4. THX

THX is not a sound standard like DTS and Dolby Digital. It is a certification, a quality label created by Lucasfilm, designed to distinguish certain home cinema collections. The term THX is derived from "THX 1138", the first science fiction film by George Lucas, which has now become a cult movie. It was in 1986 that the daddy of Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker and, later, Jar Jar Binks, began to develop the label, mainly for the big screen. This very demanding guy had noticed that cinema sound equipment produced sound of poor quality and that it varied depending on the movie theater. George reckoned that every single moviegoer had the right to expect the same sound with the same fidelity, regardless of the theater. And so, THX certification was born. It is now found in a great many movie theaters across the world.

Promedia by Klipsch and, more recently, Z-560 by Logitech opened the way for THX certification in multimedia sound systems. Though still marginal, it should not be long before these initials become a selling point. But while THX certification is obviously a sign of quality, it does not make one system better than another. There are systems of outstanding quality that match, or even exceed, the criteria set by Lucasfilm. It's just that their makers have not found it worthwhile, let alone necessary, to pay George Lucas to put their product on the THX test bench.

The certification involves three main criteria:

Sound quality. This is judged on the basis of bandwidth, frequency balance, consistency of front and rear speakers, sound position qualities and whether the system does actually comply with the output levels announced. Interface ergonomics. This mainly means how easy it is to install and use. Manufacturing quality. On a system with a THX certificate, the two front speakers and the center speaker are usually identical and dipolar (two diaphragms). The sound emitted should be directed towards the listener and not bounce off the floor or ceiling. The bandwidth should not be below 80 Hz, so all THX systems must have a subwoofer.

Test Configuration And Methodology

Test System
Processor	Intel Pentium 4 at 2 GHz
Memory	256 MB
Hard disk	Western Digital 40 GB
CD/DVD players	Yamaha CRW3200E - Pioneer DVR-103
Sound card	Creative Labs Audigy Platinum
Video card	Nvidia GeForce 2 MX400
Drivers & Software
DirectX	8.1a
OS	Windows XP Professional

All of the systems were tested using the same configuration and the same software. They were judged on the basis of subjective and objective tests. The objective tests looked at the way sounds ranging from 35 Hz to 15 kHz were returned to evaluate bandwidth compliance and low frequency quality. The subjective tests looked at the way the systems behaved in games, music and home video environments. The games used were Alien Vs Predator 2, Diablo II and Max Payne. The DVDs we viewed were "Saving Private Ryan," "Brotherhood of the Wolf," "Matrix," and "Doberman." The audio CDs were Mozart's "Requiem," the original soundtrack of "Schindler's List," "Aion" by Dead Can Dance, and "Dig Your Own Hole" by the Chemical Brothers. While some of the systems tested have power and quality similar to hi-fi, they were judged mainly by PC performance. And as their price range does not exceed $500, we are nowhere in the league of big systems like Cabasse, JBL or Mission, which you get in hi-fi and home cinema, not to mention the more advanced sound systems which, if only in terms of price, are light years ahead of the multimedia world.