Product Reviews

Playing music on your PC should be a pleasure. A cheap pair of speakers will ensure that it isn't. If every time you cue up the theme tune to Goldfinger you find Shirley Bassey sounding like she has a pillow in her mouth and the orchestra's been replaced with a group of five-year-olds clattering on pots and pans, then maybe it's time you invested in Logitech's new stereo speakers.

Gone are the cute, sixties-esque satellites of the X-220s. The X-230's satellites look like expensive hi-fi speakers that have been shrunk to fit neatly beside your monitor. With glossy black surrounds and nifty looking silver speaker cones, the X-230s look rather stylish. You can even twist the satellites' stands around so that you can mount them on walls. The subwoofer has had an understated black and silver paint job, but doesn't look anywhere near as fancy as the satellites. This isn't a major

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problem, though, as the subwoofer will be neatly tucked away under your desk anyway.

Logitech has been sensible enough to place the power button, headphone socket and volume control all on the right-hand satellite. This means you won't have to scrabble around behind your PC should you want to plug your headphones in for some late night listening. The subwoofer's volume control is still hidden away on the back of the subwoofer itself, but as you're unlikely to need to fiddle with it once you've set the speakers up, this isn't a big niggle.

Best of all, the Logitech's can really can carry a tune. Whatever the music, the satellites did an incredible job of spreading sound from left to right and from front to back too. The Clash bounced out of the speakers with verve and vigour, and when we changed moods with a burst of West Side Story we were blown away by the scale of the sound coming from such little speakers. For £32, these are outstanding value. No matter how gentle or rough the music you feed them, the Logitech's just get on with playing it. There's no trace of the slightly rough treble we criticised our Top 50 Philips MMS430s for, and even though the Logitech's bass is a little soft and wallowy at times, it's never bad enough to really grate.

If you can't be bothered with the hassle of surround sound, and you don't want to spend a fortune, the Logitech X-230s are a sterling buy. Good looks and gorgeous sound at a bargain-basement price.