A gift to audiophiles, a THX sound system consists of components, mainly audio equipment, that meet rigid standards of quality so high usually only an audiophile could tell the difference. Produced by George Lucas, components that are THX certified can range from home theatre stuff to movie theatres. If you've ever seen the THX intro in a theatre, it's certified. Home theatre stuff has the THX logo on it and is expensive, and many companies make THX amplifiers, tuners, speakers, rooms, etc.

THX Certification is not so much awarded as it is purchased. An audio company must pay the THX group a lot of money to have them "test" their equipment for certification. THX certification should never be the reason you choose a stereo component because many components might be of the quality to be certified but the company did not choose to pay the money.

The reason THX equipment is so expensive is because of the cost of certification.

That said, thee difference between THX and non-THX equipment can vary greatly, and depending on the two pieces, the difference can be negligible or can favor either the non-THX or the THX equipment depending on the quality of both.

During the late 70's and early 80's, George Lucas, a filmmaker who scrutinized every detail of his films and embraced technology as means of improving the quality of films, became dissatisfied with existing movie sound quality.

In an effort to standardize and improve the quality of movie soundtracks, special effects and dialog, Lucas set out to define a set of guidelines that would enhance the typical movie viewing experience.

Named after his first feature film, THX 1138, THX systems were installed for the premiere of Return of the Jedi.

Not to be confused with Dolby Digital or DTS or Dolby Pro Logic. THX, as stated above, is merely a certification and has nothing to do with the actual decoding of sound.

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