Polk SDA Soundbar turning off at high volumes

randyrsx

It's apparent I'm turning it up too high which is unfortunate.

I turned off my internal TV speakers and have it set for just the soundbar to play. Well I turned on The Dark Knight (opening bank robbery scene) and turned it up. For awhile it sounds great (TV volume is at 80 out of 100) and then it clips out on me. (The gain is at 1, lowest setting) The subwoofer continues to play but nothing from the soundbar. I've tried turning down the volume on the soundbar but during loud sequences it still turns off.

I've tried turning the TV volume back on and setting the soundbar at normal listening levels and then adding the TV volume to it and the same problem occurs. I've tried different gain settings. Am I just asking too much of it?

The room is 11' x 13' and the TV is an older Sony Bravia 40"

randyrsx

Sounds like a good plan, thank you!

RuSsMaN

First of all, is the tv set to fixed or variable output? Just for grins, set it to fixed, and manually turn the IHT up via the control on top of the unit and see if your results are the same. I've not been able to listen to the IHT loud enough to force shutdown, but I've used it only on fixed sources, like a cd player.....

xcapri79 - GREAT post, PLEASE stick around.

Cheers,
Russ

randyrsx

Capri,

I've double-checked wiring and tried reversing the L and R. Double-checked that the RCAs are fully pressed into the terminals as well. No bare wires are present.

Russ,
The TV was set at variable but today I tried it at fixed. It lasted longer but any big explosion on a DVD and it cuts out again?

I'm at the lowest gain setting so perhaps I should turn the soundbar down and gain up at this point?!

randyrsx

I've tried different gain settings as well as playing a movie from a computer instead of the DVD player. Tried a different movie as well. It seems like the TV itself could be the culprit.

I switched back the TV to internal speakers set at 0 volume and turned both up simultaneously so the TV was around 10 (out of 100) and the soundbar was rockin. This time it lasted about five minutes before cutting out again.

Bletz

i had the same problem with a full 5.1 system. it was the sub that was turning off the whole system. I had it hooked up backwards ( maybe yours is wired inside backwards from the factory ) I switched the cables and never had a problem again. also on another note, how far away does your remote work with the soundbar. other systems have a problem with more than about 5 or 6 feet away. i am buying a polk soundbar like yours and hope it will work from about 15 to 20 feet away. thanks

dubradio

Randy,

Here is a quick test to try and narrow down the issue, First pick up a simple Headphone jack to RCA splitter (1 stereo headphone male plug to left and right RCA female plugs). Now plug the adapter into your headphone jack on the TV and then plug in the RCA cables from the surroundbar into the rca portion of the Y adapter. Now adjust your TV volume to 25 (out of 100). And adjust the surround bar volume to a similar volume to what you were using before. If the bar cuts out again you may be asking the system to perform at a volume it just can not handle. However, if the sound does not cut out you have identified that you may have an issue with with actual RCA analog audio outputs on the TV itself, keep in mind this could be an issue with the ports on the TV not functioning correctly or the Impedance on the RCA outputs are such that under load the bar with "cut out" to prevent damage to its circuity.

Hope this helps, if you have any other concerns feel free and contact us at 1-800-377-7655, or email me directly at Kshufelt@polkaudio.com

-Kyle

randyrsx

Thanks Kyle, I'll try that!

Poke

I have the exact same issue with my system that I recently bought. I have no headphone jack on my TV so I can't try the above suggestion. Here is an exact description of the issue:

-At a certain scene where the loudness spikes relative to the other audio (such as an action scene in a movie or a video game), the audio on the soundbar cuts out and does not come back.
-Note that the soundbar is still powered on and still sending audio signal to the subwoofer just fine.
-The ONLY way to get the soundbar to play sound again is to turn it off and turn it back on. Nothing else works.
-The problem still occurs even at the lowest gain setting.
-The connections on the RCA cables are just fine. They are on there properly and connected to the correct ports.
-The problem is easy to reproduce. It occurs during the same parts every time if the volume stays the same.
-The problem occurred right out of the box and happened on the same night I bought the system.

Poke

-The problem occurred no matter what TV in the house I tried it on.
-The problem occurred no matter what source the TV was getting the audio from (a standalone DVD player, a music CD, and a video game system).

murray21

wow - hit the jackpot on these forums as this was my EXACT same issue and the reason for popping on these forums. Even better, I was watching the Dark Knight tonight when I first noticed the issue. Same deal here - Sub stays functional and the soundbar cuts out regardless of whether the gain is set to 1 2 or 3. Messing with a few sets of audio cables tonight to see whether or not it will make a difference. Would the "included" splitter that is included be an issue? Is it worth going out and picking up a pricey replacement? Running the soundbar out of a brand new Samsung UN46B7100 LED TV. I do not feel as though I had the soundbar cranked by any means when the soundbar would clip out. Only solution is as above, where as soon as I power off the soundbar and turn it back on, everything runs fine. Not going to go over well if I have to do this 5-6 times during the movie, which is what I had to do tonight.

murray21

edit: The new Samsung LED's do not have 2 separate RCA jacks (R &L). They have a single Audio out jack for headphones and for the included "Y" splitter that we get with the Polk Soundbar. When you say "the Impedance on the RCA outputs are such that under load the bar with "cut out" to prevent damage to its circuity", would a better "Y" splitter help the situation?

On another note - what other movies and scenes do you notice the bar cutting out on you? Like I said above, I experienced it multiple times tonight watching The Dark Knight, but have not tried other movies yet. I hooked the soundbar up to my computer tonight as well and the bar cut out the same way as it did while watching The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray through the television. It's not an issue with the TV outputs.

What is Polk's recommendation for upper end audio cables and an upper end splitter than what is included in the packaging out of the box? I was running Acoustic Research Pro II series cables.

dkpnkc

Another one. Today I had the same issue with the popping sound while watching Transformers 2. The subwoofer stayed on but nothing from the bar. I turned the power off and back on and it worked for almost an hour and then another pop & the sound went off again. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and tried again with the TV, not the movie - I turned the bar off/on a few more times and no sound, just a quick pop. After about the 4th try I saw sparks reflecting off the wall from the back of the unit w/ some smoke. The volume wasn't maxed out when this started - the first time it popped was right when the movie started.

I only had the unit a week so I took it back tonight, exchanged it, and for the first time bought an extended four year warranty. The sound is excellent so I want to give it another shot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a fluke and not a design/build flaw.

Marker1

Add another one to the list.

I am at my father's house for Christmas. Got the soundbar SDA, a Sony Bluray player and a copy of Terminator Salvation. This proved to be a problem for the speakers. Last night the movie was tried repeatably with the same problem happening every time. At some point the SoundBar ceases to produce sound, but the subwoofer continues. I restarted the speakers a few times with no change in the sound cutoff after about 5 minutes. I then turned the Gain down from 2 -> 1 and had the same result. I just let it be last night and attemped to find a solution today. I then found this thread. My setup is:

Sony BDP-N460 ->HDMI-> Samsung LN-37A530P1F (TV speakers off and acting passive with no processing or EQ applied) ->RCA->Polk Audio SoundBar SDA.

I just played the movie through on a very low volume and the sound bar stayed audible for the duration of the movie. I have not had the problem when playing the same system, but the source of media being cable tv on an HD station (Bad Boys II) last night.

I have the same solution as the op in that the only way to have the speakers work again is to turn off the power at the main on the back of the soundbar. The TV turning on and off as well as turning the media source on and off do not seem to mitigate the problem.

I found this thread and tried to call Polk Audio Tech Support today (Christmas), but they are closed. I am leaving my father's place after today and will not be able to help a lot. As much as I am relieved to see that it is also not me I am sad to see that there is no easy solution right now. I will check on the thread periodically and see if any solution has been found.

edtude

I have a similar problem in that 1) either the audio volume will not adjust up or down, the display changes accordingly but the actual audio output does not, or 2) there is no audio output at all. This is not unique to the DVD player this can happen on any of the audio Outputs AM/FM Radio, DVD?CD player it does not matter. The only way I can resolve this issue is to use the Master Switch on the back of the unit. This is becoming a major pain in the butt! I have submitted an email to Tech Support and have not heard anything yet.

tparker

I'm having the same problem with the unit I bought two days ago. The soundbar goes out but the subwoofer keeps playing. It happens repeatedly at the same spot on the DVD (It was Pelham 123). The only difference from what I'm reading here is that I can fix the problem by turning the soundbar's power on and off using the switch on the top, not the switch on the back. The volume was fairly loud, but not really loud.

Off topic--Someone asked about the remote working from over 6 feet away. I am finding that the remote works most of the time from about 8 feet away, but not from ten feet away. My seat that is ten feet away is also off to the side a bit, so I was thinking that was the problem until I read the question about the remote.

I love the sound, but it's no good if it cuts out and the remote doesn't work reliably.

I hope Polk figures out what the problem is (or problems are). Otherwise, It's going back.

--tom

tparker

Well, no response on this thread or from my email to Customer Support, so I'll return the soundbar tomorrow for a refund.

I guess Polk is doing well enough that they don't care about losing a few sales.

dorokusai

Relax tparker, they're on the way.

dubradio

Tparker,

The issue you are having as with many others in this post has been addressed in a sticky post i created at the top of the troubleshooting section which includes my direct email address- http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93936

In regards to the remote distance issue, be aware that not all remotes are created equal, and not all environment are created equal. There are 3 main things that can affect the distance or reception for an IR remote control...

1. The remote output power it self
2. The Sensitivity of the IR sensor on the product(surroundbar)
3. Lighting in the room - Yes, the lighting can affect IR(infrared). This is a form of light and thus can be effected by other light in the room.

Many remote controls vary in specific frequency of light they put out, making them more or less sensitive toward other components based on how sensitive the IR receiver on the product you are attempting to control is to the given frequency of light that is being emmited by the remote control.

The Lighting in a room, again light has its own frequency it projects at. Normally visible light should not affect Infrared light, however the reflection and refraction of certain areas of the visible light spectrum can cause the light to alter and shift into the Infrared spectrum. Just like with sound bouncing off of surfaces and as it travels through space its wavelengh can enlongate, Light can encounter the same effect.

If you have any further questions and would like a more time sensitive and direct response please email me directly @ KShufelt@polkaudio.com

tparker

Hi Kyle:

Thanks for your quick and informative reply. I've sent you a follow-up email.

--tom

dubradio

tparker,

I just noticed I had incorrectly put my email address in the previous post, I was wondering why i didnt see your email. Email address has been corrected and is KShufelt@polkaudio.com

-Kyle

dorokusai

Kyle - It's nice to see you active here....I'm not allowed to help like you are. The information you have posted, ala sticky, is super cool.

dubradio

Thanks , Customer satisfaction and teaching consumers is why I love my job, many companies that a customer may try to contact dont view customer service as a very important area in the value of a company. When I started with Polk I knew about there reputation of having unparalleled customer service. I felt it was necessary to continue that tradition. and with my extensive background in Audio and Video everyone indirectly elected me the Surround Bar product Line guru :P . But in the end I just enjoy helping people, always have. And every customer is unique which ads to the fun .

OMR

Hello all. I am getting the same issue with the soundbar clipping out at relatively high volumes. Sub stays on, but no audio from the rest of the unit. When on it sounds incredible, so just frustrated by the clipping out.

I am mainly recently using the sound bar for streaming music purposes using Windows 7 to a PS3 then Sony Bravia ultimately to the Soundbar for audio output. However, was getting the clipping when just running from the television to the Soundbar on high volume movies such as the aforementioned Dark Knight and Transformers.

Getting rather frustrated, especially given that I've had multiple tower Polk speakers that have been incredible. Living in Manhattan now so the svelte nature of the soundbar is ideal, but the clipping is really putting a sour taste on things. Please Polk, or other users, provide some insight as to what's going on...and not just "you're turning it up too loud."

cfrizz

OMR wrote: »

Hello all. I am getting the same issue with the soundbar clipping out at relatively high volumes. Sub stays on, but no audio from the rest of the unit. When on it sounds incredible, so just frustrated by the clipping out.

I am mainly recently using the sound bar for streaming music purposes using Windows 7 to a PS3 then Sony Bravia ultimately to the Soundbar for audio output. However, was getting the clipping when just running from the television to the Soundbar on high volume movies such as the aforementioned Dark Knight and Transformers.

Getting rather frustrated, especially given that I've had multiple tower Polk speakers that have been incredible. Living in Manhattan now so the svelte nature of the soundbar is ideal, but the clipping is really putting a sour taste on things. Please Polk, or other users, provide some insight as to what's going on...and not just "you're turning it up too loud."

See this thread for the problem you are having. Welcome to Club Polk!:)

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93936