Kia Sorento Rear Side Panel Speaker Size
The Kia Sorento rear side panel accommodates an 8 inch speaker size as well as 6.5 inch and 6x9 inch speakers. Compatible types across these locations include woofer, midbass, and full-range units. These specifications cover the 2014 to 2017 model years.
| Year | Type | Size (inch) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2016 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2014 | Midbass / Full-Range | 6.5 |
| 2014 | Full-Range | 6x9 |
Speaker Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Midbass | A driver tuned for upper bass and lower midrange, roughly from 80 Hz to 500 Hz. It has longer cone travel than a full-range unit, which supports stronger bass in doors and panels. |
| Woofer | A larger driver for low frequencies, typically from about 40 Hz up to 1,000 Hz. It delivers most of the bass and lower midrange in a door or panel speaker system. |
| Full-Range | A single driver that reproduces bass through treble without a separate crossover network. It is the simplest replacement option and is common in factory audio systems. |
Additional Notes
- The rear side panel location in the Kia Sorento is a dedicated enclosure positioned along the interior side walls toward the rear of the cabin, a placement that physically distances the speaker from the primary listening area and influences both bass development and stereo imaging.
- An 8-inch driver in the rear side panel of the 2016-2017 Kia Sorento occupies a mounting space large enough to move the cone area and air volume necessary for extended low-frequency reproduction, typically reaching usable output down to 40-60 Hz depending on cone design and enclosure conditions.
- The woofer type designation assigned to the 8-inch rear side panel position indicates a driver optimized for bass-range reproduction rather than midrange clarity or high-frequency extension, functioning as a low-end reinforcement source within the cabin.
- A woofer in a rear side panel location relies on the structural cavity behind the panel to act as an informal enclosure, and the acoustic behavior of the driver is shaped in part by the volume and damping material present within that cavity.
- The 6.5-inch mounting option listed for the 2014 Kia Sorento rear side panel represents a smaller cone area than the 8-inch position, which shifts the driver's natural operating range upward, typically spanning from around 80 Hz into the upper midrange frequencies above 5 kHz when used as a full-range driver.
- The midbass designation associated with the 6.5-inch position in the 2014 rear side panel describes a driver tuned to handle the frequency band between deep bass and the midrange, generally covering approximately 80 Hz to 500 Hz, supporting punch and lower vocal body without extending to the extremes of the audio spectrum.
- Full-range compatibility listed for the 6.5-inch size in the 2014 model indicates the mounting location and cutout dimensions can also accept a driver designed to reproduce the full audible spectrum from a single cone, relying on cone breakup or a dust cap to extend response into higher frequencies.
- The 6x9-inch oval format listed for the 2014 rear side panel requires an elongated cutout distinct from the round 6.5-inch opening, meaning the 2014 Kia Sorento rear side panel carried a mounting configuration that could accommodate either a round or an oval driver geometry.
- A 6x9-inch oval driver produces a larger effective radiating area than a 6.5-inch round driver, which increases low-frequency displacement and allows fuller bass reproduction from the same general mounting depth, making the oval format effective as a full-range driver with stronger bass output.
- The full-range type designation shared by both the 6.5-inch and 6x9-inch positions in the 2014 model means both sizes were installed in a location where a single driver was expected to handle the entire audible spectrum without the assistance of a dedicated tweeter at that mounting point.
- The rear side panel position, regardless of driver size, places the speaker at a lateral angle relative to rear passengers, which affects soundstage directionality and means high-frequency dispersion characteristics of the installed driver type have a direct impact on tonal balance at the listening position.