker sounded really faint and that too, in a quiet environment. It goes to say without a doubt that the Z305 might not even be noticeable in noisy surroundings. The bass was noticeable but there wasn’t any thump to it whatsoever. The trebles and mids sounded alright, but they distorted at higher volumes.

Verdict
Summing it up, the Z305 definitely offers a lot of portability with it’s small size and light weight. However, at a price of Rs. 3,695, the speaker doesn’t have much to offer. There are capsule speakers which are a lot more portable and small, plus they sound a lot better as well. You can check out the Razer Ferox which are priced at Rs. 3,900 or even the F & D V620 Portable speakers which are dirt cheap at Rs. 885.


Tags:

Speakers , Logitech India , Logitech Z305 , Laptop speakers , laptops , netbooks , 3.5 mm ,

Would you buy it?




 


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The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

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