101
En
Techno Tidbits & Problem-solving
EXPER
T
Re-Equalization™ :
The tonal balance of a film soundtrack will be excessively bright and harsh when played back over
audio equipment in the home because film soundtracks were designed to be played back in large movie theaters using
very different professional equipment. Re-Equalization restores the correct tonal balance for watching a movie
soundtrack in a small home environment.
Timbre Matching™ :
The human ear changes our perception of a sound depending on the direction from which the sound is
coming. In a movie theater, there is an array of surround speakers so that the surround information is all around you. In a
home theater, you use only two speakers located to the side of your head. The Timbre Matching feature filters the
information going to the surround speakers so that they more closely match the tonal characteristics of the sound coming
from the front speakers. This ensures seamless panning between the front and surround speakers.
Adaptive Decorrelation™ :
In a movie theater, a large number of surround speakers help create an enveloping surround
sound experience, but in a home theater there are usually only two speakers. This can make the surround speakers sound like
headphones that lack spaciousness and envelopment. The surround sounds will also collapse into the closest speaker as you
move away from the middle seating position. Adaptive Decorrelation slightly changes one surround channel's time and phase
relationship with respect to the other surround channel. This expands the listening position and creates--with only two
speakers--the same spacious surround experience as in a movie theater.
THX Ultra™ :
Before any home theater component can be THX Ultra certified, it must incorporate all the features above and
also pass a rigorous series of quality and performance tests. Only then can a product feature the THX Ultra logo, which is your
guarantee that the Home Theater products you purchase will give you superb performance for many years to come. THX Ultra
requirements cover every aspect of the product including pre-amplifier performance and operation, and hundreds of other
parameters in both the digital and analog domain.
THX Surround EX™ :
THX Surround EX-Dolby Digital Surround EX is a joint development of Dolby Laboratories and the THX
division of Lucasfilm Ltd.
In a movie theater, film soundtracks that have been encoded with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology are able to reproduce
an extra channel which has been added during the mixing of the program. This channel, called Surround Back, places sounds
behind the listener in addition to the currently available front left, front center, front right, surround right, surround left and
subwoofer channels. This additional channel provides the opportunity for more detailed imaging behind the listener and brings
more depth, spacious ambience and sound localization than ever before.
Movies that were created using the Dolby Digital Surround EX technology, when released into the home consumer market
may exhibit wording to that effect on the packaging. A list of movies created using this technology can be found on the Dolby
web site at www.dolby.com. A list of available DVD software titles encoded with this technology can be found at
www.thx.com. Only amplifier and controller products bearing the THX Surround EX logo, when in the THX Surround EX
mode, faithfully reproduce this new technology in the home.
This product may also engage the THX Surround EX mode during the playback of 5.1 channel material that is not Dolby Digital
Surround EX encoded. In such case the information delivered to the Surround Back channel will be program dependent and
may or may not be very pleasing depending on the particular soundtrack and the tastes of the individual listener.
Advanced Speaker Array™ (ASA):
When you set up your home theater system using all eight speaker outputs (Left,
Center, Right, Surround Right, Surround Back Right, Surround Back Left, Surround Left and Subwoofer) and the two
Surround Back speakers are placed close together as shown in the diagram (on p.103), you can take advantage of
THX's Advanced Speaker Array (ASA) technology.
ASA optimizes the surround sound experience using two new modes; THX Ultra2 Cinema and THX MusicMode.
THX Ultra2™ Cinema mode:
When presented with a multichannel digital signal (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.) the VSA-AX10i-S
automatically selects THX Ultra2 Cinema mode. This mode plays 5.1 movies using all 8 speakers giving you the best possible
movie watching experience. In this mode ASA processing blends the side surround speakers and back surround speakers
providing the optimal mix of ambient and directional surround sounds.
THX's ASA circuitry will automatically detect DTS-ES (Matrix and 6.1Discrete) and Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded
soundtracks for correct playback using all 8 speakers.
Please note that some Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks are missing the digital flag that allows ASA to switch
automatically. Therefore, if you know that the movie that you are watching is encoded in Surround EX, you may manually
select the THX Surround EX playback mode.
THX MusicMode™:
On some music DVDs the surround sounds are mixed quite differently than surround sounds mixed for
movie soundtracks. ASA technology optimizes the play back of 5.1 encoded music sources such as DTS and Dolby Digital.
Using all 8 speakers the THX MusicMode provides a wide stable rear soundstage, placing surround sounds best suited for
music playback.
Boundary Gain Compensation™:
Room boundaries (walls) or other characteristics (such as wall construction) may
increase the perceived acoustics levels at low frequencies. Depending on the listener’s and the subwoofer’s position,
the listener may experience an excessive bass effect. The purpose of this feature is to compensate for excessive bass
resulting from a boundary gain effect. This feature is designed to operate when used with a subwoofer certified to
THX Ultra2 specifications. If not used with a THX certified Ultra2 subwoofer then this feature will not operate correctly
and its operation will be unpredictable. In the THX Audio setup menu choose “Ultra2 SW Setup”. Then choose “THX
Ultra2 Subwoofer-Yes”. This now allows you to operate the Boundary Gain Compensation feature. Once you have set
up the speaker system, play some program material with familiar bass content. If you are close to a boundary you may
decide to switch the Boundary Gain Compensation feature ON if you feel that the bass sound excessive. Please also
note that when a THX certified Ultra2 subwoofer is used, the Bass Limiting protection feature is disabled in this product
as protection is provided by the subwoofer.
