The Systemline E50 is, and has always been, one of our best selling ceiling speaker systems since it was released back in 2016.
As it needs installing into your walls and ceilings you’ll probably be wondering about all the things that could go wrong with it…
Well worry not, we’ve been selling the Systemline E50 since its launch and whilst it rarely goes too far wrong, we’ve put together a list of all the issues we’ve come across with this unit and the common resolution.
Common Systemline E50 Faults
1. Poor Sound Quality
We offer the E50 with two different types of in ceiling speakers, standard & high definition.
Whilst the HD speakers are a significant upgrade, the standard speakers are still great sounding and should provide great sound quality in your room.
However there are a few things that can cause poor sound quality, fortunately these are usually just a wiring issue and can quickly be resolved.
Sounds Like In A Tunnel / Under Water
If when you turn it on it sounds like Michael Buble is drowning in the bathtub or you’re driving through a tunnel listening to the overly loud radio from the car next to you then you most likely have a polarity issue.
This also applies to any stereo amplifier or HiFi system.
Your amplifier has a + and - input, as does the speaker.
This is usually marked and also visually shown with red and black terminals.
It is critical that the + from the amplifier goes to the + of the speaker, and vice versa.
Get this wrong, and it’ll sound terrible - but fortunately shouldn’t cause any damage.
Luckily though this is just a case of matching the red and black terminals on the amplifier and speakers. Our cables have a polarity marker, if you run your finger down one side you’ll feel a rib on one core only.
It doesn’t matter much which cable goes to which terminal, as long as it’s the same at both the amplifier and the speakers.
Testing The Speakers Out Of The Ceiling
Another issue we get is when you are eager to test the speakers so you open all the boxes, wire it up on the kitchen counter, line up your favourite Spotify track and then….
Disappointment.
Ceiling speakers sound terrible when they aren’t installed in the ceiling.
The ceiling creates the “back box” of a traditional speaker and amplifies the sound quality, the volume and the bass.
So if you’ve set your system up on the counter and are wondering where the bass is at, it’s up in the ceiling.
Trust me, it’ll sound completely different once installed.
2. Bluetooth Not Connecting
This one is most commonly a user error issue rather than a fault.
Bluetooth is a point to point technology, you can pair multiple devices to the E50 but only one can connect at any one time.
Usually when you can’t connect via Bluetooth it’s because another device is connected to it already.
First check that there are no devices connected.
If there are no devices connected then “Forget” the device from your smartphone.
If the E50 is now showing as a new found device on your phone try the re-pairing procedure again.
Don’t forget that you need to put the E50 into pairing mode by pressing and holding the source button for a few seconds until the blue light flashes rapidly otherwise your phone won’t connect to the E50.
If you’ve done all the above, power the unit down for 60 seconds and try once more, if that still doesn’t work then there may be a fault - however we very, very rarely get a fault with the connection so this is definitely not common.
3. No Lights On The Panel
If there are no lights on the panel at all then the most likely issue is that there is no power to the wall panel.
This could be;
- The electrical supply
- The plug in power supply
- Wiring Issue
- The Panel
First start by ensuring that there is power to the circuit that your E50 is plugged into.
Next check if the light is on the power supply, if not check the fuse.
If all of that is okay but the panel is still not on then the fault may lie with the panel itself.
We have never actually had a dead panel with no power, however we’ve had a handful of power supplies fail after a few years.
The E50 power supply is available as a spare part so you can easily replace it if out of warranty and get the system back up and running again.
4. Buzzing On AUX Mode
If you have an audio device connected via the line input, such as a TV, and it’s making a humming / buzzing noise then this isn’t the fault of the panel itself.
It’s a ground loop issue.
First check that the Bluetooth plays without any issues to prove out the amplifier and the speakers.
If that checks out then take a read of our guide “How Do I Stop My Speakers From Buzzing / Humming?” which should help you with a resolution.
If it’s buzzing without an audio source connected then make sure that the speaker cables and the amplifiers power cable is not run with mains electrical cable as that will cause interference.
Should the system still be buzzing there may be a fault you’d need to investigate under warranty.
We’ve never had a panel that buzzes though so unfortunately it’s most likely an issue with the installation.
5. Locking Up / Freezing
The lights are on, but no one's home.
Or the “white lights of death” as we like to call it.
This is pretty rare, and it mostly affected a relatively small batch back in 2019 so you’d have to be pretty unlucky to experience this here in 2022.
If all the lights are on but the system is completely unresponsive then it’s most likely a firmware lock up and needs replacing under warranty.
We’d suggest turning the power off completely (unplug the transformer) for 60 seconds then power it back on.
If it’s still locked up then unfortunately you’ll need to check that you’re under warranty and if so, contact us (or whoever you bought it from) and ask for it to be resolved under warranty.
On the plus side (there’s a plus side to this?) we’d only need the amplifier wall panel itself back, you don’t need to worry about removing cables or ceiling speakers.
The manufacturer, Systemline, is UK based, they are a great company and very responsive.
If you bought from us at K&B Audio then we’ll get you a free of charge returns label and get the whole thing sorted out as quickly and efficiently as possible for you.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the most common things that go wrong with the Systemline E50 as of 2022.
But rest assured that all of the above problems have a solution, and in the rare occurrence that the unit is faulty then our job is to help you get that swapped out under warranty quickly and efficiently.
All electronics will have a failure rate, even your trusty big named smartphone that you’re reading this on.
Considering the amount of E50’s that we sell, we get very few problems overall and when we do, we get them resolved ASAP for you.
