Front right speaker now sounds like the subwoofer... [Logitech Z506]

Biggilus

Biggilus

Biggilus

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And no idea why. Working fine, stick on some music list on YouTube for a few hours, got back to the PC and thought it sounded a bit odd. Did a speaker test via Realtek HD Audio thing and when it selects the front right speaker the sound comes out the subwoofer. The subwoofer tests sounds identical to the FR speaker test. Also the same issue through Windows speaker test.

Just downloaded the latest Realtek drivers and no joy. I can't even rejiggle the jacks as the front right speaker is a unique port (as it carries power too I imagine).

I imagine if the actual speaker had gone FUBAR then the sound test would just be silent? Rather than playing sounds through the subwoofer?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Google didn't help :(
 
That sure is curve ball...
As speakers themselves don't contain any DSP or take digital signal and include DD/DTS decoder there simply shouldn't be much ways how something in speaker set could swap channels.

That also leaves some kind driver/setting corruption as possible cause.
This sound something similar:
https://superuser.com/questions/259067/5-1-surround-channels-are-jumbled

Do you have any other sound sources you could connect speakers into?
Even two channel/stereo outputting device would be enough for testing to see if front right speaker gives out signal going to front speaker input.
 
Try uninstalling soundcard drivers, then reinstalling. Perhaps mixer/channel swap is messed up.

Swap the actual speakers around. Maybe the speaker is blown.
Try another set of speakers - maybe the amplifier for that channel is blown.

Try another computer, maybe analogue outputs are damaged.
 
This must be a hardware thing.
So I switched the front and rear cables around, and did another sound test. Sure enough the front left and front right sound came from the rear left and right as expected. The rear sound test did as described above - sound out the front left, then sound out the subwoofer.

So it can't really be an onboard sound issue where it's directing front right sounds to the sub, otherwise the rear right would have come out the sub with reversed cables, right? (Confusing myself)

Also I can't individually switch the front right jack somewhere else as it's a VGA type connector (obviously it isn't but it has the power button and volume knob so guess the usual jack wouldn't suffice).

Submitted a warranty claim with Logitech, just dunno how that will pan out.
Another random thought was that the speaker unit knows the front right speaker is nackered, so is pumping that audio through to the sub to get some sort of output? Maybe?
 
If front channel output from PC connected to rear channel input works correctly that definitely brackets problem to somewhere in speakers.
If under warranty it's definitely time to go for that.


Found some somewhat similar style problems...
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2107297/logitech-z506-speaker-working.html
http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3350869/logitech-z506-speakers-playing-woofer-sounds.html

They seem to use lots of glue in there.
Hopefully that's not some worst Chinese junk which turns electrically conductive with time.
https://www.electronicspoint.com/threads/need-help-repairing-logitech-z506-5-1-pc-speakers.282697/

Headphone jack might be connected quite directly to input bypassing problem in later in signal chain.
Woudl be so nice if there was proper documentation with circuit diagram...


Biggilus said:
Another random thought was that the speaker unit knows the front right speaker is nackered, so is pumping that audio through to the sub to get some sort of output? Maybe?
Click to expand...
There's no "intelligence"/any kind processing in those speakers.
Maybe volume control is broken or some wire got somehow lose.
Burned speaker and in discrete desing burned channel amplifier would simply make that channel stay mute.

Though they might have front channels and sub use same STA540 (stereo+bridge configuration) so possibly that might leak signal to wrong channel in case of damage.
http://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/sta540.pdf
 
Thanks for the resources. No idea how you found that on TG, I couldn't get anything to match!
Going to get my old speaker system and mix and match it all to get it going (failing any luck with Logitech warranty)
 
If out of warranty and you or some neighbour/friend has soldering equipment it wouldn't be hard to look inside for simple obvious problems like loose wire or broken solder joint.

"Logitech Z506 repair" search in Youtube gives some videos showing how to open front right speaker and subwoofer.
 
I'll certainly give that a go if out of warranty. Nothing to lose at that point, but I haven't held a soldering iron since primary school.
For now I've switched the front and rear jacks and re-positioned the speakers, so now I don't have a rear right. More workable than absence of front right I guess, but it will annoy me when I fire up the FPSs again...
 
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