Who uses THX Surround or Ultra?

[nicholtl]

For weeks I have been experimenting with dvd's and switching my sound mode from Direct to THX Surround or THX Ultra. Is it just me, or do these formats sound terrible? They sound muted, muffled, stuffy, compressed, and most of all, too soft. For example, I was watching "Great Expectations" (yes, the movie with ethan hawke and gwyneth paltrow) and there is a scene where there are crickets chirping as he enters that old mansion. Well, on direct, the crickets surrounded me. On either THX mode, they were non-existant. I don't like non-existant sounds when they are supposed to be there.

Any thoughts? Are the THX modes better for THX certified features?

[John Holmes]

Nicholtl, Welcome to the Guide!

First let me start by saying, everyone has a different flavor that is pleasing to them. Others will say "how could you!"

I don't own any of the fine Halo equipment that you and others on this forum do. However, I do have THX processing and THX speakers. When I first started using it, I too felt that it "muted" sounds in the film. As this made no sense to me as to why it would do this, I posted the exact same questions as you to this forum. Noone responded to my inquery. Left to find out on my own I began to play.

I began to realize that there was nothing wrong with the THX processing of my unit. There were however, several things wrong with my setup. Improper speaker placement to include the vertical heigth. I also had not done as good of a job as I thought with my initial speaker balance. Once I insured all the above were dead on (and not just in the general area) I had no problem with hearing everything in the soundtrack.

I use THX processing on every disc. Unless it specifically says not to use any post processing (like the Se7en disc does). For me, it seems to just sound correct. This may or may not be accurate to the next person but, for my home theater thrills, it's nothing short of spectacular. THX processing seems to be not as "in your face" during the film until the dynamics of a specific scene kicks in, then, look out!!! All hell is breaking loose in your room. 8)

You may not have any of the issues that I listed above. But if you do, it may help to get you THX experience where it shold be.

Let us know what you find out.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[nicholtl]

John, thanks for the great reply. Since I am pretty limited in my speaker placement (I live in an apartment, and I have floorstanders for my center and rear surrounds, so I can't really place them 3-4 feet above listening height) I guess I'll have to live without THX post processing for now.

Any idea why Se7en says don't use post processing? I've heard that before, but that seems quite odd why this dvd would say that.

And by the way, are you the John Holmes on the Klipsch forums?

[John Holmes]

No problem!

I'm not the one from the Klipsch forum. I've never owned any but, have always enjoyed their sound.

As for the Se7en disc and others like it. These disc are suppose to have been Re-Equalized for home viewing. Thus, the Re-Eq in THX processing is not needed. Some companies have this feature (Re-EQ) as a stand alone feature. And I'm told (but never seen this for myself) that some THX units can apply all the THX factors and omit the Re-EQ on demand. My unit does not allow this. You either have all the post processing or nothing.

Last night I watched "Final Destination 2". This is such a disc that has been eqaulized for home vieing. I played the DTS 6.1 track of the movie (on my 5.1 system) and must admit...I never missed the THX processing. It is a extremely well mixed soundtrack. that had my totally immersed in the film.

Have a great day!




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[smalone]

Don't forget about Cinema EQ and also Compression. These can effect the sound you get also.

I do like the THX Ultra 2 setting for some but not all movies. On my setup (7.1) it seems to add a fullness or immersion into the movie.

As for the "Seven" DVD it is possible the sound mix was re-mixed for home systems were most sound track are the same mix that was used in the theater. Just a guess though.

[nicholtl]

Any idea what the differences are between THX Surround and Ultra 2? Are they entirely different sets of sonic equalization parameters, or is ultra 2 simply designed for larger rooms?

[Gordon Moore]

As for the "Seven" DVD it is possible the sound mix was re-mixed for home systems were most sound track are the same mix that was used in the theater. Just a guess though.

Fantastic educated guess. The studio responsible for this process is Mi Casa Multimedia.

Seven, Blade II and others are remixed for the near-field environment of the home and have had frequencies from 2K and up de-emphasied by the studio mixer. DVD's from old (and new) had/have the theatrical mix which has this pre-emphasis in place for the theater. Re-EQ tonally adjusts the balance for home.

Unnecessary for titles that have been mixed for home.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the X-Curve and Re-Eq:
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http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_9_2/feature-article-curves-6-2002.html

"A RONSTER!"