When you think IMAX, you can't help but think big - gigantic even. Its system of high-resolution cameras, projectors and mega-screens can now be found in over 75 countries. Hardly the sort of stuff which is going to fit in the majority of dedicated home theatres, let alone your average lounge room.

'IMAX Enhanced' however is a format that emerged only three years ago and is now being embraced by the world's leading manufacturers of audio and video components - see What is IMAX Enhanced?.

For a product to achieve 'IMAX Enhanced' certification, it must meet IMAX's performance criteria, or its 'standard', for both audio and video.

While we've seen many projectors, TVs, and AV Receivers now proudly wearing the IMAX Enhanced logo, the Definitive Technology Demand Series and Polk Audio Legend Series are the first loudspeaker lines in the home theatre market to garner IMAX Enhanced Certification. 

IMAX and DTS partnered with award-winning Hollywood sound mixers. They consulted with industry experts, including the engineering teams at Polk Audio and Definitive Technology, to help design the certification process for loudspeakers, according to Sound United. The result, says the company, is a “collaborative milestone that completes the IMAX Enhanced certified product ecosystem, bringing consumers closer to the cinema experience at home.”

Matt Lyons, VP of Engineering – Acoustics Product Development & Engineering at Polk Audio, told StereoNET:

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.

Lyons continued:

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.

Available now, the Definitive Technology Demand D17, D15, D5c and Polk Audio Legend L800, L600 and L400 are IMAX Enhanced certified. Sound United, the parent company of Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, Classé, and Boston Acoustics brands, says “new IMAX Enhanced certified product lines within the Sound United brand portfolio will be announced at a later date.”

For more information visit IMAX Enhanced