Logitech Z305 USB speakers

Out of all the products we tested in our 2011 audio roundup, Logitech's Z305 laptop speakers shone the brightest. They are incredibly well designed in that they can clip onto the lid of any laptop easily, even if the shape is a little strange, plug into a USB port and work their magic. The cord that plugs into the USB port is short – I barely managed to get it into the USB port on the left-hand side of my laptop and the port on my right-hand side is designated to my mouse – but it’s that way by design. The plastic of the speakers has a groove that the cord slots tidily into, so the cord will never get tangled during transport.

The audio comes from two speakers – one on each end of the device – and has quite a remarkable stereo effect, especially considering the fact that the lid of the laptop creates a barrier between you and the sound waves coming from the speakers. The frequency response is better than the Razer Ferox’s – 70Hz to 20kHz – and frankly, Logitech's speakers are better for gaming than Razer’s – which are designed for gaming. They’re more portable, too.

As an extra bonus, there’s an on/off switch and a volume control on the unit itself – you can’t see them when you’re sitting in front of your open laptop, but they’re very easy to find and use by touch alone. I was surprised by how much I wound up using all the features of the Z305s, and how good the bass and sound quality were for such a small device. The price ain’t bad, either.