New Speakers

So a while ago I picked up a set of Logitech X-230 speakers, to replace the old Creative ones I had been using for… well, forever. (Since around 1997 I think!) I like the new speakers very much, but they do have some downsides.

First off, they are very, very good speakers. The sound quality is superb. However, the problem with good sound quality is that now I can hear all the deficiencies in the music I listen to – the deficiencies in a lot of my older MP3 files, for example, are becoming clear to me. And let’s not even talk about streaming music – that’s always been low quality to begin with, but now it really stands out (to me, at least). It’s kind of depressing, really! All this great music, and now I can understand why audiophiles have been only so-so about the MP3 format and its lossy compression. It’s fine for music in the car (where engine and road noise keep you from hearing the whole thing anyway), but in a quiet bedroom, you can hear the peaks of certain sounds – and where they’ve been cut off.

And let’s talk about the bass on these things – it is way out there. These things have an incredibly strong subwoofer – almost too strong!

Still, they are very nice speakers, they look nice on my desk, and they give me good sound over a wide range of volumes and with a wide range of music (considering my strange tastes in music, that’s a good thing). They’re not Boston Acoustics or Cambridge Soundworks or Bose or anything, but they’re pretty darn good – and not too expensive, either. So I give them a thumbs up. If you’re looking for new computer speakers, you might consider them.

By Keith Survell

Geek, professional programmer, amateur photographer, crazy rabbit guy, only slightly obsessed with cute things.