Definitive Technology Mythos Series Thread - Page 42

Originally Posted by rnrn

I got my first speaker in (M8) and it is MUCH bigger than I expected and blocks the bottom 1cm of my TV when I lay it on my tv stand. Just one more reason to upgrade my LN40B550

I am in love with the aluminum finish though and actually prefer it to the black I saw at BB, even though my TV is black.

My only complaint so far is that the faceplate in the silver Mythos aren't polished aluminum and the black plastic they used looks pretty cheap with the grill off. I'd like to replace the cloth in the grill with something that better compliments the aluminum and the rest of my room. I tried tucking a white sheet of paper over the grill and really love that combination, but will try out some more colors to see if anything fits better and report back. Does anyone know a good source for quality cloth for speaker grills?

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

Try AcousticalSolutions.com they seem to have the best selection for fabrics and colors.

Originally Posted by rnrn

They do have a great selection but the five-yard minimum would make it too expensive to be worth it.

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

Hey all,
I’m sure some of you have probably already heard or read about the Mythos XTR speakers designed to complement the new crop of ultra thin LED televisions available from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG and Hitachi. If you haven’t heard about these exciting new speakers from Definitive or if you have not had the chance to see them yet here is a little teaser for you.
The Axxis Audio boys (Dan, John, and I) just got back from the CEDIA show this weekend where we had the opportunity to audition the Mythos XTR and get a small glimpse at what makes them tick.

We arrived at the Def Tech booth at 11am on Thursday morning as the first day of the CEDIA show was beginning to ramp up. To our left a small group was waiting to enter the theater demo room in the booth and to our right was a small enclave that at first glance appeared to be meeting rooms. What was odd was the gentleman firmly guiding random show patrons away from this area as if he was a bouncer at a local club. We spotted our rep who then approached us with a wide grin on his face saying “I’ve got something to show you guys that no one else at this show has anything like!” He ushered us past the “guard” and around a corner we saw three speakers mounted around a LCD panel. Initially they looked like wall wart style panel speakers until we noticed the television was a Samsung UN46B7000 ultra thin TV on Samsungs proprietary ultra thin mount and the speakers were not sticking out any farther than the front edge of the television! They were Definitive Technologies new Mythos XTR speakers. The XTR’s are an ultrathin speaker only 1.5 inches in depth to match with today’s ultrathin Flat panel televisions. (See the attached pics with John’s lovely demonstration of the thin cabinet) What is impressive about these speakers is that they do not make use of technologies traditionally associated with thin speaker design, i.e. electrostatic or ribbon. They utilize a cone mid-bass driver and the same Aluminum dome tweeter that can be found throughout the Def Tech line. Meaning they will tonally match Def Tech’s existing compliment of surround purposed speakers!

The Technology behind the mid bass drivers is equally impressive and a closely guarded secret as you might imagine. Our rep took us into a back room a showed us one of the drivers out of the housing. I asked if we could take a picture for you all and he said “No Way” but I can say they make use of the largest Neodymium magnet I’ve ever seen for a driver that size!

I know the main floor at CEDIA is not exactly the ideal environment in which to truly test a speaker’s capabilities but what we heard was impressive. The speakers sounded warm and full, albeit with the aid of a Def Tech Super Cube III, handling the energetic jazz track playing beautifully. I can’t wait to hear them in the showroom when Def Tech starts to ship early next year. I know Def Tech originally announced these a little over a month ago but seeing them in person really brought the excitement home for me about just what a technological marvel these speakers are. I’m psyched about this new product category and can’t wait to see what else they apply this technology to!

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

Hey all,
I'm sure some of you have probably already heard or read about the Mythos XTR speakers designed to complement the new crop of ultra thin LED televisions available from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG and Hitachi. If you haven't heard about these exciting new speakers from Definitive or if you have not had the chance to see them yet here is a little teaser for you.
The Axxis Audio boys (Dan, John, and I) just got back from the CEDIA show this weekend where we had the opportunity to audition the Mythos XTR and get a small glimpse at what makes them tick...

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

They look nice, my intial impressions would be they are just too small to give an HT audiophile his fix for the front soundstage. Although maybe they wouldn't be a bad side mounted speaker for 7.1...... Thanks for the info this was the first I had heard of them.

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

I want to audition them in a better listening environment but at the show they certainly sounded a lot bigger than they looked!

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

They are definitely worth looking into. 7.1 is my 2nd to next step to take ...

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

What's first on your list?

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

I just let go of my Sunfire Sig, waiting till tax time to buy a MC205 or MC207. It never ends...

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

Sure doesn't... What are you using for a pre-amp?

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

Well I was using my vsx92thx as a pre amp... I eventually want to change this as well. I would like to get a MC pre amp as well. Who knows my dream system may never come to fruition, at some point I may come to my senses. I have spent well over 10K and it is becoming an obsession that I seriously need to put in check. Well car and student loans are almost paid off so that will free up alot of money in the next year or so lol. Then again can't exactly retire by selling my audio equipment, so I need to start planning for other things.

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

obsession is right man. And it never ends I'm at the disadvantage of working in this business. I see something new I've got to have every day!

I was using my VSX56txi for a pre-amp for a while until I got my 7100 Parasound. Just out of curiosity, what is it about the McIntosh you like? Have you heard it on your speakers? What speakers are you running?

Hope I'm not asking to many questions. I just like to hear about people's gear.

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

Not at all Jeff. Well I have always loved the look of MC, I had a two channel MC in college, it was driving my front speakers in my car system. It was the cleanest dynamic sound!! I just loved the clarity and I pushed it hard. I had a similarly powered adcom amp that was driving my subs and one day I switched the duties (just for fun) for the front speakers to the adcom and It didn't sound as great, I switched back immediately (which I would have done anyhow).

I am running pair of M1's, M8 center, and BP2x surrounds and a ref sub... I liked the sunfire it had tons of power but it was bright to me..... Right now I am just living with the Elite driving my system.. Its ok but there is no comparing an AVR to an external amp... Of course in regards to pushing them hard... Thats another thing, ok get the MC amp, pre amp and then what lol.... My speakers will be the weakest link and I will want to upgrade those.... My friends come over now and think the system is crazy as is, as would 99% of the population. It may end with the MC amp... At least for a very long time... I am playing around with a HTPC right now too so if I get sick of it I'll just dump it and put the money towards the amp.

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

Yeah, I dig the lit up analog guages on the Mcintosh amps. They've got that modern classic look to them. I'm not surprised to hear that your old Sunfire made your Mythos sound bright. I've actually experienced that first had. Probably has something to do with Sunfire using those high voltage low current 1k rated amps and "overclocking" the crap out them to push big wattage. It's an interesting approach that works well for some speakers and not so well for others.

Sounds like you do have a great system. It's funny how nobody really flinches if you tell them you spent 5k on a TV but they think your crazy to do that with audio. When they hear it though they understand.

You may want to look at the 5250 from Parasound. Not trying to talk you out of the McIntosh but you could get 99% of the performance at about a third the cost. I've had mine for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it! Never hurts to have options right? And the Def Techs sound sweet on it.

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

I will do that! I was looking at them briefing, they make the Halo right? A51? 200 wpc.. I am 90% set on the MC but it would be foolish to not consider others. I wish MC has a 200x3 amp but the MC205 is the closet. The MC303 300 wpc and is as heavy as a small adult and it is almost as big lol. I was also looking at the Krell Showcase 5 and 7 but they are rated at 125wpc I believe. I think with the higher end gear they tend to rate conservatively. At 125wpc with a 1.7db dynamic headroom gets me to 170 wpc at peaks... My biggest fear now is I will be going from a 405wpc amp to nearly half. I know they are a different class of amps though. I did like how cool the Sunfire ran though. It also didn't take alot of space.. A $5000 tv without the audio is crazy lol.

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

yeah the Halo A51 and the 5250 are both rated at 250wpc all channels driven at 8ohms and 400wpc at 4ohms so tons of power. What you really want to look at is the current ratings. The A51 has peak 60 amps per channel and the 5250 has about 45. Thats about 5 to 10 times the amount of peak current your getting out of the VSX92 which is somewhere between 5 and 10 amps peak current. So even thought the wattage is rated conservatively they are way more powerful. Not sure what the peak amps are on the McIntosh but probably in the same ball park as the Halo.

Same story going from the Sunfire which was relatively low current at 5 to 10 amps per channel and high voltage to push the wattage way up. Probably why your mythos sounded bright and I'm guessing a little thin as opposed to warm and rich. The Sunfire does run cool though and these amps will be able to heat your room.

Originally Posted by Ascen5sion

I have been checking the Parasound's out more, they are powerful, and very good looking to boot. Definitely going to keep checking them out. It won't be till early next year so I have some time.
Yeah the Sunfire was a good amp but like you said bright/thin. I have to be honest I haven't listened to the mythos with any other amp so I am curious to see how different they will sound with a AB style amp. They did sound very good with the Sunfire (high spl, low distortion) that would satisfy most...
Yeah these class AB amps are like have a room full of plasma tvs lol. Do you have any experience with Krell Showcase?

Originally Posted by Axxis Audio Jeff

I don't have a ton of experience with Krell. It has been probably 4-5 years since I've listened to their amps at any length. I realize in the world of high end audio that's not a very long time so there is a good chance the Krell gear still sounds about the same as I remember. I do recall the Krell amps sound particularly sweet when used with a Krell pre. The balanced ciruitry made the two in conjuction extremely precise but still pleasant. Although sometimes the could bring a little too much detail out of a recording.

I guess I would say that Krell loves Krell and loves to be balanced with all connections but they are not very forgiving of weak links. And to be honest I think they are a bit pricey for the performance specs. They are being conservative with the 125wpc rating but so is Parasound with the 250wpc.

These are of course just my opinions...

Originally Posted by mrjktcvs

The four M1s I purchased from Amazon/OneCall came on Wednesday in two boxes. Not knowing what to expect in the way of internal packing material, I nearly suffered a heart attack lugging the first one up the stairs. It turned out to be an outer box with no space for anything but the actual M1 boxes, so I opened the other one downstairs and brought the 2nd pair one at a time.

Today, my M8 arrived, not a moment too soon. After finally finishing the speaker arrangement, I fired up the auto mode of Pioneer's MCACC on my SC-07 and let it rip. It set the M1's to large despite my overmatched subwoofer, but correctly configured the M8 to small. At this point, I was too impatient to do anything other than grab the Black Hawk Down blu-rayfor an audition. I was simply blown away, even with the Ones set to large.

I won't do anything else adjustment-wise before I unhook the system to test the repair done on the Onkyo TX-875 lemon I bought a year ago, which has been in the shop twice. Someone mentioned Onkyo a few days ago in this forum, and yes, they run hotter than my barbeque. What an awful purchase! I plan on unloading that for pennies on the dollar along with the now-retired Paradigm 5.1 system that was just begging to be replaced. With that money, I'll pick up a real sub and feed it to MCACC. I've narrowed down my candidates to the SVS SB-12+ or the SuperCube 1. I would prefer the larger SVS PB-12 at the same price as the SuperCube, but I believe it is too large for the space allocated. I no longer have a phobia about a large mail order item.

Once again, I join the ranks of happy Mythos owners.

System: 10x12 room
Pioneer Elite SC-07
Pioneer BDP-51FD BD
Pioneer Kuro 5010 (50" Gen 8)
Mythos 1 front and surround
Mythos 8 center
Paradigm PDR-10 subwoofer

The display panel is on top an entertainment cabinet. I put the M8 right on top of the Kuro's stand and it comes up to within about 1/4" of the bottom of the screen, true to my measurements and the published height of the speaker. It was one of the reasons I started looking at DefTech in the first place, because of the perfect fit.

Originally Posted by L Pilot

I am upgrading my 25 year old HT setup. After researching the Plasma site I took their advice & purchased a KRP-600M. Great advice, Stunning TV!

Now I am looking for a complete 5.1 setup in my 18ft x 24ft family room. It has an 11 ft ceiling. Main speakers go on the 18ft wall. Seating is about 15ft away. Listen to Music 30% and HT 70%

Research so far has led me to consider the Elite SC-27 Receiver and Mythos Speakers.

Considering ST's, a Ten and Gem XL's but am wondering how that setup compares to going with STS's, a Nine, Gems PLUS a really good Subwoofer.


Any thoughts, suggestions would be appreciated

Originally Posted by L Pilot

I am upgrading my 25 year old HT setup. After researching the Plasma site I took their advice & purchased a KRP-600M. Great advice, Stunning TV!

Now I am looking for a complete 5.1 setup in my 18ft x 24ft family room. It has an 11 ft ceiling. Main speakers go on the 18ft wall. Seating is about 15ft away. Listen to Music 30% and HT 70%

Research so far has led me to consider the Elite SC-27 Receiver and Mythos Speakers.

Considering ST's, a Ten and Gem XL's but am wondering how that setup compares to going with STS's, a Nine, Gems PLUS a really good Subwoofer.


Any thoughts, suggestions would be appreciated

Originally Posted by L Pilot

I see both rnrn & Mantis recommending upgrading the rear surrounds. Definitely worth considering. rnrn brought up another good point.
The room does open up to the kitchen, right where the left surround should go. To put the left in the correct postition it either has to go on a stand (that probably will get knocked over) or it has to be mounted on the header which is 8ft above floor level.

Any problems mounting the spreaker at 8' and pointing it down?---only other option is corner of the rear wall which is about 8-9 ft behind the listening position.

Any other thoughts on best bang for the buck: ST VS STS with one or more subs? Cost would be similar

your advice is much appreciated

Originally Posted by L Pilot

...Any other thoughts on best bang for the buck: ST VS STS with one or more subs? Cost would be similar

your advice is much appreciated

Originally Posted by NOLA

Are most of you M1 owners setting your speakers to large or small? I have ones in the front and a subwoofer. My AVR sets the fronts to large which prevents the LFE from going to the sub when listening to music.