Harman Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 Channel Speaker System

I really like these speakers! I bought with a Yamaha receiver, a PlayStation3 (for the blueray capability) and a Samsung TV. They feel like being in a theater. I especially like listening to Blueray HD cd's. The sound feels like you're at a live performance only better,because it's perfectly balanced and mixed. I will recommend these speakers to anyone who asks. The subwoofer is so deep and and profound that after balancing my speakers with the microphone and calibration tones that are provided with the speakers that I actually turned them down by 6 db because the resonance was too intense for me :)

Ive been big into the HD scene for a few years now, and never payed much attention to audio. I was always fine with television speakers, partially because I felt overwhelmed with the endless speaker/reciever combinations possible. I finally decided to get this surround sound speaker system, and boy have I been missing out!!

I paired these HKTS-18 with the Onkyo TX-SR606 reciever, and couldn't be happier.

I really have no point of reference, but what I can tell you is that these speakers rock! Not only do they look great, but the sound from the satelites is CRYSTAL clear. And the subwoofer is literally earth rattling. Lucky my condo has decently insulated walls/floors, but if you have thin walls, I'd be careful not to turn this puppy up too high.

I purchased one pair of the harman kardon stands for my front speakers, and purchased a generic set of stands for the rear channels. Everything looks great, and people now think I'm some sort of audio-phile, partially because I take pride in my setup, but also because they here the high-quality sound these speakers put out.

I just recently purchased the HKTS-18 from HARMAN/KARDON and I have got to say that I am very pleased with the sound quality from these loudspeakers. For the area I was setting up my home theater in I could really only go with a satellite style speaker, and not wanting to go with an HTIB setup, I went with a sub/sat combo instead. Im not to pleased with the current HTIB packages that are out right now because: 1. You get what you pay for and 2. The receivers that are packaged with the systems are usually very limited. Setting up these speakers was pretty easy, Whether you've had previous experience setting up a 5.1 system or not. The casing of each speaker are finished in a high gloss and have a nice weighted feel to them. HK went with the push pin style connector on these speaker's which im not too pleased with, but was not that big of a deal.
Sound quality was very clear, crisp and bright which is expected from this speaker style. All speaker's are voice matched for a seamless transfer between all channels. I would have liked a larger center channel as the one provided is the same size as the other four speaker's. HK does not offer a center channel upgrade, so if you'd like to change it out you would have to go with a different brand which I do not recommend. The provided powered subwoofer has a 10" down firing speaker that is sealed in a bass reflex (ported) enclosure. Low-frequency sounds are true,deep,and room-shaking. I would say that this subwoofer is capable of handling anywhere between 25-35Hz. The style of the enclosure is in the same high gloss finish as the other 5 speakers which makes for a very stylish/sleek look and stands about 18" tall. One big plus is that almost all the bell's and whistles that you would expect from a more expensive higher end sub are present on this one such as a line-level LFE input, audio-sense or external-trigger on/off and a multicolor LED power indicator.
Next is my receiver. I wanted to go with one that would offer me the latest in audio formats from Blue Ray and HDDVD movies as well as HDMI input/switching. So for my budget and room size I decided on the TXSR-606 from Onkyo. This receiver has exceeded my expectations completely and being a previous Onkyo owner, I was expecting alot. Dolby Tru HD and DTS HD Master audio sound tracks sound amazingly life like output through my HKTS-18. The audyssey 2 calibration system that the TXSR-606 offers helped for an easy proper stress free setup.
So all in all I am very pleased with the out come from these two items paired together and my home theater experience has become more enjoyable. I find myself going back through my old DVD collection to revisit great movies and with a new twist on audio.



System includes:
Sharp-Aquos-LC32D62U-32-Inch-1080p
Onkyo TXSR-606
Harman/Kardon HKTS-18
Toshiba HD-A30 via HDMI
Panasonic BD30-K via HDMI
Xbox 360 via HDMI
Z-line TV/Audio stand



[...]

I just finished installation of the HKTS-18 system.

The sound quality is good, especially due to the powerful sub woofer, and it meets my overall expectations.

My only problem was in mounting the speakers. My family room was prewired by the previous owner for surround and had some old Yamaha speakers mounted with Omnimount type of mounts. I wanted to upgrade the sound as well as create a sleeker look.


I mounted the HKTS18 main speakers to the front wall and they look pretty clean. The problem that I ran into was to install the rears, which were previously wired from the ceiling.

The only way to mount HKTS18 is to run the wire straight through the wall and into the speaker mounting bracket. (When the wall mounting hardware is connected to the speaker, the speaker wire clamps are not accessible from the outside of the speaker, only through the mounting bracket opening that mounts flush to the wall). This mounting design makes it impossible to mount if the wire comes out of the ceiling or if you don't mount the speaker exactly on top of the speaker wire wall opening. There is no way that I could find to use another mounting option like an Omnimount.

Because my rear wall is an outside wall on the slope of my roof it was not feasible for me to rewire the rears (although I did make a strong effort including crawling in the attic and even calling a home theater installer for advice).

Finally, I ended up installing floating corner shelves that I picked up at Home Depot and standing the rear speakers on the shelves. This solved my problem but it not as clean of a look as I was originally hoping for.

If I knew what I know now, I would have ordered similar mains and sub, but installed in-ceiling speakers for the rears.


I hope this helps anyone with a similar ceiling speaker wire scenario.

Buying these was a no brainer - they were extremely well reviewed, a good value, and bestsellers here on Amazon. Getting them all set up was a snap (they come with EVERYTHING!), and the sound is rich, crisp and completely immersive. Definitely recommended - they perform well and are beautiful to look at!