Logitech Z623 Review

Everybody these days is rushing towards 5.1  and 7.1 surround sound and little old 2.1 seems to be being left by the wayside, which is a shame. For a lot of user cases, 2.1 can actually be more beneficial than the other two, especially if you don’t have tons of space or any reasonably placed mountings that you can put the speakers on.

Thankfully, Logitech has a pretty good offering in this space, and it isn’t ridiculously overpriced considering it’s one of the best speakers for gaming available. Let’s get into this Logitech Z623 review:

Logitech Z623 Performance

Surprisingly, the sound from the Logitech Z623 is actually rather good for a 2.1 surround sound system. In fact, it’s 3D sound and depth of field is on par with even more expensive systems, quite a feat for one a set of speakers which cost less than $100. It even manages to get pretty good sound from the somewhat subpar sound cards that you tend to find on laptops, and that adds to the impressiveness of what Logitech has managed to achieve.

Luckily, the bass and treble are well-tuned out of the box, so you don’t have to go around finicking with things, although if you chose to, there’s a bass knob on the right-hand speaker which acts as the base station. That’s one part of the design that is somewhat . . . unusual, where there’s no dedicated control device but instead is integrated with one of the speakers, at least for a device at this price point.

It’s certainly not a bad thing, and for sure not having an extra device to deal with can make life much easier, and it does at some convenience having the controls right there, so that’s fine.

Speaking of controls, they’re relatively sparse, with just two knobs for bass and volume and then a power switch. Again, this isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but I would have certainly liked to have seen some more controls. Of course, the subwoofer itself is where you connect everything, and it has additional input options; an audio jack and AUX RCA.

Speaking of the subwoofer, it’s actually quite a bit smaller than you’d probably expect, although it holds its own pretty well. It manages to bring out the equivalent level of bass that you might expect from something that’s easily twice its size.

Probably one of the nicer parts in all this is that you don’t lose any quality after the break-in period (that’s the period after which all the parts have settled in their places). Doesn’t matter whether it’s the first day or 2 months in, you’re going to get the same banging sound. That’s not even an exaggeration, these things are really loud . . . what would you expect from such small speakers with a whopping 200 Watts behind them?

Finally, one thing I’d like to touch on is that the speakers are THX certified, which means you get a quality build (although it’s also Logitech so that was never a question).

Why I bring it up though is because you can legitimately run these speakers on your phone or any media playback device, without worrying about too much about the speaker quality to be run by a PC. That being said, the better the sound card, the better the audio quality, as is the same with everything in audio life. But if you’re just not into speakers, check out our guides on some outstanding wireless headsets, or maybe even amazing 7.1 headsets.

Logitech Z623 Design

As you can see, the design isn’t something special and it tends more to function rather than form. The two satellites are rounded at the top, curved at the back, and slightly upward facing, a pretty standard positioning for smaller speakers that aren’t going to sit level with your head. The grill in the center is particularly nice and the holes are large enough that they shouldn’t interfere with the sound that you’re getting.

As I mentioned above, the right satellite has two knobs and a power button, as well as a headphone output and an AUX input on the side, so this the main speaker you’ll be using for control and connecting.

The left satellite is completely plain and doesn’t really have anything fancy on it, aside from the cable running to the subwoofer, otherwise, it’s just there to be a speaker and do nothing else. I will say that I do like the THX branding on where the treble would come out, it’s certainly nice to show off a little bit in terms of tech.

The subwoofer isn’t as nice though, made out of MDF and just being a big ‘ole wooden box, although that’s not necessarily terrible since it’s most likely going to be sitting out of the site (plus the wood acts as a sounding board).

The subwoofer speaker is 8 inches, which is a pretty respectable size, and it has a big strong magnet, something that’s nice to see on a system with this price. As mentioned above, the back of the subwoofer is where you’ll find the main connection points, including the left RCA input and Logitech’s proprietary 15-pin connector.

Altogether the three parts actually mech pretty well, even though they’re all black and there’s no real accenting. At least from an aesthetic sense, they do complement each other reasonably well, so I actually wouldn’t be averse to having all three sitting on my desk, although the subwoofer might get in the way. All in all, though, I do like that they are understated and don’t really clash too much with other peripherals you might have.

Logitech Z623 Pricing & Alternative

You can get the Logitech Z623 for a pretty reasonable $92.99. Considering the quality of the speakers, the features you get and just how purely loud they are, it’s actually a pretty sweet deal all told.

If you’d like something a tiny bit better and a little bit pricier, the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 is pretty good and tiny to boot. Of course, they do cost a little bit more at $124.99, so you will be paying roughly an extra $30, but that does get you a set of speakers from a known audio-specific brand.

On the other hand, if you’d prefer something super fancy and unique, the Harman Kardon Soundsticks III should be right up your alley with their transparent design and great audio quality. Of course, they do go for $149.95, so you will be paying a pretty penny, although it’s certainly worth it. Also, check out our Mackie CR3 in-depth review – it’s a great budget alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Logitech Z623 worth buying?

That depends on your needs but I would say yes, or else there wouldn’t be a review of it! In terms of price, the Z623 sits really well on its own bracket, and certainly worth the money you’re paying.

So if you can afford the price and want some smaller but powerful speakers, they’re certainly a good option.

Is Logitech Z623 good for music?

Absolutely, the Logitech actually does a pretty good job of playing music, especially since it’s THX-certified so you don’t necessarily have to run it off a computer. Even classical music sounds pretty crisp.

How do I hook up Logitech Z623 to a computer?

Included in the box there should be a cable with two green-colored ⅛ inch jacks. You just take that cable, plug it into the subwoofer in the back where the green hole is, and then plug the other end into the corresponding green hole on your motherboard, and that’s it!

How do I connect Logitech Z623 speakers to a TV?

You’ll have to get a specific cable for this, but basically, the red and white RCA input in the back of the subwoofer can be connected to a TV or a home theatre system, and that will allow you to route the sound through the speakers if you want to.

Final Verdict

As you can probably tell, the Logitech Z623 is a reasonably good speaker for what you’re paying. Sure, it does have some downsides, like certain issues with bass and the proprietary cabling, but give you’re spending less than $100, it’s not too bad.

It’s actually a great choice for a 2.1 system if you aren’t willing to dip your toes in the more expensive brackets, although you’d certainly hear the difference if you were willing to spend an extra $50 or $60 bucks. That being said, it’s a lot of money, and the Logitech Z623 is one of the better budget 2.1 surround speakers you’re going to find out there.

Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For such a small set of speakers, you actually get a pretty loud sound and a good one at that. The bass is deep and might need a bit of adjusting, but otherwise, things are pretty good audio-wise. It also manages to handle both games and music really well, so that’s always a big plus.

Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Honestly, they’re a little plain for my liking, although for the price point I can’t really be surprised. What really lowers the score here though, is Logitech’s use of their proprietary connector and the fact that the cable is integrated into the unit.

That means if the cable spoils in any way, that’s you done unless you can fix it, and if you can’t, well then you’re going to have to buy a new system. (On a side note, I get that they do this to lower the price, but I’d much rather have paid an extra $10 or $20 to not have the cable integrated and to be able to use any cable I want).

Price: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Even though it does have some issues, it’s a really well priced little system. The only reason I don’t give it full marks is that I still think it might be a slight tinge too pricey for what you get, but it really is only a hair’s width. Getting a 5/5 in this category is super hard, especially since the value is pretty subjective.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clearly the Logitech Z623 isn’t going to outpace the more expensive audio systems, but for what you pay you’re actually getting some great gear. It’s also pretty compact so you won’t be taking up a lot of space, and the audio is loud and clear so you’re most certainly going to enjoy this sound system.