Harman Kardon HKS 3 User manual

HKS 3
LOUDSPEAKERS
OWNER’S MANUAL
Power for the Digital Revolution.
®
®

2INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
2Introduction
3Speaker Placement
3Color-Coding System
4Mounting Options
5Speaker Connections
5Connection Guide
5Configuring Your Receiver
or Processor
6Troubleshooting
7Specifications
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Harman Kardon
HKS 3 loudspeakers, with which you are
about to begin many years of listening enjoy-
ment. The HKS 3 has been custom-designed
to provide high-fidelity audio reproduction of
your favorite music and movie selections. 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 amplifiers.
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 amplifier
are made properly. In addition, a few minutes
spent understanding the setup options will
enable you to take advantage of all the power
and refinement the HKS 3 is able to deliver.
If you have any questions about this product,
its installation or operation, please contact
your dealer, the best local source of information.
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 complete 7.1-channel
home theater. Color-coded speaker cables
are included to facilitate installing the
speakers in the surround back left and
right positions.
Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity
receiver 50 years ago. The HKS 3 is a
perfect complement to a Harman Kardon
receiver or any home theater system.
■Matched Pair of Loudspeakers for
Use in Multichannel Applications
■Speakers Are Magnetically Shielded
for Flexible Placement Near Video
Monitors
■Three-Inch Driver
■One-Half-Inch Balanced-Dome
Tweeter
■Metal-Wire-Mesh Grille
■Elegant Cabinet
■Shelf Stands, Wall-Mount Brackets
and Color-Coded Speaker Cables
Are Included
■May Be Used With Optional Floor
Stands
Included
Two satellites for left/right front, surround,
or surround back channels, shown with
included shelf stands
Two 40' speaker cables for connection
from receiver or amplifier to speakers
Two wall-mount brackets

Color-Coding System
The HKS 3 and the HKTS 7 use the channel
color-coding system established by the
Consumer Electronics Association to make
setting up your home theater speaker sys-
tem as easy as possible. Your system
includes a set of colored stickers that may
be placed near the speaker terminals of
each of the
satellite speakers. In addition, 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
Surround 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 positions. (The center speaker
and powered subwoofer of the HKTS 7 are
already color-coded.)
When Used as Front Speakers
Front speakers should be placed the same
distance from each other as they are from
the listening 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 listening 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.
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 surround effect, and will also
increase the total sound output for the
surround back channel without overworking
any individual speaker. Place the two speak-
ers on the rear wall the same distance apart
as each speaker is from the listener, but at
least four feet apart.
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
5 to 6 feet above the floor.
The surround speakers should not call
attention to themselves. Experiment with their
placement until you hear a diffuse, ambient
sound accompanying the main-program
material heard in the front speakers.
SPEAKER PLACEMENT 3
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Surround Speakers
Surround Back Speakers
(7.1-Channel System)
Side Surround Speakers
Surround Back Speakers
(6.1-Channel System)
(place at least 4 feet apart)
5– 6 ft.

4MOUNTING OPTIONS
MOUNTING OPTIONS
They may be wall-
mounted using the
supplied brackets.
Wall-Mounting
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.
Mount the wall-
bracket attachment
plate on the wall in
the desired location.
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 instruc-
tions on page 5, 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. 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.
Attach the bracket to the wall plate by insert-
ing the tab at the top of the attachment plate
into the slot on top of the bracket and snap-
ping 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 5).
Place the terminal cover over the opening
on the underside of the speaker so that it fits
flush against the speaker and covers the ter-
minals, with its round opening exposing the
threaded insert. The bracket fits through the
round opening in the terminal cover.
Insert the supplied bracket bolt up through
the bottom of the bracket and terminal
cover, and screw it into the threaded insert
on the underside of the speaker. The bolt
should be snug, but not so tight as to
prevent the bracket from pivoting.
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 warranty.
The satellite speakers may
be placed on a shelf.
Remove
Stand
15mm
or 1/2"
Wires to Speaker
Terminal Cover
Overhead
View
Wire
From
Wall
Plate
Wall
23mm
or 3/4"
(M6–1.25P
or 1/4"–20)
Wall Bracket
Wall Plate

SPEAKER CONNECTIONS 5
Connection Guide
IMPORTANT NOTE: Before making speaker
connections, be certain that your receiver or
audio power amplifier is turned off and,
preferably, unplugged from its AC power
source.
Speakers and electronics terminals have
corresponding (+) and (–) terminals. Most
manufacturers of speakers and electronics,
including Harman Kardon, use red to
denote the (+) terminal and black for
the (–) terminal.
Newer Harman Kardon receivers conform to
the new CEA standard and therefore use a
color other than red 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 receiver for further details.
Although the HKS 3 speakers may be placed
in the front, side surround or surround back
positions, the speaker wires provided with the
system have been color-coded brown for the
surround 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.
The (+) lead of the speaker wire is noted
with a stripe. It is important to connect
both
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.
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.
Configuring Your Receiver or
Processor
Many receivers and processors feature pro-
grammable bass-management capability,
which allows the component to output the
lowest frequencies (the bass information)
exclusively to a separate subwoofer speaker,
or to a main speaker that is capable of han-
dling 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
configuring your receiver or processor for
the channels where HKS 3 speakers are
being used, select “Small.”
SPEAKER CONNECTIONS
Front-, Surround- or Surround Back-Channel
Receiver/Amplifier Output
Left Right
+
–
+
–
– + – +
Left Speaker Right Speaker

6TROUBLESHOOTING
TROUBLESHOOTING
SYMPTOM SOLUTION
If there is no sound from • Check that the receiver/amplifier is on and a source is playing.
any of the 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, and that
no wires are touching each other.
• Review proper operation of your receiver/amplifier.
If there is no sound coming from • Check the “Balance” control on your receiver/amplifier.
one speaker: • 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, and that
no wires are touching each other.
• In Dolby* Digital or DTS®mode, 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,
visit our Web site at www.harmankardon.com for further information.
If the system plays at low volumes but • Check all wires and connections between receiver/amplifier and speakers. Make sure all wires
shuts off as volume is increased: are connected. Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed, cut or punctured, and that
no wires are touching each other.
•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 polarities (+ and –) of the left and right speaker inputs are connected properly.
• Consider adding a powered subwoofer to your system.
If there is no sound from the • Check all wires and connections between receiver/amplifier and speakers. Make sure all wires
surround speakers: are connected. Make sure none of the speaker wires are frayed, cut or punctured, and that
no wires are touching each other.
• Review proper operation of your receiver/processor 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 whether your receiver/processor has other surround modes you may use.
• In Dolby Digital or DTS mode, 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.

SPECIFICATIONS 7
Recommended Power
10 – 80 watts
Impedance
8 ohms nominal
Sensitivity
86dB @ 1 watt/1 meter
Frequency Response
110Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
Tweeter
One 1/2" dome, video-shielded
Midrange
One 3" driver, video-shielded
Dimensions (Product) (Shipping)
Height 6-9/16 inches (167mm) 6-1/8 inches (156mm)
Width 3-15/16 inches (100mm) 11-5/16 inches (287mm)
Depth 3-5/8 inches (92mm) 10 inches (253mm)
Weight 1.4 lb (0.6kg) 4.4 lb (2kg)
HKS3 SPECIFICATIONS
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
516.255.HKHK (4545) Fax: [phone]
©2003 Harman International Industries, Incorporated
Printed 12/03 Part No. 406-000-00987