Harman-Kardon HKTS 18 User Manual

HKTS 18

HOME THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM

OWNER’S MANUAL

HKTS 18 HOME THEATER SPEAKER SYSTEM

afety Information

3 S
4 Introduction

ncluded

4 I
5 SUB-TS18 Subwoofer Amplifier Panel Controls and Connections
7 Speaker Placement
7 Color-Coding System
8 Mounting Options
9 Speaker Connections

9 Speaker-Level Connection Guide
10 Dolby Digital or DTS (or Other Digital Surround Mode) Connection
11 Dolby Pro Logic (Non-Digital) – Line Level
12 Dolby Pro Logic (Non-Digital) – Speaker Level
13 Operation
13 Volume
13 Additional Bass Adjustments
14 Troubleshooting
15 HKTS 18 Specifications

Please register your product on our Web site at www.harmankardon.com. Note:You’ll need the serial number of
your new home theater speaker system. At the same time, you can choose to be notified about our new products
and/or special promotions.

Typographical Conventions

In order to help you use this manual, certain conventions have been used.

EXAMPLE – (bold type) indicates a specific control or rear-panel connection on the SUB-TS18 subwoofer
EXAMPLE – (OCR type) indicates a control or switch position on the SUB-TS18 subwoofer
¡ – (number in a circle) indicates a rear-panel control or connection on the SUB-TS18 subwoofer

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Read First! Important Safety Precautions!

SAFETY INFORMATION

1. Read these instructions.

2. Keep these instructions.

3. Heed all warnings.

4. Follow all instructions.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water.

6. Clean only with a dry cloth.

7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in

accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as
radiators, heat registers, stoves or other apparatus
(including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized
or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two
blades with one wider than the other. A grounding­type plug has two blades and a third grounding
prong. The wide blade or the third prong is provided
for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit
into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement
of the obsolete outlet.

10. Protect the power cord from being walked on
or pinched,
receptacles and the point where they exit from the
apparatus.

11. Only use attachments/accessories specified
by the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket
or table specified by the manufacturer or sold with
the apparatus
caution when moving the cart/apparatus
combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

particularly at plugs

When a cart is used, use

.

convenience

,

13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms
or when unused for long periods of time.

14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord
or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or
objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.

15. Do not use attachments not recommended
by the product manufacturer, as they may cause
hazards.

16. This product should be operated only from
the type of power source indicated on the marking
label. If you are not sure of the type of power
supply to your home, consult your product dealer
or local power company. For products intended
to operate from battery power, or other sources,
refer to the operating instructions.

17. If an outside antenna or cable system is
connected to the product, be sure the antenna or
cable system is grounded so as to provide some
protection against voltage surges and built-up static
charges.Article 810 of the National Electrical
Code,ANSI/NFPA 70, provides information with
regard to proper grounding of the mast and
supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in wire
to an antenna discharge unit, size of grounding
conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit,
connection to grounding electrodes, and require­ments for the grounding electrode. See Figure A.

18. An outside antenna system should not be
located in the vicinity of overhead power lines or
other electric light or power circuits, or where it
can fall into such power lines or circuits.When
installing an outside antenna system, extreme care
should be taken to keep from touching such power
lines or circuits, as contact with them might be fatal.

Figure A.
Example of Antenna Grounding as per
National ElectricalCode ANSI/NFPA 70

19. Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords,

or integral convenience receptacles, as this can
result in a risk of fire or electric shock.

20. Never push objects of any kind into this product
through openings, as they may touch dangerous
voltage points or short-out parts that could result
in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any
kind on the product.

21. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping
or splashing, and no objects filled with liquids,
such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

22. Do not attempt to service this product yourself,
as opening or removing covers may expose you
to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all
servicing to qualified service personnel.

23. When replacement parts are required, be sure
the service technician has used replacement parts
specified by the manufacturer or that have the
same characteristics as the original part.
Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric
shock or other hazards.

24. Upon completion of any service or repairs to
this product, ask the service technician to perform
safety checks to determine that the product is in
proper operating condition.

25. The product should be mounted to a wall or
ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.

SAFETY INFORMATION 3

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Harman Kardon

HKTS 18, with which you’re about to begin
many years of listening enjoyment. The
HKTS 18 has been custom-designed to
provide all the excitement and power of the
cinema experience in your own living room.

To obtain maximum enjoyment from your
new home theater speaker system, we urge
you to take a few minutes to read through
this manual. This will ensure that connec­tions to your receiver or preamp/processor
and amplifier or other external devices are
made properly. In addition, a few minutes
spent learning the functions of the controls
will enhance the HKTS 18’s performance.

If you have any questions about this prod­uct, its installation or its operation, please
contact your dealer, the best local source
of information, or visit our Web site at
www.harmankardon.com.

Description and F

The HKTS 18 is a six-piece home theater
speaker system that includes a 10-inch,
200-watt, bass-reflex powered subwoofer;
four identical, two-way, dual-midrange
satellite speakers for use in the left and
right front and rear speaker positions; a
voice-matched,
center speaker;
brackets for the four satellites; and all of
the speaker cables you need to connect
your speakers to your receiver or
processor and amplifier. The speaker
and speakers are all color-coded to con­form to the CEA
setup, especially when the system is used
with a Harman Kardon receiver.

The HKTS 18 subwoofer is easy to connect
to your system,
subwoofer input for use with equipment that
has a dedicated subwoofer low-frequency
output. It also includes stereo speaker-level
inputs and outputs for connection to older
receivers and processors that do not have
a line-level subwoofer output. Other conve-

eatures

dedicated, dual-driver

shelf stands and wall-mount

preamp/

cables

®

standard, simplifying

s equipped with a

since it’

iences include a level control, an external

n
trigger input for automatic turn-on when

®

connected to a compatible product, a high­cut (low-pass) filter switch and a phase
switch for fine-tuning bass response to suit
your listening environment and taste, and
audio-sense auto turn-on, which senses the
presence of an audio signal and automati­cally switches the unit from Standby mode
to Active mode.

Shelf stands and wall-mount brackets are
included for the satellite speakers, and
optional HTFS 2 floor stands are available
separately from your Harman Kardon dealer.

Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity
receiver more than fifty years ago.With
state-of-the-art features and time-honored
circuit designs, the HKTS 18 is a perfect
complement to a Harman Kardon receiver
or any home theater system.

■ Complete home theater speaker
system

■ Identical dual-midrange configura­tion for satellites and center provides
seamless pans

■ Speakers are magnetically shielded
for placement near video monitors

■ Fully color-coded cables and con­nections simplify setup

■ Both line- and speaker-level inputs
for use with most audio components

■ Subwoofer input offers superior­quality bass reproduction when used
with any digital audio system that
incorporates bass management or
programmable crossovers

■ Auto turn-on using trigger input or
audio-sense

Included

One center
channel speaker

One powered subwoofer

• Four satellites for left, right and surrounds, with
color-key stickers, mounted on shelf stands

• Four leatherette coasters

Four wall-mount brackets

One 15' RCA cable for connection to
subwoofer (purple)

One 15' mini-plug cable for use with external
trigger input (black)

Three 20' speaker cables for connection to
front satellites (red and white) and to center
speaker (green)

Two 40' speaker cables for connection from
receiver to rear satellites (gray and blue)

4 INTRODUCTION

SUB-TS18 SUBWOOFER AMPLIFIER PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS

¡ Subwoofer-Level Control
™ High-Cut (Low-Pass) Filter Switch
£ External Trigger Input
¢ Audio-Sense On/Off Switch

¡ Subwoofer-Level Control: Volume

may be adjusted using the

Turn the control clockwise

Level Control

.

to increase the SUB-TS18’

Subwoofer-

or

,

s volume

counterclockwise to decrease it.

™ High-Cut (Low-Pass) Filter Switch:

Placing this switch in the ON position acti­vates circuitr

y that cuts out all audio input
signals above 120Hz, allowing the SUB-TS18
to focus its power on reproducing the low­frequency portion of the signal, avoiding

SUB-TS18 SUBWOOFER AMPLIFIER PANEL CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 5

∞ Phase Switch

§ Line-Level Subwoofer (SUB) Input
¶ Line-Level Full-Range Inputs

• Speaker-Level Outputs

inefficiency and distortion. Engage this filter

-Level Inputs

when using the
or when using the

Inputs

Speaker

Line-Level

¶, unless your receiver or processor

ª,

Full-Range

processes its line-level output using a low­pass filter. The filter has no effect when the

SUB Input § is used.
£ External

T

Use the sup

-

rigger Input:

plied mini-plug cable to connect the trigger
output of another product to this jack. When
a trigger signal between 3 and 30 volts (AC

ª Speaker-Level Inputs
‚ Master Power Switch
⁄ AC Power Cord

or DC) is detected, the SUB-TS18 amplifier

n on, even when the audio-sense

will tur
feature has been activated by placing the
Audio-Sense On/Off Switch ¢ in the
AUTO position. The amplifier will remain
on for about 10–15 minutes without a
trigger signal.

¢ Audio-Sense On/Off Switch: When
placed in the

AUTO position, and when the

Master Power Switch ‚ is turned on, the
SUB-TS18 will automatically turn itself on or