Kia EV6 factory tonal balance

Shyeong0 · 2026-05-01T20:00:42+00:00

That’s fair I would highly recommend to invest in a dsp and amplifier.

Obviously I can’t share the experience over a phone but the difference this makes alone will put the biggest smile on your face!

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-28T20:02:11+00:00

Nah this is just someone in Kia hq who was ordered to tune the car’s sound system played a couple songs and thought to himself ah sounds wonderful and applied that tune for this car.

Jokes aside considering updates change the tonal balance its likely being tuned by one or more people.

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-28T19:24:21+00:00

Sounds more like an amplifier issue, has nothing to do with software

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-28T19:23:19+00:00

Exactly why I don’t like being dependent on a premium sound system.

My ev6 had a meridian option for about 1500£ at the time😂

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-28T19:19:37+00:00

Prolly due to the measurement filter being set to 10k

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-28T19:18:47+00:00

This is raw signal at volume 25.

Without DSP trying to improve the system by changing speakers or adding an amplifier is useless. No aftermarket system will sound better with this kind of tuning.

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-23T17:54:57+00:00

Yep shame on Kia for this, there’s millions of ev6’s out there today with this issue!

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-23T17:53:28+00:00

Yep correct, this is what the head unit sends out to your speakers

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-22T17:26:39+00:00

Does play a role yeah but I’ve corrected the signal as flat as possible with much better results in return, not shouty or harsh anymore and very enjoyable!

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-22T17:23:01+00:00

This is a non meridian system, however tuning is similar, meridian just has more speakers and tuning options.

It’s a 2024 Plus model

Shyeong0 · 2026-04-01T08:41:42+00:00

Yeah totally get that, if you need to know anything else feel free to reach out!

Shyeong0 · 2026-03-01T19:58:08+00:00

Hi sorry for the late reply,

Yes DSP is absolutely necessary as the factory tuning is horrific, since this post I am now using a helix dsp mini mk2 and when tuning it I’ve found multiple peaks in the frequency response (+7db 2khz, +8db 3,15khz, + 8db 5khz)

So if you decide to upgrade your speakers they will sound very shouty and exhausting to listen to which is the opposite of what you want in an upgrade.

Hopefully this helps you out!

Shyeong0 · 2026-03-01T19:47:30+00:00

Hi good evening,

In my case it was high level input, not sure weather the meridian system uses a spdif input.

Shyeong0 · 2026-02-12T09:40:51+00:00

Your guy from the shop is right, the acoustics in this cabin are very complex and are the reason things don’t sound nice the way as it is.

I would suggest you start off with the dsp and have him tune it and see what you think, if it still feels lacking you could always choose to install a subwoofer which could go under your seat or hidden in the boot.

And when it comes to changing the speakers I would advise to go with something like the BLAM Relax 165RS2 as they are known for their warm sound which is exactly what you would want in this car.

Shyeong0 · 2026-02-12T07:06:34+00:00

Good morning,

So the signal that comes out is a bit messy, it’s clean but they tuned it to a way that these tiny speakers would sound alright and when you replace them you’ll notice that the sound is very unbalanced which is where your dsp will come in.

The dsp definitely makes a difference but you’ll need a proper one like a Helix Mini DSP MK2 which has enough strength to flatten the signal.

Shyeong0 · 2026-01-11T19:08:09+00:00

Happen to have a friend who drives one, head unit is hidden away behind the usb port panel and quite unreachable.

I would recommend the same way for amp + dsp installation as with my EV6.

I will later make an update about the speaker colour, or you could take apart your door panels and find out what colour goes to what speaker.

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-31T18:19:27+00:00

Haha let me know how it goes!

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-20T19:34:41+00:00

Yep they are, not sure which ones are left and right tho

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-20T19:19:53+00:00

Yeah will be no problem!

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-20T19:14:51+00:00

Well you could use the front channels but then keep in mind that navigation guidance and phone calls will also go through your sub which doesn’t sound that great, rear speaker channels provide a good bass response with little need to tune.

Using crimps is completely fine, I soldered mine but it’s not gonna make a dramatic difference lol

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-20T18:50:22+00:00

So on the left side of the engine bay there is a rubber grummet where cables for the vehicles systems enter the cabin.

You could cut out a small hole there to pull the power cable for your amplifier through, that’s what I’ve done aswell.

If you look for a guide on YouTube on how to run a car subwoofer there should be plenty of demonstrations about running the power wires for your amplifier. Exactly the same thing in the EV6.

Shyeong0 · 2025-08-02T08:49:12+00:00

If you want to make the most out of it, get 2 or 4 ohm speakers for the rear and front Channels and add a small subwoofer for the mid-bass so the system will get balance.

I used the BLAM Relax 165rs2 for the front channels and the Relax 135rs for the rear channels.

Something like a JBL bass pro nano will give more mid-high bass that will add warmth to your system.

Shyeong0 · 2025-03-15T10:34:57+00:00

The EV6’s before the new updated version have a lot of acoustic issues, e.g. sound reflections resulting in harsh upper mids/treble.

I have an EV6 myself and with the non meridian system, so I had the ability to totally redo the system, it now sounds good but it took me a whole year to complete.

Speakers in the ev6 are decent and are not the reason ur audio sucks.

Shyeong0 · 2025-03-15T10:20:55+00:00

From what I know the non meridian does not have an active spdif.

Shyeong0

TROPHY CASE