Kia EV6 Owners Are Reconfiguring Their Subwoofers Due to Incorrect Factory Setup.

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      Car audio systems can be incredibly intricate—much more so than many might think. This is particularly true for high-end sound systems in new cars, which are designed and fine-tuned by companies like Bose, Klipsch, and other audio specialists who possess far more expertise in sound than typical drivers do. Attempting to modify or enhance one of these systems on your own without proper training is often not advisable, as it can create more problems than it solves. However, Kia EV6 owners are managing to significantly improve their Meridian audio systems by simply rearranging four wires connected to the trunk-mounted subwoofer.

      This DIY modification gained popularity on the r/KiaEV6 subreddit in late September. Following this, YouTuber Technically Jeff uploaded a video demonstrating how to accomplish it in approximately five minutes using just a small screwdriver. The key is finding the Meridian subwoofer beneath the EV’s false floor at the back, removing an orange clip, and swapping the respective pairs of wires to achieve a black-red-black-red configuration from top to bottom instead of the default red-black-red-black setup.

      All this does is adjust the power polarity of the subwoofer and modify the audio phasing. Viewers of the video, along with several EV6 owners in the Reddit discussion, report that the bass quality has significantly improved without sacrificing any other aspects of the sound.

      I was quite surprised to observe—or rather, hear—such a simple alteration yield a real enhancement in audio performance. How could this issue exist in a vehicle costing around $50,000? Did Kia or Meridian inadvertently connect the subwoofer incorrectly?

      To get answers, I reached out to a couple of high-end audio experts. First, I contacted Matt Figliola, owner of Ai Design in Tuckahoe, New York, whose company specializes in extensive audio enhancements. Next, I spoke with Ken Ward, technical marketing manager for Elettromedia SpA, who develops educational courses on car audio for dealers focused on high-fidelity sound.

      While Figliola and Ward provided distinct viewpoints on the situation, they both concurred on one point: this was a beginner’s error that the manufacturer should have detected.

      This image illustrates the modified wiring of the Kia EV6 Meridian subwoofer, which enables owners to enjoy better audio without any extra cost. Technically Jeff via YouTube

      The improvement in sound quality for EV6 owners due to reversing the polarity indicates an issue with sound cancellation. It’s not that the factory-installed Meridian subwoofer produces no bass; rather, it’s being canceled out by equal and opposite frequencies from other speakers in the vehicle. Disconnecting all other sound-producing devices allows the trunk-mounted sub to be heard clearly. However, reconnecting them counteracts the output from the subwoofer.

      This mirrors the method that Bose developed for noise-canceling headphones.

      “They essentially take the external noise, input it as a signal to their headphone amplifier, invert the phase, and voilà, most of the noise is canceled,” Figliola explained.

      Ward expanded on this topic:

      “When more than one speaker is involved, and those speakers are emitting the same sounds, they can combine to produce a louder output, which is our natural assumption: Two speakers provide more volume than one. However, they might not always reinforce each other; they might partially cancel each other out. When discussing phrases like ‘in phase’ and ‘out of phase,’ it may seem black and white, but in reality, it’s a spectrum.”

      Ward also mentioned that audio phasing requires some overlap between speakers. It is not merely a straightforward transfer where one speaker stops while another takes over. Instead, it demands a gradual transition as both speakers produce similar sounds, allowing them to combine.

      This is why EV6 owners who have altered the wiring observe that the bass from their Meridian system is not only more powerful at the back but also at the front of the vehicle. The adjustment facilitates audio phasing that enhances sound rather than canceling out frequencies. It’s a beneficial outcome. Nevertheless, one can’t shake the feeling that this should have been addressed before Kia distributed EV6s to customers.

      Figliola outlined three methods for manipulating audio phasing: through electrical modifications, like the EV6 owners have done; via Digital Signal Processing (DSP) software; and through speaker placement. The latter is mostly constant in this scenario, as no one is changing the physical locations of any speakers. Instead, Figliola points out that with speakers positioned all over the EV6, this creates a “cacophony of phase issues” that need resolution through the other methods.

      Though it's difficult to confirm without more investigation and a close examination, Figliola remarked, “It certainly resembles a manufacturing error. Someone miscalculated, leading to incorrect production.”

      “Meridian is a remarkable high-end audio company that is distinct from many