Products of the Year: Christmas Gift Guide 2009 >

Speaker Systems

Tristan François
Updated: November 18, 2009

Product Surveys, Tests and Guides

If you can't find the right set of speakers for you here, go ahead and check the full range of tests in our 2.0/2.1/3.0 speakers product survey.

Go straight to our pick of 2009

If you want to use your computer for anything more than just office work, speakers become a must. And yet…

The speaker market is slow

Can’t say we’ve been flooded with speakers in 2009. Creative seem paralysed and Logitech’s recent products have been less than convincing. Only Altec Lansing have completely renewed their lines and are redefining how we think of speaker design. Whether you like the new Altecs or not, they certainly are different!

Redemption may well be coming from new manufacturers such as Edifier. After first lending itself out as the world’s factory, China is now starting to come up with its own product lines. They may not be truly top-end yet but they aren’t bad and, with time, quality will improve.

And what of 5.1/7.1?

This segment is totally dead. After contacting Logitech and Altec, their answer is unequivocal: no new products. Too expensive, too complicated to design and they don’t sell. If you’re looking for quality, best to go for a home cinema kit. This is why this section of our Christmas guide references such an old model, the Logitech Z-5500. It dates from 5 years back and yet is still a benchmark product, which is saying something!

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Good 360° sound, doesn’t take up too much space...

Logitech Z-5

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This is a system designed for our times. Urban living is often cramped and can be tricky to furnish. The Z-5s are powered straight from the USB port, are compact and give out 360° sound. What else could anyone want? A remote? Fine, it comes with.

No subwoofer: Altec Lansing expressionist BASS (FX 3022)	High fidelity: Focal XS	5.1 for PCHC: Logitech Z-5500

If you’re looking for a bit of bass without the subwoofer (and without annoying the neighbours), the expressionnist BASS speakers both come with built-in bass.	Very high-end, with sound to match! And as it is actually cheaper than equipping yourself out with a hi-fi, they’re an option worth considering.	With onboard DD/DTS decoder, the Z-5500 is a real alternative to a full Home Cinema kit.