M&K’s THX Select set is a sensation
***** Rating
High-end home cinema equipment does not come cheap, especially not when it carries the LucasFilm THX badge of performance approval. However, THX Select is a new, standard for surround sound that is intended to preserve the benefits of THX, yet be more affordable. The M&K 750THX speaker package is the first to be designed with this new standard in mind. The 750THX package uses three LCR-750THX speakers for left, centre, and right front effects, two SS-550THX speakers for rear surround effects, and a V-1250THX active subwoofer. Like all THX speaker systems, bass frequencies below 80Hz are diverted to the subwoofer, each speaker taking on ’satellite’ status. The LCR-750THXs may look like floorstanders, but as shown they are mounted atop their matching LDM speaker stands, while the center speaker differs only in that it allow for horizontal positioning. Each has two 13cm midrange drivers, and interestingly, a single 25mm tweeter mounted on an angled block – with a shallow 4.7 degrees of turn – facing away from the listener. This is designed to improve the off-axis response; by creating a very wide listening window, high frequency sounds, in effect, being bounced off the nearest side wall. The same tweeter arrangement, and a single midrange driver, can be found in each SS-550 surround speaker. These are conventional designs (not- withstanding the angled tweeters), but they are less sophisticated than the dipolar surround speakers stipulated in the THX Ultra spec.
Finally, the 125W V-1250THX active subwoofer handles low frequencies via its 30cm drive unit. With our reference THX Ultra spec Lexicon electronics and amplifiers, the M&Ks impress with their wide range of abilities. The odd, off-axis tweeter arrangement really works; the sound- field across the front of the room is enormous, giving plenty of room for sound effects to ‘breathe’. Sounds seem to emanate from further away than the speaker’s location, rendering the visually spectacular comet- chasing sequences in Armageddon even more dramatic, potent and ’real’ than any similarly-priced rival. Move to a quieter sequence, and the M&K’s homogenous, integrated feel immerses you in sound. Meanwhile, dynamic changes in pace and volume are simply exceptional. For home cinema, this package is a winner. In stereo, however, we have a caveat; the unique tweeter arrangement doesn’t benefit imaging. Bass presence is excellent, and dynamics are fast and articulate, but a true hi-fi soundstage isn’t within its powers. Still, if movies are your first love, these M&Ks will do them the kind of justice that some cinemas can’t equal.