• Z-2300 2.1 Speaker...
• • Dell Small Business
  • $127.49
• • STAPLES
  • $159.99
• • Newegg.com
  • $164.25
• • LENOVO
  • $174.00
• • PC Connection
  • $144.95

But much has changed. The Z2300 speakers' shapes and dimensions, are much more conservative. This means that the speakers have also been reduced in size to create a "slim" profile. This is one change we don't consider very positive, even if the quality of the driver remains truly excellent. Apart from the size, it looks almost identical, with its polished-metal phase plug and rubber half-roll suspension. The enclosure has a kind of bass-reflex port with a fabric damper.

The subwoofer, like its predecessor, uses a 20-cm boomer with a large bass-reflex port opening on the left side. The enclosure is very deep, which is obviously good from an acoustical standpoint. The electronics are at the rear of the enclosure, with a big fin-type heat sink on the rear surface - the system's high power (200 Watts RMS) means you can expect it to give off significant heat.

The controls, as we weren't all that happy to see, are the same as for the 2200, with a small wired unit that includes the on/off control, a big volume control and another one for the relative bass level. Ergonomics is no problem - the unit is very easy to use. But the cable for the connection to the sound source is built into the unit, and there's no alternative input, which is regrettable for a product of this level. On the other hand, there is a headphone jack.