Fast-forward several months, and I opened up the control pod to take a look inside, and the cause of the malfunction was immediately obvious; the Cirrus Logic CS42526-CQZ had blown – DOH!

A quick search on Google shows I’m not the only person with the Z5500 suddenly dying (for various reasons), and here’s  someone with exactly the same problem as me.

I wonder if Logitech is aware of this problem? Additionally, perhaps it might be possible to get it repaired under the Sale of Goods Act: “the key time span is six years. That’s how long goods may be covered by the Sale of Goods Act.”

I’ll contact both Logitech and Insight to see what they say, and report back here.

Finally, the IC itself costs less than £10, so of the above fails, perhaps I can find a friend with the tools and skill necessary to replace surface-mount components.

[Update: It's fixed!]