Polk Soundbar Keeps Turning Off [How to fix it]

There are many ways to handle your Polk Soundbar turning off or having faulty audio. If you notice that your Pole soundbar keeps turning off randomly, it may be worth trying our solutions that involve things like ‘pressing the power button and volume down buttons on the soundbar (not remote) simultaneously for 10 seconds while the Polk soundbar is completely shut off.

If your Polk soundbar keeps turning off, there are a few reasons why this might be. It could be something such as faulty wires or automatic settings on the device.

Whether you have an old or new Polk soundbar, we are here to help. By the end of this article, you should have a soundbar that is working properly and ready to play your audio again without turning off or cutting out. 

What You Will Need to Follow in This Tutorial

To follow this tutorial, there are a few things you might need to try all of the possibilities below. These items are:

• Batteries for your remote
• Extra connection cables
• Access to your soundbar
• Your phone or normal audio device

These will allow you to check multiple things to determine what is wrong. After all, you don’t want to sit and fight with your soundbar for hours and get frustrated, only to realize that your Wi-Fi is simply off or you just needed new batteries.

You may not need all of these items, but having them available will make it easier if you have to go down our list to figure out what is wrong.

Why Does My Polk Soundbar Keep Cutting Out?

If the soundbar keeps cutting out, it is likely either that it is old and no longer able to work to its full capability or, if you are using Bluetooth, that your other device transmitting the sound is too far away.

However, faulty or improperly connected wires may also be responsible, if that is what you are using.

Why Does My Soundbar Keep Turning Off?

There are many reasons why your soundbar may be turning off. Some examples include:

• Faulty wires
• Automatic shut-offs
• Overloaded breakers
• Disconnected devices
• TV settings

Step-by-step Instructions

How Do I Stop My Polk Sound Bar From Turning Off?

Depending on the reason for your Polk soundbar turning off, there are a few things you can do to try and stop it.

Related: How to Turn on Bose Soundbars Without Remote

• Check your outlet

Sometimes, cords may seem like they are in an outlet properly, but they aren’t. If your soundbar keeps turning off, especially when you are moving things around, it may be a loose cord

Double-check your cords just to make sure that everything is working as it should and is secure. Also, check for damaged wires. Sometimes, a wire might be loose or broken, which can also cause issues.

If other things are turning off as well, it may be worth checking your breaker. The breaker may be overloaded or weak. You may have to buy a new one, or move things around so not so much is connected to the one breaker.

• Disable auto-shutoff

Some Polk soundbars have an auto-shutoff feature. This usually means that if you pause your music or TV to do something like take a phone call or fold laundry, the soundbar will turn off. To prevent this, you will have to disable the auto-shutoff feature. Unfortunately, disabling this feature only works for four hours, then it will enter standby mode.

To disable the auto-shutoff feature, you just have to perform one step. This is to press and hold both the power button and the volume- button for ten seconds. Make sure you do this on your soundbar and not the remote, or it won’t work.

Then you should be done, and the Polk soundbar won’t shut off for four hours. Then you can repeat this as necessary.

Related Review: Best Soundbar Without Subwoofer in 2022

• Check your remote batteries

Though it is rare, sometimes when remote batteries are dying, they can input random commands, such as turning off your device.

If your remote hasn’t been working as it should, and your inputs are slowed or delayed, it may be a good idea to try and replace the batteries (see our recommendation above), just to make sure that isn’t the problem, and it is something to do with your Polk soundbar.

• Make sure your devices are connected

Again, some Polk soundbars have an automatic shut-off. If your devices aren’t connected and playing like you think they are, your device could be turning off due to a lack of input. Double-check to make sure your phone, tablet, or TV is connected as it should.

Depending on what you are using, this connection could be via a cable, a Bluetooth connection, or Wi-Fi.

If you are using cables, make sure your cord is plugged in correctly. If you are using optical, many people think that it can fit in any direction, and only realize later that there is a set direction. Plugging it in upside down can cause quite a few problems, including shutting down sometimes.

Also, optical cords are very sensitive, and the prongs can break pretty easily. If you’ve knocked it around or tried to force it in, the cord may be damaged and a replacement is needed. With HDMI or other cords, it is also important you push the cord all the way. If it isn’t in fully, that can also cause problems.

If you need a new optical cord, try the one below.

Finally, with cords, you may have a faulty one. Unfortunately, not all cords are created the same. Sometimes, even if you just bought one, a cord may be faulty. If your cable seems very hot, it may be not working as it should.

For Bluetooth connections, check your other device and make sure it is still paired to the soundbar. Most of the time, Bluetooth only reaches around 33 feet, so if you go past this range it may automatically disconnect. If this isn’t your only Bluetooth device as well, your phone may disconnect to the soundbar to try to connect to something else. It may also be bumped off if multiple devices are connecting to your soundbar, as they fight for the connection.

Related: How to Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV

For Wi-Fi, make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and the same Wi-Fi. Nowadays, a lot of people get two bands for their Wi-Fi, such as 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which gives you the option of longer distance or faster power. While they are technically the same internet, many devices don’t recognize them as being the same. So make sure you are on the same bandwidth.

You also want to just make sure your internet is working. If you aren’t getting internet despite being connected, the devices won’t be able to find each other either.

• Change TV settings

If your soundbar is still turning off automatically but you disabled the automatic shutoff feature, it may be your TV settings that are causing the problem.

You will want to go into your TV’s sound settings and increase the response time to an amount you are happy with.

• Reset your soundbar

Sometimes, resetting your soundbar fixes the problem. If there is a software update, or a glitch causing the shut-down, then resetting it can fix this problem.

How Do I Reset My Polk Soundbar?

To reset the soundbar, you can start by turning off the soundbar. Then you can press the stop or mute button for a few seconds.

You may have to repeat this process twice to see which button works for you.

After a few minutes, you can turn the Polk soundbar back on.

This method works no matter whether you have a new soundbar or an older one. You may have to reconnect your Bluetooth devices, however, so it is best to be aware of that.

Conclusion

By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to determine what was wrong with your Polk soundbar, or if it was something else wrong instead. From Bluetooth issues to automatic shut-offs, there are a lot of options that make it difficult to determine what might actually be wrong.

We have covered most of the major problems, so you can determine what is wrong with your device. If we were able to help you, or you have any questions, please leave a comment below so we know that we made a difference or to provide additional help!