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Snell Acoustics
THX Ultra 2
Home-Theater Speaker System
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Description Model:
XA1900THX L/C/R speakers
Price: $1500 USD each
Dimensions: 21"H x 16.5"W x 11"D (Standard), 30"H x
13"W x 11"D (Tall)
Weight: 40 pounds each
Model: SR30THX surrounds
Price: $1800 USD per pair
Dimensions: 16.25"W x 16"H x 8.25"D
Weight: 18 pounds each
Model: ICS Sub24 subwoofer
Price: $2600 USD
Dimensions: 30.75"H x 17.5"W x 22.25"D
Weight: 116 pounds
System Price: $8900 USD
Warranty: Five years parts and
labor, speakers; one year, subwoofer amplifier |
Features
- THX Ultra2 certification
- Black-anodized aluminum-dome tweeters
- Long-excursion woofers
- Available in Tall or Standard configuration (XA1900THX)
- eXpanding Array design (XA1900THX)
- Controls for bass and treble compensation (XA1900THX)
- Controls for dispersion pattern (SR30THX)
- Biamp or biwire compatible (XA1900THX, SR30THX)
- 450W amplifier (ICS Sub24)
- High- and low-level inputs, including mono THX input (ICS
Sub24)
- Can be positioned horizontally or vertically (ICS Sub24)
- Five-way gold-plated binding posts
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What the Snell?
All of the speakers in the Snell THX Ultra2 system that I
received had a plain finish of extremely high quality that Snell calls Utility Black. This
was not unexpected -- these speakers are intended for custom installations, where
they’ll normally be placed out of sight, inside cabinets or some other type of
enclosure. The cabinetry and overall build quality were what you would expect from Snell:
rock solid. Rapping my knuckles on the speakers’ front baffles felt like knocking on
a solid piece of wood, and the joints were so well finished they were nearly invisible.
Front and center
The XA1900THX L/C/R speakers use Snell’s eXpanding
Array (XA) technology, which combines driver size and spacing, and crossover frequency and
slope, to create a driver array with "near constant vertical directivity" that
is said to provide a wide sweet spot.
The XA1900THX comes in two versions: Tall and Standard, the
Tall being roughly shoebox-shaped, the Standard having a much shorter, almost square front
profile. But both models are much larger and heavier than typical satellite or bookshelf
speakers. They feature a 1" tweeter, two 2.5" midranges, and two 8" bass
drivers in a sealed enclosure. In the Tall, the midrange-tweeter array is situated
symmetrically between the two woofers; in the Standard, the woofers are closer together,
and the midrange and tweeter array are off to one side. I was sent two Talls to use as the
left and right front speakers, and a Standard for the center channel.
The rear of each XA1900THX has three switches: Bass
Loading, to compensate for placement close to room boundaries or inside an enclosure;
Perforated Screen, if it is placed behind an acoustically transparent screen; and Treble
Level, if the room is too lively. Each speaker has two sets of heavy-duty, gold-plated
binding posts for biwiring or biamping.
Around back
In the SR30THX surround speaker’s unique design, six
drivers populate a rather tall trapezoidal enclosure that’s wider at the top than at
the bottom. There’s one 1" aluminum-dome tweeter on each of the three sides
facing away from the wall; two 3.5" midrange drivers in a cavity, facing somewhat
toward each other and out and away from the speaker; and an upward-pointing 6.5"
woofer.
The SR30THX also has switches to modify its dispersion
pattern to suit the listener’s tastes. In Diffuse mode, the side tweeters are
activated (out of phase), the front tweeter is turned off, and the midranges are out of
phase with each other. In Direct mode, the side tweeters are turned off, the center
tweeter is activated, and the mids are switched to in-phase operation. Another interesting
feature is the ability to connect two channels of amplification to each speaker to
accommodate a 7.1-channel system without the need for additional surround speakers. This
is accomplished by removing the jumpers from the two sets of speaker terminals and
connecting the rear surround speaker leads to the back terminals and the regular surround
leads to the front terminals.
Down low
 The ICS Sub24 is an extremely
large subwoofer. It can be stood upright, in which configuration it’s roughly the
dimensions of a bar fridge -- or it can be placed on its side, in which case it’s
about the size of a small coffee table. It weighs an impressive 116 pounds and has two
12" drivers and two ports, all on the front baffle. The level control is also on the
front, the other controls and connections on the back.
The rear panel features a full range of connections,
including a removable power cord, high- and low-level inputs and outputs, and a mono THX
low-level input that bypasses all of the crossover controls. The low-pass is variable from
50Hz to 150Hz, and the high-pass is set at 80Hz. There’s a switch to invert phase,
and the Turn On mode can be set to be always on, or to Auto On, which will power up the
sub only when a signal is sensed (and place it in standby if no signal is sensed for eight
to ten minutes). The ICS Sub24 has a 450W amplifier and a claimed frequency response of
23-200Hz (±3dB) that is reportedly down only 6dB at 20Hz.
The XA1900THX has a claimed frequency response of
48Hz-20kHz, a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, and an efficiency of 91dB, the SR30THX a
frequency response of 60Hz-20kHz, a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, and an efficiency of
88dB.
Ultra high performance
The Snell THX Ultra2 speaker system delivered topnotch
home-theater sound with few compromises. Although it’s basically a sub/sat system
(albeit a very large one) with relatively diminutive surrounds, the sound was wonderfully
dynamic and effortless. It presented an incredibly coherent 360-degree soundstage, one so
seamless it was difficult to locate the position of the speakers when I closed my eyes.
The system was exceptionally neutral, but if it did have any character of its own, I would
say that it could sound slightly warm. This actually benefited movie soundtracks, which
can sometimes sound harsh at high volumes. Otherwise, the system rarely drew attention to
itself, and performed nearly flawlessly. While it might be a cliché, the Snells got out
of the way of the sound to allow me to enjoy movies and music without distraction.
The first thing that struck me about the THX Ultra2 system
was how clear everything sounded, especially the XA1900THXs. Not only were images easy to
locate within the soundstage, they remained perfectly stable, with not a hint of strain,
and with startling realism. A great example of this was the atmospheric percussion in
chapter 9 of American Beauty. The cymbals and bells seemed to float in mid-air
between the speakers; I felt as if I could almost reach out and touch them. The moodiness
of the music, combined with the dreamlike visuals of Mena Suvari enticing a befuddled
Kevin Spacey, was mesmerizing. The tremendously deep, taut bass in this scene added
greatly to the spine-tingling mood.
Images did not have ultra-precise outlines but remained
solidly anchored in place, which gave the large soundstage a great sense of space and
continuity. Although the imaging could be made slightly more precise by toeing-in the
front left and right speakers, I found that they imaged almost as well when pointed
straight ahead, which is how they would typically be oriented if placed inside enclosures.
As claimed, the system provided a wide sweet spot. Moving off-axis did cause the images to
shift to one side slightly, but everything remained close to where it was supposed to be;
most important, the soundstage did not collapse to one speaker location.
Another outstanding aspect of the Snell system was the
quality of the surrounds. They were more like high-quality mains than like mere surround
speakers. This was evident with the DTS CD of Boyz II Men’s II [DTS
71021-51001-2-8]. About halfway through the a cappella version of "Yesterday,"
the vocals begin to bounce around all five channels; the fidelity of the voices coming
from the surrounds was stunning. The quality of the sound was on a par with the excellent
XA1900THXs up front. Although I had the SR30THXs set in Diffuse mode, and placed above and
to the sides of the seating position, they still provided the right amount of image
specificity and a good sense of envelopment.
Finally, the bass from the ICS Sub24 had an incredible
room-filling ability that reproduced even the lowest frequencies with ease. I was able to
clearly hear and feel the enormous footsteps of the T. rex and spinosaurus in Jurassic
Park III that are only hinted at or completely omitted by lesser subs. In the final
battle scene of Saving Private Ryan, all of the air in my listening room seemed to
move in unison and with absolute authority as this sub took control of the room in a way
that only a very large and extremely powerful sub is capable of.
Whether it was the immersive soundtracks of Daredevil
and Blade 2 or the wonderful choral sounds of the multichannel DTS CD Sacred
Feast [MAS CD-805] by Gaudeamus, the individual components of the Snell
THX Ultra2 speaker system worked together with perfect synergy to provide a totally
involving aural presentation.
Not just for movies
The XA1900THXs also provided superb sound with two-channel
sources. They had good bass response on their own, but when combined with the ICS Sub24
they were exceptionally smooth across the entire frequency range. They did lack a little
air and sparkle in the treble when compared to the some of the best stereo speakers
I’ve heard, but otherwise I could find little fault with them. Holly Cole’s
voice was powerful on "Too Darn Hot," from Shade [CD, Alert 6152810392],
with plenty of body and growl when required, but the Snells were also able to convey the
tenderness and subtle inflection of her voice on "Almost Like Being In Love."
The 24-bit/96kHz stereo track of Diana Krall’s Love
Scenes DVD-A [Impulse! 440 053 247-9] is an extraordinary recording, and the closely
miked vocal placed Krall squarely in the middle of my listening room. On cuts such as
"All or Nothing at All," her voice was palpably real, as were Christian
McBride’s bass and Russell Malone’s guitar, which were placed slightly behind
and to either side of her.
Zone coverage
The Snell THX Ultra2 system is perhaps the best
home-theater speaker system that has occupied my listening room, and, at a price of $8900,
is one of the most expensive. Nevertheless, considering its excellent build quality and
wonderful sound, I would have thought the system would cost much more. I was especially
impressed with the XA1900THX and SR30THX, which offered outstanding performance while
working together in perfect partnership.
Taken on its own, the XA1900THX is an exceptional
home-theater speaker. It couldn’t match the bass performance of my longtime
reference, the Infinity Compositions PF-R ($3500/pair, discontinued), but the Infinity is
a relatively large floorstanding speaker with a powered woofer section. The SR30THX is
about as clear and enveloping a surround speaker as I have heard. At $1800/pair, it’s
expensive, but it offers exceptional fidelity and flexibility.
The ICS Sub24 was also a potent performer, but it was the
system’s performance as a whole that impressed me the most. The speakers blended
seamlessly together with a synergy rare among home-theater systems. In fact, during my
evaluation of these speakers, it was often difficult to isolate any specific weaknesses of
the system -- I frequently found myself neglecting my reviewer’s duties and
simply enjoying the movie or music that was being played.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a high-quality speaker
system for a custom installation, look no further than the Snell THX Ultra2. You could
easily spend more, but the XA1900THXs, SR30THXs, and ICS Sub24 make a formidable
combination that offers first-rate home-theater sound with few compromises. These speakers
are not inexpensive, but with Snell Acoustics’ fantastic build quality, they cost
less than you might otherwise expect to pay for such a premium product.
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