HK Front center audio distortion?

[thecob]

Hi all, I just picked up my SX earlier today and just got around to playing some music on the HK included with the car. I noticed that on most songs, the front center speaker would get distorted sound cracking with anything over low-medium volume. This seemed to get worse when the mid's are raised, but it is consistent and no setting changes gets rid of it. I was wondering if anyone else with the HK system was experiencing a similar issue.

 

[Bear]

Hi all, I just picked up my SX earlier today and just got around to playing some music on the HK included with the car. I noticed that on most songs, the front center speaker would get distorted sound cracking with anything over low-medium volume. This seemed to get worse when the mid's are raised, but it is consistent and no setting changes gets rid of it. I was wondering if anyone else with the HK system was experiencing a similar issue.

Sounds to me like a speaker problem. I can crank the volume pretty loud without any distortions on HK Telluride SX. Being a long time audiophile, I find that the system is well balanced with crisp sound. I've ran a signal generator through the system as a test.

 

[Bear]

Sounds to me like a speaker problem. I can crank the volume pretty loud without any distortions on HK Telluride SX. Being a long time audiophile, I find that the system is well balanced with crisp sound. I've ran a signal generator through the system as a test.

I should of said a sound generator. Started at 10HZ to 20KHZ.

 

[rkyle]

I picked up a 2021 SX last weekend and had the exact same issue. Center speaker crackling at med volume, especially during vocals and audiobooks. On the third day I had the car I noticed the distortion was GONE! I believe there is sound coming from the speaker so I cant tell if its partially dying or somehow fixed itself. Any ideas? I'd rather not take it in if this can be attributed to a software update or "newness" of the speaker.

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[jw_tx21]

I picked up a 2021 SX last weekend and had the exact same issue. Center speaker crackling at med volume, especially during vocals and audiobooks. On the third day I had the car I noticed the distortion was GONE! I believe there is sound coming from the speaker so I cant tell if its partially dying or somehow fixed itself. Any ideas? I'd rather not take it in if this can be attributed to a software update or "newness" of the speaker.

There is now a TSB for this. I'd get it checked out if distortion continues.

 

[Schlegel]

There is now a TSB for this. I'd get it checked out if distortion continues.

I find this when I connect my phone via USB and play songs that way. This distortion happens on my 2020 KIA Sportage. If I unplug the USB and plug it back in the problem goes away. But next time I plug it in, same thing. Didn't happen on my 2017 KIA Sportage, but it happens on the 2020 all the time. Maybe a KIA issue across other models. Just telling you what I found.

 

[Pop1]

2021 Kia Telluride SX nightfall edition - distorted front center speaker. Distortion happens on all inputs FM, AM, XM, usb mp3, and bluetooth. Was all good for first 5k miles then distortion started. Has anyone gotten this fixed? Was speaker replacement required?

 

[JohnnyV]

I have the same problem. Front center speaker has distorted sound similar to a blown speaker. I just removed the cover from the top of the dashboard. It’s secured with 9 hidden internal clips that pop out/up. From what I can tell, it seems to be a glue separation issue around the outer rim of the cone. Without a sufficiently glued connection around the entire perimeter, it makes a grindy distortion sound as sound vibrations ‘rub’ against the paper siding instead of being glued together.
I just ordered a replacement for $101 including shipping. List price is $140 without shipping. I’ll just replace it myself even though it’s under factory warranty. I don’t need the hassle of the local dealership.

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[dugnichols]

Hopefully this fixes your issue. I experienced same issue (sounded like center speaker distorting, super noticeable with dialogue/voice calls) and after several trips to the dealer finally diagnosed it as a fault in the Amp. It took several visits with specific tests performed each time at instruction of Kia HQ.

 

[Schlegel]

I have the same problem. Front center speaker has distorted sound similar to a blown speaker. I just removed the cover from the top of the dashboard. It’s secured with 9 hidden internal clips that pop out/up. From what I can tell, it seems to be a glue separation issue around the outer rim of the cone. Without a sufficiently glued connection around the entire perimeter, it makes a grindy distortion sound as sound vibrations ‘rub’ against the paper siding instead of being glued together.View attachment 22954
I just ordered a replacement for $101 including shipping. List price is $140 without shipping. I’ll just replace it myself even though it’s under factory warranty. I don’t need the hassle of the local dealership.

No third party substitutions?

 

[Pop1]

Since the distortion magically disappeared in my Telluride I started looking a little deeper since a loose or blown speaker didn't make any sense.
Turns out you can reboot the entertainment system by pushing the reset button on the dash. It is a small hole that take a pin to push. Some web forums recommend periodically rebooting the entertainment system in any modern vehicle. The process is different for each vehicle.
At any rate I have not had the speaker distortion return in my Telluride.

 

[AN0MA10US]

I have the same problem. Front center speaker has distorted sound similar to a blown speaker. I just removed the cover from the top of the dashboard. It’s secured with 9 hidden internal clips that pop out/up. From what I can tell, it seems to be a glue separation issue around the outer rim of the cone. Without a sufficiently glued connection around the entire perimeter, it makes a grindy distortion sound as sound vibrations ‘rub’ against the paper siding instead of being glued together.View attachment 22954
I just ordered a replacement for $101 including shipping. List price is $140 without shipping. I’ll just replace it myself even though it’s under factory warranty. I don’t need the hassle of the local dealership.

Can you tell me what tools you used to remove the plastic panel covering the speaker?

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[Buck]

Since the distortion magically disappeared in my Telluride I started looking a little deeper since a loose or blown speaker didn't make any sense.
Turns out you can reboot the entertainment system by pushing the reset button on the dash. It is a small hole that take a pin to push. Some web forums recommend periodically rebooting the entertainment system in any modern vehicle. The process is different for each vehicle.
At any rate I have not had the speaker distortion return in my Telluride.

I’m getting the same speaker replaced as we speak. We’ll see if the issue continues after replacement.