THX certificate

[Stepchal]

This maybe a silly question but not having a THX certificate - does it make any difference to the sound quality produced by the Depth I.

My other speakers are all THX which do sound great so does it truly make any difference?

 

[Rich]

THX certification has little to do with the overall sound quality of a component. It is simply a set of standards for reproducing movie soundtracks. Having the standard ensures that the speaker can reproduce the sound levels according to the standard. It is geared specifically toward the ability of the system to accurately reproduce movie soundtracks.

A speaker, in this case, subwoofer, can meet THX certification and still sound like crap on both movies and music. Likewise, a speaker that doesn't meet cert. can still sound incredible on both. So I wouldn't put too much stock in it, unless your system is for surround sound movie reproduction only and you want to ensure that every component meets the standard set by the industry. Honestly, I think the THX has become more of a marketing gimmick now, with lots of home theater in a box type speakers getting certification, car audio systems getting certification, etc. So I don't think you can really rely on it as an objective measure of quality.

What matters as far as great sound is fine engineering, quality components, great design, and build quality. The Depth i has all those factors on its side and is a great sub. I daresay it has better sound quality than the majority of subs that are THX certified.

 

[asindc]

No, it does not make a difference. Manufacturers are free to seek THX certification for their products. Such certification is meant to convey the idea that the product has met a minimum threshold of quality for inclusion in an optimal HT setup. Manufacturers do have to pay for such certification, however, which is why some don't seek it. Therefore, as Rich noted, the absence of THX certification should not be taken to mean that the product will not perform up to optimal HT standards. I take it as a general guide but not one of the deciding factors in purchasing a product.

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
I agree with the above posts. With THX Ultra2 AVR's and Amplifiers, they do generally have solid output power to all channels, but THX Select AVR's really have shown surprisingly weak power output when bench tested.

In respect to THX Speakers, the ones I have listened to are so biased towards HT, that I have never considered THX Certified Speakers. While it is a given that THX Speakers would be that way, as a music lover, the ones I have auditioned never impressed me.

I definitely look at a THX Ultra2 Certified component as having a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" if you will, but as has been said above, there are many fantastic components that have never been submitted for testing.
With HT, I do enjoy many of the THX Processing modes.
Cheers,
ML

 

[Stepchal]

THanX for the clarification

Well thank you all for your input Its pretty much what I first thought when seeing the THX sticker on certain items; but it looks as though it might be more clever marketing than anything real worldly now or as Mark nicely put it more of a "good house keeping seal of approval".

steve

 

[MotorToad]

THX is like Geranimals for kids' clothes. If you know *nothing* about color matching you'd have a better chance of picking your clothes with giraffes and lions than without. If you have any idea of what you want to listen to then THX isn't worth its made-up name or useless "standards.".

Recently I saw an article (it's probably also on this forum but I don't scour this place like I used to) about some "high-end" brand reboxing the Oppo Blu-ray player and charging 7 times more for it. The Oppo is not THX and somehow the identical expensive brand is "certified."

tl;dr version: THX is crap.

 

[Feltran]

I honestly don't get THX certification at all. These days, there are all sorts of products that claim to be the only product of the kind that is THX certified (this includes things like semi-soundproof doors). However, while THX seems to pick and choose very specific products to offer certification, my experience doesn't suggest that THX certified products are really any better than the competition at all.

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
I believe you are talking about Lexicon's BD-30, which is a virtual clone of OPPO's BDP-83 yet costs 3500 Dollars.

I do personally like and use THX's Processing Modes. I certainly agree that there are tons of components which are fantastic which are not THX Certified, but with AVR/SSP's many of the features do have merit.
Cheers,
ML