THXÆ Select Declared A Success By Key Consumer Electronics Manufacturers

Consumer electronics manufacturers marketing THX Select products report that just one year after its debut the program is boosting sales and introducing the benefits of THX certification to a broader customer base. According to THX licensees, the program has allowed them to differentiate their mid-priced line from competitorsí and extended the benefits of THX to higher-volume products.THX Select, which sets a performance benchmark for mid-priced home theatre products, includes all the proprietary features that allow the THX Home Theatre System to accurately reproduce a film soundtrack in the home. Compared to the original Home THX specification, now called THX Ultra, THX Select is based on use in a smaller room. Both standards are part of the Home THX Program and offer consumers the assurance that a THX certified product, regardless of price point, is the best in its class.""In our view, THX Select is a success because it has expanded the scope of the THX program while maintaining its integrity,"" said Stokely Marco, Brand Manager for the Pioneer Elite series at Pioneer Electronics. ""Our THX Select receiver is one of our best-selling Elite model because it offers enormous value to the consumer - they get the performance benefits that come with the THX program's proprietary technology, plus the reassurance that THX certification delivers.""Onkyo Senior Vice President Mark Friedman notes that the company has been a long-time proponent of THX, and that his experience so far with THX Select has reinforced the value of the program. ""THX Select is a logical extension of the THX certification program, bringing the THX promise of high performance to lower price points,"" said Friedman. ""Based on the success of Onkyoís THX Select products, Iím absolutely convinced that it has already brought more consumers into the THX fold and that it will continue to gain momentum in the coming months.""That same kind of success has carried over to THX Select speaker systems as well. The M&K THX750 speaker system, for example, has been critically acclaimed and earned awards from three publications. ""The response to our THX Select speaker system has been nothing short of phenomenal,"" said Chuck Back, Executive Vice President, M&K Sound. ""It has been M&K's most successful product launch ever and our best-selling speaker system in 1999. I think that THX Select is truly an idea whose time has come.""Licensees currently marketing THX Select products include Marantz, Onkyo and Pioneer with receivers, and Atlantic Technology, M&K, Sonance and Teufel with speakers. U.K.-based Mordaunt-Short, distributed in the U.S. by Marantz, will soon offer its first THX certified product, the Declaration Series of powered tower speakers.""We're enthusiastic about THX Select because it gives us the opportunity to capitalize on the prestigious THX brand name with more competitively-priced products,"" said Mark Stein Director of Marketing for Marantz. ""And now that Mordaunt-Short is launching a THX Select speaker system, we can offer a very attractive THX Select package."" Added Glen Arentzoff, Product Marketing Manager for Mordaunt-Short, ""As we work to gain our fair share of the U.S. home theatre market, we have two very strong allies - the marketing, merchandising and distribution expertise of Marantz and the added-value THX certification provides.""Confirmation that this added-value translates into sales comes directly from the front lines - retailers. ""With THX Select, we can design great systems for people on a budget,"" said Tammy Heimberger, Audio Video Specialist for St-Petersburg, Florida-based Cooper for Stereo. ""When we tell them it's THX-certified, their eyes light up! It gives our credibility a boost and the customer is thrilled that they can stay within their budget and still get THX.""Adds David Stollmack, co-owner of Audio Video Systems of Charlotte, North Carolina and PARA President, ""We're enjoying terrific success with THX Select because it allows us to offer the benefits of THX certification to a much larger audience. And the timing of the program's debut is ideal because consumer awareness of THX as a symbol of quality is higher than ever.""""The reaction and results since the first THX Select products became available tell us that the program filled a need for both consumers and manufacturers,"" said Monica L. Dashwood, General Manager, Lucasfilm THX. ""Licensees who jumped right in have seen impressive results. Now, others see the value in the programís ëbest in classí premise and are coming on board.""