In an effort to rid the world of wires, Logitech have released the Z600’s, a pair of Bluetooth speakers that may have all the latest bells and whistles, but some design choices and questionable sound quality should make you think twice before purchasing.

The speakers boast a great Bluetooth pairing system, pairing with phones or tablets is your straight-forward scan and search affair, but instead of relying on built-in Bluetooth systems for computers, which can be finicky at best, Logitech have included a USB Bluetooth dongle which makes connecting a quick and seamless process. As soon as the dongle is plugged in, the playback will automatically switch to the speakers. The speakers allow for up to 8 paired devices and can even support up to 3 pairs at the same time. The speakers truly are capable when it comes to wireless connectivity.

The Z600’s positives unfortunately begin and end with its wireless capabilities though, as the speakers suffer from crippling design choices. The volume control is absolutely ridiculous, to adjust the volume, place your finger on the top of the speaker (only the right one) and trace a circle to the left or right. I’m serious, someone at Logitech thought that this was a smart design choice. Not only is it cumbersome, but the touch pad no doubt contributed a hefty sum to the price tag of the speakers where a wheel or buttons would’ve been much better suited.

The Aux and Micro USB ports are covered with flaps to prevent dust gathering and unfortunately, they also prevented me from reaching them. After fiddling for a bit trying to pry them open, I referred to the manual, which suggested that I bend a paperclip and slip it in the bottom to open the flaps. I shouldn’t have to need equipment every time I want to plug something in, the only solution would be to leave the flaps open but this would make them redundant.

The Z600’s final stumble is also the biggest. Even though the speakers have great range and produce a clear, crisp sound, as soon you turn the volume loud, the quality of the sound dramatically drops while the bass increases; resulting in a messy noise. This can be rectified by adjusting the playback devices volume, but this can turn into a convoluted balancing act of adjusting both devices while trying to hit that sweet spot.

The Z600’s aren’t bad at all and should be considered if you’re in the market for wireless speakers, but just be prepared for an exasperating volume control method and don’t expect to turn the volume too high.

Get it: R2 180
From: importitall.co.za