The subwoofer in the Meridian premium audio system in the Kia EV6 is out of phase, according to reports, resulting in compromised bass. However, a Reddit user published an easy DIY fix that takes less than 5 minutes, reports Autoblog.
The subwoofer in the EV6, an electric SUV, can be fixed by reversing the speaker’s polarity. It’s a simple fix of swapping a pair of wires, requiring only a small screwdriver, said Autoblog.
When a speaker is out of phase, some of the frequencies it produces are being cancelled out by equal and opposite frequencies from other speakers.
The Drive went on to ask two aftermarket experts their opinion of the problem. One was Matt Figliola, owner of the ultra high end car audio/mod shop Ai Design, NY; and the other, Ken Ward, Technical Marketing Manager for Elettromedia.
Both Figliola and Ward agreed on one thing, said The Drive. Kia’s subwoofer issue is “a rookie mistake that the manufacturer should have caught.”
The Drive quoted Figliola: “Meridian wouldn’t have made such a mistake, because phasing is at the heart of what Meridian knows how to work with.”
But Ward blamed Meridian. “I’m going to say that Meridian didn’t make sure that these systems were getting out into the world the way that they thought they should work, or they just didn’t know,” he told The Drive.
Autoblog wonders if Kia might issue a recall to fix the problem.
Back to the DIY fix, users must locate the Meridian subwoofer underneath the EV’s false floor in the back, remove an orange clip, and then trade two pair of wires.
Cool article, and an interesting find. Thanks for sharing.
Audio 101