Rippyman Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I have the entire Reference series from Klipsch and I'm wondering if they are THX rated. My receiver has the option to have it set to THX certified or not. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Try it both ways and see which one sounds best to you. There's many speakers and electronic components that pass the THX criteria but aren't certified due to not paying the rather sizeable royalty that it takes to receive the THX label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Who cares? This is THX certified: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-Speaker-System-Z623/dp/B003VAHYTG So what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Who cares? This is THX certified: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-Speaker-System-Z623/dp/B003VAHYTG So what? Different THX certification. There are computer, and home theater certification, and within home theater there is selects and ultra II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Yeah, I agree with CECAA850...Try both settings and see how it sounds! btw., I didn't notice THX being referenced on Klipsch RF-7 II webpage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbope Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Who cares? This is THX certified: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-Speaker-System-Z623/dp/B003VAHYTG So what? Different THX certification. There are computer, and home theater certification, and within home theater there is selects and ultra II Precisely. I have a Logitech Z-560 4.1 computer system with THX certification. They do sound very good for a computer system, though not up to a really good set of speakers. I did actually use them for my budget HTPC system a few years ago when we were living in an apartment, and they worked well. I still have them hooked up to my gaming PC. I would not rule out a speaker that does not have THX certification, but it does help to more-or-less guarantee a certain level of performance. Of course speaker sound is very subjective, so don't rely solely on THX cert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbope Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Who cares? This is THX certified: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-THX-Certified-Speaker-System-Z623/dp/B003VAHYTG So what? Different THX certification. There are computer, and home theater certification, and within home theater there is selects and ultra II Precisely. I have a Logitech Z-560 4.1 computer system with THX certification. They do sound very good for a computer system, though not up to a really good set of speakers. I did actually use them for my budget HTPC system a few years ago when we were living in an apartment, and they worked well. I still have them hooked up to my gaming PC. I would not rule out a speaker that does not have THX certification, but it does help to more-or-less guarantee a certain level of performance. Of course speaker sound is very subjective, so don't rely solely on THX cert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 "........don't rely solely on THX cert." [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have the entire Reference series from Klipsch and I'm wondering if they are THX rated. My receiver has the option to have it set to THX certified or not. Thanks. Your Klipsch RF-7IIs are not THX rated and have impedance dips that go below what is allowed by THX specifications and they will be harder to drive than the ones that are...That being said, put some power behind them and your Klipsch Home Theater may even be more awesome than the ones that are "THX Certified." [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I concur. I had the RF-83 which has a pretty substantial ohm drop to 2.8 ohms at 37hertz or so. I originally hada Harman Kardon system and it had the power to drive these but was a stereo receiver. Then I got a denon 3805 which is no slouch but immediately I recognized the bass was gone. The denon simply could not handle the ohm impedience. I got a crown XTI 1000 and then pre pro the system and I have the bass back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenM Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 The RF-7 II is not THX rated. The THX Select and Ultra certification for speakers are pretty specific in how they handle speaker design. Dispersion, frequency response, amplifier matching, etc are all held to fairly specific standards. Because the RF-7 II was not designed from the beginning to meet the certification, it is unlikely it could be certified without design modifications. Of course, THX is not the only company with knowledge of how to design a first rate loudspeaker. Word on the street is that Klipsch does a bangup job on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 ... Of course, THX is not the only company with knowledge of how to design a first rate loudspeaker... Fwiw, THX doesn't design speakers. As you mentioned they set a standard that the speaker must meet to work with other certified components to achieve the goals set forth in their rating criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenM Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Fwiw, THX doesn't design speakers. They don't get into the nitty gritty, no; however, by giving specific goals on how a speaker should operate and work with other components, they don't give companies like Klipsch much leeway with the actual design work. As such, from a higher level perspective, I'd say they do design loudspeakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenM Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Actually on re-reading my favorite article explaining the joys of THX, I found that they do designs speakers! http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/technical-articles/165-what-it-means-and-how-to-use-it.html?start=5 THX has also been contracted to design Car Audio systems for Lincoln. The pieces and bits are manufactured to THX design and spec by Ford sub-contractors. They have a full time staff in Detroit to handle this project with several THX home office engineers working on auto projects as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pite Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 The RF-7 II is not THX rated. The THX Select and Ultra certification for speakers are pretty specific in how they handle speaker design. Dispersion, frequency response, amplifier matching, etc are all held to fairly specific standards. Because the RF-7 II was not designed from the beginning to meet the certification, it is unlikely it could be certified without design modifications. Of course, THX is not the only company with knowledge of how to design a first rate loudspeaker. Word on the street is that Klipsch does a bangup job on their own. 'Word on the street is that Klipsch does a bangup job on their own.' Absolutely! [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted August 23, 2011 Moderators Share Posted August 23, 2011 Most, of the most expensive speakers in the workd are not THX rated, it's not there goal, the sound quality is. Do you still have to pay a fee to have your speakers THX rated and advertise it as so ? = marketing racket = [bs] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenM Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 It's a little more complicated than that. Also from the article: 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 Design Manual for the product in question. THX products are designed to be THX products. The manufacturer knows what they have to do from square one. Once they have a working sample, it is sent to THX where it is tested, for a fee, and either checks out and a license granted, or it is sent back with a report on what needs to be addressed. Suffice it to say THX promises a very specific level and type of performance with its Ultra 2 certification. This performance is excellent within its predefined limitations (room size, volume level). Of course,the specific performance is not what every manufacturer believes is to be ideal. For example a THX hallmark of speakers is very wide dispersion. I can think of at least one brand that believes in more controlled dispersion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Suffice it to say THX promises a very specific level and type of performance with its Ultra 2 certification. This performance is excellent within its predefined limitations (room size, volume level). Of course,the specific performance is not what every manufacturer believes is to be ideal. For example a THX hallmark of speakers is very wide dispersion. I can think of at least one brand that believes in more controlled dispersion. {EDIT: I misread your post and thought THX requirements were for a more narrow dispersion compared to the 2 channel days. [^o)]} The RF-7s have a narrow dispersion pattern that is extremely suited for Home Theater and Multichannel Music, however when you look at their specifications of being an "8 Ohm Compatible" speaker, rated at 101 db/ meter you would think the cheapest of AVRs could deliver enough current to hit high SPLs. I agree with you that the THX Ultra II certification delivers quality sound and imo, the major reason a speaker like the RF-7s doesn't wouldn't qualify is because of it's jagged response curve with low impedance dips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 So THX specs a speaker to a gnat's a$$ but doesn't address the room? A loudspeaker will perform differently in different acoustic environments, so what's the big deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 So THX specs a speaker to a gnat's a$$ but doesn't address the room? A loudspeaker will perform differently in different acoustic environments, so what's the big deal? I think THX actually addresses the room as well, but for the most part can give a good guideline for asking the correct questions. I also think Audyssey has some consumer friendly approaches (i.e., not for people who spend countless hours researching room/speakers, components, etc) that also may not be for everyone, or even needed once the room is addressed and power requirements are understood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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