Don't mess around with Analog Line Out! Go Digital!
Perhaps you've seen so-called USB speakers in electronics stores, the ones that include two cables -- one for USB, one for audio line-out. Incredibly, the USB cable on those speaker sets is merely a power plug for sucking juice from your computer, and I say "incredible" because from the very beginning USB has been all about direct digital audio.
Way back in 1996 the USB standard defined USB Audio devices, peripherals that exchange digital audio directly with the host. They are literally the number one predefined device for USB, identified by Class Code 01; thumb drives are merely Class Code 08. All modern Macs and PC's since 1998 have supported USB Audio input and output.
What this means is that a true USB speaker set should take its signal directly from the USB port and in digital form -- no noise, no distortion, no sound card even required.
Logitech is one of the few equipment makers who take true USB Audio seriously. I've been buying their stuff since the Nineties, since it was Altec Lansing's stuff, and I'm pleased to say that Logitech's S-150 USB Speakers prove to be an excellent buy as well.
What You Get
No driver disks, power bricks or patch cables spill out of the package; instead there are just two twin 7 x 3 x 2 inch enclosures joined by a 38-inch speaker wire. A rooted USB cable typical in thickness and length to a corded mouse hangs from the Right-hand enclosure, which houses all the electronics and controls; the Left-hand enclosure is simply a speaker. Controls consist of three chromed buttons marked "- mute +" which as you'd expect adjust the volume and mute the speakers. A discreet green LED signals that you've got power, lighting up a domed "DIGITAL" transparency neatly inset in the right speaker grille.
The sound from these speakers is not heavy on the bass, but bass adds weight and these are flyweight devices, less than half a pound between the two of them. What they are is efficient -- on just 2.5 watts of USB power these S-150's can punch right through crowd noise or fill a small room with powerful, nuanced mid-to-high range sound.
Just as pleasing are the silences that are possible with these speakers; you've never heard quiet passages quite as quiet on your analog line-out speakers as on direct-digital ones. You'll notice slight microphone pops and fretboard sounds that you wouldn't even catch on earphones, and if you hear hiss you'll know it's recorded hiss, not your equipment.
Logitech designed these with laptops and netbooks in mind, but they are just as useful for desktops. Again, if you expect butthumping bass response from these flyweight units you'll be disappointed, but how many of us really rock out at our computers anyway? They work great in my small home office application, tucked away behind a 22-inch monitor where I used to keep a much larger, muddier-sounding $15 set from da big-box store. They don't use a power brick so they free up a power plug, and there are a lot less wires snarled behind my machine now.
You may be wondering, how difficult is it to start using S-150 speakers? Are there registry edits, driver updates, magic spells? Nope. It's as effortless as plugging in a keyboard. I've used mine with a Mac and a Windows PC without trouble. The drivers are already there, waiting for you to make the choice...the choice for quality, convenience and value.
Please, shop Logitech's total line and you may opt for the S-150's like I did. Anything but fake USB speakers!Read full review
