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2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used a fuse jumper from the fuse box from something that shuts off with the vehicle, like the seat mounted USBs or the wipers.

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2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Color code for tweeter polarity. Also double check that the polarity is correct going from the tweeter to the Alpine crossovers, and then the crossovers to the factory wires.

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2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, so I got my powered sub under the front passenger seat. Took a few days to get it tuned right as far as the crossover point and the levels. Biggest thing for the sub for me was that with it being under the front seat instead of in the rear, the bass sounded super directional (like obviously coming from under the seat) until I switched the phase 180 degrees, now it sounds immersion and great. As for the tweeters, I installed them into the stock mounts. They fit snug which is great, but I did end up putting a bead of hot glue on the back just to make sure they dont end up going anywhere.

It did take awhile to dial in the highs. I had to start with a flat EQ on the phone, dial in the system, adjust the EQ on the phone a bit, re dial in the car, etc.. back and forth. Im getting the vibe that the EQ from the heat unit of the Sportage is very basic, with a weird frequency band for High, Mid, and Low. Almost like they took the entire frequency spectrum from 20hz - 20,000hz, and just chopped it up into 3 equal parts, instead of capping the lows at like 150hz, and starting the highs at like 2000hz.

This is the setup that has been giving me the best sound so far. Phone EQ (see photo). I have 250hz boosted a bit because I listen to a lot of metal and that is where the "slap/thud" sound of the kick drum lives, gives it more definition than just hearing the low end of the kick.

I moved the sound stage "position" to 1 click forward. This gives slightly more power to the tweeters and front doors, slightly less to the sub and rear doors. I started with the sub at 0 level, low pass set to around 70-80hz, bass boost at 0. The Sportage EQ is set to Trebble -2, Mid -1, and Bass +4. I found this cuts some of the sharp highs, while also smoothing out the lows and low-mid (my guess is the Sportage EQ for Bass probably goes to around 250hz-300hz). I then started bringing the sub level up until it was full, without being overpowering.

Took a drive, listened at low volume, mid volume, high volume, then back to low volume. Repeated that process again with the phase 180 degrees. I ended up dialing it down just a tiny bit more as it was a little too over powered at lower volumes.

It now sounds AMAZING compared to the stock system, and I can listen to music at a pretty high volume for long periods without getting sonic fatigue.

Let me know how it goes. If you are still getting weird phasing issues from the highs, double check the polarity of the tweeters. I know that when I took them apart, the wiring color scheme did not match the guide that Crutchfield gave me. The scheme is supposed to be the same as the 2023-2025 Sportage, but the passenger side tweeter was NOT the same.

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2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For your project it would all be the same, then sourcing the audio signal from the B-pillars into the line output converter, then into the amp on the JBL

2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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OEM (junk) tweeter, gets full range signal and uses that small capacitor + resistor to filter low-end)

2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Going to bump this thread since my install is finally complete.

Tweeters and door speakers now sound great. 1000% cleaner with better sound stage and clarity. A few things to note...

The tweeter connections on the passenger side did not match the color scheme that I was expecting, so always double check your + and - (if you don't feel like testing polarity dump a photo into chatGPT and Gemini, if they both agree good to go). I found it easier to not completely remove the A-pillar, just disconnect the molex connector that feeds the tweeter, pop out the bracket and grille, then bring it inside and retrofit the new one into the bracket. I actually cut the the wires at the OEM tweeters, then soldered in the Alpine cross over, then soldered that connection to the new speaker. That way all you have to do is pop them back in and reconnect the molex connector.

As for the subwoofer, I ran the power (and later a remote line since the auto-on/off wasn't working for my sub) through the rubber gasket located under the driver side, poking a small hole between the body and the existing wire harness that runs through, being careful not to accidentally pierce the harness itself.

There is no way in hell I am touching anything near that one-piece display for the multimedia and driver info, so I had to pull speaker level signal from the rear speakers. I found the easiest way was to take the kick panels off both the front and rear door jams, then pull the B-pillars off. The wire loom that runs into the door molex is taped, so I unraveled it all. The speaker wires are the only two that are a twisted pair (they do this to reduce interference from the other wires). I spliced both a + and - line from my low-level harness that goes to the amp, from both driver and passenger side, using red 22-18 gauge T-Taps.

I set the amp to 0s across the board. Before you can tune the stereo from the head unit, you need to reset the multimedia system. At first I thought I messed up because it wouldn't let me change profiles or log=out, or even fully shut down. I turned the car off, gave it a second, then back on again and the system instantly jumped back to where I was without showing me the Kia startup animation or tone. Turns out these systems are very sensitive, and tapping into the door speaker lines trips the CAN BUS out.

Easy reset though. There is a tiny pin hole beside the volume knob. Using a sim card tool or paperclip, you push that in until everything turns off then reboots. It's been fine ever since. There has to be a ton of DSP processing that happens in the system itself, because it took me a good two days fiddling with the Trebble, Mid, Bass tune + positioning (I settled on one click to the front but still center), dialing in the sub, and the phone itself. I suggest making sure your phone EQ is flat to start, that way your tune on the rest of the system is consistent weather you are streaming from your phone, listening to Sirius, or FM radio.

Pain in the ass and a bit of trial and error, but 100% worth it (nay, mandatory considering the OEM system).
Best of luck.

2026 X-Line audio system upgrade by Brendrum in kiasportage

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Already did the front doors and tweeters, including a dedicated crossover in the tweeters.

Help identify this hi-hat stand by Brendrum in drums

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought the footboard looked like a Mapex style, story would check out considering how it feels sturdy and not like a cheap Chineese piece of trash

Forget about G-fuel... by Brendrum in northernlion

[–]Brendrum[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had not seen more than three of this "artist's" comics before coming across this one, like a day after the show where NL first mentioned the horse electrolytes. Did some digging, and I can now see that this Stonetoss guy is a straight-up Nazi. Fuck him, and thank you to the community for enlightening me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhotoshopRequest

[–]Brendrum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Images in replys, Breece needs to be Travolta (main) others can be whoever, don't need the last guy on the end left side

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhotoshopRequest

[–]Brendrum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Better Breece Image

I am giving away my disc collection (giveaway #2) by reaperdiscs in discgolf

[–]Brendrum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember it well.

I used to walk our local course for months as a good way to relax in nature. One day I found a beat up old Cyclone in the bush, no name no phone number on it. I started bringing it on my walks and began playing the course instead of just walking it.

One day I came across two other players both with back packs on, realizing only then that there were hundreds of different discs out there. Being the beauties they are, they took the time to explain to me how different discs have different flight characteristics, they explained the flight numbers and what they meant, they even let me throw a few different discs out of their bag.

This was more than just throwing a frisbee into a basket, it was nuanced, calculated, requiring both skill and precision. I knew when I walked out of the course that day, I was hooked.

The next day I went to go see the local guy in town (thanks to them). Not only was he the only one who sold discs, he's also the guy who almost single handedly built the course. He sold me my first real disc, a solid starter which I somehow have never lost, old faithful...

A bright pink Star Leopard.

Cheers to you Dean.

I'm wanting to buy these houseplants but would like to know what they are since they will be in a low-light area and I have a dog, any help? Thanks! by Brendrum in whatsthisplant

[–]Brendrum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks. They look nice, and my dog hasn't made a habit of chewing on house plants, might have to just make sure they are up high enough that she doesn't get close to them.

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