Speaker issues: sound is playing, but no audio output

So, I've run into a bit of a snag with my speakers—when I try to power them on, the indicator light just stays dark.
It’s a little strange because if I crank the volume all the way up, I can actually hear some sound coming through, though it's incredibly faint. I've already checked my Control settings and everything is set to maximum.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this might be a software glitch, or am I just looking at a pair of junk speakers? I'm also wondering if there could be a hardware issue tied back to the motherboard.

I'm using the Logitech Z323.

Grab some other speakers from somewhere just to test things out—though honestly, I’m pretty sure these ones are heading straight for the trash. Most likely, the amp in the woofer just kicked the bucket.

Just one more thing... if the HDMI cable is successfully sending audio over to the TV, then there's really no way the issue lies with the motherboard or the integrated sound card, right?

That’s probably how it should work. Maybe give what Fosna wrote a shot.