Specifications

Composite and Y/C Chroma Delay
Chroma Differential Gain
Chroma Differential Phase
Burst Amplitude Differential
Flesh Tone Phase Error
Luminance Linearity
AM Chroma Noise
PM Chroma Noise
Chroma Correlated Noise (IM)
Chroma Burst Frequency Leakage in Y
Chroma Burst Frequency
H Sync Timing
Myth: "THX equipment only works with
other THX equipment."
Reality: Any THX piece can be used with
non-THX equipment, though in certain
situations you may end up loosing some of
the benefits. For example, using THX
speakers with a non-THX crossover will
result in a less than perfect
subwoofer/speaker splice.
Benchmark.
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.
One nice thing about THX and cables, however, and indeed the I/O jacks on THX equipment, is that they
have a comprehensive color coding scheme. Unfortunately, THX has not pushed it as hard as they should
have, and most products either fail to use the color coding scheme, or don't use it comprehensively.
Another nice THX cable thing that THX let go of was their standard for a single DB-25 multi-channel
connection. My 10 year old Rotel five-channel THX amplifier has this input. If I had a THX controller
with the corresponding output, I would have only one cable between them, not five. THX tells us it fell
by the wayside because no one was willing to put it on their product for fear of it being seen
(incorrectly) as a "degraded signal path".
As far as THX DVD titles, every one we've come across has exquisite sound, but on occasion perfection in
the video quality is debatable. It might be excellent, but not exquisite. Some titles exhibit the all too
common halo/ringing artifact, but further investigation is warranted before we pass final judgment (it
has been suggested that, at least in the case of Lucasfilm's own Star Wars Episode I, it was an artifact of
the green screen process which "crept through" to the hi-def master).
THX-like Settings
You can get some of the THX benefits without actually
having THX-certified equipment.
Many non-THX receivers are using the same combination
of bass management crossover slopes as THX, and
simply using a THX speaker set, or a non-THX set with
the same FR alignment, will net you the same perfect
crossover. Although difficult to find and identify, there
are properly designed dipole speakers which are not
THX-Certified (Paradigm models come to mind).
There are many examples of excellent, non-THX high power amplifiers which will fit right in with the rest
of the THX pieces, though if you are picky, you'll want to do your homework to make sure it mates
perfectly with the rest of your stuff.
We've already mentioned not worrying about THX-Certified cables. And, you can look at our own DVD
Player Benchmark to find out what you need to know when picking a player.
You could (and should!) acoustically treat your room, and as a result be able to accommodate a wider
variety of speakers, maybe even negate the benefits of Re-Eq, but even in that situation, THX equipment
can't hurt, so you might as well put some on your shopping list.
The Certification Process
As romantic as it sounds, manufacturers do not simply submit a product to THX for testing and then get a
yea or nay. A THX product starts with the manufacturer purchasing the expensive and confidential THX