Logitech Z-560 THX Certified 4.1 Speakers

Author : Wayne Date : 3rd May 2002

...Product	Logitech Z-560
...Manufacturer	Logitech
...Supplier	Logitech
...Price	RRP £199.99

 

 

 

The Satellites :

I'm not one for going overboard on the superlatives but the Z-560's satellites are simply gorgeous. Unlike so many other PC components you may buy there's absolutely no way you can tuck ugly speakers out of sight simply because they're not going to operate properly like that. Fortunately that's one problem you'll not have to concern yourself with here because Logitech have clearly gone all out on styling and produced one of the sexiest looking units around. Even more impressive is that the design is very much form driven by function rather than styling for the sake of it.

All four satellites are identical featuring a 3" driver, an easily detachable cloth grill, pressed steel stand and tuned port. The matt black and silver look is very classy without being too over the top and adds further to the aura of quality. The diaphragms use rubber supensions (the flexible coupling around the outer edge of the diaphragm) rather than the foam suspensions often used on cheaper units. They are also ported which is also unusual for a satellite speaker and it appears the port is tuned to boost upper mids. They are fed an ample 53 watts each.

Another striking feature is that bullet-like projection from the centre. This is actually a polished aluminium phase plug which in theory has a multitude of fancy properties but has two in particular that are useful rather than just being marketing babble. The first is that because the phase plug isn't part of the diaprhagm or voice coil it remains stationary. This gets rid of the need for a dust cap which at the same time makes the diaphragm lighter. Lighter = more responsive in speaker terms. There's also talk of how a dust cap can create unwanted frequencies that spoil the purity of the sound but that's one I'll leave to the proper experts. Another thing the phase plug does is to keep magnet and voice coil cool. Speakers become less efficient during prolonged use because heat internally increases resistence and so the power fed to them have less effect. By helping dissipate heat the phase plug means better response over prolonged periods of time. Oh, it looks cool too!

The rear features two colour coded binding post connectors as found very often on more expensive kit. You can also use "banana plugs" should you wish (left).

 

 

The use of binding posts is a great feature as it makes it simplicity itself to shorten the cable or even completely replace it, perhaps with a little THX certified stuff!

The stands themselves are nothing to get excited about but they are functional which is more than can be said for some. Made from pressed steel they feature rubber grommet and pad style feet to isolate vibration and the can also be slackened with the supplied hex key and rotated to make them suitable for wall mounting.

They're heavy, well built, sweet looking and powerful. Nuff said!