I would have to put it very simply for home theater equipment of Outlaws Caliber:


THX = Waste of time and money


Regards,

Charlie

Well put, Gonk and Sluggo. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks guys, I guess you all have put that myth to bed. The myth being that THX is not needed on a quality product!

Wait, isn't the myth that THX _is_ needed to make a quality product, but the reality is that it is not?

Ya know, I've sat down thrice to repost on this thread. And twice I've abandond my attempts at it, simply because it seemed as though anything I might type wreaked of desperation, and I positively hate that, because I'm not desperate about it. Quite frankly, it really doesn't matter to me if anyone understands what I know to be the truth, or not. But, I guess I'll give it one more shot.

I am (soon to be) forty years old. I have been an audio enthusiast since the tender age of ten. Being the youngest of a "musical family", I have been a publically-performing musician since the age of sixteen, making a living as such for some twelve years. I know what sound quality is. I have owned many sound systems over the years and heard many more, none of which posessed the quality of reproduction I get from my Lucasfilm Home THX Ultra Sound System.

Now, (and this was the point I was trying to make and seems wasn't "clear" to some others) my media room (a.k.a. "livingroom") isn't Home THX certified but, it doesn't have to be in order for me (or anyone else) to own a Home THX Certified Sound System. It's what is commonly referred to as an "option". The certified equipment functions exactly the same. It doesn't seem to know that it's in a living space and provides me and mine with exceptional fidelity, regardless. I have gone to lengths to set the room up in a complimentary fashion around the system's requirements, it's true. But, nothing in the extreme. THX (now) offers the "option" of designing and installing a "dedicated" home theater by means of certification. But, it is not REQUIRED! The proof (FACT) I submit, is that this room certification "option" was not made available until September 8, 2004 and the Home THX Sound System has been available since 1990. From it's inception, the Lucasfilm Home THX Sound System was designed for use in a common, D O M E S T I C setting. There may be those who feel that I'm "splitting hairs" here but, I feel the facts support my contention.

Do I believe that Home THX is the "Alpha and Omega" of the audio/video world? NO! I happen to own several products that do not adhere to the THX "philosophy", as anyone can see by looking at my "My System" post.

Which reminds me; I stick my equipment choices right out there for all to see with every one of my postings. I have noticed that some of the more recently "outspoken/opinionated" contributers to this forum (I will not name names as you know who you are and, some of you being relatively new to the forum) have not/do not, post this same information in the same spirit. And that's a shame, really, as it illaffords the opportunity for others to be critical of your buying dicisions. Just seems a little cowardly to me, is all.

In regards to the various catagories of "(Select, Ultra, Ultra2, Ultra BFG9000)" etc. I would like to offer some factual illumination (from THX Ltd., directly) of the various performance designations and their corresponding, appropriate application within the domestic setting for which they were conceived;

"THX Ultra and THX Ultra2 Certified Products deliver top quality audio and video presentations to large home theaters. A viewing distance of approximately 12 feet/4 meters from the display to the listening position is ideal for these specifications, which translates to a 3,000 cu. ft. room.

Considered the benchmark for home theater products, THX Ultra2 offers uncompromised playback of multi-channel movies, music and games. THX Ultra2 incorporates new features and more power requirements for premium home theater receivers, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers and speakers that can distribute an optimal soundstage across wide viewing areas in dedicated home theaters.

While THX Ultra2 Certified Products are dependent on the room size, THX Ultra Certified Products are not. THX Ultra brings high end performance to interconnects, equalizers, projection screens and DVD players, complementing the THX Ultra2 category.

Both the THX Ultra and THX Ultra2 specifications are designed for the home audio enthusiasts who demand peak performance from their equipment in their dedicated home theater, representing the best THX has to offer in one package.

THX Select and THX Select2 Certified Products deliver optimal quality audio and video presentations to small and medium sized home theaters. A viewing distance of approximately 10 feet/3 meters from the display to the listening position is best served by these specifications, which translates to a 2,000 cu. ft. room.

THX Select2 specifically addresses receivers, incorporating new features and improved noise floor performance. Based on the same values and principles of THX Ultra2, THX Select2 Certified Receivers deliver exceptional quality to smaller home theater environments.

While THX Select2 focuses on the receiver, THX Select brings superior performance to speakers and DVD players. THX Select Certified Products complement the presentation of the THX Select2 category.

Both the THX Select and THX Select2 specifications are designed to address the growing needs of the newest generation of home entertainment enthusiasts - those who crave immersive DVD, music, and video game experiences, but do not have the space for a dedicated home theater."

To quote Gonk: "we still have tools such as Dolby EX (which THX EX is a close cousin of)". Actually, it happened the other way around. Dolby EX is a close cousin of THX Surround EX, as Dolby Laboratories was "co-developer" in conjunction with THX and the actual system development was conducted through Skywalker Sound. Commercially, THX certified theaters were (for the first six months the system was available) the only place to hear the new 6.1 channel system. And, Home THX Ultra certified processing was the only (official) way to listen to it at home for the first consumer year, all by contractual agreement between THX and Dolby. Oops! There I go, splitting hairs again! :rolleyes:

Lastly, at the risk of seeming confrontational, I just want to say that; nobody likes to be played as a fool. I try my best not to do this on this, or any of the other A/V forums that I frequent. Until recently, I've not been the butt of this type of insult on the Outlaw forum. Now, if anyone thinks I'm stupid, then please, by any and all means, let him say so, forthwith. For this, I would have much more respect and would be willing to withdraw from further discussion on this forum so that all of the "smart" people can make themselves at home. It was exactly this kind of treatment that drove soundhound away. A person who many of us admired. I realize that we are going to disagree from time to time, and I enjoy good "sarcasm" as much as the next person. I would not, however, do it at the expense of someone elses pride, and I pride myself on my knowledge of THX. If there's one thing I cannot... will not tolerate is to be dismissed out of hand. I am no man's "bitch" and refuse even to be regarded as such. Respect... Give it - get it. Know what I mean?


Wayne

Wayne,

I'm glad you like your system. However, I also think I have a pretty good idea of what "good sound" sounds like, not only as a professional engineer and musician, but also as a consumer. I simply disagree with your assessment that THX certification is any indicator of overall quality of sound reproduction. It clearly isn't. Go to your neighborhood Best Buy or Circuit City or other electronics superstore and look at some of the utter rubbish that has the THX logo emblazoned on it. And if you're in the mood to challenge your perceptions, give some of that equipment a listen.

Now I'm not saying that all THX equipment is crap. That's obviously not the case either since some manufacturers who I respect and whose gear I have listened to does sound great. But that's because those companies make great equipment in general, not because it has passed some muster with THX certification.

So please don't think this is any personal affront to you. I'm simply sharing my opinion, which is what this board is for.

Best regards,

Wayne,

Relax.. I don't think anyone has been trying to play you for the fool here. From my perspective the tone of your post is very defensive, and it's coming out of left field. I read everything up to your post as mostly friendly discussion, but clearly you felt attacked. We all have different opinions here, but I think at the end of the day most of us still respect one another.

I don't think it's fair to broadly say that equipment bearing a THX logo is high quality any more than it's fair to say that any gear with a THX logo is junk. It's a multi-tiered for-pay certification program, and I think that many of us feel that it's a lot more marketing-heavy than technical-heavy. Had they stuck to their high-end criteria only, I think many of us would have more respect for the mark.

However, they made a smart business decision and realized there were going to be many more low and mid-grade products sold in the HT marketplace, and realized they could cash in on that by segmenting their certifications. The unfortunate side-effect of this is that Joe Sixpack thinks buying a cheap $200 receiver with a THX logo from the local big box is getting him something special over some other piece of gear without the logo, when in reality a portion of the unit cost had to go to lining Lucas's pockets for the license fees.

I do think it's great that they established criteria against which equipment (and rooms) can be measured, but as evidenced by the dearth of junk at the big boxes with the THX logo, an unqualified "my unit is THX certified" is meaningless. It's great for their business because it's a household brand (within our niche of interest anyway), but it's meaningless from a technical standpoint.

It is unfortunate that there is not another standards body which has a set of standards by which HT systems could be measured. Unfortunately all we do have is a company that collects license fees for the certification, thus putting them in a bit of a conflict of interest situation.

Perfect:

Your comments live up to your name. An excellent summary of what is going on here, and with THX in general. The original premise of THX, to "have the movie (programming) sound the same way in yoru home has it did in all enviroments back to the orignial conception of the sound designer" is a noble one. Indeed, back in the "early days" of analog home theater when the matrix 4:2:4 surround systems were all we had to deal with, it made a bit more sense than now. In particular, the components of the system that helped out in the days of the bandwidth limited, mono surruond channel of the orignal ProLogic system made sense.

In today's digital world, with full bandwidth, discrete rear channels (at least in 5.1 and 6.1 systems, but not in 7.1) some components are less important, some still relevant. Like everything else in this "hobby" it's a matter of subjectivity as to what sounds better and why.

All people are doing here is expressing their opinions. You can take what you want and think valid, and ignore the rest. I don't want to put my equipment list out there -- for those who do, by all means, but for thos eof us who prefer annonimity, fine. I don't need to state my experience or "length of time", as I really don't need that validation -- some do and fine for them, some do by way of explanation of their background, and also fine, some don't for reasons of privacy or other -- that ought to eb fine too. However, don't presume that any one person's knowledge here is better than anyone else's.

It's only home theater, for crying out loud! (IN 7.1 digital surround, of course!)

You may want to re-read his name more carefully.

OK, you're right. But as Prefects go, he is perfect...