Use of THX modes on AV amps

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jase fox

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Apr 24, 2008
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On THX certified Amps/Recievers does anybody use the THX modes?

When ive tried them on my Amp it comes up "THX surround EX" instead of "Digital EX" & i cant tell much difference between the two?

Anybody else used them & noticed any difference? If so, What is the difference?
 
Yeah, I use the THX Ultra2 mode a fair bit, and the Neural THX 7.1 mode too.

TBH, there are too many modes. My Wife hates it when I flip between modes to hear the differences during the first 5 minutes of a film.
 
Big Chris:Yeah, I use the THX Ultra2 mode a fair bit, and the Neural THX 7.1 mode too.

TBH, there are too many modes. My Wife hates it when I flip between modes to hear the differences during the first 5 minutes of a film.

You too, ha ha!
 
I've found that the THX mode on my Onkyo seems to fill the gap between the speakers a little better creating a more seamless sound stage. It is my favourite listening mode, however I am a little more unsure about the THX EQ. I find that at lower volumes it can cut a little too much off the top end creating a less open sound, however when the volume is pushed higher it can sound great. It creates a more cinematic sound that is less ear piercing at the top end.

The thing is to get true THX you need a certified player and speakers (set up correctly), which most people do not have so it kind of becomes trial and error. I suspect that speaker placement will have an effect on how effective the THX modes are too.
 
jase fox:On THX certified Amps/Recievers does anybody use the THX modes?

When ive tried them on my Amp it comes up "THX surround EX" instead of "Digital EX" & i cant tell much difference between the two?

Anybody else used them & noticed any difference? If so, What is the difference?

I was under the impression that Dolby Digital EX was developed in conjunction with THX anyway and are effectively the same thing, so there wouldn't be much if any difference. Might be wrong but I'm sure I read that when DD-EX first appeared.
 
the_lhc:
jase fox:On THX certified Amps/Recievers does anybody use the THX modes?

When ive tried them on my Amp it comes up "THX surround EX" instead of "Digital EX" & i cant tell much difference between the two?

Anybody else used them & noticed any difference? If so, What is the difference?

I was under the impression that Dolby Digital EX was developed in conjunction with THX anyway and are effectively the same thing, so there wouldn't be much if any difference. Might be wrong but I'm sure I read that when DD-EX first appeared.

DD-EX is Dolby Digital but with an extra matrix centre rear speaker. So in effect it is 6.1 (although arguably not true 6.1 as the extra channel is not discrete). The THX listening modes apply some additional processing to the sound.
 
JohnNewman:the_lhc:
jase fox:On THX certified Amps/Recievers does anybody use the THX modes?

When ive tried them on my Amp it comes up "THX surround EX" instead of "Digital EX" & i cant tell much difference between the two?

Anybody else used them & noticed any difference? If so, What is the difference?

I was under the impression that Dolby Digital EX was developed in conjunction with THX anyway and are effectively the same thing, so there wouldn't be much if any difference. Might be wrong but I'm sure I read that when DD-EX first appeared.

DD-EX is Dolby Digital but with an extra matrix centre rear speaker. So in effect it is 6.1 (although arguably not true 6.1 as the extra channel is not discrete).

Yes, I know that.

The THX listening modes apply some additional processing to the sound.

And I know that. Still not sure what you're saying though. I've just had a quick scoot around, it's Dolby Digital Surround EX which is the cinema version of the format that was co-developed with THX, so I'm partially right!
 
the_lhc:JohnNewman:the_lhc:
jase fox:On THX certified Amps/Recievers does anybody use the THX modes?

When ive tried them on my Amp it comes up "THX surround EX" instead of "Digital EX" & i cant tell much difference between the two?

Anybody else used them & noticed any difference? If so, What is the difference?

I was under the impression that Dolby Digital EX was developed in conjunction with THX anyway and are effectively the same thing, so there wouldn't be much if any difference. Might be wrong but I'm sure I read that when DD-EX first appeared.

DD-EX is Dolby Digital but with an extra matrix centre rear speaker. So in effect it is 6.1 (although arguably not true 6.1 as the extra channel is not discrete).

Yes, I know that.

The THX listening modes apply some additional processing to the sound.

And I know that. Still not sure what you're saying though. I've just had a quick scoot around, it's Dolby Digital Surround EX which is the cinema version of the format that was co-developed with THX, so I'm partially right!

It may have been developed in conjunction but I do not believe it is the same thing. DD-EX requires 6.1 speaker set up, whereas the THX modes can be used with just a 5.1 set up. It also sounds different.

All I'm saying is that they are not the same.
 
JohnNewman:

It may have been developed in conjunction but I do not believe it is the same thing. DD-EX requires 6.1 speaker set up,

Actually that's not strictly true. The 6th channel is matrixed in the surround channels, so if there's no centre rear channel you'll just get the info played through the surround channels (which was actually the aim of DD Surround EX, to keep it backward compatible with 5.1 channel systems, ensuring nothing is lost)

It also sounds different. All I'm saying is that they are not the same.

I'll check it myself when I get the new amp.
 
The Dolby Digital website gives a good explanation. I may be misinterpreting it, but I read it that to get DD-EX you need a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker set up, however if you have a 5.1 system you will simply not lose the sound although you will lose the extra channel. Therefoer if you have a 5.1 system you are not experiencing DD-EX. It's bit like turning off your centre speaker in the a 5.1 system, the information is just passed through other speakers to compensate.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/dolby_ex.html
 
JohnNewman:The Dolby Digital website gives a good explanation. I may be misinterpreting it, but I read it that to get DD-EX you need a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker set up, however if you have a 5.1 system you will simply not lose the sound although you will lose the extra channel.

Yes, that's what I said.

Therefoer if you have a 5.1 system you are not experiencing DD-EX. It's bit like turning off your centre speaker in the a 5.1 system, the information is just passed through other speakers to compensate.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/dolby_ex.html

A quote from that page:

Feature films originally released in Dolby Digital Surround EX (the
cinema version) carry the encoded extra surround channel in their
subsequent DVD releases, - unquote.

And "Dolby Digital Surround EX (the cinema version)" was developed with THX. I'd be willing to bet that if you apply the THX Surround EX processing option to a DD Surround EX soundtrack it won't change the way it sounds, because they are the same thing. In fact I think this is why the OPs amp is showing THX Surround EX, because that's what his THX certified amp regards the DD Surround EX signal to be.

Granted if you apply any of the other THX processing modes it'll change the sound, a lot in some cases, and if you apply THX Surround EX manually to a boggo DD5.1 soundtrack it'll sound different as well but I'll have to test all this for myself, at the moment I'm just speculating.
 
the_lhc:
JohnNewman:The Dolby Digital website gives a good explanation. I may be misinterpreting it, but I read it that to get DD-EX you need a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker set up, however if you have a 5.1 system you will simply not lose the sound although you will lose the extra channel.

Yes, that's what I said.

Therefoer if you have a 5.1 system you are not experiencing DD-EX. It's bit like turning off your centre speaker in the a 5.1 system, the information is just passed through other speakers to compensate.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/dolby_ex.html

A quote from that page:

Feature films originally released in Dolby Digital Surround EX (the
cinema version) carry the encoded extra surround channel in their
subsequent DVD releases, - unquote.

And "Dolby Digital Surround EX (the cinema version)" was developed with THX. I'd be willing to bet that if you apply the THX Surround EX processing option to a DD Surround EX soundtrack it won't change the way it sounds, because they are the same thing. In fact I think this is why the OPs amp is showing THX Surround EX, because that's what his THX certified amp regards the DD Surround EX signal to be.

Granted if you apply any of the other THX processing modes it'll change the sound, a lot in some cases, and if you apply THX Surround EX manually to a boggo DD5.1 soundtrack it'll sound different as well but I'll have to test all this for myself, at the moment I'm just speculating.

In which case I think we've been arguing for the same side of the coin 😉
 
the_lhc:
JohnNewman:The Dolby Digital website gives a good explanation. I may be misinterpreting it, but I read it that to get DD-EX you need a 6.1 or 7.1 speaker set up, however if you have a 5.1 system you will simply not lose the sound although you will lose the extra channel.

Yes, that's what I said.

Therefoer if you have a 5.1 system you are not experiencing DD-EX. It's bit like turning off your centre speaker in the a 5.1 system, the information is just passed through other speakers to compensate.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/dolby_ex.html

A quote from that page:

Feature films originally released in Dolby Digital Surround EX (the
cinema version) carry the encoded extra surround channel in their
subsequent DVD releases, - unquote.

And "Dolby Digital Surround EX (the cinema version)" was developed with THX. I'd be willing to bet that if you apply the THX Surround EX processing option to a DD Surround EX soundtrack it won't change the way it sounds, because they are the same thing. In fact I think this is why the OPs amp is showing THX Surround EX, because that's what his THX certified amp regards the DD Surround EX signal to be.

Granted if you apply any of the other THX processing modes it'll change the sound, a lot in some cases, and if you apply THX Surround EX manually to a boggo DD5.1 soundtrack it'll sound different as well but I'll have to test all this for myself, at the moment I'm just speculating.
On my amp like with most amps i can flick between the two, but i can back up what your saying ihc as when i did an a/b comparison to my ears i couldnt tell "much" of a difference, but im fairly sure that in THX surround EX mode it sounded like something had been taken from the soundtrack, maybe abit of top end like john Newman was mentioning there, as it does say that the THX mode was designed for home use as opposed to the cinema, as they say that recordings are mixed alot more brighter for the cinema , so THX mode is supposedly meant to take this harshness out of the soundtrack for optimum performance for the home.

But that doesnt mean to say its a good thing as i dont like the idea of something being taken out of the mix personally, espec when it already sounds fantastic, its the "dont fix what isnt broken" scenario for me.
 
jase fox:On my amp like with most amps i can flick between the two, but i can back up what your saying ihc

{FUME} Lhc, it's an "L" dammit...
emotion-12.gif


as when i did an a/b comparison to my ears i couldnt tell "much" of a difference, but im fairly sure that in THX surround EX mode it sounded like something had been taken from the soundtrack, maybe abit of top end like john Newman was mentioning there, as it does say that the THX mode was designed for home use as opposed to the cinema, as they say that recordings are mixed alot more brighter for the cinema , so THX mode is supposedly meant to take this harshness out of the soundtrack for optimum performance for the home.

But that doesnt mean to say its a good thing as i dont like the idea of something being taken out of the mix personally, espec when it already sounds fantastic, its the "dont fix what isnt broken" scenario for me.

I see what you're saying, it's probably one of those things that you'd just get used after a while, but I know I'd be sitting there thinking I wasn't getting the full soundtrack as well. Might be useful if you've got particularly bright speakers though I guess.
 
the_lhc:
jase fox:On my amp like with most amps i can flick between the two, but i can back up what your saying ihc

{FUME} Lhc, it's an "L" dammit...
emotion-12.gif


as when i did an a/b comparison to my ears i couldnt tell "much" of a difference, but im fairly sure that in THX surround EX mode it sounded like something had been taken from the soundtrack, maybe abit of top end like john Newman was mentioning there, as it does say that the THX mode was designed for home use as opposed to the cinema, as they say that recordings are mixed alot more brighter for the cinema , so THX mode is supposedly meant to take this harshness out of the soundtrack for optimum performance for the home.

But that doesnt mean to say its a good thing as i dont like the idea of something being taken out of the mix personally, espec when it already sounds fantastic, its the "dont fix what isnt broken" scenario for me.

I see what you're saying, it's probably one of those things that you'd just get used after a while, but I know I'd be sitting there thinking I wasn't getting the full soundtrack as well. Might be useful if you've got particularly bright speakers though I guess.

First of all id like to take this opportunity to strongly apologise for me mis spelling your name, it was very rude of me not to mention being ignorant, i should of paid much more attention, i do hope you accept this apology?? (haha) right, that aside yes i agree, as im to much of a perfectionist to cut out even the slightest detail from the soundtrack.

Thanks for the Reply "L"hc lol
 
aliEnRIK:Whats the differences Chris?

Most are fairly subtle, and like I said I get a bit of friction from the Missus when I want to have an extended play, so haven't delved as deeply as I'd like. I will say I much prefer the sound to plain ol' 'Direct' though, using (m)any of the settings.

As a rule of thumb, the more lights/symbols that appear on the display for a certain mode, the better it must be.

;-)
 
Can I ask what may seem like a stupid question? I have an Onkyo 806 and have Sky HD going through it via HDMI. If I watch a movie which has Dolby Digital sound but I set the receiver to THX Cinema, am I still getting DD sound?
 
Personally, the only time I'd bother is when watching a THX disc.
 
grdunn123:Can I ask what may seem like a stupid question? I have an Onkyo 806 and have Sky HD going through it via HDMI. If I watch a movie which has Dolby Digital sound but I set the receiver to THX Cinema, am I still getting DD sound?

Not if you haven't got the optical cable connected as well. Sky is stereo only via HDMI.
 
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