smaddeus

Honorable
Dec 18, 2013
2
0
10,510
I can't find any relatable problem to mine, because if someone has a problem, then usually it's regarding some crackling and popping sounds, or just high pitches that are differently described as my issue, so I couldn't find relatable issue.

I got an Logitech Z523 audio system, I do not use any sound card but integrated in motherboard. Motherboard is very old, and audio system is ... having few years already so to say. But that might not be the problem(?). Anyway, it started recently, noticed it two days ago or so, that my left speaker emits a weird sound, hard to describe, It's like something is making a monotone, but a bit higher pitched, sound in a tube like environment, like, when you place your mouth in a metal tube and start making a sound, except it's like a medium-high pitch sound traveling through a metal tube and if I leave it on a specific high volume when it starts to emit it, it increases on itself.
I think the sound might be relatable to musical instrument called "triangle", except a lot denser, or like a ship's horn, except much much lighter, as if in a narrower tube, and more annoying.

When I opened it up, without tangling with wires, just having a look on for any visual differences or suspicious stuff, not like I have seen any opened audio devices, so basically I was like - "So this is how looks my speakers, huh." (even though I have a guitar amp at home which back is somewhat exposed), so I didn't knew whether something was off, seemed all fine to me visually, no weird wires tangling, or anything loose. Oh and, left speaker is separately connected to the sub with the RCA connector/jack, and the right speaker having the bass and volume controller, is with VGA connector, and from that speaker which has VGA, runs the TRS jack output as well to the PC itself.

I didn't opened speakers themselves, but there was this interesting test I did, maybe it might give a clue - When it was opened, it had two speakers, one on the back, and one on the front, it's the same in the other speaker, I knew this already back when I bought it, it creates this false sense of surround sound to some extent, or so I think. But the thing is, when I turned up volume to the point of that high-pitch-tube-sound started to emit, it slowly started to blast off from the back of the speaker, like magnets with negative ends trying to be placed against each other, (I have noticed that audio systems use magnets or magnet coils inside, not sure which one, just my wild guess about what kind of type, so I was kind of wondering, while at the same time I wasn't), but I do not know if normally it should or shouldn't have happened at higher volume. I didn't tested that on the right speaker to make sure whether it's a normal response at higher volume.

I tried to unplug from powe, I tried to unplug from PC output...not sure what else I could try, since it's just with my left speaker, and not a general audio problem, so it can't be regarding other devices being turned on around the apartment, since nothing has changed lately, nor for some months. I got the same stuff hanging around. But the left speaker started to emit weird noise only few days ago, it didn't got hit, it didn't got dropped, it hasn't gotten any seemingly-to-be-a-vital-hit which would somehow make some loose wires or anything. Even though if it would, when I checked inside, all wires are pretty solid and couldn't have been loose anyway.

My amateur guess would be something inside those speakers themselves, though not sure what could have triggered it, since I do not know what else is inside speakers besides magnet and some wires.

The volume at which it starts to emit is somewhat rarely used. Some week ago, or two, I was playing music on pretty high volume while showering, everything was fine. Software wise I have windows volume set on 50%, and a lot of other places as well on 50%, and the speaker controller sound problem activates around...above 70%, though casually the sound system volume controller at default tends to be around 20-40% volume, but at 50% it can be heard if you listen closely enough.

When I hit on a table, like, knocking sound, depending of the set volume, and the distance of my knock from the left speaker relative to the volume of the speaker, it makes that weird sound again, except, not the high pitch traveling though a dense metal tube, but as if someone would knock a metal tube alone, like the problem is triggered a lot by vibrations, that's why it can increase its weird tube-like sound on a certain high volume by itself.

That's about it, tried to describe as much as I could, I just hope it helps to narrow down the possible problem.

P.S. This thing warranty is long gone I think, so I can tinker with it, though I have no backup, except the right speaker.

P.S.S. I got a recording of the sound, both the regular sound, and a video. If needed for a further investigation, or more better understanding of the sound issue, ask, I will try to upload it.
 

smaddeus

Honorable
Dec 18, 2013
2
0
10,510
I found the problem, but it might not be the fix to a recently occurred problem (no thanks to anyone).

Personally, I still think something is wrong with my speaker, but I what I did to get that annoying sound off, was to reduce Microphone Boost, I had it at +20dB, reduced to 10, and I could turn to a higher volume without that problem, but it still occurred near the max volume, so I decreased to 0, and it's gone.

Weirdly enough, I had +20dB for a long time, years maybe as far as I remember. So I would like to know if anyone still could guess the cause to it, despite the fact that I have reduced my problem, but doesn't mean it's gone, since if I will increase dB boost for microphone, it will occur again.
 

shojikitsune

Estimable
Jan 1, 2016
1
0
4,510
This may not apply to you, but check where your speaker cables have been routed. Walking past my computer or moving the chair sent motion through the floorboards and shifted the desk enough to cause the speaker cables to just barely tap the end if the wifi antenna on my cable modem. I routed the speaker cables under the case to get them well away from the modem and the buzz went away.