THX Adds Compact Speaker System Certification to Portfolio
I love big speakers. I love the way they look. I love the way they sound. I have never owned big speakers. The closest I ever got was in college when I had a pair ’70s-chic Pioneer bookshelf speakers. Instead, my desire for large speakers has been tempered by limited living room space, the strictures of child-rearing, and the bane of a clutter-hating wife. I missed THX’s announcement during CES that they now have a Compact Speaker System certification program that should appeal to those, who like me, have found that they have had to sacrifice speaker girth in the process of building their home theaters. There are actually a number of companies such as Atlantic Technology and Mirage that have done a fine job of catering to the high-end compact speaker market without a THX certification logo to throw on their speakers, but that THX has finally developed a certification program for this particular class of speakers does speak to how popular, and how good, compact speaker systems have become over that last several years.
[ED: Tech of the Hub’s below quote is incorrect; it should be 1,000 cubic feet. Good catch, richard1980.]
THX has introduced a new small speaker certification to help the consumer pick out speakers that not only sound great but also will work well with speakers from different manufacturers. Designed for rooms 1,000 square feet and under, the certification includes a battery of tests to ensure there is low distortion at higher volumes and flat frequency response so you can properly hear dialog.
Does this mean they go to 11?
Does this mean they go to 11?
1000 sq ft or less…
So
1000 sq ft or less…
So basically this certification is for every home room in America? Given that 1000 sq ft is about 30×33 room (which is massive), what the heck are the other THX certifications for? The Biltmore Estate?
bimmerfreak0 wrote:1000 sq ft
[quote=bimmerfreak0]
1000 sq ft or less…
So basically this certification is for every home room in America? Given that 1000 sq ft is about 30×33 room (which is massive), what the heck are the other THX certifications for? The Biltmore Estate?
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Exactly! This just about proves that THX certification has been worthless for just about everybody. What’s more, this “new” certification is probably still irrelevant to most people. At the end of the day, choose your equipment based on the features it has and what looks/sounds good to you, not on the logos. Of course, if you’re building your own home theater in a dedicated room and can afford to bring in professionals to calibrate everything… let me know what time to be over!
It’s not 1000 square feet.
It’s not 1000 square feet. It’s 1000 cubic feet. It’s a small typo, but there is a huge difference. 1000 cubic feet is actually very small (125 square feet with 8-foot ceiling).
THX’s press release: http://www.thx.com/press-releases/thx-unveils-new-thx-compact-speaker-system-certification-program-to-meet-consumer-demand-for-higher-quality-sound-in-smaller-rooms/
richard1980 wrote:It’s not
[quote=richard1980]
It’s not 1000 square feet. It’s 1000 cubic feet. It’s a small typo, but there is a huge difference. 1000 cubic feet is actually very small (125 square feet with 8-foot ceiling).
THX’s press release: http://www.thx.com/press-releases/thx-unveils-new-thx-compact-speaker-system-certification-program-to-meet-consumer-demand-for-higher-quality-sound-in-smaller-rooms/
[/quote]
That makes a helluva lot more sense. Too bad Tech of the Hub didn’t pay attention and my bad for taking them at their word. I stand by the first part of my analysis that the original THX certification didn’t mean squat to consumers. Perhaps this one actually will. I do find it interesting–to say the least–that they consider what the majority of the world has at home a “compact speaker system”.
I think a certification
I think a certification system is a good idea in theory. Consumers have a large pool of products to choose from, but many products don’t perform anywhere even close to correct. I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t really like it when I buy something and find out it’s a piece of junk because it doesn’t work right. A certification system can solve this problem if implemented correctly. However, having purchased two separate THX certified Panasonic plasma TVs, both of which were flawed (even in THX mode), I have realized that the THX certification is not what it once was. Years ago a THX certification was reserved for products that performed exceptionally well within a strict set of standards. But today, a THX certification just means a product performs somewhat well. Because of this, I do not recommend a person buy a product based solely on the THX certification. There are many products without THX certifications that exceed the quality and capabilities of some THX certified products.
That said, I currently have an Onkyo THX certified HTIB. I’m happy with the way the system performs, though there are some missing features I wish I had (like HDMI and THX Loudness Plus). However, the system performs exceptionally well. In fact, it’s the only THX certified product I have owned that actually works correctly.