Kharma Elegance S7 User manual

ELEGANCE COLLECTION
KHARMA
S7 / S7-S
DB7 / DB7-S
DB9 / DB9-S
DB11-S
OWNER’S MANUAL

CONGRATULATIONS
Awaken your senses
You are now a Kharma Loudspeaker owner.
Your new Elegance loudspeaker system, properly
installed, will give you all the satisfaction and enjoyment
you expect from Kharma. Technically at the fore-front of
current loudspeaker design, the Elegance will reveal the
full emotional range of music and will do so with vivid
dynamics and detail. As with any high quality product,
special care must be taken to install and operate your
new speakers.
Please read this manual carefully and totally
prior to installation.
3
Important
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert
the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
Important
Warning!
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral
triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated
« dangerous voltage » within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS PRODUCT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

54
TABLE OF CONTENT
2 Safety instructions
3 Preface
5 Introduction to the Elegance Collection
6 Part list
7 Unpacking
11 Connection
12 Positioning your loudspeakers
13 Using your Kharma loudspeakers
14 Taking care of your loudspeakers
15 Specifications S7 & S7-S
16 Specifications DB7 & DB7-S
17 Specifications DB9 & DB9-S
18 Specifications DB11 & DB11-S
19 Specifications S-version
20 Warranty
The Elegance collection is succeeding the very successful
Ceramique line of high-end loudspeakers from Kharma.
The Ceramique loudspeaker line was introduced in
1998 and the use of ceramique-based drivers was the
reason for naming this series like we did.
During the past years Kharma has been researching new
technologies as how to improve and set a new standard
again to the high-end audio world. We are very proud
now to offer the very latest high-tech technologies again
in the new Elegance series. The shape of the cabinets
has been unchanged because the shape is fully functional
to the way the sound develops from the loudspeakers.
But the beauty of the design has been improved upon,
by redesigning the stand and bottom, the redesign of the
front cover and many other small design details.
The technology of the drivers however has been
significantly improved and totally renewed.
We developed a pure beryllium tweeter which at this
moment is the next best material to create the stiffness
that we want for a tweeter, for now diamond being still the
first choice. The pure-Beryllium tweeter takes the
frequency range to well above 30.000 Hz with very low
distortion. This can easily be heard in the ultra fine detail
of the high frequency output.
There is incredible transparency, but also dynamics,
ultra high resolution, increased dispersion allowing the
building of a huge stage. The heart of the speaker is
formed by the 7-inch Kharma Composite driver which
is equipped with a new cone technology developed by
Kharma.
It consists of ultra high-tech rocket science/formula1
based fibres created into a setting with optimised
behaviour for the purpose. Finite element analysis with
advanced computer systems have leaded to optimised
cone-shapes with a near perfect behaviour for a 7-inch
driver. All of these innovations are very clearly audible
in even a short listening session. Better detailed bass,
incredible detail base actually. Ultra high resolution in the
midrange depicting many layers and sound colours like in
excellent wines where the complexity of the whole history
of making the wine can be tasted in a moment. It is like
the music is coming from an inner space with an infinite
number of layering. No mp3 allowed please, give full
credit to these wonders.
The new Elegance collection is as powerful as can be
imagined with very large linear excursions for extended
bass and at the same time the new magnet-motor
management system is keeping the midrange clear by not
getting distorted by the large currents running trough the
voice coil at high powers. Thus presenting the very state
of the art in loudspeaker making.
INTRODUCTION TO THE
ELEGANCE COLLECTION

PART LIST
Important Please read the manual thoroughly before taking further steps.
Each crate contains:
• Elegance Loudspeaker
• Elegance Grille
• 4x Spike Disc
In addition you have also received:
• Manual
• Burn-in CD
• Registration Form
• Quality Certicate
• Certicate of Authenticity
76
Opening the crate
Upon opening the crate, inspect the speakers carefully
for any sign of transit-damage. If there is damage,
immediately call your dealer or the trucking firm that made
the delivery. Do not delay in reporting the damage.
Please store the crates for future use.
Step 1: Remove top cover
UNPACKING

Step 2: Remove the manual and grills
Step 3: Remove bottom panel
It could be necessary to lift the speaker up by its stands
to free the bottom side panel.
Note: for dB11-S all sides of the crate
can be unscrewed, see crate dB11.
98
Crate dB11Crate S7/dB7/dB9
Step 3: Remove both side panels
Step 4: Lift speaker out of the crate
It is adviced to lift the speaker with two or more persons.
Important The spikes under your speaker are sharp and can damage your oor. It is adviced to protect
your oor with a piece of foam or thin piece of wood when the spike discs are not yet placed.

Step 5: If desirable, the grill can be fixed to the speaker
Step 6: The SDSS-disks can be put below the speaker
It is adviced to lift the speaker with two or more persons.
Important Important
The grill which is magnetic, will automatically be xed to the speaker if
positioned correctly. Do not apply force inside or upwards direction.
If you want to remove the grill, the grill must be grabbed with both hands.
You will nd a short wire xed to the connection terminal. This wire is xed to
protect the speaker drivers during transport, make sure to remove this wire
before installing your cables.
Important The speaker can be leveled to stabilize the speaker by adjusting one or more SDSS-spike
orientation(s). The hole in the spike can be used to do this.
1110
At the rear of your Elegance loudspeaker you will find the
high-end Kharma Connection Terminal (as shown below).
Be sure you use the same brand, type and length of
speaker cable on each channel.
Bi wire connection (on dB11-s)
Some models have a bi-wire terminal. If you want to
connect one pair of cables make sure the switch is set to
“single wire”. Connect the cable to the left connector.
When you are going to bi amp or bi wire your speakers,
the switch should be set to “bi-wire”. Connect the cables
for mid/high to the left connector and for low to the
right connector.
CONNECTION
Important Always turn off the power of your entire system before making connections
to your speakers.

1312
Room acoustics
A good listening room has just the right amount of
reflection and absorption. The performance of any
loudspeaker depends upon the speaker’s location
in the room and the acoustical conditions in that part
of the room. Furnishing, size and proportions all effect
tonal balance, imaging and bass characteristics.
In order to test the sonic balance of your room, stand in
the location where the speakers will be installed and clap
your hands two or three times. If the room is reverberant,
you will hear a sharpness or echo. If the room is dull, the
sound of the clap will decay rapidly and there will be little
or no echo. Large areas of glass, mirrors and wood-panel-
ling will reflect sound waves and often result in brittleness
and extreme brightness. You can correct this by breaking
these sound waves with softer surfaces; for instance,
draperies or wall hangings. In general try to create random
reflections.
Positioning
We recommend experimenting with loudspeaker
placement in order to obtain the best spectral balance,
openness and perception of depth.For good results, the
speakers should be no closer than 45 cm from the rear
wall, with at least 70 cm to the side walls. The space
between the loudspeakers should be free. Ideally the
space should be symmetrical in the area around your
loudspeakers. Moving the system towards a wall will
increase bass level while generally reducing openness.
Moving speakers too far into the room can result in a
“thin” overall presentation with loss of bass foundation.
The speakers will normally work well straight out and not
angled toward the listener for accurate sound staging.
The wide dispersion of the Elegance loudspeakers makes
this possible. Many have found the best room position to
be along an undraped longer wall, with the speakers as
far apart as the listener is for them. The feet under your
Elegance loudspeaker should be adjusted so that the
speaker will not “rock” as you push it from side to side.
POSITIONING YOUR SPEAKERS
Advice on cabling
Mixing different types and/or lengths of speaker cable
can upset the precise timing and balance of your speaker.
We recommend use of our own Kharma (KLC) pure
silver-gold loudspeaker cable for maximum result.
It’s important to connect your speakers in phase, which
means that the drivers are moving in and out in the same
direction and at the same time, in order to obtain
the best localisation of instruments and voices as well as
the deepest, most natural bass.
Advice on amplifier
Your Elegance loudspeaker is a high-performance system,
using ultra high quality drivers. Like all loudspeakers they
will reproduce distortion as well as music.Therefore the
choice of other audio components is critical and should
be made with care. When a speaker system is as
revealing as your Elegance loudspeaker is, musical
colorations and other forms of distortion become more
noticeable because these aberrations are no longer
masked by the speaker.
We recommend using an amplifier with sufficient power,
typically a minimum of 50 Watt. Better use a high-power
amplifier in stead of an underpowered amplifier that can
cause driver damage due to clipping distortion. This kind
of damage is considered and will not be covered under
warranty.
Use common sense
If you hear distortion or loud “cracking” sounds, the
amplifier or loudspeaker is being overdriven, turn the
volume down immediately.
Burn-in
Your Elegance loudspeaker system needs quite a bit of
playing time to reach maximum result. The use of a
Burn-in test-CD is recommended to speed up
this process. With a “burn-in” test CD, burnin time is
reduced to approximately 50 hours. After burning-in your
system, you can play demagnetising tracks for maximum
clarity. Your system will then be optimised and sound
more open, more detailed and display more natural
musical warmth.
USING YOUR KHARMA LOUDSPEAKERS

1514
Use a soft cloth and a spray-cleaner to clean the surface.
Be careful not to spray on the grill cloth. Use a slightly
wetted piece of foam to gently rub the cloth of the front
panel. No further care is necessary.
In event of trouble Note that you can use your amplifier’s
two channels of information for simple troubleshooting.
If the sound quality is distorted, listen to each speaker
separately to check if the fault is present in both. If it is,
then the trouble is likely to be elsewhere in your system.
If the fault is in one channel only, reverse the outputs from
your amplifier to the speakers(right-to-left and left-to-right).
If the distortion moves to the other channel, the fault is not
the speaker. This technique may also be used to locate a
fault between the signal source and preamp/receiver and/
orbetween preamp and power amp(s).
If you have been unsuccessful in locating the specific
source of trouble or if you have located it, but have been
unable to correct it, please consult the Authorized
Kharma-dealer from whom you purchased the system.
Kharma Dealers are audio specialists and can be of great
assistance.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR SPEAKERS SPECIFICATIONS
ELEGANCE S7 & S7-S
System 2-way
High Driver 1 x 1-inch True Beryllium tweeter
Mid/Bass Drivers 1 x 7-inch Kharma Composite Driver (KCD)
RMS Power 100 Watt
Program Power 200 Watt
Frequency Range 29 Hz – 30 kHz
Efficiency 86 dB
Maximum spl 106 dB
Impedance 8 Ohm
Dimensions incl. stand
Height 972 mm / 38.27 inch
Width 359 mm / 14.13 inch
Depth 553 mm / 21.77 inch
265 mm / 10.43 inch
359 mm / 14.13 inch
553 mm / 21.77 inch
972 mm / 38.27 inch
474 mm / 18.66 inch

1716
SPECIFICATIONS
ELEGANCE DB7 & DB7-S
System 2-way
High Driver 1 x 1-inch True Beryllium tweeter
Mid/Bass Drivers 2 x 7-inch Kharma Composite Driver (KCD)
RMS Power 150 Watt
Program Power 300 Watt
Frequency Range 29 Hz – 30 kHz
Efficiency 88 dB
Maximum spl 110 dB
Impedance 4 Ohm
Dimensions incl. stand
Height 1011 mm / 39.8 inch
Width 358 mm / 14.09 inch
Depth 586 mm / 23.07 inch
265 mm / 10.43 inch
358 mm / 14.09 inch
1011 mm / 43.4 inch
587 mm / 23.07 inch
500 mm / 19.69 inch
SPECIFICATIONS
ELEGANCE DB9 & DB9-S
System 3-way
High Driver 1 x 1-inch True Beryllium tweeter
Mid Drivers 1 x 7-inch Kharma Composite Driver (KCD)
Low Drivers 2 x 9-inch Aluminium woofer
RMS Power 250 Watt
Program Power 500 Watt
Frequency Range 26 Hz – 30 kHz
Efficiency 89 dB
Maximum spl 113 dB
Impedance 4 Ohm
Dimensions incl. stand
Height 1041 mm / 40.98 inch
Width 410 mm / 16.14 inch
Depth 606 mm / 23.86 inch
317 mm / 12.48 inch
410 mm / 16.14 inch
1041
mm / 40.98 inch
606 mm / 23.86 inch
515 mm / 20.28 inch

1918
SPECIFICATIONS
ELEGANCE DB11-S
System 3-way
High Driver 1 x 1-inch True Beryllium tweeter
Mid Drivers 1 x 7-inch Kharma Composite Driver (KCD)
Low Drivers 2 x 11-inch Aluminium woofer
RMS Power 380 Watt
Program Power 760 Watt
Frequency Range 21 Hz – 30 kHz
Efficiency 89 dB
Maximum spl 115 dB
Impedance 4 Ohm
Dimensions incl. stand
Height 1298 mm / 51.12 inch
Width 468 mm / 18.43 inch
Depth 662 mm / 26.06 inch
375 mm / 14.76 inch
468 mm / 18.43 inch
662 mm / 26.06 inch
793 mm / 31.22 inch
1298 mm / 51.12 inch
SPECIFICATION S-VERSION
The Elegance Signature versions have a different
treatment upon several levels of excellence. The features
belonging to the Signature version are explained below in
comparison with the standard version.
Kharma Omega-7 driver
For the midrange section, the Kharma Composite driver
in the standard version is interchanged with the Kharma
Omega-7 driver in the Signature version. This Omega-7
driver is based on Ultra High Modulus carbon fibres,
which is the best fibre available on the globe today.
The use of these ultra-stiff carbon fibres and a unique
resin, together with a proprietary production process,
displaces the break-up frequencies of the cone, in
comparison with the Kharma Composite driver, to an even
more refined level of excellence. This upgrade of the driver
is the only upgrade that also changes the appearance of
the speaker. The other upgrades are only audible because
of their internal appliance.
Enhanced damping
The acoustical damping of the cabinet is enhanced to
better absorb all energy trapped inside the loudspeaker
in a wide frequency range.
Enhanced internal wiring
The cross-sectional conductive area of the internal wiring
is increased to have a more refined signal transmission
between the crossover and the drivers.
Vibration-reducing compound
The crossover and bas pipe on the back plate of the
Elegance are treated with a special compound to bring
mechanical vibration to an absolute minimum.

WARRANTY COVERAGE
The Kharma distributor guarantees the proper mechanical
and electrical functioning of its products for a period of
5 years. Provided the warranty request card is properly
filled out and sent to the address on the warranty form,
including a copy of the original bill of sales. Should the
customer fail to meet the three requirements mentioned
above, the warranty will be limited to a period as required
by national law only. In case of malfunction the customer
has to present the Kharma product in its original
packing to an authorized dealer. If qualified service
appears inevitable, the dealer will ship the product to an
appointed service station or to the factory, depending
on the required service. This warranty includes parts and
labour. This warranty is not automatically transferable;
subsequent owners can request a warranty at the factory.
WARRANTY EXCLUSION
1. Transportation damage, visible or hidden. Damage
should be reported immediately to the transport
company. Registration of the complaint should be
sent to the Kharma distributor previously mentioned.
2. Scratches in painted and metal surfaces. Complaints
should be registered at the dealer within three days
after the sale.
3. Damage due to illicit handling and inappropriate use.
4. Transportation costs to service station or factory.
5. Damage through unauthorized repair and or
modification.
6. Subsequent damage to other appliances.
7. Refund of costs in case of unauthorized repair.
8. Malfunctions caused by use for commercial of
professional purposes.
9. All claims on Kharma products obtained through
unauthorized sources, with or without correct serial
numbers.
WARRANTY
Kharma International b.v.
Kalshoven 7 4825 AL Breda The Netherlands