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Hi everyone, guess i'm finally becoming more of a talker around TR... so, straight to business.
Next week is my birthday (may 30) and i already decided what to buy as a gift for myself: speakers. since my laptop speakers are more than adequate when it comes to just occasional (music and games) listening, but are jut horrible when it comes to heavy listening, they leave a lot to be desired...
So i finally got around it and here's what i got:
The biggest trouble is, i live in Ecuador, so buying through the interwebz is impractical, nearing on the impossible, besides i got a few contacts that can get me nice prices right here, trouble is my options are so limited and the reviews about the sets i have around are not very...encouraging, so this are the sets i can get and the prices:
Logitech x 530 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/211&cl=ES,ES 70$ (i now its spanish but aparently these guys don't exist on the english webpage...)
Logitech x 240 http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/232&cl=us,en 60$ - 50$
Logitech Z cinema http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/3712&cl=us,en 132$ - 120$ (maybe a little less)
I really don't care about the 2.1 / 5.1 difference since they won't be used mainly for gaming but for music listening, so i really care about the sound quality.
Other details i do care about are the connectivity options (ie. how the speakers connect to my laptop and what limitations exist) for example the z cinema use usb and i recall reading somewhere that the usb couldn't feed it properly.
5.1 are a bit of a downside for me since i don't have enough space to place so many speakers, but i could live with it.
please comment, and any feedback is greatly appreciated, since i've been thinking about this for a couple weeks
The media control included in the z cinema is a nice perk but reviews about it are a bit unconsistent, some saying they're good and some saying they're horrible

First off, congrats for sharing my birthday!

I've owned the X-230's, basically the same speakers as the X-530's, but only two of them. I used them at work for listening to music etc. Overall, I found them good value for money.

Going purely off the specs on the website, the Z Cinema setup seems to have an advantage in the satellites, as they have a mid-range driver and tweeter each, where as the X-240's only have a single driver per satellite. The X-230's have two identical drivers per satellite.

Keep in mind though that as the Z Cinemas are USB driven, you can't plug them into your iPod etc.

I had the Logitech 530s and 540s. They both died a few months after purchase. If you can find a set of klipsch speakers... that's what I would recommend.

its funny because you're not the only one with the same birthday, 2 people from school had the same birthday lol
the z cinema has an aux jack (connecting and ipod or those kind of things) so its not a problem, and the set its so big that i'm not moving it around too often. not without my laptop anyways .
Regarding the klipsch set, i managed to find one around here dashak, but the trouble is that i can't get that one through the distribution channel, which is why i can get stuff so cheap (technology in ecuador is really expensive...i you don't know where to buy ) and the reviews i found about them on the internets where not that great... http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/groove-pm20.aspx 120$ (besides they're discontiunued) and if you do a quick google of the model you'll see you can get those for 60 - 70$ ish, so not much of an appeal. Those were my other option besides the z cinema...since i haven't been able to find Bose sets here (only the ipod dock thingy) i'm willing to spend up to 120 - 130 if the set is really good and won't have to buy something else for a couple of years,the thing i was worried about the usb connection was if it would be able to properly drive the sound quality

I have been using 530s for about two years now. I like them a lot. My only complaint is the length of the cords, which is fixable I suppose.

so, logitech x 530 or z cinema?

Logitech speakers are decent, great for games and movies but just fair for music. They are a little bit 'boom and tizz' (emphasized somewhat one-noteish bass and exagerrated highs) which is impressive at first but not balanced. If you can EQ them they sound a lot better.

I'd seriously consider looking at getting some used audio gear to really up the music playback quality. If surround doesn't concern you then a good 2-channel setup will be better in the long run imo, you will feel less of a desire to upgrade from the Logitechs. Something like a used 2-channel amp and entry-level bookshelf speakers or some powered monitors may not cost a lot more. I don't know what the used market is like where you are though.

I really enjoy my X540s. Then again. I'm no audiophile.
The main benefit of the X540, over the 530s, is the remote, and the metal protector over the speakers themselves.
I know a couple people who accidentally poked through the mesh of the 530s and ruined a speaker.
The remote on the 540s is hand, though if you us the headphone jack the volume control on the remote no longer controls volume of the headphones...

i was considering that option too madman...since i could pay 150 to get a set of those enormous party speakers...but i'm not into that kind of thing...
trouble is, that here, getting a more specialized set, or amp could really cost a lot more, since those items are rare; so i'm even considering getting a soundcard for my laptop in order to get a much better sound right? or am i wrong? I've been wrong before
i think im falling for the z cinema...

Z 2300s. Cheaper than the z cinema, higher quality than x240s, uses standard audio jacks, and is the most powerful 2.1 system logitech has to offer. Bass is extremely powerful for PC speakers but hey, EQ it down if you don't like it

trouble is i can;t get those here that's the whole reason behind the thread, if i lived in the us i would buy them in a heartbeat, but being here my options are very limited...

really? im surprised you can find the z cinema but not the 2300s. they've been out ... forever. maybe ask the retailer if they can order one for you?

not much of an option, besides it could take forever... shopping here is something next to a nightmare, you have to deal with what they have at the prices they are offering... if yu don't like it you can't do a thing, besides getting them to bring something that they don't have in stock is always extra, so the z 2300 should end up like in the 200 $ range. Crazy, i know

ok i'm going to buy the z cinema's tomorrow morning, if anyone wants to share something, now's the time!

Hi Kurkotain,

Go for it mate, you should be more than happy with it. The x-240's and x-530's are more "party" style speakers in the sense that they have big bass, but arent as balanced across the entire range. They are good bang for your dollar, but if you are after something that sounds more neutral, the Z-Cinemas should do a better job. In terms of reliability, i've had a set of z-640's on one of the other machines for almost 6 years now without any issues, so I wouldnt be worried too much. If you are putting the subwoofer onto a table, I'd look into getting a sponge to put the subwoofer on top of, as they generally have a tendency to rattle on top of the table.

thanks stoygen for the tip, will be useful since the table i have them is lacking a wheel
i bought them yesterday and none of my fears off ending up as some people in the interwebz were confirmed, the speakers worked like a charm and the sound was truly magnificed. Granted, i'm no audiophile, but im a musician so i can tell between something that sounds good and something that just doesn't and the speakers were just great, i would recommend them to anybody looking for a good quality system anytime. i would trade power and volume for sound quality anytime. so i'll post later all the long term things and quirks of the set when i realize them