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.
Get more detail about
Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 200-Watt 2.1 Speaker System (Silver).
