Onkyo THX Ultra2

Onkyo THX Ultra2 System review

Of all the badges, on all the fascias, in all the world, THX remains a branding guaranteed to bring on anticipatory goosebumps. For me, the acronym is synonymous with home cinema excitement, and I still get chills when I hear the classic THX theme (played at the right reference level, of course). In the spirit of full disclosure, I should reveal that this is probably because I was indoctrinated into the cult of THX early on, having been trained at Skywalker Ranch, earning my official THX installer certificate and getting a copy of the legendary THX WOW! Laserdisc in the process. Obviously THX has changed much since then (not least in departing the aegis of Camp Skywalker), evolving dramatically with the arrival of Chief Scientist Laurie Hall in 1999, but I still largely subscribe to its tenets and appreciate using THX modes, even though I haven't owned a pair of THX-certified speakers in years.While THX continues as a badge of honour on components at the higher end of the AVR market, it remains relatively unusual to see a full-on pre-power-component system built around the stamp. But that is exactly what we have here with the Onkyo THX Ultra2 system. The beating heart of this system is the £1,800 PA-MC5500 power amp.