not entirely sure...

[greg_slo]

so i believe the THX certification crescendo is one of the greatest (short term) audio experiences for any HT...however im not so sure if i agree with the THX philosophy...

i browsed and searched previous posts to try and find a similar thread, but didnt find anything specific to what im thinking about (and have been thinking for quite some time) so i really hope im not re-posting this question(s).

my original thoughts of THX were: 'i love it'...this was probably just a cool factor/marketing thing. after i started really getting into to hi-fi, i thought 'why should this THX dictate what cut-off/cross over freq. should be used?' (not that the mandated 80 hz and below was a bad choice to go automatically go to the sub(s)...and it is often a great stand by when setting up low key or quick HT demos)....and with a full range speaker like the MLs, this cut off point might not be the best...besides the LFE does not even get sent the mains when no cut off freq is set...but now the newer certifications allow much more flexibility when dialling in and callibrating a system...so im not entirely sure what i want to think aout THX...

also, i was kinda surprised to read in an interview (in "the perfect vision") with Tomlinson Holman (the main guy behind THX), that good video is more influencial than good audio overall in a theater...this was my impression, anyway, of the last Q/A from that article...oh, this article is in the march 2007 issue pg 48-50.

i just was curious as to what people thought on this/these topics...and personaly, i think good sounds is vastly more important than good video...i can watch a movie on a massive TV...but the speakers on a TV almost ruin things for me; where as my 15 year 27" proton isnt as big a deal with my current spkrs and accompaning gear...movies still kick butt:rocker:

...just some thoughts...
~greg

 

[Audiophiliac]

The thing THX has going for it is the standard. We all want to be able to see or hear music and movies the way the artist/producer intended them to be seen/heard. With the THX certification, we can possibly come a bit closer to this....as long as the right requirements are met of course. The idea was to create a standard that would be followed in the studio, and then carried over into our homes to try and preserve the content in its original state. So having speakers with similar response, dispersion, etc. and amps with enough juice to create the proper dynamics and timbre, processing to make sure the right sounds get to the right places, etc.....are the only way we can try to recreate these things the way they "should" be.

I would assert my opinion that video and audio, in a dedicated home cinema are 50/50 in responsibility for creating the cinematic experience. Actually more like 100/100. You dont go to a theater and see a tiny screen. And you dont go and listen to a cheap HTIB. You get the big screen experience and hopefully the sound to go with it. I would say its a bit easier to recreate the video and surpass the quality of the commercial theater in the home, than it is the audio. All you really need, is a decent projector and a big screen, properly set up in a light controlled environment. Feed it a quality source, and bang.....you have the big screen experience. The sound on the other hand is a lot more involved. This is where THX started. Obviously its not a perfect standard and perfect set of certifications. But its a foundation, and a solid one at that. Now Tomlinson Holman is working with the Audyssey people to create an even easier way to try and get the same thing accomplished. The Auto Room EQ systems are becoming so advanced and accurate at doing what they are designed to do, that soon, you will truly be able to push a single button, and correct your whole room/system....and it will actually sound good and be "right".

Anyway, so yes and no, THX may be right for you. If you want the LFE to be mixed between your mains and sub, go for it. Its not going to make the cinematic experience any less cinematic. Its a guideline, and a loose one at that IMHO. But you have to applaud Tom H. for trying to help us out a bit. If only there were standards in the music industry....then we wouldnt have crappy sounding recordings of otherwise great music.

 

[Pcar928fan]

The thing THX has going for it is the standard. We all want to be able to see or hear music and movies the way the artist/producer intended them to be seen/heard. With the THX certification, we can possibly come a bit closer to this....as long as the right requirements are met of course. The idea was to create a standard that would be followed in the studio, and then carried over into our homes to try and preserve the content in its original state. So having speakers with similar response, dispersion, etc. and amps with enough juice to create the proper dynamics and timbre, processing to make sure the right sounds get to the right places, etc.....are the only way we can try to recreate these things the way they "should" be.

Originally it was geared towards commercial theaters. Remember in the early 80's most theaters had TERRIBLE sound systems! One speaker behind the screen or whatever, it just sucked. THX gave them a recipe to follow to make the sound VERY GOOD if not excellent. As people started watching movies at home it spilled over into the consumer market and now virtually any theater built in the last 15+ years is going to be a THX theather and from a consumer standpoint any reciever in the last 10+ years is going to meet THX requirements (though some probably did not want to pay for that badge on the front).

I think it has been a good thing...I think most of us here can do even better than that standard though!

 

[greg_slo]

if only standard formats worked so easily (just look at blu-ray/HD-DVD or beta/VHS)...some day the higher-ups will remember regular DVD's and apply it to other media formats....

as for the early 80's...aaaah what? haha. im only 22 , but i do know why THX was started...im just not sure if it is still doing the good it used to or if its moving in the direction to create a standard to follow...i hope that it does, and in turn help the rest of the media industry to follow along.

~greg

 

[Joey_V]

Basically, THX as a standard will pretty much guarantee to you that a movie soundtrack was recorded with a set standards like a set degree of angles at which the speaker should be positioned, a certain amount of LFE info, etc...

The good thing about this is that you can be sure that the soundtrack was properly recorded if it's THX certified...

Otherwise, you're up in the air as to how a movie was mastered and if the recording studio did anything that resembles surround sound whatsoever.

Joey