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Using the Listening Modes—Continued
THX
Founded by George Lucas, THX develops stringent stan-
dards that ensure movies are reproduced in movie the-
aters and home theaters just as the director intended.
THX Modes carefully optimize the tonal and spatial
characteristics of the soundtrack for reproduction in the
home-theater environment. They can be used with 2-
channel matrixed and multichannel sources.
Surround back speaker output depends on the source
material and the selected listening mode.
• THX Cinema
THX Cinema mode corrects theatrical soundtracks
for playback in a home theater environment. In this
mode, THX Loudness Plus is configured for cinema
levels and Re-EQ, Timbre Matching, and Adaptive
Decorrelation are active.
•THX Music
THX Music mode is tailored for listening to music,
which is typically mastered at significantly higher
levels than movies. In this mode, THX Loudness
Plus is configured for music playback and only Tim-
bre Matching is active.
•THX Games
THX Games mode is meant for spatially accurate
playback of game audio, which is often mixed simi-
larly to movies but in a smaller environment. THX
Loudness Plus is configured for game audio levels,
with Timbre Matching active.
• THX Ultra2 Cinema
This mode expands 5.1-channel sources for 7.1-
channel playback. It does this by analyzing the com-
position of the surround source, optimizing the
ambient and directional sounds to produce the sur-
round back channel output.
• THX Ultra2 Music
This mode is designed for use with music. It expands
5.1-channel sources for 7.1-channel playback.
• THX Ultra2 Games
This mode is designed for use with video games. It
can expand 5.1-channel sources for 6.1/7.1-channel
playback.
• THX Surround EX
This mode expands 5.1-channel sources for 6.1/7.1-
channel playback. It’s especially suited to Dolby
Digital EX sources. THX Surround EX, also known
as Dolby Digital Surround EX, is a joint develop-
ment between Dolby Laboratories and THX Ltd.
Neural Surround
Neural Surround employs psychoacoustic frequency
domain processing, which allows delivery of a more
detailed sound stage, with superior channel separation
and localization of audio elements. The Neural Surround
modes can expand any 2-channel stereo source for 5.1-
or 7.1-channel playback, respectively. Use them with
CD, radio, cassette, TV, VHS, DVD, and other 2-channel
stereo sources, including video games. Neural Surround
can also be used by broadcasters to encode and transmit
surround-sound content over a stereo signal, which lis-
teners can enjoy as either surround sound or normal ste-
reo.
Onkyo Original DSP Modes
Orchestra
Suitable for classical or operatic music, this mode
emphasizes the surround channels in order to widen the
stereo image, and simulates the natural reverberation of
a large hall.
Unplugged
Suitable for acoustic instruments, vocals, and jazz, this
mode emphasizes the front stereo image, giving the
impression of being right in front of the stage.
Studio-Mix
Suitable for rock or pop music, listening to music in this
mode creates a lively sound field with a powerful acous-
tic image, like being at a club or rock concert.
TV Logic
This mode adds realistic acoustics to TV shows pro-
duced in a TV studio, surround effects to the entire
sound, and clarity to voices.
Game-RPG
Use this mode when playing role playing game discs.
Game-Action
Use this mode when playing action game discs.
Game-Rock
Use this mode when playing rock game discs.
Game-Sports
Use this mode when playing sports game discs.
All Ch Stereo
Ideal for background music, this mode fills the entire lis-
tening area with stereo sound from the front, surround,
and surround back speakers.
Full Mono
In this mode, all speakers output the same sound in
mono, so the sound you hear is the same regardless of
where you are within the listening room.
T-D (Theater-Dimensional)
With this mode you can enjoy a virtual surround sound
even with only two or three speakers. This works by con-
trolling how sounds reach the listener’s left and right
ears. Good results may not be possible if there’s too
much reverb, so we recommend that you use this mode
in an environment with little or no natural reverb.