Harman-Kardon HKS 9 - Manual (Page 3)

SPEAKER PLACEMENT 3
SPEAKER PLACEMENT
Color-Coding System
The HKS 9 and the HKTS 18 use the
channel color-coding system established
by the Consumer 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 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 9 speakers are color-coded for the
Surround Back Left and Right channels, they
are interchangeable with the wires supplied
with the HKTS 18 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 18
are already color-coded.)
Before you begin to connect cables, it is
important to set up your speakers in their
correct locations in the room.
Optimally, the speakers should be placed
in a circle with the listening position at its
center. The distance from the listening
position to the video display forms the radius
of the circle.
The speakers should be angled so that they
directly face the listening position.
The front left and right speakers are placed
along the circle, about 30 degrees from
the center speaker (or video display) and
angled toward the listener.
When used as a stereo pair, the speakers
should be placed the same distance from
each other as they are from the listener.
It is best to place the front left/right and
center speakers as close to the same height
as possible, preferably about the same
height as the listener’s ears. In any event, the
center speaker should be no more than two
feet above or below the left/right speakers.
When the HKS 9 speakers are used
to upgrade an HKTS 18 system to a 7.1-
channel system, the side surround speakers
should be placed even with and facing the
listening position, 90 degrees from the
center speaker. The HKS 9 speakers are
then placed in the left and right surround
back speaker positions, 150 degrees from
the center speaker.
When setting up your system, refer to the
diagram above instead of the diagram in the
HKTS 18 owner’s guide.
The subwoofer’s location is less critical, since
low-frequency sounds are omnidirectional.
Placing the subwoofer close to a wall or in
a corner will reinforce the low frequencies,
and may create a “boomy” sound. You may
wish to experiment over time by placing
the subwoofer where the listener normally
sits and then walking around the room until
the low frequencies sound best. Place the
subwoofer in that spot.
Center Speaker
Video Screen
Front Right
Speaker
Front Left
Speaker
Side Surround
Left Speaker
Back Surround
Left Speaker
Side Surround
Right Speaker
Back Surround
Right Speaker
90°
150°
90°
150°
30° 30°
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