Definitive Technology Home Theater Speakers User Manual
Review: by Chris Martens
Definitive Mythos ST Home Theater Speakers
Flat-Panel
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“Pure Magic”
Power, Detail, and Refinement—Plus a Touch of Magic
andy Gross, president of Definitive
“breathtaking sound quality
puts many higher-priced
systems to shame”
S
finest loudspeakers. But what Mr. Gross likes
even better than audio exotica is building
cleverly-conceived real-world speakers that
deliver serious high-end sound at Everyman
prices. A perfect example would be Definitive’s
Mythos ST SuperTowers, which were
announced at CES 2007 and are hands down
the best-sounding speakers Definitive has ever
produced. Now, with the arrival of the Mythos
Ten center channel, Definitive is able to offer
listeners a complete Mythos ST surround
sound package — one whose breathtaking
sound quality puts many higher-priced
systems to shame.
Technology, is a devoted audiophile
who appreciates the sound of today’s
“cleverly-conceived real-world
speakers that deliver serious
high-end sound at Everyman prices”
FEATURES Definitive’s Mythos STs are tall,
slender floorstanders housed in solid
aluminum enclosures (available in silkysmooth satin silver or black finishes) that
attach to polished granite floor plates.
Despite their pencil-slim appearance the STs
are fullrange speakers with built-in powered
subwoofers. Internally, the STs are subdivided
into two sections. The top supports a two-way,
“the STs are fullrange speakers with
built-in powered subwoofers”
midrange-tweeter-midrange D’Appolito
array that handles all frequencies from the
mid-bass region on up, while the bottom
houses a 300-watt sub based on an unorthodox “racetrack-shaped” woofer flanked by
a pair of oblong passive radiators. The sub
delivers potent bass that extends down to
a claimed 14 Hz.
The matching Mythos Ten center channel
essentially takes the top section of the ST,
flips it on its side, and stretches the chassis
Ratings
(compared with $5.5k surround systems)
Transparency and Focus
Imaging and Soundstaging
Tonal Balance
Dynamics
Bass Extension
Bass Pitch Definition
Bass Dynamics
Value
Poor Good Excellent
t
t
just enough to fit in a pair of oblong passive
radiators similar to, but smaller than, those
in the ST. The Mythos Ten’s bass doesn’t go
as low as the floorstander’s does, but its
voicing is identical to the ST’s, meaning
you’ll enjoy seamless speaker-to-speaker
transitions when sound effects pan across
the front channels.
Completing the system is a pair of Mythos
Gem XL surround speakers, also based on
two-way, three-driver D’Appolito arrays. The
speakers are an earlier-generation design
so their drivers are not quite as sophisticated
as those used in the STs and the Ten. Even
so, the compact Gem XLs could easily
qualify as main speakers in most systems,
meaning they’re more than adequate as
surround speakers.
“power, detail, and refinement ...
sheer realism that is captivating”
MOVIE PERFORMANCE The Mythos ST
surround system draws together three
essential sonic qualities — power, detail,
and refinement — that add up to a fourth:
a touch of pure magic. Let me explain what
this means.
On movie soundtracks, the ST system
produces an articulate, neutrally voiced and
decidedly muscular sound that absolutely
takes command of most listening rooms.
In the initial chase seen from Terminator III:
Rise of the Machines, a deadly robotic
Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken) drives a
motorized crane, pursuing John Conor (Nick
Stahl) and his spouse-to-be (Claire Danes)
through crowded city streets. The ST system
reproduced the ensuing mayhem of the
crane ripping through phone poles, cars
and even buildings with terrific vigor and
dynamic impact. Y
rig never lost sight of two key qualities that
many systems lack: overarching clarity and
low-level detail.
et at the same time the ST
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