THX now a bogus marketing ploy?

[anamorphic96]

Well I think THX theaters use extremely long runs. Maybe they need to have low losses....

SheepStar

There is no such thing as THX certified cables in movie theatres. It is standard 10 or 12 gauge wire. Nothing special about it.

In commercial theatres alot of the THX standards have to do with -

1. The baffle wall behind the screen.
2. Acoustics in the auditorium. In a properly built THX auditorium you should never here any outside noise from the lobby and you should never here any of the HVAC equipment.
3. The THX crossover cards for bi-amping.
4. Amps should be built to THX specs along with speakers.
5. Equalized with R2 software. ( 4 microphones placed in specific areas. )

These are the main items.

There is no special processing in a THX equipped theatre.

 

[mtrycrafts]

now that lucas sold THX and we see it plastered everywhere in all these levels (THX, Select, Ultra) is it really ALL that? Ive heard some recievers that dont bother with it and they sound great... whats the opinion out there?

THX is a standards certification that it meets that standard. Home THX has been subdivided so more components can meet some of the specs at least.
It is still in use and used. It is a choice that some make in getting a product that meets some known standards.

 

[Herr D]

While I recognize the importance of THX certifications in creating a universal standard by which the quality of products could be measured, I think today it's 80% marketing simply because some of the specs they use are superfluous and the quality of the equipment has tremendously improved.

A friend of mine was very proud to show off his THX certified AVR and speakers and sure enough it didn't sound bad, but the receiver had a fixed crossover setting of 80 HZ and it bugs the hell out of me. I'd much rather have a 60 or 40 Hz crossover with bass capable speakers and let the sub only take care of the 16Hz-40Hz. Sounds better with music and movies imo.

And yes I think the logitech THX Ultra or whatever they're called are crap. They're just crap. Now I'm gonna get my coffee.

 

[jas ly]

THX is like an onion...
i mean like unions.
Not as important was they use to be, a little coruput, but where would we be if we didn't have them.

Nothing wrong working in a union, but there are many non union jobs better then union ones without the union dues. Then again you know your not likely going to be 'taken for a ride' in a union...

I belive if we didn't have THX the lower levels of AV equipment... (say under$1000) would suffer...

companies today which don't go for the THX still must compete with those which do,
which is why most products which directly compete with THX equipemnt are very close to or meet the requirements

now take those standard away.. i bielive there will be a slow spirl down in quality of equipment

wow this is long winded

but of course THX is about money, which is why there are low standard for computer speakers... and theaters don't have surprise inspections to see if they still meet the qulifications

so like everyone else.. you don't need it, but it is good it is out there

 

[MDS]

companies today which don't go for the THX still must compete with those which do,
which is why most products which directly compete with THX equipemnt are very close to or meet the requirements

That's a good point. Even low end (in price) receivers follow a lot of the THX guidelines such as bass managment. The don't necessarily meet all the electrical requirements, however.

Many of them also follow the simple guidelines like color coding the speaker terminals and 5.1 analog inputs. I always cringe when I see high priced receivers and pre-processors that just use red and white jacks for every single input and all black speaker terminals. You would think that for the price charged, they could spend 5cents per terminal instead of 1 cent, but no.

 

[mtrycrafts]

IFrom the website:


This states their guidelines are based on a "0" setting on the volume control. Is this a fair way to rate a receiver, when less than 1% of consumers ever listen to their units at "0"? Whose to say manufaturers don't tweak their volumes to "make the grade?" There's a lot of wiggle room there IMHO.
.

Not all the THX specs are made known to others not contracted with THX. Hence, at 0 volume the receiver must be able to do more than what is in the quote, I am sure, such as distortion, power to drive a stated impedance, FR, duration of power available.
While I/we/many don't listen to such levels, there may be some out there who do, hifi for one? But, we would know that the component would do that level of performance if we chose to.
There are a whole slew of specs in THX.

 

[jbrillo]

Here's a great article on THX.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_13_1/feature-article-thx-1-2006-part-1.html

The best explanation I've ever read. For what it's worth, here's an excerpt from the article on cables:

"Another THX product which leaves us scratching our heads is cables, and that's NOT a reflection on THX. It's no secret cables are a high margin item, but the THX cables we've seen take it to a whole new level. It's important to remember that THX doesn't tell people how to price or market their products. If a cable or wire passes the signal for which it is intended with acceptable integrity, THX will give it a license to use their name. They can't help it if the licensee goes on to position and price the product as something it is not. In fact, some of the THX interconnects we've played with employ ridiculously tight RCAs which only give a false impression of superior connection while introducing the risk of breaking your equipment from the force required to plug or unplug them."

In my opinion THX has a certain amount of value. They guarantee a certain level of performance given a certain set of parameters. What percentage of buyers can actually tell if another product is equal or better in the same price range without the THX logo? Not saying that the THX logo delivers the best at any price point, but it can be helpful to those without advanced knowlegde of electronics. Only us geeks that frequent this site & similar sites really care. In terms of the entire electronics buying population, I'm sure our numbers are very small. I'm just thankful that we have choices.

 

[3x10^8]

Has anyone seen this? I'm actually a bit curious as to how it sounds.

http://www.lincoln.com/zephyr/interiorfeatures.asp?feature=thx_ii_certified_sound

 

[jake51s]

Has anyone seen this? I'm actually a bit curious as to how it sounds.

http://www.lincoln.com/zephyr/interiorfeatures.asp?feature=thx_ii_certified_sound

My in-laws have the THX system in their 2004 LS. IMHO it is the best sounding STOCK audio system I have heard. Granted, I think Acura had a DVD-A system I have not.

Edit: Oh, and theirs is not the THXii, just THX