It's rare to find a $100 pair of PC speakers that sound good, much less offer useful, advanced features. Logitech's Z-5 defies expectations, delivering not only quality audio for the price ($99.99 direct), but a software and remote-control combo that controls your music library—even iTunes—after a painless setup. Quality sound at this price would've been enough, but we'll take the extras, too.

The Z-5 is a stereo PC speaker system that gets its power from one of your computer's USB ports. Each speaker measures 9.8 by 3.6 by 3.6 inches (HWD), standing slim and tall on your desktop. Although they look sharp, the cloth grilles that cover the drivers can't be removed and attract dust and smudges rather easily. A cable connects the right speaker to the USB port and also to the left speaker; an extension cable is included if you choose to have the two speakers farther apart. The right speaker also features a 3.5mm aux input for MP3 players and other sound sources, as well as a white LED power indicator.

Despite its tiny 3.5-by-1.2-by-0.3-inch frame (HWD), the remote control is quite useful, given the aforementioned (included) software, which configures the device to control your music library. The remote features Power, Volume, Track Forward and Backward buttons, and a dedicated button that, when pressed, immediately starts up your preferred music software, like Apple iTunes or Windows Media Player. Once you go through the painless installation and setup process, the Skip and Play buttons on the remote will navigate through and select your tunes with virtually zero lag time. In fact, powering up the speakers will open iTunes (or your library of choice) automatically, if you wish. It's a simple, incredibly useful feature that most speakers with higher price tags don't include.

This set certainly isn't powerful: The Z-5s can draw only 2 watts of juice over the USB connection—but they're easily loud enough for your typical office. The frequency range begins at 70 Hz, as well, which means there is no subwoofer-like low end to be heard here. If you want booming bass on the cheap, check out the amazingly affordable Hercules XPS 2.1 Lounge speakers, which offer serious rumble at the unheard-of price of $70. Impressively, however, the Z-5 offers strong audio performance despite the lack of deep bass and the inability to handle louder music at maximum volume. With both the iTunes and the remote's volumes at max, any tracks that feature deep bass tend to rattle the speakers a bit, but at slightly lower volume levels on the actual speaker, the audio delivery is crisp and articulate. Logitech has placed drivers on the front and back panels of the speakers so that sound is delivered both toward and in the opposite direction of the listener. This array helps create a larger stereo image without relying on 3-D imaging effects—another nice touch for such an affordable pair.

For $100, it's hard to imagine a speaker pair that gives you more value. True, if subwoofer bass is what you crave, the Hercules XPS 2.1 Lounge speakers are a better choice, but they suffer from some unnecessary design flaws. For those who favor convenience, economy of space, and strong design over booming bass, the Z-5 is a frugal, worthy investment.

More Speaker Reviews: