Logitech G560 Speaker System review: Bold idea, iffy execution

The Pitch

With gaming mice, keyboard, headsets, mousepads, components and even select monitors now incorporating RGB illumination, it’s sometimes difficult to think of any part of a modern gaming setup that can’t come with configurable lighting attached. Gaming brands like Logitech G, Corsair and ROG are always on the lookout for new categories and form-factors to branch into - and any experiment could soon become a mainstay.

After all, the network effect involved means that the more things you can plug into your connected lighting ecosystem, the more value it offers consumers. At least, in theory. The whole endeavor does hinges uneasily on the assumption that you do care about the aesthetics of your PC enough to warrant that extra configurability, but I digress.

Logitech G560 Speaker system holds up as a strong, modern example of such expeditions. An externally wired 3-speaker setup, it doesn’t just promise to make your home gaming experience sound better - it also promises to make it look better. You can either work to tie the speaker kit into your larger lighting set-up or changing its hue to complement whatever happens to be on-screen at any given moment.

At its core, the Logitech G560 Speaker kit is just a cool, simple idea - and, even if the execution isn’t perfect, the strength of that idea ultimately counts for a lot.

Specs

Speaker Type: 2.1 channel

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2

Total watts (peak): 240W

Frequency response: 40Hz – 18KHz

Max SPL: 97dB@426B

Sensitivity: 84dB@1m/1w

Input impedance: >10K ohm

Subwoofer driver size: 165 mm

Subwoofer Dimensions: 404 mm x 255 mm x 207 mm

Subwoofer Weight: 5.5 Kg

Satellite driver size: 63.5 mm

Satellite Dimensions: 148 mm x  166 mm x 118 mm

Satellite Weight: 1.79 Kg

Software: Logitech Lighting Software

Price: $279.95

Design & Setup

Again, adding dynamic RGB lighting to a set of gaming speakers is - by definition - a little bit unnecessary. However, really, it’s not any more unnecessary than any other RGB-lighting accessories - and if you’re already over that particularly hump, there’s definitely something compelling to the concept.

The two satellite speakers have a unique and appealing node-like look to them and, when set-up and working as intended, the overall effect is admittedly atmospheric. Immersion is a hard thing to gauge but, if there’s no strings attached, I felt like playing with the G560 integrated into my setup was a more engrossing experience than doing so without them.

Considered in that light, the fact that they neatly slot into Logitech’s own existing (and creatively-named) “Lighting Software” ecosystem shakes out as icing on the cake. Pairing up the G560 with our G12 Carbon RGB keyboard was such a simple process I’d hesitate to even call it that. Minus the wiring involved in connecting the satellite speakers to the subwoofer, it was pretty close to plug-and-play - and I was ready to get stuck into playing with and playing around with RGB-enabled speakers in about five minutes or so.

Performance

Unfortunately, the promises that Logitech have made around configuring the G560’s lighting to match either the audio or visuals of the game you’re playing didn’t really match reality. At least, that was my experience.

Having lighting that complements the on-screen experience is an immediately-alluring idea. I hear that pitch - and I’m pretty much on-board with it from the get-go. Unfortunately, regardless of how we configured the speaker’s various adaptive lighting modes and settings, it usually just ended up rapidly flickering between a spectrum of different colors with no real sense, rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes, the stars aligned and it did work as intended - and that experience was great! However, for the most part, the visual payoff here came across as incongruous to whatever I happened to be playing and, at worst, entirely superfluous.

Now, yes, as I’ve already repeatedly mentioned, the case for RGB lighting being a necessary feature isn’t exactly ironclad. However, there’s a distinction to be made here between things that are a little unnecessary and things that feel unnecessary. If you’re a Fallout fan looking forward to the upcoming Fallout 76, the Collectors Edition version of that game - which features a fully-functional power armor helmet - is an unnecessary extra, but it doesn’t feel unnecessary.

By comparison, the Logitech G560 just don’t manage to pull of the same sort of trick.

In addition, the extra pieces involved here also place some undesirable strain on the amount of space and wiring involved with setting up and using the G560 sound system. I’m not saying the subwoofer definitely shouldn’t be here - but I am saying that I would probably be more open to and interested in purchasing an version of this product that drops it, drops the price and solely consists of the two satellite speakers.

Realistically, there are plenty of other, cheaper desktop speaker options out there that sound about as good. So the main thing that the G560 sound system has going for is that unique RGB lighting effect - and when it comes down to it, it feels like it only really delivers on its potential about half the time at best.

The Bottom Line

If nothing else, the Logitech G560 gaming speaker system demonstrates the raw potential and possibility of what RGB-enabled gaming speakers could offer. It doesn’t quite manage to fully harness that potential for a bunch of reasons - but that potential is still definitely present in some, diminished, capacity.

If you’re already looking to flesh out your gaming setup with a subwoofer and already own even one or two of Logitech existing RGB-enabled peripherals, the G560 is probably safe bet. However, personally, I’m holding out to see a more polished take on this idea before I buy in.

The G560 looks and sounds good but, for $279, I found myself wanting something a little closer to great.