July 29, 2010
Pioneer And THX Partnership Delivers In 2010



By Gary Reber

THX and Pioneer have spent more than a decade bringing breakthrough THX Certified products to market. Pioneer was first with a THX Ultra2 Plus Certified AV receiver, first with a THX Select2 AV receiver and first with a THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player. And Pioneer is the first and only AV receiver manufacturer to achieve THX certification with a Class D amplifier.

Maintaining partnerships with world-renowned sound and video experts such as THX and the legendary Air Studios in London has been a critical component of Pioneer’s design and manufacturing strategy. Pioneer shares THX’s belief that the key to developing products that truly capture and deliver the intent of the filmmaker or musician is through a deep understanding of how movies and music is mixed in the studio. Spending time with THX engineers helps Pioneer bridge the gap between the creative process and product design.

“Through the past ten years, THX and Air Studios have become an increasingly integral part of our product development process and bringing new technologies to the market. Their logos on our products signal to dealers, retailers and customers that Pioneer is committed to earning its title of the A/V specialist,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of home entertainment and business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

THX specifications are considered the industry benchmark for delivering cinema performance. Achieving THX certification for a home entertainment product is no simple task; an amplifier must pass more than 2,000 tests covering 14,000 data points, including noise, distortion, current, voltage output and many others. This certification ensures the home audience is experiencing the exact Reference Level sound quality used by filmmakers to mix the movie, with the same fidelity found in the studio.

THX Certified Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-ray Player

In addition, the THX® Ultra2™ Plus and THX® Select2™ Plus certification categories are based on room size to help consumers select the appropriate A/V receivers for their specific listening environment.

Pioneer’s ongoing work with THX has fostered more than 100 THX Certified A/V receivers to date. This year’s line of Pioneer products will not disappoint. The 2010 Elite A/V receivers, Blu-ray Disc players and speaker offerings continue to provide the quality and performance worthy of the THX name. To learn more about the THX and Pioneer relationship,


Tags: - equipment - - THX - - Pioneer Elite - - Select2 A/V receivers -