THX Ultra vs THX Ultra 2

[rajx7]

Hi ,
Is there big movie watching or music listening experince difference between THX Ultra and Ultra2. My room is less than 2000 sq ft. My receiver is THX ultra so was wondering if it is really necessary to go for an Ultra 2 Preamp or Receiver.
regards,
Rajx7

[Woochifer]

Not at all.

The Ultra 2 specification was introduced a couple of years ago primarily to address the shortcomings of the Ultra spec with multichannel music. The biggest change is that the Ultra 2 spec now allows for direct and bipolar surround speakers to be THX certified. Before, only dipoles could be certified, and with multichannel music, dipoles are not the best speakers for conveying the directional and imaging cues that get mixed onto the better SACD and DVD-A tracks. With the amps/receivers, the changes are not all that great, just minor updates.

If you already have an Ultra amp, stick with it until you have a compelling reason to upgrade. Generally, I would not put too much stock in the THX certification. It's a seal of approval that equipment meets certain minimum standards, and not all that much more. If you switch out receivers, do it for tangible reasons, like it sounds better or adds a set of features that you would like to have. Buying a new receiver just because it's now THX Ultra 2 instead of THX Ultra is wasted money IMO.

[N. Abstentia]

Agreed, Wooch. THX = useless.

[rajx7]

Hey thanks a lot. That really helps. I have Denon AVR-4800. It's an old receiver but the sound is very clean and crisp. Since it is 5.1( 5 X 125 W) and has 2 more pre-outs for future 7.1 extension, I was hoping to add a power Amp and use extra money on room acoustics. What do you think.

[s dog]

I added a power amp to my 4800 to run the mains and let the 4800 run center,sidesurrounds and back surrounds, it has assignable amplifiers so you can do this, If you do make sure you buy a big enough amp to make a differents on your mains for 2 channel listening , or buy a smaller one if your just going to run the rear speakers off of it .i got a 120 watt power amp to run my mains and i could not hear any differents between it and the 4800s amp, i should have gone with a 250 watt or bigger amp to run mains with

[rajx7]

S dog,
What kind of mains do you use. I am thinking of getting at least 150 W and over ( for 8ohm ). I have Athena AS-F2 (250W each) as mains. Even in stereo they extremely good in my opinion. I believe I can do better if I drive them with more powerful amps and good inteconnects. What do you think of AudioSource Amp three (150W X 2 into 8 ohm) or you think I should get atlreast 200 W.

By the way guys thanks for your insight. Helps a lot to share.

[alumpkin]

I totally agree with Woochifer, watch out for the THX certification. When I upgraded to my current home theatre system, I did a lot of shopping around. I ended up going to two local high end audio stores; one that strongly supported THX and one that did not.

The store that did not support THX proceeded to tell me why. To name a few: mainly THX is just a stamp that the reciever meets some requirements (like Woochifer said) that most high end receivers at least meet, in order for a receiver to be THX certified its schematic and layout must be made available for evaluation (what company would really want to release their designs?), and THX is post processing. In the end, the guy told me to go and listen to a THX receiver and choose on what I thought sounded best. So I went to the other store.

At the store that supported THX, I did a listening test and did not really like the THX sound. For me, the non-THX receiver sounded better regardless of what speakers he put the THX receiver through (some were upwards of $1000 each). The salesman kept pushing that the THX certification ensured the quality of the receiver, but most high end receivers I have found are at least the same quality.

By the way, I was looking at THX Ultra 2 recievers with a price range of around $2000. I ended up with the ARCAM AVR300 and am very happy.

[s dog]

S dog,
What kind of mains do you use. I am thinking of getting at least 150 W and over ( for 8ohm ). I have Athena AS-F2 (250W each) as mains. Even in stereo they extremely good in my opinion. I believe I can do better if I drive them with more powerful amps and good inteconnects. What do you think of AudioSource Amp three (150W X 2 into 8 ohm) or you think I should get atlreast 200 W.

By the way guys thanks for your insight. Helps a lot to share.

I have klipcsh SB-3S , I dont know anything about audiosource amps and as far as how many watt amp you need you better ask someone on here with more experience than i have ,good luck

[Krazykaj]

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THX Ultra vs Ultra 2