Logitech AudioHub 2.1 Speakers

Portability?
The Audiohub is very compact. Its approximately the size  and length of two 20 ounce soda bottles  and weights less than 3 pounds.  The ends of the hub telescope so you can ensure that the speaker faces  aren’t blocked by the laptop’s body.    If it becomes necessary to expand your USB ports from one to three so you can quickly deploy a laptop workstation whenever you move from place to place – if  loud sound is a necessity – the audiohub is small enough to be packed and carried.
The audiohub does however draw its power from an AC power adapter because of the subwoofer’s unique needs. Its too bad that it can’t draw its power completely from the laptop, but, this probably isn’t a huge concern. 
The box also comes with a removable webcamera stand that attaches to its backside. Fortunately, my laptop has a built in webcam, but, if you rely on a add-on, the stand even has holes in it for you to position the webcam on.

Installation
 The Logitech Audiohub is universal.  It only has two connections. The first is the USB plug to the computer and the second is the aforementioned AC adapter which provides power for the Subwoofer and speakers.  As soon as you plug in the USB jack, the device automatically installs itself      
 (I did this with Windows Vista – no problems).
The back of the hub has 3 USB jacks so you can link things such as a Printer, Keyboard/mouse, USB Hard Drive  - or the wireless receiver for a wireless keyboard and mouse.   If you are using a netbook, you might even use the USB ports to connect a USB DVDROM.
Most likely, you’d be using a laptop with built in WiFi with this, but, it’s a bit disappointing that the audiohub doesn’t have pass through connections for Ethernet cables or other types.
The reason this stands out most in my mind is that I wanted to purchase the XB2000 base for HP DV-series laptops. That thing has built in speakers,  s-video out,  composite out,  3 USB ports,  microphone jack, headphone jack,  S/PDIf,  and pass throughs for either a phone cable or Ethernet all of which connect through a single cable to the laptop. Of course, this is designed specifically for the DV series wherein the Logitech is a universal speaker with  USB port expander.


Sound Quality
The Logitech Audiohub’s sound quality is quite good regardless what type of sound card your computer is equipped with.  The only problem is, it completely depends on the output of your computer’s integrated sound.    My DV6835nr  has a RealTek Digital audio chipset while my desktop had a Riptide digital audio sound card.   The Audiohub does not come with a CD ROM  or any other software besides the basic drivers that it autoloads into the computer when plugged into the USB port.  
This 2.1 audio hub is loud and clear for most types of music (rock, rap, jazz)  especially if you are in a quiet location and aren’t blasting it at 100%.  In fact, I would say that its sound quality is better bang-for-buck than the Bose Sounddock. The Bose sounddock is louder, but the Logitech Audiohub’s subwoofer is deep and rich  which helps detract from the lack of overall loudness.
Each speaker has just 15 Watts RMS and the Subwoofer is only 3 inches in diameter.  Its not the type of device loud enough to hear in the next room (like the shower) but, its plenty good for someone working at the computer and with software 3D enhancements or WOW effects, it sounds even better.
Since you’d most likely be using this as a USB port expander for a laptop, in addition to a speaker system, you’d be sitting right in front of the setup. The model I purchased does not have a remote control but since you’re right in front of it, the illuminated dial on the side can be accessed to quickly turn the volume up or down.


What computers would this work best for?
 I’d say that any netbook would greatly benefit from the Logitech sounddock.  Most netbooks have less than 3 USB ports, and virtually all of them are lacking in the sound department because of their reduced size  and coincidentally smaller speakers.  The Apple MacBook Air for example only has one USB port and abysmal speakers, so it  would benefit tremendously from this device.
A typical gaming/digital media laptop like my HP DV series, is capable of more than a netbook - such as sound mastering or movie making - so, if very loud studio-quality sound is required, you’re best looking into a USB 5.1 adapter so you can add a larger speaker system.

DISSAPOINTMENT
When you use USB audio systems, they can sometimes wreak havoc on your regular sound setup because you need to use digital drivers rather than analog to run it. When you disconnect this device, you have to go back into your control panel to restore defaults to the laptop’s sound output. When I disconnected it, my speakers had a major error and were all scratchy until I reset them in Vista’s control panel.
This is very noticeable if you try to use headphones. The computer would have to switch over from digital-out to analog-out and the transfer isn’t perfect until you go into the settings and retune it.

OVERALL
The price on this device varies widely online. The speakers are high quality and the whole system sounds good. Its best for small bedrooms or office cubicle settings. 
Because this device is relatively compact and only requires a single USB connection to use, you may also use this for all-in-one desktops such as the eMac or iMac – though its not as aesthetically pleasing.  
It would have been nice if the Audio hub had a headphone/microphone jack but, as an inexpensive  USB port expander and stereo solution, its pretty hard to beat this one.