Yamaha RX-Z11 First with THX Loudness Plus

San Rafael, Calif., August 6, 2007 – THX Ltd. today introduced THX Loudness Plus™, a new volume control technology used to maintain the integrity of audio content when listening at lower volume levels. THX Loudness Plus will be featured in THX Ultra2 Plus and THX Select2 Plus Certified pre-amps, integrated systems and receivers. Yamaha will be the first consumer electronics manufacturer to incorporate THX Loudness Plus and THX Ultra2 Plus certification with its flagship AVR RX-Z11.

Surround soundtracks for movies are often mixed in studios at a Reference Level for playback in movie theaters. This level provides filmmakers and sound designers a standard for mixing sound effects, dialogue and the musical score, and helps them understand how the soundtrack will be experienced by the movie-going audience. But, the Reference Level is often too loud for playback in residential homes, forcing many consumers to listen at lower volume. At these lower levels, bass sounds, surround effects and ambient sounds, which are often used by filmmakers and game developers to create a specific mood, can be lost when delivered to the end-user.

“Most consumers don’t have listening environments where they can consistently play movies and games at Reference Level, so they are often required to listen at lower volume levels,” said Warren Mansfield, director of consumer technology at THX. “With THX Loudness Plus, home theater enthusiasts have the option of cranking the sound, or turning the volume down and still hearing the ambient detail in movies, video games or music soundtracks just like they were mixed in the studio.”

THX Loudness Plus incorporates two new proprietary THX Technologies. As the user changes the volume, THX Multi-channel Spectral Balancing™ and THX Dynamic Ambience Preservation™ automatically adjust the frequency response and ambient sound levels to compensate for the lower volume. This delivers a more accurate and dynamic listening experience regardless of volume level.

• THX Multi-channel Spectral Balancing: Adjusts frequency response to counter the perceptual loss of low and high frequency sound in all channels. Begins with a flat response at Reference Level, and continually adjusts the response as the user selects lower listening levels. The equalization is applied to all channels in a multi-channel listening environment.

• THX Dynamic Ambience Preservation: Surround channel processing preserves the spatial detail that is lost when listening below Reference Level. It automatically shapes the output on surround channels to maintain the perceived balance in the original mix.

NOTE: The THX Reference Level on all THX Certified products is the same level used by sound engineers in the professional recording studio. On the Yamaha AVR RX-Z11, the THX Reference Level is represented by “0 db” on the volume dial.

About THX Ltd.
Born out of George Lucas’ vision to improve the movie-going experience, THX is a driving force in cinema, post-production, car audio and home entertainment. THX is dedicated to developing new ways to make the creation, delivery and presentation of entertainment content more efficient, more powerful and more enjoyable. Today, the world’s premier commercial cinemas, post-production studios, car audio systems and home entertainment products incorporate THX technologies and have achieved the coveted THX Certified status. For more information, visit www.thx.com.