Full Review

8 January 2008 - If you own a notebook then you'll know how poor the audio quality can be. The only real way to improve matters is with a pair of external speakers.

The idea is that these speakers can be taken on your travels; the v20 speakers measure 255 x 185 x 55mm and weigh 880g, making them a neat package. They use a USB connection to hook up to your notebook. The connection not only feeds the audio signal but also draws the power from your notebook to drive the speakers.

We used them with both a Windows XP and a Vista machine and they were identified straight away. They proved rather temperamental under XP, refusing the stop until we were forced to reboot.

The cables are firmly attached and come with a fold-out stand on each cabinet, which is a neat touch as it means the cables can't get tangled as easily.

When it comes to sound quality, we found them on the quiet side and while there is a rubber volume button on the right-hand speaker, there isn't the same for treble or bass. Whenever you change the volume a virtual volume slider appears on your notebook's screen.

Luckily, the overall sound was pleasant and while you won't want to use them as your main speakers the sound was warm enough for music as well as watching DVDs.

VERDICT
As travel speakers go, the Logitech V20 offer a reasonable amount for the asking price that admittedly isn't a great deal. It may take a little time to get them to run properly but once running, the sound quality is more than acceptable.