Logitech 5.1 issues, repair and recommendations?

I have been having a few issues with my 5.1 systems and wanted to get some input or recommendations:

X530

I have used this since about release and it’s now about 15 plus years old so I know problems should be expected.
I intermittently lose connection to speakers which I usually resolved by shaking the input wires going to the sound card. I recently got a new PC desk built where all the cables are now properly secured behind and under the desk where they are no longer easily accessible for “shaking repairs” so I decided to finally attempt to fix the issue. I replaced the three headphone jacks which resolved most of the problems however front channel still loses connection intermittently. The cable itself seems to have a short and needs to be replaced. This will be annoying because the cables are connected directly to the front right speaker and glued to hell.
Also, the system seems to be down on power compared to the past but I considered this a non issue as I don’t really “crank it out”.

X540

Another 5.1 system I own that has served as a donor for my x530. I had taken the 14.6V transformer from this a few years ago to replace in the x530 system. I decided to repair this system as the receiver can be used with any speakers and the volume control and input connections are all made from the sub unlike the X530 where the front right speaker is required.
After lurking through a few forum posts, I replaced the transformer with a 15V / 3A adapter which works but it’s some cheap Nippon America brand so I fear this will not last as long as a proper transformer. It also has issues with the volume control. I believe the pot is 52k and anything under the 24k ohm range does not read properly. Unfortunately I was not able to source a replacement locally so I tried cleaning the pot which seemed like it worked. I had a smooth resistance reading from 0 to 52K but when reinstalled the volume control still did work properly. The lower range of the volume control still does not work and the volume fluctuates on its own

These systems are still repairable but I have honestly been loosing my patience with troubleshooting especially with the x530 where it’s some work to get at for troubleshooting. I decided to take a look at replacements only to realize that these “cheap” 5.1 systems are not really readily available anymore. I even looked at the option of using those 1000w 5.1 home systems by Samsung, LG etc, only to realize that these things are no longer made. From what I see, the systems now are mostly soundbars with a sub, Logitech Z606, Z906 and a couple other similar systems for PC.
I also tried looking for small receivers but only find the Denons, Sony and similar which are way overkill for my use. The only small affordable receivers I found are Pyle which seem to be more karaoke systems with no surround sound implementation.
There is also the option of going used where the older products are readily available on Ebay but I have been having so many issues with my Samsung HT 5.1 system on my TV, that I really hesitate to purchase one used. That’s three 5.1 systems…all with problems…sigh.

I know that most people use headsets now but for the few who still use 5.1 sound systems on their PC, what are you using?

I am still rocking a Klipsch Promedia 5.1 so I use the SPDIF out of the built in sound card to the UFO module of the Klipsch system.

I assume you are doing analog from the card directly to the speakers or to a breakout box on the sub?

I actually went ahead and bought a Z906 set locally a couple days ago. It’s a significant upgrade as I can tell the sound is much clearer. At the moment it’s connected via analog from the sub to the sound card.

I am now having a weird issue where all the respective channels play properly when done from the sound test both on ubuntu and windows but when I play one of those 5.1 surround sound clips from youtube etc, the rears don’t work and instead plays through the front. If I listen closely the sound does come out the rear but very faint with the front overpowering it.

I have a passive mixer in between the analog connection so I will have to bypass that and then test but what is strange is that the individual speaker test from the OS works properly where the rears, front and center individually play as they should.

I’d suggest getting a hold of a proper 5.1 sound file to test with … no way to be sure that the file that youtube is serving you is a 5.1 file.

YouTube only supports stereo audio, AFAIK. This blog post has more info.

Oooh, did not know that and so many youtube comments that confirms it works That had me really confused as the OS playback test worked for all speakers and I had confirmed that it was analog 5.1 in pulse audio and multichannel for alsa mixer. Will try to get a known 5.1 source for playback.

I did try to get one but that resulted in the center speaker speaking playing in place of the rears. I will test with a known movie or game that supports surround sound.

Try a game, and make sure your soundcard is not down mixing.

You should be able to test with a DVD. Since you are running all analog, you don’t have to worry about Dolby ProLogic or any smart codecs getting mixed by the speaker controller on the sub.

If your unit does support SPDIF, I would go with that as it is basically one cable to rule them all and it is digital all the way to the control unit. Most SPDIF setups will automagically up mix stereo and sub 5.1 sound formats to 5.1 or allow you to do true PCM passthrough.

A couple games I tried seemed to be stereo only but I wasn’t sure if this may have been an issue with proton compatibility for specific games. Will have to test this on windows to confirm.

I got a toslink cable today to try the optical input. Unfortunately the sound card which is a Xonar DGX does not support 5.1 over digital. The only option for digital in pulse audio shows up as 2.1.

At the moment I have the onboard sound passed through to a windows VM so I will have to make the digital connection to the onboard (Realtek ALC1220 ) to test if it supports 5.1 over digital.

Interestingly, there seems to be a slight bit of static from the speakers when using the analog connections but it’s not present when using digital as the input.

That is probably PCM passthrough. SPDIF only supports stereo output due to its low bandwidth (I wish they would update the standard to cover 7.1).

That sounds right as digital should never have analog artifacting. It is all Zeros and Ones.
The crackle that you hear on the analog channels may be due to interference from EM in the area.

Oh, you may need to change your settings in Wine/Proton to do other than stereo.

It’s the same for both on board and the add on sound card reflecting stereo as the only option for digital. So I found a proper 5.1 test which worked correctly with analog connection. When I tried the same 5.1 test with digital connection, the fronts and center channel work properly but the rear plays together with the fronts and at a very low volume. I decided to stay with the analog connection as the hissing/static only becomes noticeable when at >50% volume.

Most stereos I have.

Mine just blew out, hear loose parts inside now. Wil see if it is something I can repair, I am and electronics repair technician/engineer.