Harman Kardon HKS 3 User Manual

HKS 3 Surround Loudspeakers  
OWNER’S MANUAL  
®
Power for the Digital Revolution  
Introduction  
Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity receiv-  
er fifty years ago. With state-of-the-art features  
and time-honored circuit designs, the HKS 3 is a  
perfect complement to a Harman Kardon receiv-  
er or any home theater system.  
Introduction  
Included  
Thank you for purchasing the Harman Kardon  
HKS 3, with which you’re about to begin many  
years of listening enjoyment. The HKS 3 has  
been custom-designed to provide all the excite-  
ment and power of the cinema experience in  
your own living room.  
I Matched Pair of Loudspeakers for Use  
in Multichannel Applications  
I Speakers Are Magnetically Shielded  
for Flexible Placement Near Video  
Monitors  
The HKS 3 loudspeakers are suitable for upgrad-  
ing almost any 5.1 home theater system to 7.1  
channels when used with a 7.1-channel receiver  
or processor and any necessary additional ampli-  
fiers.  
Two satellites for left, right and surrounds  
(shown with included shelf stands attached)  
I Three-Inch Driver  
I One-Half-Inch Balanced-Dome Tweeter  
I Metal-Wire-Mesh Grille  
I Elegant Cabinet  
To obtain maximum enjoyment from your new  
speakers, we urge you to take a few minutes to  
read through this manual. This will ensure that  
connections to your receiver or preamp/proces-  
sor and amplifier or other external devices are  
made properly. In addition, a few minutes spent  
learning the functions of understanding the  
setup options will enable you to take advantage  
of all the power and refinement the HKS 3 is  
able to deliver.  
I Shelf Stands, Wall-Mount Brackets and  
Color-Coded Speaker Cables Are  
Included  
Two wall-mount brackets  
I May Be Used With Optional Floor  
Stands  
If you have any questions about this product, its  
installation or operation, please contact your  
dealer, the best local source of information.  
Two 12-meter speaker cables for connection  
from receiver to speakers.  
Description and Features  
The HKS 3 is a pair of 2-way satellite speakers  
for use in a home theater system. The HKS 3  
speakers are identical to the satellites in the  
Harman Kardon HKTS 7 system, and are  
designed to be used with the HKTS 7 in a com-  
plete 7.1-channel home theater. Color-coded  
speaker cables are included to facilitate  
installing the speakers in the surround back left  
and right positions.  
Shelf stands and wall-mount brackets are includ-  
ed for the satellite speakers, and optional HTFS 2  
floor stands are available separately from your  
Harman Kardon dealer.  
INTRODUCTION 3  
Speaker Placement  
Color-Coding System  
Satellites and Surrounds  
The HKS 3 and the HKTS 7 use the channel  
color-coding system established by the Con-  
sumer Electronics Association to make setting up  
your home theater speaker system as easy as  
possible. Your system includes a set of colored  
stickers that may be placed near the speaker ter-  
minals of each of the satellite speakers. In addi-  
tion, the included speaker wires have colored  
bands at each end to assist you in connecting  
them correctly. Use the brown sticker and cable  
for the Surround Back Left speaker, and the tan  
sticker and cable for the Surround Back Right  
speaker. Although the wires included with  
your HKS 3 speakers are color-coded for the Sur-  
round Back Left and Right channels, they are  
interchangeable with the wires supplied with the  
HKTS 7 system. It doesn’t matter which satellite  
speaker is used for any of the front or rear posi-  
tions. (The center speaker and powered sub-  
woofer of the HKTS 7 are already color-coded.)  
1.5-1.8 m  
5
-6 ft.  
The satellite speakers may be placed on a shelf.  
When Used as Front Speakers  
Front speakers should be placed the same dis-  
tance from each other as they are from the lis-  
tening position. They should be placed at about  
the same height from the floor as the listeners’  
ears, or they may be angled toward the listeners.  
When Used as Surround Speakers  
For 5.1-channel applications, the two surround  
speakers should be placed slightly behind the lis-  
tening position and, ideally, should face each  
other and be at a level higher than the listeners’  
ears. If that is not possible, they may be placed  
on a wall behind the listening position, facing  
forward.  
They may be wall-mounted using the supplied  
brackets.  
In 7.1-channel systems, place the side surround  
speakers slightly behind the listening position, as  
shown in the diagram to the left. The surround  
back speakers should be placed on the rear wall,  
facing forward, the same distance apart as the  
main front speakers.  
In 6.1-channel systems, you may use a pair of  
HKS 3 speakers for the surround back speakers  
in place of a single rear center speaker. Using  
two speakers will provide a more diffuse sur-  
round effect, and will also increase the total  
sound output for the surround back channel  
without overworking any individual speaker.  
Place the two speakers on the rear wall the  
same distance apart as each speaker is from the  
listener, but at least four feet apart.  
Surround Speakers  
The surround back speakers in a 6.1- or 7.1-  
channel system should be placed at the same  
height as the surround speakers, about 1.5 to  
1.8 meter above the floor.  
The surround speakers should not call attention  
to themselves. Experiment with their placement  
until you hear a diffuse, ambient sound accom-  
panying the main-program material heard in the  
front speakers.  
Side Surround Speakers  
Surround Back Speakers  
(7.1-Channel System)  
Surround Back Speakers  
(6.1-Channel System)  
(place at least 1.2m apart)  
4 SPEAKER PLACEMENT  
Mounting Options  
The wall-mounted speaker may be pivoted from  
side to side; however, the bracket is not  
designed to tilt up or down, and attempting to  
tilt it will damage the bracket and possibly the  
wall, which would not be covered by your war-  
ranty.  
Wall-Mounting  
Wires to Speaker  
Unscrew the bolt that attaches the black shelf  
stand to the bottom of the speaker. Store the  
stand and bolt in a safe place in case they are  
needed for a future installation.  
Terminal Cover  
Wall  
Wire  
From  
Wall  
Plate  
Overhead  
View  
Remove  
Stand  
The bracket has two openings on top: a round  
screw hole, and an arc-shaped opening in front  
of it. The speaker cable should be threaded  
through the arc-shaped opening, not the screw  
hole.  
15mm  
23mm  
or 3/4"  
or 1/2"  
(M6–1.25P  
or 1/4"–20)  
Attach the bracket to the wall plate by inserting  
the tab at the top of the attachment plate into  
the slot on top of the bracket and snapping the  
bracket onto the attachment plate.  
Thread the cable through the round opening in  
the terminal cover, and then insert the speaker  
wires into the terminals on the underside of the  
speaker, remembering to observe the correct  
polarity (see page 6).  
Wall Plate  
Mount the wall-bracket attachment plate on the  
wall in the desired location.  
Place the terminal cover over the opening on the  
underside of the speaker so that it fits flush  
against the speaker and covers the terminals,  
with its round opening exposing the threaded  
insert. The bracket fits through the round open-  
ing in the terminal cover.  
If possible, position the speakers so that the  
mounting screws (not included; use size #8) may  
be installed directly into a wooden wall stud.  
If that is not possible, use optional wall anchors  
that are rated to support at least twenty-five  
pounds. The customer is responsible for  
proper selection and use of mounting  
hardware, available through hardware  
stores, to properly and safely wall-mount  
the speakers.  
Referring to the speaker connection instructions  
on page 6, thread the appropriate speaker cable  
through the opening in the bottom of the  
attachment plate, and then through the back of  
the bracket as shown in the diagram.  
Wall Bracket  
Insert the supplied bracket bolt up through the  
bottom of the bracket and terminal cover, and  
screw it into the threaded insert on the under-  
side of the speaker. The bolt should be snug, but  
not so tight as to prevent the bracket from  
pivoting.  
MOUNTING OPTIONS 5  
Speaker Connections  
Although the HKS 3 speakers may be placed in  
the front, side surround or surround back posi-  
tions, the speaker wires provided with the sys-  
tem have been color-coded brown for the sur-  
round back left speaker and tan for the surround  
back right speaker. When used with the HKTS 7  
system, it is recommended that you maintain the  
color-coding system for all cables to simplify  
setup, and to ensure that each wire in a channel  
pair (e.g., front left and right) is the same length  
as its partner.  
Speaker-Level Connection Guide  
Configuring Your Receiver or  
Processor  
IMPORTANT NOTE: Before making speaker  
connections, be certain that your receiver or  
audio power amplifier is turned off and prefer-  
ably unplugged from its AC power source.  
Many receivers and processors feature program-  
mable bass-management capability, which  
allows the component to output the lowest fre-  
quencies (the bass information) exclusively to a  
separate subwoofer speaker, or to a main speak-  
er that is capable of handling low frequencies, or  
sometimes to both. During the setup process you  
will be asked to specify whether the speaker for  
a given channel is “Large” or “Small.” The terms  
“Large” and “Small” do not refer to physical  
size, but to the size of the frequency range the  
speaker is capable of handling. When configur-  
ing your receiver or processor for the channels  
where HKS 3 speakers are being used, select  
“Small.”  
Speakers and electronics terminals have  
corresponding (+) and (–) terminals. Most man-  
ufacturers of speakers and electronics, including  
Harman Kardon, use red to denote the (+)  
terminal and black for the (–) terminal.  
The (+) lead of the speaker wire is indicated  
with a stripe and has the colored band  
corresponding to the speaker’s position. It is  
important to connect all speakers identically: (+)  
on the speaker to (+) on the amplifier and (–) on  
the speaker to (–) on the amplifier. Wiring “out  
of phase” results in thin sound, weak bass and a  
poor stereo image.  
With the advent of multichannel surround-sound  
systems, connecting all of the speakers in your  
system with the correct polarity remains equally  
important in order to preserve the proper  
ambience and directionality of the program  
material.  
Newer Harman Kardon receivers conform to the  
CEA standard and therefore use a color other  
than red or black for the (+) terminal to indicate  
some speaker positions: e.g., blue for surround  
left positive (+). However, the black terminal will  
always be the negative (–) connection. Please  
see the owner’s guide for your AVR Series receiv-  
er for further details.  
To connect the supplied speaker wires to the  
satellite speaker terminals located on the bottom  
of each speaker, press the red or black tab, insert  
the bare end of the wire into the hole, and  
release the tab. Gently tug on the wire to make  
sure that it is fully inserted.  
Left Speaker  
Right Speaker  
+
+
Left  
Right  
+
+
Front-, Surround- or Surround Back-Channel  
Receiver/Amplifier Output  
6 SPEAKER CONNECTIONS  
Troubleshooting  
If there is no sound from  
any of the speakers:  
• Check that receiver/amplifier is on and a source is playing.  
• Check all wires and connections between receiver/amplifier and speakers. Make sure all wires  
are connected. Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed, cut or punctured.  
• Review proper operation of your receiver/amplifier.  
If there is no sound coming  
from one speaker:  
• Check the “Balance” control on your receiver/amplifier.  
• Check all wires and connections between receiver/ amplifier and speakers. Make sure all wires are  
connected. Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed, cut or punctured.  
• In Dolby Digital or DTS® modes, make sure that the receiver/processor is configured so that the  
speaker in question is enabled.  
• In Dolby Digital or DTS mode, check the speaker and channel output levels and adjust if needed.  
• Turn off all electronics and switch the speaker in question with one of the other speakers that  
is working correctly. Turn everything back on, and determine whether the problem is in the  
same place: i.e., the speaker that was working previously now has no sound and the speaker  
that was not working now sounds fine; or whether it has moved: i.e., the speaker that was  
not working still has no sound and the speaker that was working is still fine. If the problem is in  
the same place, the source of the problem is most likely with your receiver or amplifier, and you  
should consult the owner’s manual for that product for further information. If the problem has  
followed the speaker, consult your dealer for further assistance or, if that is not possible,  
If the system plays at low volumes  
but shuts off as volume is  
increased:  
• Check all wires and connections between receiver/ amplifier and speakers.  
Make sure all wires are connected.  
Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed, cut or punctured.  
• If more than one pair of main speakers is being used, check the minimum impedance  
requirements of your receiver/amplifier.  
If there is low (or no) bass  
output:  
• Make sure the connections to the left and right “Speaker Inputs” have the correct polarity (+ and –).  
• Consider adding a powered subwoofer to your system.  
If there is no sound from the  
surround speakers:  
• Check all wires and connections between receiver/ amplifier and speakers.  
Make sure all wires are connected. Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed,  
cut or punctured.  
• Review proper operation of your receiver/amplifier and its surround-sound features.  
• Make sure the movie or TV show you are watching is recorded in a surround-sound mode.  
If it is not, check to see if your receiver/ amplifier has other surround modes you may use.  
• In Dolby Digital or DTS® modes, make sure your receiver/processor is configured so that the  
surround speakers are enabled.  
• Review the operation of your DVD player and the jacket of your DVD to make sure that the  
DVD features the desired Dolby Digital or DTS® mode, and that you have properly selected that  
mode using both the DVD player’s menu and the DVD disc’s menu.  
TROUBLESHOOTING 7  
Specifications  
Satellites  
Recommended Power  
10 – 80 Watts  
Impedance  
8 Ohms nominal  
Frequency Response  
110Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)  
Sensitivity  
86dB @ 1 Watt/1 meter  
Tweeter  
One 1/2" dome, video-shielded  
Midrange  
One 3" driver, video-shielded  
Dimensions (H x W x D)  
167mm x 100mm x 92mm  
Weight  
0.6kg  
All features and specifications are subject to change without notice.  
Harman Kardon and Power for the Digital Revolution are registered trademarks  
of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.  
* Trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.  
DTS is a registered trademark of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.  
250 Crossways Park Drive, Woodbury, New York 11797  
Harman Consumer International:  
2, Route de Tours, 72500 Château-du-Loir, France  
© 2004 Harman Kardon, Incorporated  
Part 406-000-05024  

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