Logitech Z506 5.1 surround speakers cutting out at high volume.

[Uttamattamakin]

For years, over a decade, I have had a trust Logitech Z506 5.1 surround system on my PC.  It has been the final, perfect, can't be better solution for sound for my PC.  Then just this week something strange happened.  I can't pinpoint when... but it started cutting out at high volumes.  If the volume goes above a certain level then the sound cuts out, then back in after it has dropped a bit.  

I have no idea what it is.  I have tried connecting it to a totally different device and the problem persist.  Checked all connections.  Nothing makes a difference.  There are videos of people repairing this speaker system by replacing the power supply board.   I suspect this is the issue, that some component is failing and is on the way to final failure.   

Here are my questions:  Has anyone else here had this problem?  Was it fixable? 

                                         What is the best replacement for this system? 

I have looked at what Logitech has on offer and it is a very old model of 5.1 system and cost 400 dolalrs.    I have looked on Amazon and there are systems with more modern options like optical audio and arc audio (So I could use the audio on my GPU to run the sound for gaming) for half the price.  However they are by the kind of names one sees on Amazon that seem like random English words and have no rep.  I'd hate to spend 150 on speakers and have them die in a year. 

[Goldilock]

Most likely one of the capacitor died considering the age. If you can find local electronic repair shop, they probably can just replace the caps and resistors with exact same value and you'll be good to go for another decade.

 

IMO you would be hard pressed to find better system at $500 mark. Cheapest AV Receiver is already $300, not including Subwoofer, center speaker, front speaker, and rear speaker which could easily another $200 EACH ($800 total).

 

Edit: I'm not surround guy, but me personally Center Speaker + Front Speaker is more than enough for movies. My Wharfedale put out more bass than I already needed, so I also don't run any subwoofer.

 

[saintlouisbagels]

Was that system really $400...?

I remember my brother and one of my college roommates having that same system, and there's no way they would spend $400 on something like that.

 

Did you actually use the 5.1 aspect of the system? I'm not a fan of surround setups and much prefer 2.0/.1 audiophile setups.

$400 is a pretty good budget.

 

- If you want a simple, clean setups with compact speakers you could go for Audioengine HD3 ($350) or Kanto YU4 ($380). I feel that they're pretty overpriced for what they offer SQ-wise, but obv there's a market for compact/aesthetics over performance.

- If you have the space for bulky speakers, the JBL 305P MKII ($240/pair) would be the best bang for the buck. It's recommended to get an external DAC with a volume knob since good speakers would want a clean audio signal, and there's no easily accessible volume knob on these guys. Looks like FiiO just released a new DAC/amp and it looks veryyy nice - Fiio K11 ($130). There is also the iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC for $99. Otherwise, using built-in Windows volume slider is sufficient.

 

[cmndr]

GOOD 2 channel systems are relatively easy to have at around $300ish. 
Think Polk ES15 on sale for $220ish and a $70ish Aiyima A07 amp. Or JBL 530 on sale for $240 or Emotiva B1+ for $230-270 (when they're not out of stock). 

The JBL 305P MKII are also solid (no amp required) but I found I needed to use better/thicker/shorter cables (still cheap and stuff I had lying around) for my monitor after since that was acting like an RF antenna AND I needed to use an old DAC I had lying around to cut line noise. 

[Cocococo]

Adding onto the JBL 305 recommendations people are giving, the Kali LP6 and LP6 V2 are extremely comparable to the 305, imo LP6 is better for PC gaming cause they stage better up close, but 305 around 2 metres away is outstandingly good, i use my speakers from a large amount of distances due to the room being fairly big. If the room is pretty small/ only place for potential replacements is within 2 metres of your main listening locations then i'd recommend the LP6 over basically everything under Genelec prices. LP6 are powered like the 305 so a good input is all you really need

[Uttamattamakin]

2 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Was that system really $400...?

Back when I got it it was less.   The closest one to it now is like 400 bucks. 

2 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

I remember my brother and one of my college roommates having that same system, and there's no way they would spend $400 on something like that.

 

Did you actually use the 5.1 aspect of the system? I'm not a fan of surround setups and much prefer 2.0/.1 audiophile setups.

$400 is a pretty good budget.

Yeah I did.  A lot of games have 5.1 sound.  If you have played a AAA game then you have had 5.1 sound in that game but most PC gamers don't bother with the audio to experience that.  

Playing CP 2077 I could put my feet on top of the woofer and feel the rumble of the motorcycle engine.   Sounds from behind me to the right, came from the rear right. 

2 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

 

- If you want a simple, clean setups with compact speakers you could go for Audioengine HD3 ($350) or Kanto YU4 ($380). I feel that they're pretty overpriced for what they offer SQ-wise, but obv there's a market for compact/aesthetics over performance.

- If you have the space for bulky speakers, the JBL 305P MKII ($240/pair) would be the best bang for the buck. It's recommended to get an external DAC with a volume knob since good speakers would want a clean audio signal, and there's no easily accessible volume knob on these guys. Looks like FiiO just released a new DAC/amp and it looks veryyy nice - Fiio K11 ($130). There is also the iFi Audio ZEN Air DAC for $99. Otherwise, using built-in Windows volume slider is sufficient.

 

 

[Uttamattamakin]

11 hours ago, Goldilock said:

Most likely one of the capacitor died considering the age. If you can find local electronic repair shop, they probably can just replace the caps and resistors with exact same value and you'll be good to go for another decade.

Yeah I am going to seriously consider this option.  At least find out if I can get an estimate without having to pay for the estimate.  I mean.  There are more modern speakers out here but nothing really fills the space of these speakers.  It feels like Logitech has ceded this space to various brands from China.   Not that China can't make good products, odds are the Logitech products are made there.  

11 hours ago, Goldilock said:

 

IMO you would be hard pressed to find better system at $500 mark. Cheapest AV Receiver is already $300, not including Subwoofer, center speaker, front speaker, and rear speaker which could easily another $200 EACH ($800 total).

 

Edit: I'm not surround guy, but me personally Center Speaker + Front Speaker is more than enough for movies. My Wharfedale put out more bass than I already needed, so I also don't run any subwoofer.

 

 

[Uttamattamakin]

After thinking over the options and checking my records it seems I only got the Z506's in 2017 and for 75 bucks.  I recall having looked at them for a long while before that though.  That's what confused me.   Then I looked at these. https://www.bobtot.net/p/5.html  I'm just gonna bite the bullet and buy new. 

Cheap off brand speakers but have digital optical in, digital coax in, HDMI ARC, bluetooth and RCA in.  Given that such systems exist it might be worth it to spring for new speakers.  If you have never had 5.1 surround when GAMING you're missing out on some texture.  Especially with games like CP 2077, GTA, anything that had super high fidelity graphics likely also has very high fidelity surround sound baked in. 

[cmndr]

So here's some general thoughts on "surround sound" from someone who went off of the deep end (I have 14 speakers in my home surround set up and my mains are $700 retail)

_ Two good main speakers that are properly positioned should be your main priority. Most of the sound will come from the front sound stage. Get it right. 
_ You only have two ears. There's a reason why GOOD headphones can get pretty close to a 14 speaker assembly in terms of positioning
_ Wall reflections matter for low frequencies. A little bit of treatment on or around the first reflection point can help.
_ Sound positioning isn't just lateral, there's also an element of depth. This means speaker positioning AND quality ends up mattering. It's hard to do soundstage/imaging well with really cheap speakers
_ side speakers can help but they only do so much
_ center speakers can be a mixed bag. If they're at a different elevation from other speakers this can cause artifacts. Also they're susceptible to comb filtering. I'd almost suggest against them for a small computer set up. 
_ bass is interesting. There are some benefits to having two not bad speakers that can go relatively deep. 

[saintlouisbagels]

6 hours ago, Uttamattamakin said:

After thinking over the options and checking my records it seems I only got the Z506's in 2017 and for 75 bucks.  I recall having looked at them for a long while before that though.  That's what confused me.   Then I looked at these. https://www.bobtot.net/p/5.html  I'm just gonna bite the bullet and buy new. 

Cheap off brand speakers but have digital optical in, digital coax in, HDMI ARC, bluetooth and RCA in.  Given that such systems exist it might be worth it to spring for new speakers.  If you have never had 5.1 surround when GAMING you're missing out on some texture.  Especially with games like CP 2077, GTA, anything that had super high fidelity graphics likely also has very high fidelity surround sound baked in. 

I dunno, in my very bad opinion, surround sound audio channels are a gimmick with no substance.

 

I frequently go to AMC Dolby Cinema (literally toppest tier theatre audio), Showcase XPLUS, and IMAX for about 50 movies per year, and I've only ever been amazed by the depth of audio two times in my life (Ford v Ferrari and Doctor Sleep). When I watch the same movies at home on my audiophile 2.1 setup, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

 

I think I would have you recommend you something too:

Invest in very high quality Left/Right speakers and a decent subwoofer, and you won't miss surround sound at all.

[Uttamattamakin]

14 hours ago, cmndr said:

So here's some general thoughts on "surround sound" from someone who went off of the deep end (I have 14 speakers in my home surround set up and my mains are $700 retail)

.............

 

All very true sound waves can interact to form interference maximums and minimums.   Basically the same as double slit diffraction etc etc.   I assure you I am well aware of that kind of issue.  

 

I have a 5.1 surround system now, that I was quite happy with until it broke.  For more years than I can remember I was happy with the placement of the speakers to the left, right center and literally behind me.  So I can just place the new ones where the old ones are as a starting point. 

14 hours ago, cmndr said:

_ bass is interesting. There are some benefits to having two not bad speakers that can go relatively deep. 

Yes there is a reason many systems stop at 2.1 and many find that to be enough. 

 

9 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

I dunno, in my very bad opinion, surround sound audio channels are a gimmick with no substance.

 

I frequently go to AMC Dolby Cinema (literally toppest tier theatre audio), Showcase XPLUS, and IMAX for about 50 movies per year, and I've only ever been amazed by the depth of audio two times in my life (Ford v Ferrari and Doctor Sleep). When I watch the same movies at home on my audiophile 2.1 setup, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

 

I think I would have you recommend you something too:

Invest in very high quality Left/Right speakers and a decent subwoofer, and you won't miss surround sound at all.

Once you have had a good 5.1 setup it is hard to not have a good 5.1 setup.   For example.  I'd bet that even in this diminished state I could detach the rear and center speakers and use it as if it was 2.1.  The issue being the lack of power due to old caps going bad slowly.   Considering what 160 dollars buys these days (which ain't much) just coughing up for some OK surround speakers is worth it.  I want to feel the rumble of my Caliburn  and the floor shaking when I cause cars to self destruct again. 

[cmndr]

I'm going to preface this with "audiophiles are stupid" and "I've spent too much cash" and "normal people would be happy with good enough and not thinking about it." Don't go down the audio quality rabbit hole if you want to be happy. Only go down it if you want to over engineer things because you're some sort of a geek. 
 

12 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

I frequently go to AMC Dolby Cinema (literally toppest tier theatre audio), Showcase XPLUS, and IMAX for about 50 movies per year, and I've only ever been amazed by the depth of audio two times in my life (Ford v Ferrari and Doctor Sleep). When I watch the same movies at home on my audiophile 2.1 setup, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

I can feel a difference between 5.X and 7.X.4 it's VERY noticeable. My friend also noticed it (I was moving and took down much of my set up). 
The rear channels actually made a decent difference in that room. Some could just be that I (any many others) like the "diffuse" feeling I get from atmos/DTX:X. Heck I prefer a phantom center to a real center for my set up in part because of this.

I don't think it's a gimmick but it's VERY expensive to get to a very good point. 
a decent 2 channel set up is around 10x cheaper and gets you something like 70% the way there in terms of immersion. 
I'm fairly happy with my 2 channel set up for certain games on my miniPC/work desk location and it was literally 2x used (beaten to heck) JBL 305p MKIIs that I paid around $150 for. My roughly $4000 home theater set up is NOT 20x as good. 

 

 

Quote

Yes there is a reason many systems stop at 2.1 and many find that to be enough. 

the .1 subwoofer part is often tricky. If you have two good enough speakers like the JBL 305p MKII they'll go to around 50Hz or so (maybe even a bit lower with room gain) and through the 50Hz range you get the benefit of low frequency coupling/reinforcement which partially helps mitigate room nodes. 

GREAT subwoofers that hit to around 20Hz or so are hard to get at a low price. $350 will get you an SB-1000 new on sale. $250-300ish can get you some solid ported subs on sale (e.g. PB-1000, PB12-NSD). Ideally you have two subs and you spend FOREVER dialing them in. If you go off the deep end (I have an odd shaped room and went with 4), it's very easy to spend $500-1500 on subwoofers, chasing after perfection... or you get two "not bad" speakers and are happy enough. Good enough is often good enough. 
 

2 hours ago, Uttamattamakin said:

Once you have had a good 5.1 setup it is hard to not have a good 5.1 setup.   For example.  I'd bet that even in this diminished state I could detach the rear and center speakers and use it as if it was 2.1.  The issue being the lack of power due to old caps going bad slowly.   Considering what 160 dollars buys these days (which ain't much) just coughing up for some OK surround speakers is worth it.  I want to feel the rumble of my Caliburn  and the floor shaking when I cause cars to self destruct again. 

At the risk of gate keeping... your set up was not 100% awful but it would've strongly benefitted from stronger L+R speakers. 
A very well dialed in 2 channel set up can still be VERY immersive while doing better in other areas such as responsiveness, distortion, accuracy, etc. 
I don't think people need INSANE speakers for their sides or rears but there's a very real benefit to getting the front sound stage right since ~80% of the perceived sound will come from there. 

 

I won't knock the Z506 speakers if you get them at the right price, but there IS a reason you can find them on sale for as low as $50 new (admittedly not any time recently) and $40 refurbished. 
https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?q=Logitech+Z506&searcharea=deals&searchin=first&isUserSearch=1

[Uttamattamakin]

7 hours ago, cmndr said:

At the risk of gate keeping... your set up was not 100% awful but it would've strongly benefitted from stronger L+R speakers. 
A very well dialed in 2 channel set up can still be VERY immersive while doing better in other areas such as responsiveness, distortion, accuracy, etc. 
I don't think people need INSANE speakers for their sides or rears but there's a very real benefit to getting the front sound stage right since ~80% of the perceived sound will come from there. 

 

I won't knock the Z506 speakers if you get them at the right price, but there IS a reason you can find them on sale for as low as $50 new (admittedly not any time recently) and $40 refurbished. 
https://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?q=Logitech+Z506&searcharea=deals&searchin=first&isUserSearch=1

This I can believe.  Given where I started from with computer sound it was mindblowing that I could have that at all.  Like  The first computer I had had what was great sound for the time.  

 

This same model, and I'll never forget this song play through two speakers using "Tandy Enhanced Sound".  Which was not Sound Blaster compatible...because it came first at a time when PC speaker or various beeps and buzzes was all we got. 

I'm sure my "knock off" Bobtot speakers will feel more than adequate for me.  I am no audiophile .... but having had good audio I can't go back.   Audio is a much unloved part of PC gaming culture.  Studios add in great 5.1 surround only to have it simulated by headphones.   Meanwhile the same computer that just has headphones will have a water cooled 4090.