Definitive Technology HT1004 User Manual
when it suddenly
hit me: The slender, silvery beauty
of Definitive T echnology’s Mythos
speakers might
actually be a drawback. I was so
disturbed by this
realization that,
using ancient Latin
with such eloquence it would
have brought tears
to Cicero’s eyes, I
cancelled our date
to go shopping for
the latest opera
releases on SACD,
returned the new
issue of Foreign
Affairs that I’d
borrowed from
her, and headed
home to drink a seaweed-and-algae
smoothie while meditating on
the problem.
There’s simply no doubt about it.
The Mythos speakers that Def T ech
sent me for review–floorstanding
Mythos Fours for the mains, a
Mythos Three for the center, and
a pair of never-before-seen-by
normal-humans Mythos Gems for
the surrounds, plus a SuperCube
II subwoofer–were drop-dead
gorgeous. I’m talking stunning,
can’t get-them-out-of-your-mind,
wouldn’t-kick-them-out-of-bed-foreating-Limburger-cheese-and W assacrispbread gorgeous.
The Mythos Four exudes class
and style as it presses upward from
its elegant glass base. It soars
toward the ceiling like a refined
cathedral spire built to appease
the gods of great sound and
stylish décor. The sylphlike
horizontal Mythos Three rested
lightly atop my TV, looking for
all of the world as if it were
only temporarily reclining and
might, at any moment, choose
to soar upward, as well. The
Mythos Gems, about as perfectly
So I was chatting with Paris
Hilton the other day about some
arcane aspect of cosmic string
theory (OK , all aspects of cosmic
string theory are arcane to me)
The totally bearable lightness of being a Mythos
“perfectly proportioned ... built to
appease the gods
of great sound and
stylish décor”
BY DARRYL WILKINSON
from the
test bench
Definitive Technology Mythos Four
Speaker System
“They will eat for lunch just about any other system in the price range”
proportioned as tiny speakers can
be, beckoned from their perches in
the back of the room.
There’s no law of physics nor
any pending Constitutional amendment that I’m aware of declaring
that speakers must look average
at best and toad’s-butt ugly if at
all possible. But our collective
puritanical background subconsciously forces most red-blooded
Americans to be highly suspicious
of any component that even has
a whiff of style about it (Apple’s
iPod being a giant–or, more accurately, a tiny–exception to the rule).
Our feelings run much the same
with people. Geeky nerds aren’t
expected to be the best dressed
guys at the lunch buffet; and, well,
I don’t really think Paris Hilton
reads Foreign Affairs, either.
Some misguided people are
going to dismiss these Mythos
beauties as just another collection
of pretty faces with no substance to
them–and they’d be wrong. Stultifyingly wrong. If Def T ech had just
jumped on the rapidly moving
lifestyle bandwagon and simply
crammed a few basic drivers inside
a cabinet cosmetically tailored to
appeal to the flat-panel TV-buying
crowd, then none of this would
matter. The fact is that, while
Def T ech most admittedly designed
these speakers around a contemporary cosmetic concept, they also
used their engineering prowess
to breathe silky sonic life into
their creation.
No Peaking
Here’s an example of what I’m
talking about. Def T ech engineered
the Mythos Fours, Threes, and
“pinpoint accuracy,
incredibly intimate
detail ... in a word:
three-dimensional
and thrilling”
“The system’s
blending of bass
and beauty is
quite astounding”
AT A GLANCE
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY MYTHOS FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM
HT Labs Measures: Definitive Technology
Mythos Four Speaker System
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s stated specs;
the HT Labs box below indicates the gear’s performance on
our test bench.
SUBWOOFER: SUPERCUBE II
Connections: Speaker- and line-level
ins and outs, LFE in
Enclosure type: Passive radiator
(two, 8 inches)
Woofer (size in inches, type): 8, long-throw polymer
Power Rating (watts): 1,250
Crossover Bypass: Yes
Available Finishes: Piano Black Gloss
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 12.5 by 12 by 12
Weight (pounds): 38
Price: $899
SPEAKER:
Type:
Tweeter (size in inches, type):
Woofer (size in inches, type):
Radiator (size in inches, type):
Nominal Impedance (ohms):
Recommended Amp Power (watts):
Available Finishes:
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
Weight (pounds):
Price:
Mythos Four
2.5 way, tower
1, aluminum dome
4.5, cast basket (4)
4.5, planar bass (2)
4–8
20–225
Silver or Black
44 by 5.19 by 5.13
24
$699
Mythos Three
Two-way, center
1, aluminum dome
4.5, cast basket (2)
4.5, planar bass (2)
4–8
10–200
Silver or Black
5.4 by 25.1 by 4.2
15
$499
Mythos Gem
Two-way, monitor
1, aluminum dome
3.5, wide dispersion (2)
N/A
4–8
10–200
Silver or Black
10.25 by 4.25 by 4.125
5
$249
Mythos Four L/R Sensitivity:
87.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
Mythos Three Center Sensitivity:
89 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
Mythos Gem Surround Sensitivity:
87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of
the Mythos Four L/R (purple trace), SuperCube II
sub (blue trace), Mythos Three center (green
trace), and Mythos Gem surround (red trace).All
passive loudspeakers were measured at a distance
of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.
The Mythos Four’s listening-window response
(a five-point average of axial and +/–15-degree
horizontal and vertical responses) measures
+2.77/–1.26 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz.The -3dB
point is at 104 Hz, and the -6dB point is at 90 Hz.
Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.82 ohms at 267
Hz and a phase angle of -30.34 degrees at 162 Hz.
The Mythos Three’s listening-window response
measures +0.95/–2.91 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz.
An average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
responses measures +0.97/-2.98 dB from 200 Hz
to 10 kHz.The –3dB point is at 122 Hz, and the
–6dB point is at 106 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 3.96 ohms at 251 Hz and a phase angle of
–46.45 degrees at 158 Hz.
The Mythos Gem’s listening-window response
measures +1.52/–2.17 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz.
The –3dB point is at 162 Hz, and the –6dB is at
134 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.68
ohms at 343 Hz and a phase angle of –51.06
degrees at 183 Hz.
The SuperCube II’s close-miked response, normalized to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the
lower –3dB point is at 27 Hz and the –6dB point is
at 25 Hz. the upper –3dB point is at 110 Hz when
using the LEF input. — MJP
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