THX or NOT

HBombToo · June 2002

I am new to the home theater stuff but it has turned in to a fun past time.

With that being said... THX has me scratching my noggin. I find the additional cost of the electronics hard to justify. If you are not in the position to build a " Home Theater Room ", whats the point. In fact, it has been very difficult finding information on the equalization aspects of the THX STUFF to show or justify the benifit... and why is POLK not rated???? I think the POLKS old and new in my system sound great so how much better can it be???

This FORUM helped me rebuild RTA8"s and even my wife said that sounds good... keep in mind she thinks I'm nuts and does not give a **** about all this, so where is the end. I also just bought a 7 channel Amp @ 200Wper that is not rated.... DID I MAKE A MISTAKE? or is Lucas a genious!

Just curious

TroyD · June 2002

Oh boy....this promises to be interesting....

There are those that swear by THX and those who don't......

MY opinion is this:

THX is a set of specifications that a piece of gear has to meet to be given it's stamp of approval by George and his crew. I'm not saying it's good and I'm not saying it's bad. What I will say is that it comes at a price. GL and his merry little band don't give THX certification for free, you got to pay your vigs to the Don. These costs are passed on to the consumer (you). That's my take on how it works.

Having said that, do I think that a piece of gear should be dismissed because it isn't THX cert'ed? Certainly not, there is lots of gear out there that isn't THX cert'ed in fact there is probably non-THX gear out there that it is better than some of the THX cert'ed gear.

When you boil it all down, it's how does it sound to you that matters. If you like it, that's what is important. I personally wouldn't get all wrapped around the axle. If it is, it is and if it ain't, I wouldn't lose any sleep.

BDT

RuSsMaN · June 2002

I say eff em....

-Russ

Steve@3dai · June 2002

Yea, I wouldn't get caught up in the whole THX thing either. I know my Arcam AVR-200 5.1 amp would be THX certified, but Arcam chooses not to do it. More than likely they just don't want to add cost to an already sorta pricey product.

- Steven

TroyD · June 2002

......or you could just look at it Russ's way.

So eloquent, that Mr. Gates is

HBombToo · June 2002

NO LOST SLEEP HERE!!! Just looking for opinions and its obvious to me this forum is where I'll get them.

THX

matthew_2 · June 2002

It really doesn't mean anything. Logitec and Klipsch both have THX computer speakers. Yet, many bigger better speakers do not. Doesn't mean the THX PC stuff is better then a pair of RF3's or Rti600's, or SVS it just means you don't have to pay the extra $100USD for the pretty THX thingy.

juice21 · June 2002

BDT put it very nicely, i wouldn't get too concerned about having THX cert. gear, as long as you enjoy the gear you have, that's what it's all about...

HOtelCalifornia · June 2002

THX is about the total process from the mixing of the movie and the production of the DVD's and films for distribution to the movie theaters and homes.
The whole point of having the THX certification on everything means that your experience listening and watching a THX film in ANY theater that is THX certified and watching on ANY home theater system that is THX certified should be the same. The intent of THX is that a movie should look and sound like the creators had intended, no matter where the viewing takes place. Many times the theater audio mix of a traditionally recorded movie and the DVD audio mix will be entirely different. The video mixing process, if not standardized, can make certain films look different for the movie theater releases than the DVD releases. The actual tonal qualities and frequency response of the speakers, and sensitivity differences in theater and home speaker systems can lead to major differences in the way a movie sounds to the ear. The THX video calibration process assures that THX theaters are set for color saturation, contrast, sharpness, hue and such and the THX Optimization program on some THX DVD's gives the consumer the ability to do the same on his own television.
THX certification means controls are applied to a media from start to your eyes and ears.

Sounds like George Lucas is a perfectionist like me!!

nascarmann · June 2002

THX= Big con on the American people! All about money, nothing more, nothing less?

KING THX THE GREAT

TroyD · June 2002

Sounds like GL is a greedy control freak to me.....

I get the jist of what your saying man and I'm not disagreeing. The theory is sound enough but it in practical terms it just doesn't work out. You can't in anyway shape or form truly compare an HT environment to a movie theater environment.....You will never find two theaters the same, just isn't going to happen.

BDT

yoeddy · June 2002

Love my THX Parasound Pre/Pro and Amplifier and so do my Polkskies

mantis · June 2002

THX,
I don't know if I want to jump in here.I feel real strong about THX.
Heres a good point on this topic,
You don't NEED THX to experience movies and now music.As some of you said there is a ton of good quality gear out there.Not THX rated.
But for me there is other Issues that personally make me want to explore the Whole THX thing deeper.Perfection is my middle name when It comes to Home Theater.Anal is also in ther as well.
THX is a good thing not a bad thing.If you believe in what they do, research it untill you find out what you need from it or what THX has to offer.
You also can dismiss it and not pay any Attention.
Mt trip to the ranch comming up will be the end all be if I'm with them or not.I'm going to get THX certified.(Not mantis certified or maybe I can certify them while I'm there...LOL).
I met 2 of there trainer's at Cedia this year and took there classes,very interesting to say the least.
My final advise is to research all you can,take everybodies opnions for what they are, good or bad.Be open to THX and find out it means.

HBombToo · June 2002

Mantis and All

I have been considering the course work offered and also agree with your comments. I am an EE by degree and trade and also have very rigid standards in my job but they have been justified.

The information provided to the public regarding the whole THX thing from the Labs is not well presented and slants the perception of non THX equipment from a consumer standpoint. I'm not an audio engineer or expert by any stretch but I do know how to look at specs and cost. I think that if THX and the Home Theater Industry would share info instead of controlling it the consumer could bring add a lot of value to the industry and thus cost reductions.

Certificates are great when looking at unknown manufactures and weighing features vrs cost but as stated the certificate is currently cost prohibitive to us rookies.

I appreciate all the comments and I am not sold on THX yet.

MxStYlEpOlKmAn · June 2002

Originally posted by HOtelCalifornia
THX is about the total process from the mixing of the movie and the production of the DVD's and films for distribution to the movie theaters and homes.
The whole point of having the THX certification on everything means that your experience listening and watching a THX film in ANY theater that is THX certified and watching on ANY home theater system that is THX certified should be the same. The intent of THX is that a movie should look and sound like the creators had intended, no matter where the viewing takes place. Many times the theater audio mix of a traditionally recorded movie and the DVD audio mix will be entirely different. The video mixing process, if not standardized, can make certain films look different for the movie theater releases than the DVD releases. The actual tonal qualities and frequency response of the speakers, and sensitivity differences in theater and home speaker systems can lead to major differences in the way a movie sounds to the ear. The THX video calibration process assures that THX theaters are set for color saturation, contrast, sharpness, hue and such and the THX Optimization program on some THX DVD's gives the consumer the ability to do the same on his own television.
THX certification means controls are applied to a media from start to your eyes and ears.

Sounds like George Lucas is a perfectionist like me!!

hahaha...if i read this right...then we should see little black dots and some lines scurry across the screen when we watch movies on a thx tv or something...lol

goingganzo · June 2002

i thought on a thx prossesor you get some more stuff than a non thx like re-eq

mantis · June 2002

goingganzo,
yes its ture,there is features you can benifit from a THX processor.

har_navalta · June 2002

Have you seen my set-up? http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4015
I don't need THX thing, besides my pre-amp has it own
Digital Bass Management... THX who cares!

,
Har

gidrah · June 2002

THanX for nothing! Those 3 letters used in series have no relevence in home audio/video. Theater maybe.

HBombToo · June 2002

Mantis
What benefit do we receive in re-equalization?

nascarmann · June 2002

THanX for nothing! Those 3 letters used in series have no relevence in home audio/video. Theater maybe.

I agree!:D

KING THX

madmax · June 2002

The spec's of equipment make cheap Sony receivers look as good or better than the highest quality equipment out there. Am I to believe THX goes beyond that?
madmax

goingganzo · June 2002

alot of the cheap stuff specks over rate their products like they give the wattage of 1 chanel driven at 1 k hz maybe even peak power too to fool the lay consomer i think it is that any thing under .5 thd is not audible by the human ear also you have peak rms and average wattage most of it is a numbers game the thing that thx sells is that if they put their stamp on it is usaly a good product in the uper end of audio equipment now re eq is good usaly in the theaters the center is behind the screen and the mains so they boost the mid and treble to make it sound beter i would buy a thx product that gives me something besides a labble that is y a prosser is worth the extra buck for the thx but a speaker is a speaker and the thx dues not change the speaker in any way

HBombToo · June 2002

so if i understand

"re eq is good usaly in the theaters the center is behind the screen and the mains"

This compensates for losses due to obstruction?

jcaut · June 2002

The "Re-eq" actually applies a gentle roll-off to the high frequencies, not a boost.

Movie theaters all have heavy "drapes" to help absorb reflections. Supposedly, movie soundtracks are mixed to be "bright" to compensate for the amount of high frequencies absorbed by this sound control material. Re-eq helps tone down the excessive "brightness" for your home theater listening.
(Question: On a "THX-certified" DVD transfer, do they go ahead and apply this "re-equalization"? Or do they leave it up to your THX-certified receiver/processor? If their goal is "accurate reproduction of the movie experience, at home" and "Re-Eq" is a good thing, then they should just apply it to the DVD soundtrack.)

THX is mostly a sales gimmick--another way to get the generally un-informed public to buy gear, based on a label. There has to be some technical basis for it, granted. For someone who knows what to look for in audio/video gear, it should mean next to nothing.

nascarmann · June 2002

THX is mostly a sales gimmick--another way to get the generally un-informed public to buy gear, based on a label. There has to be some technical basis for it, granted. For someone who knows what to look for in audio/video gear, it should mean next to nothing.

jcaut,

You are my hero!:D

KING THX CON

mantis · June 2002

Hbambtoo,
ok,
THX Re Equalization........This restores the correct tonal balance for Listening to a movie soundtrack at home.
with that being said I will scratch the surface of what all this THX thing means.
THX has a board of Engineers,that devoloped Technology to accurately translate the movie theater enviroment in your home.You see movie's are recorded for large spaces like the movie theater, at home your room isn't the same size(unless you have a unlimited bank account)They try to correct of spatial and tonal errors that occur.
Timber matching filters the sound going to the rear surround speakers so that they more closely match the tonal charactics of the sound comming from the main speakers.Also they use a technology called Adaptive decorrelation which slighty changes one surround channels time and phase relationship with respect to the other surround speaker.This will expand the listening position and greates a more open,spatial sence using only 2 speakers.Dipolar speakers are the way to go for surround channels.
there is alot to be learned from THX and the way they think.I rule nothing out when I 'm on a quest for better understanding of my hobbie.They really beleive in room acoustics as well.
A THX certified Home Theater room is something to be amazed with.I have been in one in my life and it truely blew my socks off.

cgravil · June 2002

Ok. So THX is worth it if I blow the money to make my whole rig THX certified?

Hmm,... I like my HT but damn. I agree with other people theres some really good stuff that's NOT THX'd that blows away THX'd stuff.

If it all Means control and meeting the same spec's then the $800 Onkyo that I almost bought that is THX certified is just as good as Yoeddy's Parasound Pre/Pro and Amp?

I some how doubt that. George is a WONDERFUL marketing man and if it gets the GL seal of approval then of course it's gonna sell

I guess I feel that THX is a marketing PLOY more than anything else. Kinda like that Monster Cable Company.

Hey I'm just a consumer with average ears, but I do know one thing... If it sounds good, DO IT. So if that THX label matters to you, then go for it. But listen to what is good to you man and stick with that.

Even George Lucas can make a mistake from time to time...<to see him fix one click here... >

Mesa lika disa wone

HBombToo · June 2002

Mantis, Thankyou for taking time to share your insights.

You have struck a nerve regarding decorrelation with me. If I understand it, "please correct me if I'm wrong", the circuit ensures that the surround channels are sighlty out of phase so that we don't have deconstructive wave interference or in short no cancellation and thus a larger viewing area. As an example I rebuilt my Polk RTA 8T which are not bipolar and thought I noticed that very same thing while watching NASCAR in 5 channel Stereo. In this case I perceived better more enjoyable sould away from the sweet spot. This effect was more difficult to hear while listening to 5.1 but I wanted to try a hair brained idea... I wired in parallel a set of Bose cubes which have the swivel type arangement and aimed them like a fixed bipole speaker. It seems to have had an effect but I have not listened to it long enough to really tell??? If there is any advice regarding this aspect I would really appreciate it.

As for the Tonal Balance, I do not have a good feel for what to listen for. You mention room size but I'm having a hard time understading what the circuit is supposed to do? Depth of field, echo, multipath distortion??? I'm not sure but am most definetly interested.

Regards

THX or NOT

Comments