First Digital Amps Get Ultra 2 Certification (1 Viewer)

[Eddie Horton]

Audioholics has an article today about the first digital amps that meet Ultra 2 specs. http://www.audioholics.com/news/pres...digitalamp.php
With all the recent threads about digital amps and receivers, this makes for interesting news on the future of HT.

 

[Chu Gai]

And just what are the specifications necessary to get this certification?

 

[Eddie Horton]

I have no idea. The article didn't say, and neither does the THX web site that I could find.

 

[John Garcia]

I read an article about THX cert for analog amps and it seemed pretty simple. The article didn't lay out exactly what an amp had to do except that it has to meet their specs and usually the manufacturer will go back and forth a few times with a design to get the cert. It also noted there was no cost difference between a cert and non-cert amp to produce.

 

[Chu Gai]

That's always been my understanding too, John. You've got to apply first before you're told what the criteria are. Then I think they make you do a pinky swear and sacrifice ananimal.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Except the licensing cost to put the THX logo on the front.

There is something about meeting a specific power requirement to play a movie soundtrack at reference level, and then something about power into reduced impedance loads, but I don't know any specifics either. I think there are some assumptions about how the speakers are designed (sensitivity), and the size of the room. Obviously for THX, they want all speakers setup as "small" with the THX 80 Hz crossover (and slopes). So ... since all speakers are "small" (and the low freq content goes to a sub, which is where the real power demand is), it's not that difficult to get THX certification for an amp. Also something about noise floor too, in that you don't want to hear "hiss" from the amp (amp/speaker combo) during a quiet passage in the movie.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I also think that I remember that due to the low noise floor requirement, THX certified amps cannot have fans either. Or, it would be very hard to design one that would be quiet enough to pass.