THX Certified HDTVs - Useful or Just Marketing?
by Loyd Case on March 6, 2010 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
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Hardware Certification: No Panacea
In the end, you have to evaluate whether or not THX meets its stated goal of recreating the aural environment of the sound mixing room or, in the case of video, what the cinematographer intended with the film. And here’s where confusion really sets in.
The implication of buying THX certified gear is that you get that sound mixing room environment. Any home theater enthusiast will know this simply isn’t the case. All the logo implies is that the amplifier will deliver a certain signal quality. Without tuning and calibration, a THX certified receiver will sound no better than any other high quality receiver that’s not certified. And if you calibrate your speakers and amplifier to your space, does THX necessarily sound better?
Let’s go back to my own environment as an example. I’ve got a THX Ultra2 certified Onkyo TX-NR1007 A/V receiver. My speaker setup consists of a 7.1 system built around Paradigm speakers: Studio 20s (left and right), CC470 center channel, CC390 left and right surrounds and AMS-150R in-ceiling speakers for the rear surrounds. The subwoofer is a Hsu Research VTF-2. None of my speakers are THX certified. For one thing, the fronts are full range, going down to about 50Hz – below the THX recommended 80Hz crossover.
I used the Onkyo’s built-in calibration system, which automagically set up the speakers as full range (large) speakers, not as THX speakers (small, with an 80Hz crossover to the subwoofer). After the initial auto-calibration, I take a sound pressure level meter and tweak the settings a bit, so that overall volume levels are consistent throughout the room. This is particularly important to minimize bass standing waves. (Although my room is square – the worst case for creating standing bass waves, a set of stairs going up into a hallway in the rear mitigates the square shape considerably.)
Even after calibration, the speakers sound best in my environment set up as “large.” I did try setting them up to the THX spec of 80Hz crossover to the subwoofer, but the result just didn’t sound as good to my ears.
Final Thoughts
In the end, THX certification brings to the table hardware that meets a consistent, minimum set of standards built around the concept of what the mixing engineer hears in the sound booth or what the director intends visually in a film. But as we’ve seen, implementations can vary and the listening or viewing space has a tremendous impact on what you hear and see.
The implications of a THX logo are perhaps stronger than the actual end result, however. The company began life to improve the aural experience of viewing film in the home. But people listen to music in stereo, watch reality TV and are sports fans. If you’re a film buff with a large budget able to build a custom home theater, paying for THX gear and paying for professional calibration is likely worth it. For the rest of us, THX certification is like Starbuck’s coffee: it’s consistent and predictable, but not always the perfect cappuccino in every situation.
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Ram21 - Monday, March 8, 2010 - link
I enjoyed this piece, excellent description of THX certifications.cheinonen - Monday, March 8, 2010 - link
As much as I am loathe to defend Lexicon and the whole Oppo debate, using this as an example for THX being good or bad, at least for the reasons people have been citing, is incorrect because:- Oppo didn't submit the player for THX certification, for whatever reason (cost, not caring about it, I don't know) so the Oppo can't be THX certified if you buy it from Oppo
- Lexicon did submit it for THX certification, and since the Oppo is very well designed and can pass everything that THX needs for video certification, it can be THX certified when sold by Lexicon, but not by Oppo, since Lexicon paid the fee for testing and the label
- It's not THX certified for the audio section, as people have found that the 80Hz crossover doesn't have the correct slopes or crossover point to fit the THX standard.
- THX has nothing to do with Lexicon using the Oppo for their player, or what it sells for, and to say that THX shouldn't certify products that conforms to their specs because someone else designed part of it (which would eliminate most gear out there), or the price is too high, would remove most THX certifications out there.
I'd also cross over those Studio 20's at around 60 Hz or so myself, since the driver is going to have to work much harder to go full range, and the receiver will be working harder than if it was passing that material off to a subwoofer. Also, you'll be missing out on most, if not all, information below 45Hz or so unless you have double bass turned on in your receiver (not the best idea).
I have fronts that can run down to around 24Hz for their -3 db point and I still will cross them over at 40 Hz or so, to make it easier for the amp to drive them, and I have the option to run them full range (no sub) if I am passing in analog from a turntable or a CD player, which perhaps is how you'd want to run the Studio 20's.
queequeg99 - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - link
Is there any way to determine whether a THX product is certified for audio only or video only before a company is called out like Lexicon was? I just see the THX logo on the device itself and marketroid literature touting "THX certification." I don't recall seeing any marketing or sales information on the Lexicon or other products that makes the distinction that THX is now making.Given the strong audio features of this device, not being very clear about what is actually being certified is seriously misleading.
cjb110 - Monday, March 8, 2010 - link
I remember choosing my first home cinema receiver when DVD's were first introduced. At the time there was a lot of forum chatter about THX certification, Yamaha's stance at the time was that they did as stringent as tests as THX, and therefore didn't see the need in upping the cost just for the badge.Ok that's could just be PR, but the 2nd comment from the same source also stated that THX is meant for home movies, not general purpose (ie stereo music playback).
And they we're right, at the time Yamaha's were also considered the best for 2ch music AND movie viewing...the THX'd Denons were good for movie, and so so for music.
Point is that THX emphasises the movie experiance, sometimes to the degredation of other uses of the equipment.
knutjb - Sunday, March 7, 2010 - link
THX is a marketing label implying a certain level of quality. It really just means a given product meats a predefined set of measurements. Measurements don't necessarily mean it sounds or looks good.If you're looking at a monitor like you would watch a movie, in a darkened room without people interrupting every minute, you will likely find what works for you, label or not.
Same goes for sound, I didn't like the THX settings. They sounded flat and thin to me. I experimented with different settings in the store to see how much latitude I would have at home. I ended up with different equipment than I thought I was going to buy. I have small speakers running on full size and I went through a number of subwoofer crossover settings to find the best blend for my room. If the sub is set too high it won't disappear and for me 80hz is like a flashing light. Knocked it down to 60hz and it all seams to blend much better.
Like the author, experiment with your settings for both monitor and sound and you can get very good results without spending silly money.
jabber - Sunday, March 7, 2010 - link
....after the Lexicon/Oppo scandal a few weeks ago.Badge for sale!
cosmotic - Sunday, March 7, 2010 - link
Is in no way consistent. Temperature, quantity, and taste all differ way too much.shotage - Saturday, March 6, 2010 - link
Thanks Loyd, this was a good read.I look forward to a few more articles touching on similar topics i.e. sound!
Keep up the good work!
idealego - Saturday, March 6, 2010 - link
"When THX certifies a piece of hardware – say, an A/V receiver – it works closely with the company building the receiver"THX might want people to think this, but there is a lot of evidence to suggest that this isn't true. For example, many products are THX certified by a company that simply rebadges the product, even though the original manufacturer was never involved in THX certification and continues to sell the product under their brand without THX certification.
queequeg99 - Saturday, March 6, 2010 - link
After reading about all of the foolishness surrounding the THX certification of the new Lexicon BD player, I would be hesitant to pay any material premium for THX certified equipment.