I wrote a long diatribe on what I hate THX. I decided to delete it and to post the pictures below instead. That is essentially what is wrong with THX.

"Bren Delrin" aka "hey, it's Cliff Clavin in ST:ESB!"


"WTF, whoa, an action figure of Cliff Clavin in ST:ESB!"

George Lucas being greedy and trying to make a buck through whatever dubious means possible, e.g. assigning random peeps in Star Wars stupid names and action figures to be sold to crazy collections, creating useless certifications such as THX to be sold to crazy audiophiles, etc.

THX, at least 24 years ago, wasn't a quality standard, it was a club. From my post on HF:

Some comments on THX, preceded by a disclaimer: this data is 24 years old, and I have no idea if THX still operates this way. So, this may not be accurate any more.
 
But, based on a meeting Sumo had with a THX rep in 1990 at CES, THX at the time operated very differently than Dolby.
 
Dolby (and DTS, etc) are licensing bodies. They will approve your device if it meets their specs. Now, it may take you a very long time to meet their specs, and your submission may not be prioritized, but it is a binary relationship. Pass = license. Eventually.
 
THX seemed like a licensing body...at least until we started talking to them. We asked what technical specs an amp had to pass to become THX certified, because we were interested in the idea for the Sumo amps. The answer we got was relatively vague...just that THX would test them as part of the process. And, of course, a significant certification fee had to be paid. That's expected—you're betting the licensing/certification fee is the lead into revenue that will mote than cover it, of course.
 
But that's when it got interesting. The THX rep opined that, "Well, maybe we have enough 200W per channel stereo amps that are certified, how is yours different?"
 
"Wait, you mean we can pass the tests and not be THX certified?" I asked.
 
"Well, we're looking for something more than just another amp, we already have plenty of manufacturers that make products with similar specs to yours."
 
"So this isn't just a certification, it's selection and protection?" I asked.
 
The THX guy smiled. "Right."
 
So, THX, at least at the time, wasn't a binary relationship. It was, "Well, if you're special enough, we'll let you into the club...providing you pass some unspecified tests, pay your fees...and you don't conflict too much with our other licensees."
 
No, thanks. I'll stick to producing product that stands on its own merits, without having to be selected as part of a club.

THX, at least 24 years ago, wasn't a quality standard, it was a club. From my post on HF:

Some comments on THX, preceded by a disclaimer: this data is 24 years old, and I have no idea if THX still operates this way. So, this may not be accurate any more.
 
But, based on a meeting Sumo had with a THX rep in 1990 at CES, THX at the time operated very differently than Dolby.
 
Dolby (and DTS, etc) are licensing bodies. They will approve your device if it meets their specs. Now, it may take you a very long time to meet their specs, and your submission may not be prioritized, but it is a binary relationship. Pass = license. Eventually.
 
THX seemed like a licensing body...at least until we started talking to them. We asked what technical specs an amp had to pass to become THX certified, because we were interested in the idea for the Sumo amps. The answer we got was relatively vague...just that THX would test them as part of the process. And, of course, a significant certification fee had to be paid. That's expected—you're betting the licensing/certification fee is the lead into revenue that will mote than cover it, of course.
 
But that's when it got interesting. The THX rep opined that, "Well, maybe we have enough 200W per channel stereo amps that are certified, how is yours different?"
 
"Wait, you mean we can pass the tests and not be THX certified?" I asked.
 
"Well, we're looking for something more than just another amp, we already have plenty of manufacturers that make products with similar specs to yours."
 
"So this isn't just a certification, it's selection and protection?" I asked.
 
The THX guy smiled. "Right."
 
So, THX, at least at the time, wasn't a binary relationship. It was, "Well, if you're special enough, we'll let you into the club...providing you pass some unspecified tests, pay your fees...and you don't conflict too much with our other licensees."
 
No, thanks. I'll stick to producing product that stands on its own merits, without having to be selected as part of a club.

So it's utter joke.


I was always wondering about the fact that there are tons of DTS/Dolby licenses, yet relatively few THX passed products outside of movie disclaimers. No wonder why.

Interesting thing is none of Creative Lab's new products (a parent company of THX) is THX certified. Creative's new Sound Blaster X7 looks nice and could use a THX logo on it.