Harman Kardon HKTS 20 5.1 Channel Speaker System - Product Review

Whether listening at low or high volume levels, I found that the center speaker reproduced good distortion free sound. The quality of both movie dialog and music vocals were more than acceptable, but the center speaker did exhibit slight lack of depth and some high frequency drop-off. I would have preferred the employment of a larger center channel speaker, but taking into consideration the compact size of the speaker, the center channel speaker provided with the HKTS 20 does the job.

Audio Performance - Satellite Speakers

For movies and other video programming, the satellite speakers assigned to the left, right, and surround channels delivered a wide surround sound image, but in a similar manner as the center channel, some of the distinct details in surround effects (glass breaking, footsteps, leaves, wind, motions of objects they travel between speakers) seemed to be slightly subdued.

With Dolby and DTS-related movie soundtracks, the satellite speakers did a great job of dispersing the surround image, but the precise location of fine sound details wasn't as distinct as on the comparison system.

Also, I found that the satellite speakers are somewhat subdued with piano and other acoustical musical instruments. An example of this is the Norah Jones album, Come Away With Me and the Al Stewart album Uncorked.

Specific criticisms aside, the sound reproduction of the satellite speakers was not distorted and they provided a more than acceptable surround sound movie experience and contributed to an acceptable music listening experience.

Despite its compact size, the subwoofer had more than adequate power output for the system.

I found the subwoofer to be a good match for the rest of the speakers, as well as providing strong bass output (in terms of volume), but the texture of the bass response was not as tight or distinct as on the comparison system, tending more towards the "boomy" side at it lowest reproduced frequencies, especially when engaging the Bass Boost function. This was evident on movie soundtracks containing prominent LFE (Low Frequency Effects), such as Master and Commander, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and U571.

In addition, although the HKTS 20's subwoofer provided a good bass response in most music recordings played, it also tended towards the "boomy" side in some recordings with prominent bass, such as Norah Jones' Come Away With Me and Sade's Soldier of Love. One remedy to subdue the subwoofer's "boominess" when playing music is to make sure that the Bass Boost function is turned off.

In another test example, the subwoofer come up short on the famous sliding bass riff on Heart's Magic Man. This cut features an example of extreme low frequency bass not typical in most music performances. The subwoofer dropped off too early, leaving out the lowest bass frequencies present in the climax of the recording. However, keeping in mind that even larger, more expensive, subwoofers have trouble with the bass slide in this recording, the results of this test with the HKTS 20's subwoofer was not unexpected.

1. Despite some criticisms, for its design and price point, the HKTS 20 does provide a good listening experience. Even though the center and satellite speakers are very compact, they can fill an average size room (in this case a 13x15 foot space) with satistfying sound.

2. The HKTS 20 is easy to set up and use. Since both the satellite speakers and subwoofer are small, they are easy to place and connect to your home theater receiver.

3. Variety of speaker mounting options. The satellite speakers can be placed on a shelf or mounted on a wall. Since the subwoofer employs a downfiring design, you don't have to place it in the open. However, be careful not to damage the downfiring speaker cone as you move the subwoofer to find the best location.

4. All needed speaker wire, as well as both a subwoofer and 12 volt trigger cable are provided. In addition, all the hardware needed for wall mounting the speakers are provided.

5. The HKTS 20 is very affordable. At a suggested price of $799, this system a good value, especially for novice users, those desiring a system that sounds good without taking up a lot of space, or those looking for a system for a second room.

What I Didn't Like

1. Vocals reproduced by the center channel speaker sounded restrained and lacked some depth, reducing their intended impact somewhat.

2. Although the subwoofer provides plenty of low frequency power output, the bass response is not as tight or distinct as I would have preferred.

3. The subwoofer has LFE and Line audio inputs only, no standard high level speaker connections provided.

4. The speaker connections and speaker mounts do not fit well with thicker-gauge speaker wire. The provided speaker wire works best with the system as far as set-up goes, but it would be great to have better ability to use thicker gauge speaker wire, if desired by the user.

Final Take

Although I would, by no means, consider this a true audiophile speaker system, I found that the the Harman Kardon HKTS 20 5.1 Channel Speaker System provided an overall good surround sound listening experience for movies and stereo/surround listening experience for music that many consumers will appreciate for the price. Harman Kardon has delivered a stylish and affordable surround sound speaker system for a more mainstream user who may also be concerned about size and affordability.

The HKTS 20 is also a great example of well-styled compact system that does not dominate room decor. The Harman Kardon HKTS 20 can function well as a modest home theater speaker system for the budget and/or space conscious, a great second system for the bedroom or home office, or a practical system for a conference room in a either a business or educational-type setting.

The Harman Kardon HKTS 20 is definitely worth a look and a listen.

For full details on setting up the system, you can also download the User Manual.

For a further look at the Harman Kardon HKTS 20 5.1 Channel Speaker System, Check out my supplementary Photo Gallery.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.