Under-Seat Subwoofer Issues

[davebo]

But for some odd reason they keep the visible grates under the seats where the subs belong in the GT1 and GT2. Not sure what would be involved in getting subs installed down there if you wanted them.

 

[AV8R]

But for some odd reason they keep the visible grates under the seats where the subs belong in the GT1 and GT2. Not sure what would be involved in getting subs installed down there if you wanted them.

Well you can have the hole but it doesn’t mean it’s got a speaker! I would be concerned if it’s too loud as you don’t want the hatch rattling!

 

[Marc Collins]

Well you can have the hole but it doesn’t mean it’s got a speaker! I would be concerned if it’s too loud as you don’t want the hatch rattling!

No fear of that! The subs could best be described as "subtle."

 

[WildBill]

But for some odd reason they keep the visible grates under the seats where the subs belong in the GT1 and GT2. Not sure what would be involved in getting subs installed down there if you wanted them.

I personally am underwhelmed with the bass in the factory HK system even with the two 8" subs. I think that you can do a lot better. The down side is that you need to give up at least a little space in the hatch.

I've only had the car for a week and a half so maybe that missing 90% will magically appear at some point ;-)

 

[AV8R]

Be patient Obiwan the force is working!

 

[Onno P]

Reading all your comment I come to the conclusion that the only thing you need to have a more pronounced bass thump is the ability to change the cross-over freq setting. It is set up as a hifi-sub, just producing the frequencies the door speakers can’t handle but a lot of you would love to get the sub going up to the 70-80Hz.
Even with new woofers you would still need a change in the cross-over freq to produce the thump....

 

[WildBill]

That would be a good start. The other thing I'm not sure about is the enclosure volume and how it might limit the throw of the speaker. Given that they are flush with the floor it does not look like there is really any enclosure. But I really don't know how they may have it engineered.

All I know is that the single 8" rear deck-lid sub in my last Subaru with the HK system hit harder than these two 8" under seat subs.

 

[Marc Collins]

Reading all your comment I come to the conclusion that the only thing you need to have a more pronounced bass thump is the ability to change the cross-over freq setting. It is set up as a hifi-sub, just producing the frequencies the door speakers can’t handle but a lot of you would love to get the sub going up to the 70-80Hz.
Even with new woofers you would still need a change in the cross-over freq to produce the thump....

It's not just that. Even when playing the lowest frequencies, the door speakers are vibrating out of their mounts and the subs are barely producing any bass. They are configured for very subtle operation...just adding a bit of overall deep bass to the sound stage. You are correct that they are set-up like a hi-fi home stereo--to be "invisible" to the listener. I am afraid that's not what most people want in a car system that is otherwise mid-range quality and plagued with car and road noise defeating any hi-fi purposes. At least there should be an option to crank up the subs operation (with the bass slider, obviously) for those who want that.

My assessment is that there is too much harsh treble in the system, even with Treble slider set to the lowest point, and definitely too much at middle, where it should be. The bass is the opposite. The subs do not come-in as expected, even when the Bass is at max.

Bass at maximum sounds closer to where it should sound at minimum.
Treble at minimum sounds closer to where it should sound at maximum.

 

[Ucinn]

Does the 9-speaker have subs?

Yes it does. I have the 9 speaker GT and they do work. You can hook up your phone bluetooth and do a subwoofer test video from youtube and you will see they work. Problem is the crossover is too low to use them on all sources. They do nothing on FM and sirius, but they do pretty good on bluetooth and USB.

 

[scharn]

Yes it does. I have the 9 speaker GT and they do work. You can hook up your phone bluetooth and do a subwoofer test video from youtube and you will see they work. Problem is the crossover is too low to use them on all sources. They do nothing on FM and sirius, but they do pretty good on bluetooth and USB.

So what speakers are the 9 speaker versions missing from the 15 one?

 

[CO-bound]

Here's something that helped me, and will work for those of you that also stream via BT; I downloaded a bass boost app that also has an equalizer. It made a BIG difference one both stored tracks and music streamed from YouTube.

Worth a shot if you're unhappy with the bass output of the HK.

 

[AV8R]

Structural audio? Go to 4 mins 35 sec

 

[WildBill]

Excellent find. Not sure if he was saying that the woofers were ported into the frame thereby using the boxed in frame rail as the enclosure or if it is just mounted solidly to the frame and therefore the little 8" woofer cone is trying to make the car do a bunny hop with each beat of the kick drum?

I've measured out the sides of the rear hatch and it looks like you could easily add low enclosure volume sub like a Solo Baric 8 or 10 in each side without loosing much if any of the main cargo space. I was thinking of making an enclosure similar to these. instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Fiberglass-Subwoofer-Box (Why the heck do they make it so difficult to embed links here )

Would just need to find out how to get a clean signal for an amp. One that hopefully is not high power and isn't limited to 50 Hz. From what I see the music signal comes from the head unit to the amp via CAN bus. So that's not too promising.

 

[WildBill]

I missed this thread. A commercial product is already available, albeit an expensive one.
stingerforum.org/threads/importshark-new-jl-audio-stealth-subwoofer.5092/
Is this a new member thing where I can't post a hyperlink? It's to a post in the same damn forum

At least I know that it can be done.
I still wonder what you tap into for signal...

 

[WildBill]

How about this?

@AV8R You posted a schematic that gave the pinout of what looks to be the base audio amplifier. The HK is X'd out and page 3 which looks like it would have the HK amplifier pinout is missing. Any chance that you have that info somewhere?

I'm new to Kia ownership, I take it all this information is available on KGIS if I pay for a day?

 

[Sensibly Spirited Driver]

Sorry, didn't realize you had a different system to me. I was going to say that despite liking the subtlety and artistry that went into the surround options, I have now disabled them precisely because they do add even more brightness/harshness to the treble I have to give up the benefits of the surround (which in a car are nice...wouldn't use it for serious listening in a quiet environment) to be able to tolerate the sound quality for any length of time. Of course and as expected, the output varies quite a bit depending on what music you are listening to. I happened to play a succession of albums that revealed the downside of the surround a lot more than what I had heard earlier. I just can't be bothered turning it on and off for individual albums, even though for some it's OK. It's difficult enough just finding the music I want on the USB stick with the ridiculously bad sorting, scrolling and searching interface.

On the bright side, pun intended, the highs have been softening considerably on the road trip. My AKG k240's sounded quite bad for the first several hours, then quite good by the two week mark, and really good after three months. When I got my second pair of k240's, and read reviews saying the Chinese re-release wasn't as good, I compared them with my European made ones. By the three month mark, the Chinese made ones sounded identical, and matched the same break-in period I remembered from my first k240's. They are truly a steal at $60-70, and it was a dream come true when AKG re-released them (Cosmo velvet pads are a must, though). I suppose there is no reason regular speakers would be different...they are just larger. So, that's quite a relief, pretty huge actually. The bass is quite strong, and I'd be surprised if there weren't subwoofers in the car. I know the MOBIS amp has subwoofer outs. I'm curious if there are some Saab-style hidden subs in the car. Either way, there is more than enough bass for me. Now that the highs are getting tame, and are losing their crystalline quality (either that or I'm losing my hearing from them), the stereo is becoming perfectly serviceable. The suspension is stiffening up as it settles, too, which is welcome.

 

[CDv6]

Is this a new member thing where I can't post a hyperlink?

Try editing your post, and add the http:// at the beginning. It should automatically create the hyperlink for you. If that doesn't work, highlight the entire URL, click the chain icon in the editor bar, then insert the full URL (including the http part).

 

[CDv6]

Here's something that helped me, and will work for those of you that also stream via BT; I downloaded a bass boost app that also has an equalizer. It made a BIG difference one both stored tracks and music streamed from YouTube.

Worth a shot if you're unhappy with the bass output of the HK.

Can you provide a link? Does this work with your native music/steaming player, or does the app serve as a replacement player?

 

[Cajun]

Ok guys so my Stinger is like many, no sound from the subs. I brought it to my dealer to check them and they said they were working. My service adviser said the tech told her they are small and don’t make much sound.....I laughed!! I told her I ave a Jeep with two 6 1/2 basuka subs on a 500 watt amp that’ll knock your socks off. She didn’t know what to say. Today I contacted HK themselves and explained my issue. They said someone will be calling me within 24 hours. Something else I noticed was my amp was hot! I pulled the trim off to check things out and man I shit when I touched the amp. Keep in mind the car was in a garage and the radio not on for 2 or more hours. I shot the amp with a temp gun and it was well over 100 degrees. I told them this as well and they agreed it was not normal. I’ll keep your guys posted once I hear back from them.

 

[AV8R]

Ok guys so my Stinger is like many, no sound from the subs. I brought it to my dealer to check them and they said they were working. My service adviser said the tech told her they are small and don’t make much sound.....I laughed!! I told her I ave a Jeep with two 6 1/2 basuka subs on a 500 watt amp that’ll knock your socks off. She didn’t know what to say. Today I contacted HK themselves and explained my issue. They said someone will be calling me within 24 hours. Something else I noticed was my amp was hot! I pulled the trim off to check things out and man I shit when I touched the amp. Keep in mind the car was in a garage and the radio not on for 2 or more hours. I shot the amp with a temp gun and it was well over 100 degrees. I told them this as well and they agreed it was not normal. I’ll keep your guys posted once I hear back from them.

Did you read this whole thread? It takes time for the subwoofers to limber up so to speak. Mine were the same but they are great now but don’t expect a butt bumping experience as that is not what they were designed to do. Heat is also normal from the amp.