Sound United LLC, parent company to Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, Classé, and Boston Acoustics, has announced several floorstanding and select center-channel speakers from the Definitive Technology Demand Series and Polk Audio Legend Series are among the first speaker lines to receive IMAX Enhanced Certification.
According to Sound United, IMAX Enhanced combines entertainment products with IMAX digitally re-mastered 4K HDR content, and DTS audio technologies to provide premium quality immersive experiences at home.
“Our intent in joining the loudspeaker certification program was to reproduce the signature IMAX sound without compromise. It was essential to preserve the impact and dynamics moviegoers have come to expect from IMAX, therefore, we considered sound pressure level (SPL), frequency response and the consistency of the speaker’s performance when evaluating eligibility for loudspeaker certification,” says Matt Lyons, vice president of engineering – acoustics product development & engineering at Polk Audio.
“IMAX defined a specific set of frequency ranges to be used for testing, which we then ultimately measured against speaker performance. The resulting certification completes the ecosystem of IMAX Enhanced products including content, devices and loudspeakers, all calibrated to offer the level of performance IMAX demands.”
Sound United Builds Upon IMAX Enhanced Certified Product Selection
Sound United brands Denon and Marantz were among the first electronics companies to introduce IMAX Enhanced certified products with models like the Marantz SR8015 and Denon AVR-X8500H.
To build on the success of the program, IMAX and DTS partnered with Hollywood sound mixers and consulted with industry experts, including the engineering teams at Polk Audio and Definitive Technology, to help design the certification process for loudspeakers.
As a result, the Demand Series and Legend Series loudspeaker lines from Definitive Technology and Polk Audio, respectively, are the first of a series of loudspeaker products to be certified for use with IMAX Enhanced home theaters. This collaborative milestone completes the IMAX Enhanced certified product ecosystem, bringing consumers closer to the cinema experience at home.
“We’ve worked closely with Sound United brands for over 20 years. The company’s longstanding reputation for innovation stretches across their brand portfolio, making them an ideal partner to bring new technologies to market,” adds Bill Neighbors, senior vice president & general manager, cinema, home, digital media & streaming solutions, Xperi.
“We decided Polk Audio and Definitive Technology were the ideal launch partners for the IMAX Enhanced Speaker Certification program given their heritage and expertise in both passive and powered loudspeaker development.”
