Is THX certified speaker wire worth it?

What makes it better?

Any inexpensive in wall THX wire out there?

thanks.

If it comes with a cool THX logo that you can show off, then maybe. Otherwise you should come on over to the wire is wire camp. ;)

If you want the "THX" logo... waste your hard earned dollars to gain bragging rights.

If you want to just connect your speakers to an amp for sound... 14AWG should work just fine. (and save you a few $$) ;)

I'd use low gauge speaker wire but IMHO, expensive speaker wire would have make a tremendous jump to transition from benefits barely measurable to nearly noticeable.

http://www.theaudiocritic.com/downloads/article_1.pdf

If you don't mind, ask the sales rep what the differences are and post them here. I know that I would like to see them.

Thanks guys..what I figured!

Can you make any quality for fair price recommendations on where and what to buy?

thanks!

I was thinking that if they made that cool THX startup sound when you open the cable package, that'd be worth a few bucks.

Can you make any quality for fair price recommendations on where and what to buy?

I've personally had terrific success with Blue Jeans Cable if terms of cable quality, price, and turnaround time (doubly so with custom cables); other report similar experiences with Monoprice.

Which model's from Blue Jean and custom did you go with Monoplex?

thank you

I've had great success with speaker wire from Home Depot. :)

What makes it better?

thanks.

It just meets the THX specs, that is all. Better? Highly unlikely. :D

And, a company was willing to pay the right to label it as such for more sales.

... and charge that licencing fee back to the consumer, possibly three-fold the actual price for material(s).

It's just the result of a THX licensing fee paid for marketing purposes. The rest is snake oil. I concur with the Home Depot reference.

Tim

THX cable? Just another way to trick people into spending more money than they need to. I'm sure Monster makes some.:rolleyes: I really like Canare cables.

THX certification is neither snake oil or a simple marketing gimick (there may be a marketing benefit, but; it is not a gimmick). THX certification testing does confirm the cable meets the electrical requirements for the application (electrical requirements are tested not - mythical 'sound quality' nonsense). The lack of THX certification does not mean the cable doesn't meet the electrical requirements. Many aspects of the THX testing and certification process may have no bearing in your own application. For example, the cable is pulled through a resistance jig to determine how easy (or not) to pull the cable through framing in pre- and post in-wall wiring projects. The sheath is tested to determine if it is easily nicked or torn when pulled, if the wire type is easily identified in low light situations, if the cable strands are easily broken when flexed or pulled, if the cable gauge is what the manufacturer says it is, etc. While the testing is real, many of the characteristics of such a wire may have no meaning in your application.

By and large, the THX certification process was designed to determine if wire, equipment, and speakers met the engineering, techinical, and ergonomic requirements for the application....in other words, THX testing was an attack against snake oil, smoke, mirrors and wild claims by manufacturers.

Hi Dennis,

All good points regarding the physical properties of a THX certified cable. Thank you for highlighting my ignorance on that aspect.


Tim

Yes very good post Dennis.

Thanks very much :)

THX certification is neither snake oil or a simple marketing gimick (there may be a marketing benefit, but; it is not a gimmick). THX certification testing does confirm the cable meets the electrical requirements for the application (electrical requirements are tested not - mythical 'sound quality' nonsense). The lack of THX certification does not mean the cable doesn't meet the electrical requirements. Many aspects of the THX testing and certification process may have no bearing in your own application. For example, the cable is pulled through a resistance jig to determine how easy (or not) to pull the cable through framing in pre- and post in-wall wiring projects. The sheath is tested to determine if it is easily nicked or torn when pulled, if the wire type is easily identified in low light situations, if the cable strands are easily broken when flexed or pulled, if the cable gauge is what the manufacturer says it is, etc. While the testing is real, many of the characteristics of such a wire may have no meaning in your application.

By and large, the THX certification process was designed to determine if wire, equipment, and speakers met the engineering, techinical, and ergonomic requirements for the application....in other words, THX testing was an attack against snake oil, smoke, mirrors and wild claims by manufacturers.

Wouldn't it be sweet if lampcord or some HomeDepot 12 guage wire was
also THX certified. That would shake up the snake oil cables.

By and large, the THX certification process was designed to determine if wire, equipment, and speakers met the engineering, techinical, and ergonomic requirements for the application....in other words, THX testing was an attack against snake oil, smoke, mirrors and wild claims by manufacturers.

IMHO.... although a "good" thing, THX certification is nothing more than a set of standards initally designed to impress movie crowd. Then Lucas and company saw a great potential for profit at the consumer level with licencing.

For the "average" A/V enthusiast, I just see all this THX certification as an unnecessary expense.

Only my opinion. No offense intended to any of the posters.

I wonder when we will see "THX" certified HDTV's? :D

...........I wonder when we will see "THX" certified HDTV's? :DJanuary 2007.......... http://runco.com/xp-65dhd.html

LOL... at $20k for a 65" Plasma TV, that only reinforces my opinion that it is not for the "average" person. ;)

Wouldn't it be sweet if lampcord or some HomeDepot 12 guage wire was
also THX certified. That would shake up the snake oil cables.

You think that would shake them up? Hardly, since for the past 25+ years, no evidence would convince them or the public. after all, if there is no market, they go out of business. Similar to religion? :D

Seriously, I heard that Home Depot needed some older bulk 12g speaker wire to submit to Lucas Labs for THX certification so being the model consumer I am, I offered up some of my personal stash. I'm anxiously awaiting for certification so that Home Depot will have an excuse to jack up the price on the 250 ft house brand spool of 12g speaker wire I bought, thus returning it so I can pay the difference. :rolleyes:

Dennis is correct in stating that much testing is run on all different types of home theater equipment and accessories which brings us to those reputable companies that don't find it necessary to pay for the ever public eye-catching "THX" logo. If it gives you the warm fuzzy's then by all means pay the exorbitant excessive price increase. I for one would rather apply that extra money towards a larger plasma screen, a new Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player, a new quad-core AMD processor, a motherboard to support it along with dual channel DDR-2 memory, etc.,etc.,etc...

IMHO.... although a "good" thing, THX certification is nothing more than a set of standards initally designed to impress movie crowd. Then Lucas and company saw a great potential for profit at the consumer level with licencing.

For the "average" A/V enthusiast, I just see all this THX certification as an unnecessary expense.

Only my opinion. No offense intended to any of the posters.


Actually, that was not the intent behind, first THX, and, secondly, THX certification. None-the-less, no offense taken; however, I would say the 'average' guy likely benefits more from THX's efforts than the knowledgeable individuals.

Yup...understand the point about a $20K plasma (have you seen it? I have). OTOH, knowing something about the certification process, I can't even begin to imagine how much time and cost was involved...or how many times it went back for testing after problems were identified.

Thanks...

Just a point of discussion (since you brought it up ;) ). Do you really think that J6P should buy THX certified interconnects, even though none of their other equipment is THX certified? Is a Mon$ster THX cable "better" than a AR, Philips, or any other brand THX cable? I would suggest that if they both adhere to the standards and can display the THX logo, then they should be identical spec wise.

I do agree that gobs of $$ was invested by many to set the standards and/or continued testing/certifications.

And no, I have not have the opportunity to see the Runco. I'm sure it's a fabulous set. I would assume that this set is 100% accurate from the factory and would require no ISF calibratoin whatsover?

J6P asked about speaker cable. Yes, he should by it IF he doesn't know what type of wire is required for what, can't tell a good solder joint from a bad one, doesn't know good strain relief from bad, etc. On the other hand, if it's not being pulled through a wall, all he needs is 12AWG, multi-stranded (136/54), copper for speaker wire.

Which model's from Blue Jean and custom did you go with Monoplex?

Sorry for the delay but I missed your question. I'm using Blue Jeans' Canare 4S11 for my fronts, AudioQuest for the sub cable, and low gauge generic speaker wire for the rest.