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THX and Monoprice Team Up On Headphone DAC-Amplifiers
Although this story gained some momentum last week with an announcement by Monoprice, THX Ltd. officially hit the airwaves with their own coverage of events at the weekend. Notwithstanding, it's worth mentioning that the former Lucasfilm Ltd. division has partnered with Monoprice by licensing its THX AAA technology to the audio cable online sales giant, for use in the Monolith range of DAC amplifiers.
While headphone tech and their respective DAC amplifiers might not seem the most compelling news for home theater aficionados, as on this site, it's worth reflecting on the wide portfolio of licensing programs that THX now inhabits, seeing as their remit of days gone by was always reserved for the propagation of quality in licensing of all things related to filmed entertainment. This diversification strategy seems to be driving much of the forward motion for this small San Francisco-based outfit, particularly following the company's foray into car audio standards some years ago.
THX claims that the 'AAA' technology reduces harmonic, intermodulation, and crossover distortion by 20 - 100 times for a 'realistic and fatigue-free' listening experience, and can increase battery life by a factor of 10.
The Monolith Desktop Headphone Amplifier incorporates the THX AAA-788 amp design for 2x1500mW of high-powered output with the 'world's lowest distortion and noise', while the Monolith Portable design version produces a 'massive' 2x400mW of power, also with long battery life. Both models will feature the new flagship AKM AK4493 32-bit Premium DAC with VELVET SOUND technology, with inbuilt balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs.
"We are excited to partner with Monoprice to debut our THX AAA technology to deliver extremely high-quality audio to headphone users," says Jason Fiber, Director, Product, THX Ltd. "Monoprice shares our passion for innovation and will be able to provide an unparalleled listening experience to consumers at an affordable price."
We'd love to hear your views on the evolution of THX since its break with the Star Wars factory some years ago.
THX and Monoprice Team Up On Headphone DAC-Amplifiers
Although this story gained some momentum last week with an announcement by Monoprice, THX Ltd. officially hit the airwaves with their own coverage of events at the weekend. Notwithstanding, it's worth mentioning that the former Lucasfilm Ltd. division has partnered with Monoprice by licensing its THX AAA technology to the audio cable online sales giant, for use in the Monolith range of DAC amplifiers.
While headphone tech and their respective DAC amplifiers might not seem the most compelling news for home theater aficionados, as on this site, it's worth reflecting on the wide portfolio of licensing programs that THX now inhabits, seeing as their remit of days gone by was always reserved for the propagation of quality in licensing of all things related to filmed entertainment. This diversification strategy seems to be driving much of the forward motion for this small San Francisco-based outfit, particularly following the company's foray into car audio standards some years ago.
THX claims that the 'AAA' technology reduces harmonic, intermodulation, and crossover distortion by 20 - 100 times for a 'realistic and fatigue-free' listening experience, and can increase battery life by a factor of 10.
The Monolith Desktop Headphone Amplifier incorporates the THX AAA-788 amp design for 2x1500mW of high-powered output with the 'world's lowest distortion and noise', while the Monolith Portable design version produces a 'massive' 2x400mW of power, also with long battery life. Both models will feature the new flagship AKM AK4493 32-bit Premium DAC with VELVET SOUND technology, with inbuilt balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs.
"We are excited to partner with Monoprice to debut our THX AAA technology to deliver extremely high-quality audio to headphone users," says Jason Fiber, Director, Product, THX Ltd. "Monoprice shares our passion for innovation and will be able to provide an unparalleled listening experience to consumers at an affordable price."
We'd love to hear your views on the evolution of THX since its break with the Star Wars factory some years ago.
