I had an interesting conversation with someone at a high end speaker dealership the other day. I was hoping to get some feedback about i was told.
essentially he was saying that Monople speakers are the way to go today because that is what dolby digital and dts expect. the idea of bipole was created by THX which is now a complete dinosaur..
1. THX is a "dinosaur" which was conceived before Dolby digital to try an heighten accurate surround reproduction. (the founder of THX (his initials are TH) then went on to design the auto speakers calibration technology)
2. THX was responsible for the idea of creating bipole speakers to create a more enveloping sound. Bipole was considered preferable ad there was even a small craze of for bipole speakers. however that craze has since died with Dolby digital and DTS becoming the standard - both of which use monopole
3. Dolby Digital and DTS which are the reference standard for audio formating these days is recorded (or intended to be listened to) with Monopole speakers. So in order to get the most accurate reproduction of how the movie or CD is supposed to be listened to in 5.1 or 7.1 it is now preferable to get monopole speakers.
I always though the THX stood for two things:
1. it is a mark of product being able to attain a demanding level of performance - in terms of frequency reach (i think)
2. a surround sound format similar to Dolby, and DTS
I guess I have two/3 questions:
1. what is the verdict on monopole vs Bipole? does it have anything to do with THX vs Dolby?? was the guy i spoke correct?
2. is THX still desirable? I see that some receivers are THX certified, but does that make any difference if you don't plan on having THX speakers?? should you have bipole speakers if you plan on listening to THX surround sound?
3. finally, as a surround format, is THC surround any better than Dolby suround, or DTS surround? is THX really a dinosaur??
