Audio Video News

Gaming Company Razer Acquires THX

SV Staff  |  Oct 17, 2016

Audio’s old guard is changing once again. In May, Silicon Valley startup EVA Automation acquired the venerable British speaker brand B&W. Today, San Diego-based Razer, a global lifestyle brand for gamers, confirmed that it has acquired the majority of THX Ltd.’s assets.

Under the Razer umbrella, THX will operate as an “independent startup” with its existing employees and management team in place and with "discretion to seek agreements with other product makers, service providers, and financial partners apart from Razer,” the company said. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Razer has a vision for innovation at every level of entertainment, a vision which THX has championed since its inception more than 30 years ago,” said Razer co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan. “This acquisition will allow us to reinforce our leadership in gaming while extending our product development, design, and technology to other aspects of entertainment, such as movies and music.”

"For over 30 years, THX has maintained a proud legacy of being one of the leaders in audio technology and certification worldwide," said Laurie Fincham, senior vice president of audio research and development at THX. “With their focus on quality, design and innovation, Razer supports our vision to optimize and deliver the best audiovisual experiences to audiences worldwide.”

THX CEO Ty Ahmad-Taylor added: “Our focus has always been on ensuring that anyone can experience high quality entertainment, regardless of their medium of choice. With Razer, we can now continue to strengthen our core lines of business while delivering excellence for our customers’ ever-changing needs. As a standalone company, THX will work with Razer but will primarily continue to service our partners in the industry in order to deliver great products to consumers.”

“The value of THX rests in its bedrock competencies with certification, optimization of audio and intellectual property development,” Tan said. “We expect Ty, Laurie, and the executive team and employees of THX, who we have also retained, to continue leading the world in innovations and technology in the audiovisual space.”

COMMENTS
brenro's picture
Submitted by brenro on October 17, 2016 - 4:56pm

I haven't seen THX stamped on anything in ages. Hell, the nearest THX certified theater to me is nearly 500 miles away in Southern California and that entire area only has two.

JustinGN's picture
Submitted by JustinGN on October 18, 2016 - 8:28am

...Meridian selling out to Facebook?

I get that brands and companies can change hands quite frequently in our hobby, but between the B&W acquisition and now THX, I'm left more than a little worried that some of these cherished brands and manufacturers will be snapped up by more SV types, only to be turned into the same lifestyle rubbish that Bose peddles nowadays.

With all the noise over Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, along with UHD, HDR, multiple subwoofers, soundbars, etc, now is the time we really need an independent THX to try and reign everyone in on some standards once again. The THX logo used to mean something, and while it may have dwindled in recent years as the move from analog to digital finalized, it's still something that's sorely needed as a general directional guide for the media industry, lest we get attacked by the same loudness wars in our movies and films that have plagued the CD industry for decades.

Don't screw this up, Razer.

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