Logitech X 140

We all want the best from our music don’t we? Whether it’s a nifty pair of headphones to wear on the go, or a great speaker system for your home stereo. Music is a significant part in our everyday lives, so it’s understandable that we should want our music to sound just as good as it should. Having said that, we shouldn’t have to spend a small fortune to get the best out of our favourite tunes should we?

That’s why I’m here to tell you about the Logitech X140 which shows that great music shouldn’t have to come at a price. These gems were bought from PC World around 4 years ago for about £40, however, nowadays, they can be picked up for a fraction of the price. A lot of online stores seem to sell them at between £15-£20, which is a real bargain.

Setting Up

Setting up is a very simple process; as with all speakers, these work from a simple ‘plug ‘n’ go’ regime, without the need to install any software that is necessary with other, similar products on the market. The user manual is very well laid out, with diagrams, coupled with easy to read text to tell you exactly what you need to know without going into too much technical jargon. The leads also stretch around 1.5 metres, which enables you to have the speakers a considerable distance apart, either from each other or from your CPU unit.

Aesthetics/Ease Of Use

The speakers come in a standard, matt black colour, which seems to be the only colour available. That, of course, being no bad thing as these speakers will suit any desktop and any monitor. We utilise a silver LCD monitor and these speakers don’t look out of place at all. The speakers could be described as being slightly on the bulky side and, being a couple of years old, nor are they the lightest on the market either.

The speakers are incredibly easy to use. This is simply down to the fact that there are only two controls - a volume adjuster and tone adjuster. These two controls are placed on only one of the speakers and they control the pair. These two controls come in the form of two switches that twist in a clockwise motion to turn the volume/tone up, and of course go in the opposite direction to lower the two. The switches stick out a considerable amount and are move, whilst, not clicking into certain positions, which I always think is a bonus. This allows you to choose any volume you want, without being restricted by pre-selected settings. The speakers are turned on/off by use of the volume setting. Upon rotating anti-clocking wise as far as they’ll go, you’ll hear a click, which indicates that the speakers have been turned off. The opposite turns them back on. This is indicated by a red light in the middle of the two switches, which illuminates when the speakers are turned on. Either side of the indicator light are the two adapters. These are suitable for any headphone jack and click into place with ease.

Sound Quality

Undoubtedly the most important aspects concerning a pair of speakers, is of course the sound quality and fortunately, Logitech come up trumps here. A worldwide famous brand in terms of computer equipment, Logitech are a brand that I’ve used on several occasions never to be let down, and these speakers continue that trend. The sound quality of these speakers is simply immense. Turned up to the highest volume these speakers become almost deafening, with the bass easily able to make the floors tremble - great if you’re having a party, not so great if you have neighbours that aren’t yet deaf! Nevertheless, these speakers have been fantastic over the years. The speakers allow for a deep bass tone to emit, which is superb if you like to immerse yourself in the music and, this doesn’t falter with headphones connected either.

The tone adjuster really comes in handy, too. Whilst listening to music I always have the tone at the maximum setting, which gives for a deeper, richer bass, whereas when watching a film or other such video clips, the sound can often become muffled with the tone at maximum, therefore I often find myself turning the tone down to the lowest setting. This really aids the clarity and enables you to hear clearly any dialogue. This does effect the sound quality in a somewhat negative way - the sound becomes tinny, and although this is perfectly sufficient when listening to dialogue, it becomes extremely noticeable throughout everything else. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium with these speakers, which is a shame and will undoubtedly put some people off.

Overall

These speakers, for the money we paid, have been a fantastic purchase and have more than paid for themselves over the years in terms of musical enjoyment and excellent sound quality. After 4 years they’re still going strong, proving that the aesthetics aren’t the only positives regarding this equipment.

For a budget pair of speakers, I doubt you’ll do much better.

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