Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer
Customer Review: Klipsch v Bose v Logitech
Summary: 4 Stars
I blew a ridiculous amount of time listening to them in the store, reading reviews and what not and it never really helped me decide. I ended up buying all 3 and hooking them up so I could test drive them. Then returned the ones I didn't keep. Hopefully someone in the same situation I was in will benefit from my review. If you can't decide I recommend buying the ones you can't decide between and test them yourself.
SPEAKERS:
Klipsch Promedia 2.1, Logitech z-2300, Bose Companion 3
BACKGROUND:
Previous Speakers- Creative 6.1, think they were the original inspires.
Sound Card- Creative x-fi
Primary use- Gaming with limited music
Volume- maybe max out around 10%. Live in multifamily complex and don't need a lease breaker to live up to its name.
Ear quality- I'm no sound engineer so all references to quality of sound are just what MY ears heard.
6.1 V 2.1:
You will not find any 2.1 system that rivals even a cheap 5.1 or 6.1 set. No way around that. In downgrading you are compromising from the start. If you have the space/cash/mounting locations go with 5.1 or higher.
SOUND QUALITY:
The Klipsch had the best overall performance when it came to sound. Second was Bose and third was Logitech.
I was not at all impressed with the Logitechs. They had a nice booming sound but no matter how much I fiddled with the EQ could I get a clean consistent sound across the board. Highs sounded watered down, Mids sounded muted and the Lows were...booming in a good way. Granted I'm sure this had a lot to do with the fact that I wasn't turning them up very loud. When I cranked them up they sounded much better but that's not the situation I needed them for. If you are throwing a block party the sound quality might be great.
The Klipsch definitely had the best overall sound. It seemed to have a little trouble with definition on the highs and the extreme lows but far out did the other two with the mids and the lows. When I say trouble I mean nothing noticeable if you didn't have multiple speakers hooked up at the same time. This could once again be attributed to the fact that I'm running them at such a low volume. As far as the extreme lows, I don't think either of the other two systems even had those lows to listen too.
The Bose handled the highs with crystal clarity. They do have the "tin can" effect that other reviewers have mentioned but adjustment of the EQ was able to compensate for that. The mids had to be corrected with the EQ but once setup right they were adequate, nothing to write home about, but better then the Logitech and not as good as the Klipsch. The lows thumped nicely and seemed to fit well but on extreme lows it seemed to be more of a single rumble as opposed to individual sounds.
REAL ESTATE:
The Bose significantly outshine the other two sets when it comes to desk real estate. The footprint of each satellite is about 2.5x2.5 inches. Headphones might take up less space. The Logitechs and the Klipsch take up about the same amount of space on the desk. Slightly larger than your average desktop speaker but not so large that you can't fit them on the desk.
CONTROLS:
All three sets had the same set of controls and inputs on them, namely bass, volume, and a miniplug out or two.
I preferred the Bose when it came to the controls. The little wired remote puck thing works excellently and sticks to the spot you put it. The volume control consists of turning the outside of the puck and works excellently. One added feature is the top of the puck is a touch activated mute button. Useless really since the volume is so easy to adjust but nice all the same. The bass control for the Bose is located on the back of the sub near the top. The sub sits under my desk so it's easy enough to adjust by just reaching behind it from the top and turning the knob.
Second would be the Logitech set. They also have a wired remote similar to the bose. Has a couple knobs on it a large (not as large as the bose puck) one for volume and smaller one for bass. They seemed to turn smoothly and work great. The one thing I didn't like about the Logitech remote was that it was very light and didn't really stay where you put it. Some double side tape or a rubber pad would easily fix that.
This is one spot where the Klipsch comes in last. I read that the controller could be removed from the speaker but didn't see an easy way to do it and didn't want to muck them up since I would be returning 2 of the 3 systems. The Klipsch controls are located on the right speaker similar to your normal OEM speakers. There is a volume and bass knob. The volume knob didn't seem as smooth as the other two systems and tended to jump as opposed to smoothly increase and decrease the volume. This might just be that it's a small knob and harder to make precision changes.
The power button is never a concern of mine because I leave everything on all the time but for those that it is an issue: Logitech had a power switch on the sub and "sleep" button on the remote. Both the klipsch and the bose have the power switches on the back of the sub. None of the power switches on the back of the subs are easy to get to or locate so if you can handle just putting it in sleep mode I'd recommend the Logitech.
BUILD QUALITY:
I don't mean the build of the actual cones but of the housings, stands, etc. I don't know enough about construction of or speaker materials to make a judgment on the cones and drivers.
I think the Bose probably won in this category with the Logitech coming in second and the Klipsch bringing up the rear.
Both the Bose and Logitech went together well and everything fit tight. Everything seemed to be appropriately built with acceptable tolerances in terms of stands and housings. The Logitech's satellites were mostly plastic with cloth speaker grilles metal grilles on the sub. The sub was particle board I'm assuming with a metal grille. The Bose satellites were all metal including stands and grilles. The sub was particle board I'm assuming with a metal grille. Moving the speakers around and doing whatever over the course of testing them seemed to have no side effect on the operation of these two sets. Everything on each system seemed to use a heavy enough gauged wire that I was not concerned with damaging them as I yanked them through the rats nest behind my desk.
The Klipsch fell short on the build quality. They used comparable materials as the previous two, plastic satellites with cloth grilles and what I'm assuming is a particle board sub with a metal grille. The stands for the satellites were cockeyed causing the speakers to lean at some odd angles. Nothing that your average person would notice but someone in QC should have caught that. The little ps2 looking cable that connects the controller to the sub didn't fit securely or snap into the sub. Is to be expected of this style cable but on the other two systems I didn't have any concern if it connected appropriately. After initial setup of the speakers the left satellite went out on me and I had to jiggle/turn the miniplug plugged into the back of it. This is nothing new to miniplugs but I would have liked to have had the system setup for a good year before I had to start jiggling stuff. None of these matters are real deal breakers but I noticed no problems with the other two systems. It causes me to question what else might not be done as right as it should be done.
One thing nice about the Klipsch is that the connections for the satellites are normal speaker wire with a miniplug on the end. Should be fairly easy to rig up your own connectors if the supplied separation distance isn't enough for your needs.
CONCLUSION:
If you want the best sound you can find, go with the Klipsch hands down. If size is your concern go with the Bose. Most other items noted are personal taste and opinion so you can make your judgments of off my previous information.
WHAT'D I KEEP?:
I kept the Bose. They look incredible, save my desk space well and at low volumes with an adjusted EQ they seem to sound good enough to do the job. I love the puck controller as well. I know many people dislike Bose but I think they have a nice product in the Companion 3's. It should probably be priced between $75 and $150 but an extra $100 spaced over an estimated 5 years of use is only $20 a year.
Customer Review: Awesome speaker system for the money...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd read a LOT of reviews here and elsewhere before I finally decided on and purchased the Logitech Z-2300 speaker system for my computer. After putting the speakers through their paces for a couple weeks after I received them, I must say I am fairly impressed.
I have tried many, many different computer speaker systems over the years, and most have been seriously lacking. When I first got into using home computers, computer speaker systems didn't exist. If you wanted to get sound out of your computer, you had to run it through your home stereo system, and you were lucky if your computer system had stereo outputs. Sound was often an afterthought in those days, but as computer technology evolved it became more and more important. (Just FYI - I purchased my first home computer in 1986... so I've been working with them for a while. :))
Nowadays a lot of people consider computer technology synonymous with audio technology: MP3's, iTunes, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, etc. - but until the mid to late 90's this technology was still being developed or didn't even exist; and even while it was being developed most of us didn't have computers powerful enough to use it, or hard drives large enough to store the music files. iTunes didn't even exist until 2001: that's only nine years ago boys and girls.
It makes me wonder after all the years of development and evolution of computer audio technology why so many computer speaker systems still SUCK!! I'm not certain if it was just an acceptance of the initial audio formats, or that the flooding of the market of really cheap headphones, earphones and speaker systems just caused people to become used to sub-par sound being the norm. Whatever the reason, sadly there are many that have never experienced what their computer is truly capable of audio-wise. The best computer speaker system I've heard was one I built myself - It consisted of a Linear Power 652 car stereo amplifier running off of a very large 12V power supply and was powering a pair of the legendary Realistic Minimus 7 speakers (a 4" midbass/midrange driver coupled with a 1" fabric dome tweeter in a cast aluminum speaker enclosure; they were one of the best small "bookshelf" speakers of their era, and are still considered so...even though it was sold through Radio Shack - I guess even they got it right once in a while) and a Kicker 8" car stereo subwoofer in a custom enclosure - the satellites were getting 30 watts RMS per channel and the sub was getting 65 watts RMS... the first time I played the video game Descent: Freespace (circa 1998) with them and picked up the Vulcan cannon, the sub was playing so loudly (without distortion I might I add) it was vibrating my filing cabinet so much my next door neighbors came over to find out what all the gunfire was about!
That being said, I am not going to endorse the Logitech Z-2300 speakers as the best system I have ever heard on my computer - but they are pretty decent. The bass is solid and not over-empowering, despite what a few people have reported; it all depends on how much you adjust the bass control on the speakers vs. your computer audio out vs. how loud you play your speakers overall and how you adjust your music apps and/or audio card's EQ settings. A lot of people have their EQ settings for their favorite music player cranked up for bass and high end because their headphones/earphones lack this response, but then when they connect a decent set of speakers to their computer it sounds bad or the music is distorted; turn off those EQ settings!
I've read some comments that the Z-2300 speakers lack mid-response. Personally I think they have a bit too MUCH mid-response and they sound a bit nasal and/or hollow as a result: I mean, essentially the speaker is one big mid-driver with an aluminum "bullet" center (or "phase plug" as Logitech calls it) to give better high-end response. I've found that adjusting the EQ down a bit in your sound card's settings or your music app in the 1K, 2K and 4K ranges helps... you'll have to play around with a bit to adjust it to your own taste. I have also personally found the satellite speakers sound better without the grills as they are not very acoustically transparent. For those of you that already own these speakers try this simple experiment - gently blow on the palm of your hand from a few inches away and then move the grill in between your hand and mouth and you'll see how much air flow they are blocking. If they are blocking the movement of air from the speakers, then they are blocking sound! This usually affects the high frequencies and upper midrange the most. Regardless of that, these satellite speakers actually image halfway decently.
Overall I recommend this speaker system... for the price of around a hundred bucks you are getting a very solid 8" subwoofer that is powered from a 120 watt RMS amplifier, while the two satellite speakers are getting 40 watts RMS each (if you don't know what the difference between Peak and RMS audio power is, look here for an explanation: [...] The speaker system actually does sound pretty decent.
If you look around you can find very good powered home subwoofers for less that you could attempt to build a speaker system out of. The problem with this is that while most of these subs have gain (volume) and adjustable crossover controls, they are simply an add-on subwoofer... they have no amplified outputs that you can hook up decent pair of satellite speakers to. For that you'd have to have a separate amplifier to hook up some satellite speakers and that means more money and complexity. (Or you could just use your original pair of wimpy and substandard powered computer speakers along with the sub, but that would pretty much negate the whole point of upgrading, wouldn't it?) So, if you don't like the sound of the included satellite speakers, you're not stuck with them. Simply replace them with whatever small (typically bookshelf-type) speakers you'd like - Boston, Bose, Polk, etc. You'll have to create or buy a pair of custom speaker wires, but that's no big deal. I simply used an old pair of RCA audio cables, cut the RCA connectors off one end and stripped the wires to plug them into the speakers and plugged the RCA jacks on the other end into the Z-2300 speaker output RCA connectors. If you can't handle that, stick with the original speakers that came with the set...or get a friend to help.
Either way, you are getting an exceptional powered sub that happens to have a built-in power amp to run a set of external speakers, as well as an external wired remote/adapter that controls power (on/off), volume and sub-woofer level. You can't buy ANY decent home audio subwoofer for around a hundred - hundred-twenty bucks that can even come close to this in terms of power, performance and/or features. And you get a pair of satellite speaker thrown in for free. They have a fair amount of power handling and don't image too bad. I can honestly say this is one of the best computer audio systems I've heard in about the past 20 or so years I've been working with computers and it would probably rival a lot of people's home audio systems.. this is no typical wimpy "boom-box" sound. If you want some serious audio output from your computer, look no further!
Customer Review: Good, but definitely need help
Summary: 3 Stars
When I was in college, I had a set of JBL Creature 2s, those Darth Vader-looking ones. They were pretty good, but, as seems to be the case with many 2.1 computer systems, the speakers seemed skewed toward rock, with good highs and nice lows, but bollocks mids. I eventually sold those, in search of greener pastures. I now have a splitter leading from my Soundblaster 24-bit sound card, one line of which leads to my headphone amp and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros/Koss KSC 75s, and the other which leads to my Pioneer receiver and Insignia NS-B2111s. I know, I know, Best Buy in-house brand, but don't be fooled by the label. The carbon fiber driver construction makes these puppies sound very nice. Greener pastures, indeed: the mids are lush like the jungle during a monsoon, and they have a very inviting, warm presence. But, from time to time, I find myself missing the hefty, punchy presence of a sub, and the upper tingly highs of small tweeters. Enter the Logitech Z 2300s. I always do my research when I purchase something like this (I once read a 100+ page thread on a forum about one pair of headphones), and so I'd read about the Logitech's lack of mids, etc. Logic dictates, though, that if you add speakers that have great mids to speakers that have great lows and highs, you get (ta-da!) a really nice, complete speaker system. Such was my logic, and such was my goal.
Setup of the speaker system was very easy and intuitive; the two satellites plug into the subwoofer, and have color-coded cables. The subwoofer is also where you plug in the wired, accompanying remote. The cable for the remote is kind of short, and it's a special plug, so you can't easily extend it. The cables are also wired straight into the back of the speakers themselves, but fortunately, they have standard RCA male ends, so extension for these would be substantially easier. The speakers are bigger than I imagined, about six inches tall by three inches wide. They come with removable dust covers, but oddly enough, the covers sit about a quarter of an inch away from the speaker, with a lip on top to aid in dust resistance. Why not make them close-fitting? Oh, well. The 8-inch subwoofer is quite large. It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 inches wide by 11 inches tall by 13 inches long. It also has ceramic heat sinks in the back, which adds to the length, so it's not for the faint of butt. In addition to the power cable coming from the sub, the two satellite speaker connects, and the wired remote acceptor, the sub also has a master power button. It's an interesting setup, something which I'll reference below.
The wired remote is exactly what I need: volume control, bass control, power button, and headphone jack. Wait. Power button? Yes, another power button. That sounds kind of weird, but my theory is that this remote power button is more of a standby control than a true shutoff control. I found this out when testing my headphones. Even when you turn off the power on the remote, if you have headphones in, there's a very faint hiss in the headphones, and you can still listen to headphones. However, with regard to speakers, when you turn the power off on the remote, the speakers emit nothing, which is good. It's kind of a weird idea, but it works.
So, we've talked about the basic idea behind setup and function of the speakers. Of course, the big question is, how do they sound? Let's start with headphones. I have an amp for my cans, and the aforementioned splitter, so I decided to do some A/Bing to see if there was any difference to have the headphones plugged into the remote and into the amp. The verdict: I could find no noticeable difference. Of course, I'm no audiophile, but I figure if I can't tell the difference, then it doesn't matter where the headphones are plugged in. However, since I'll be needing that splitter for my two speaker systems, I decided to just run the amp through the remote when I want to listen to headphones, and leave it unplugged for speaker listening. I mentioned I need the splitter for the speakers, and I'll explain why in the next paragraph.
So, in the several months (couple years? Can't remember) of listening to my Insignias, I've come to really like them. They're so smooth, and the mids are fantastic. They also have a good bass response for speakers of their size, which is a nice bonus. But, a couple weeks back, I was A/Bing my speakers with my roommate's old, fatty JBL's, and I found that my speakers are excellent in terms of mids, but they are, in fact, lacking a bit in the upper highs, as well as that punchy bottom end. Thus, my search began anew for a speaker system with good highs and good lows. Did I succeed? Well, yes. Very yes. Holy fish buckets, yes. After having listened to samples of songs in my iTunes library, from Led Zeppelin to Johnny Mathis, I've determined that these speakers were meant to be together. I turn off the Logitechs, and the Insignias seem to be missing highs and lows. I turn off the Insignias, and the Logitechs sound like the mids were sucked out, Hoovered away.
"Where are the mids?"
"Probably going through the HEPA filter right now."
But together, they sound magnificent. Phenomenal. Gorgeous. For every piece of music I could throw at them. They make my stomach a little queasy. They almost make me cry. They're that beautiful. It's like listening to music for the first time. *This* is how music should sound (at least, according to me). I get the silver trumpet highs, the jungle-lush mids, and the smack-your-face lows. So, together they sound incredible, but apart, they really need help. All the reviews I've read are true: the Logitechs have the sucks mids. They absolutely need to be coupled with a sound source possessing good mids. Likewise, the Insignias need those highs and lows to really shine. Knowing what I know now, I'd never buy the Logitechs by themselves. But, now that I have them coupled with the Insignias, they are absolutely worth the price I paid.
Final evaluation: worth the investment, but ONLY if you have a backup with good mids.
P.S. In my evaluation, I have the volume of the system at around 27% or 28%, with the sub at around 25%. This is *plenty* loud enough, and maybe even too loud, for casual listening. These speakers can go loud, and in order to avoid an eviction notice from the apartment manager, I didn't test their limits.
P.P.S. Additionally, I also noticed that speakers are very directional; they've got a fairly small sweet spot, which is fine for me at my desk, but could be an issue with larger setups. This is as opposed to my Insignias, which, for the most part, just kind of disappear into the background.
Customer Review: Great hassle free 2.1 system at a great price
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had these speakers for about six weeks and I think they have a great sound. I have them hooked up to a new Alienware system with a SoundBlaster X-Fi card. I use the card for both gaming and music. The system is located in a 11' x 11' home office with the speakers located at each corner of 5' desk and the subwoofer in front of the desk.
I have switched from a 5.1 system I got with my previous Alienware system. I'm in my 50's and have seen about every sound gimmick come down the pike. There are a lot of people who love 5.1 and have time to tweak them, I'm just not one of them. I've had the 5.1 system for about five years hooked to a SoundBlaster Live card. I'm pretty adept with computers, so I have kept up with the drivers, played with the balance, moved the speakers and done about everything I can to "feel" the game. I usually play Call of Duty or Far Cry type games. I also play RTS games of the C&C stripe.
I must be getting old, because I'm tired of screwing around with sound systems. I'm at a point where I just want to sit down and hear some great sound without going through all of the situational adjustments (FPS game, music, RTS game, SAT TV, etc). If you just want something that has great fidelity and some oomph in the low range, this is your system.
What I like:
1. The sound for music is fantastic. I have eclectic tastes in music and all of it sounds great across the board with excellent fidelity. Some songs you can hear every instrument and note. It's as good as the source (mp3, wma, etc) can make it.
2. The stereo effect is wonderful. It's like having a center speaker without having the clutter of a physical speaker on your desk, plus you still get a great sense of left/right effects.
3. The subwoofer will rock you. I have it front of a solid wood desk and it will shake the desk at half bass. When I play COD or MOH, it's like you are on Omaha beach during an artillery barrage. It's as real as I need it. I don't need 5.1 to hear the shell whistling past me to get a great effect.
4. I really like the control. It sits well on the desk next to my keyboard. Nice big dials that index the bass and volume well. There is good size off switch that is easy to hit if you need to kill the sound quickly without searching for a mute button. There is also a plug for headphones. Makes it convenient if you don't want to have to keep reaching around the back of the system. It also has a blue power light which I prefer.
5. Very, very, very easy to set up. Just plug the speakers into the subwoofer and then plug the system cable into the sound card. Turn it on.
6. Uses the system software for balance and treble. It will also use the software equalizer. You may ask why this is important. Half my problem with my last set of speakers is that the computer had an equalizer, the installed SoundBlaster software had an equalizer, the player had an equalizer and the speaker system had a equalizer, speaker balance. Give me a break. There were four sets of adjustments that you had to manage depending on what you were doing at the time (game, music, TV). I never knew which control was in control. My results were mixed at best. Now I just worry about the computers settings and I get great sound in any of my apps.
7. I have not detected the irritating hum my last system had during quiet times or when no music was playing.
8. I like the style of the speakers. Silver with black cloth covers. They seem very substantial.
What I don't like:
1. I may be old fashioned, but I want the option to change the length of my speaker wires. I don't know why Logitech has gone this route, but the speaker wire is permanently affixed to the back of the speaker and terminates with an RCA plug. I prefer heavy gauge speaker wire and would like the option to move the subwoofer farther away. This requires me to buy expensive RCA cable as opposed to regular speaker wire.
2. The subwoofer is probably physically bigger than it should be for a small room system. There is no room for it under the desk (that's why it's in front of it:). I'm still experimenting with placement. Make no mistake, this puppy is big. It also has metal heat vanes on the back that give it additional length. If you are working with limited space, make sure you pay attention to the dimensions.
3. While I like the control, it makes placing the subwoofer across the room somewhat problematic. The wire from the subwoofer to the controller is a 6' long thick proprietary cable. The system sound plug then runs from the controller to the sound card. The speakers cords run directly to the subwoofer. This system is meant for close-in.
Conclusion:
This is a great trouble free set of speakers with great sound. Just plug and play without a lot of fuss. I knocked off a star because of the limited flexibility imposed by the cabling scheme. That being said, I don't think you can beat the sound at this price. To be honest, I have a pretty decent ear and these are as good as any system I have listened to. I feel my money was well spent and I am most satisfied with my purchase. So if you are tired of trying to make the latest gimmick work (7.1 THX) and you just want great sound, this is your system.
Customer Review: Excellent! But some comments from a non audiophile ...
Summary: 5 Stars
So what's left to say after 610 Amazon customer reviews, well, a few things for folks like myself who are not audiophiles and [here's where I date myself forthwith] may still be using the classic and vintage [read: old] "boat anchor" [in sheer weight!] box speakers [** You former vets out there, remember the overseas [including in-country] military Px where brand name electronics [Akai, Marantz, Kenwood, Sansui, Pioneer, McIntosh, et al] could be had at greatly reduced prices and no tax of any kind courtesy of Uncle Sam ... ] -- anyway, once you get used to the sound [and it's 'still' good stuff, BTW, and not to mention my older tape and LP record collection] of the old 'boat anchor' box floor speakers, one is reluctant to switch to 'modern' speakers you can hold in your hand and perhaps weigh no more than a couple of pounds in change and this added square box gadget called a "subwoofer" ==but== when the vintage 'break' is made, the results can be startling!
Soooo, my 40 pound speakers [that's 'each' weighing 40 pounds! Hey! I still have my long ago military Px [overseas] Akai M-10 Sound On Sound with built-in amp stereo tape recorder and which weighs in at 54 pounds .. and still works to this day!] -- anyway, military nostalgia aside, my hefty Akai speakers went downstairs to assist my Hitachi big screen [the Hitachi has 8 Ohm wire speaker connectors on the back of the set --quick tip -- ALWAYS use no less than =16 gauge= speaker wire!] and that did the trick for the Hitachi big screen even without an amplifier while I took this Logitech Z-2300 system and connected it to my computer in place of the vintage stuff. What a difference in sound! I put on the old 90's vintage flick "K2" and when the small but quite efficient Logitech speakers picked up the crackling of the fire [!] in one scene or that subwoofer kicked in as in the scene where 'Taylor' is startled on finding 'Dallas' laying in the snow, whew! Amazing sounds! Why I held out so long before switching to the modern 2.1 stuff became the number one question! I was 'very' pleased! Can a 5.1 or 6.1 'surround system' for my upstairs big screen be far away!
Now for some specifics: The subwoofer in this Z-2300 system is not light and the whole system in its package is about 36 pounds with the bulk of the weight being the subwoofer. But it does an excellent job! I like the on-desk remote too because everything can be done via the remote via the on/off switch, the blue LED "ON" indicator, the sub-woofer +/- adjustment knob [when the subwoofer needs to be toned down or up as the case may be and via individual taste but the fact that it 'has' a subwoofer adjustrment knob is a decided plus!] and then the large master volume knob on the remote. And finally, a headphones jack built into the remote.
BTW, readers are urged to read the reviews of those folks who are heavy into audio gear and various of their suggestions work very well. For example, the tendency may be to locate the satellite speakers right next to your monitor but as various reviewers suggested, leave some space [to the extent possible] between the speakers for that both 'stereo' and 'spacial' effect and let your 'ears' be the deciding factor in terms of satellite speaker placement. In effect, when you can sit facing your monitor and can 'not' tell which left or right satellite speaker is making any more discernible volume than the other, you should be spot-on with the subwoofer on the floor and [to the extent possible] in the middle of the two satellite speakers facing your legs. Again, and all the audio scientific/technical stuff notwithstanding, let your 'ears' be the final guide!
And this too -- I even had a second set of 'boat anchors' attached to my computer system [fed by my equally vintage Marantz 2270 receiver], vintage 100 watt [each] Kenwoods, but I got the best of two worlds by simply using a stereo 'dual' plug adapter into my computer so that if I want to use the new Logitech system, fine, it's plugged in to one side of the dual stereo plug [that goes into the computer ==or== in my case and using the Creative Labs Audigy 2 system, plugged into the sound card] but if I still want to use the vintage speaker stuff, the other side of the stereo plug adapter has the connection from my Marantz receiver! In point of fact, I could use both systems if desired since that stereo adapter plug permits 'two' audio input connections.
Finally, as I do this review, the Logitech Z-2300 system appears to be on sale or at a reduced price but make sure you check out shipping costs no matter who is selling the item! And this -- OK, I admit it, I see the "THX" logo [as I do on various DVD's] and only now do I see that "THX" is not some sort of audio 'system' a la Dolby or whatever but is essentially a "certification of audio standards" where supposedly every effort has been made in the speakers or in a particular DVD to pick up those sounds that various CD or DVD sources produce "as faithfully as possible" but "THX" [or so says the THX literature anyway] is 'not' some special type of audio production or special differences in sound but rather a certification of certain audio 'standards' and basically speaker 'quality' to do the job. Or, conversely, DVD's carrying the "THX" logo but as an audio certifying 'standard' versus any sort of special audio device.
Doc Tony