Definitive Technology Mythos Series Thread - Page 52

i have my MFW-15 in an apartment and i love it. Enjoy

Do you recommend using headphones to compare the sound to during testing? I've heard good headphones provide the most natural sound, but I'm not sure if I should aim to match that with speakers or go with 'instinct' or whatever sounds good at that time.

thats a apples to organges comparison man.

Haha that's what I thought but there was a really old thread on another board that said otherwise.

Has anyone heard the new DI 5.5BPS inwalls? I'm thinking of using those over Gem XL's as sides and rears. They are $50 more expensive per speaker, but you get two tweeters and 5 1/4" mids over the Gem XL's one tweeter and 4 1/2" mids. Any input is appreciated.

I like the idea of inwalls but I have a fear of that level of committment lol. Looks like alot of work to mount those.

Here is my room layout:



Green is walls, red is windows/openings, and my ceilings are 9ft high. The bar to the kitchen starts at 40 inches high and goes up to about 8ft (total size of opening is 5ft x 4.5ft). The back of the couch is about 32 inches high (the M1s are 48 inches high). I will be getting a small dining table very soon but it will be a very minimal/contemporary set that won't impose on the living room space.

The blue is the location of the speakers & sub, along with the approximate angle to the sweet spot. I plan to have all of the speakers a minimum of 6 inches away from the walls. Most of my listening will be done on a low chair with a diagonal back that would put my ears about 3ft above the floor and a few inches in front of the sweet spot in the diagram. I only use this chair for serious listening/watching (with the table out of the way) and would give this listening position priority over the spot on the couch.

I'm planning to go with the Dolby recommended 7.1 because the couch would block much of the rear surrounds in the DTS recommended layouts. At 135 degrees the rears are at least 12 inches from the couch and have just the 24" armrests blocking them. Here's what the rears look like as per the diagram:



Does anyone have any comments/suggestions on my proposed layout? I haven't gotten a receiver yet so I won't be able to fine tune it until then, but I'm looking for ideas on where to start since my only prior experience with surround is other people's systems!

As a sort of update, I breifly put my Gem XLs back in front L&R positions to hear the difference between them and the Twos. I didn't keep them there long, and only listened to a few scened on Pirates of the Caribbean, switching them back and forth a few times. I thought I heard slightly clearer and more defined sound (like slightly more detail was audible) with the Twos. Certainly not a scientific approach, but maybe explainable by the direct drivers as compared to the angled drivers of the Gem XLs. This was VERY subtle to my ears and not enough that I would recommend someone increase their budget for the Twos over the Gem XLs if money was tight.

Now I need to mount the GemXLs in the rear and run cables to them. Has anyone tried any flat speaker cable? I ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimited-SuperFlat-14Awg-Speaker. I have masonry walls, so going inwall with the cables was not an option, and I wanted something to blend in with the room. I'm waiting for delivery, but I'll post photos and impressions with it when I get it all up and wired.

I have 3 mythos 9. Got them for a great deal. My home is being remodeled but will soon be completed. I plan to place all 3 of them horizontally at same height. LR on shelf. Center on mantle.

Will all my speakers in a horizontal position be OK for soundstage?

The rest of my system will be two supercube II's. Gem XL's for surround. I'm going to buy a Pioneer Elite sc-25 to power it.

Right now my viewing distance is ~8-9' and my TV is only 40" but I'm planning to upgrade to a 55-60" TV very soon. I could move the couch up another 6-8" but any more than that would look very weird.

i think it would be better recommended if you keep at least the sides vertical, the center can be horizontal and is designed to work well in that orientation but the sides should be vertical.

It looks like your surround and rear speakers are very very close to your listening position. Is there a way to mount them on the wall so they are elevated? My understanding is rear/surround speakers are supposed to add ambient sounds only, so having them that close to you may make the sound coming from them too localized.

Looking at your chart, it appears that your left front and left rear/surrounds are in corners or at least near two adjoining walls. This may result in different frequency responses from your left speakers compared to your right speakers. I would suggest getting a receiver with a very good parametric equalizer / room correction capability to ensure a flat frequency response from each speaker.

I went to the local high end audio shop for a nice long audition of the Mythos St's yesterday. I listened to various Cd's well known to me and I was fairly well impressed. But, something seemed off, but I couldn't place it. Well, we fired up the nearby Thiel CS1.6's and it became very obvious. The midrange on the Thiel's was open, detailed and very balanced. To the contrary, the ST's midrange was congested and husky, lacking much of the detail found in the Thiels. Furthermore, the whisper notes coming from the snare drum sounded realistic on the Thiel 1.6's, but a facsimile on the ST's. Before I heard the Thiels, I was very near to buying the ST's. Now, I don't think I could... I have owned Def Techs since 1994, but that will soon change. What a shame...

I'm no expert, but I've read quite a bit about speakers in the past year or so. So that qulifies me to have an opinion. I'm not sure you can say the center is designed to work well horizontally, but not the sides... when they are the same speaker. I think he said he has 3 Mythos 9s.

My understanding of the horizontal setup is that you theorectically lose something with each speaker. The horizontal configuration of drivers creates a "lobing effect" which means the frequency response comes and goes as you move your listening position off axis left or right. This is kind of like throwing two stones into a pond and watching the ripples interfere with each other. The waves from two woofers interfere with each other in a similar way. A vertical array doesn't have this effect from side to side which is why main speakers are typically designed this way (and is also why they are normally recommended to be placed at ear level, rather than far above or below listening position). Centers are only designed horizontally for aesthetics, and are a sort of compromise. Note: this lobing effect is supposed to be less (or maybe eliminated?) if the horizontal array only has one woofer next to a tweeter, as opposed to the typical woofer-tweeter-woofer design used in most centers, since there isn't a second woofer to interfere with the first.

So ideally, all three speakers should be vertical (and placed at ear level). But if the lobing effect is subtle enough that you don't notice it or doesn't bother you, then I don't see why you should feel compelled to place them vertically.

Just to supplement bigAWL's comments, DefTech specifically identifies the Mythos Nine as a L/C/R speaker, suitable for use vertically and horizontally. In fact, one of the recommended configurations on their website is to use three Nines across the front.

Hello,

My current setup is BP7004 fronts, CLR2300 center, Mythos Gem rears, and a SC2 sub.

I recently moved and my new home doesn't have a good spot for the BP7004s. There's a nice alcove for TV/cabinet and it makes the BPs too boomy. As a result, I'm going to wall-mount my plasma (Pio 60" PRO-150HD) and get new front speakers. I want the height of the speakers to not exceed the 34" vertical height of the TV (to aid in WAF). This leaves me looking at the Nines and Tens. I have a couple questions:

1) I know I'll miss the bass response of the 7004s, so I'd like to lean towards the Tens, but honestly, will I notice that much difference?
2) Also, I'd like to keep the CLR2300 -- is this a big mistake? I'm limited to about 24" width on the center, so the matching Mythos is likely out.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
BoB

What's up all?
I finished my demo listening tonight. I had what felt like a long road of playing/ breaking in but I feel they are about as good as they are going to get and if they get any better , good for me.

System in review.
Fronts Mythos ST
Center Mythos 10
Rears Mythos 10
Sub Mythos ST internal sub
Sub Dynaudio Sub 500.
Receiver Pioneer ELite Sc-07.
DVD / CD / SACD / DVD AUDIO player Pioneer ELite dv58av wired in HDMI
powercord is a Audioquest NRG-3
Blu Ray Playstation 3 wired in HDMI
Cable is Comcast HD wire in HDMI
Game system is a Xbox 360 / Playstation 3.(removed Wii)
Power Panamax M5500ex wired with Kimber PK10 powercord.
Speakerwire is DH Labs Silver Sonic 14-2 ( is will be replaced with Kimber Kable 4tc)
Sub cables are Audioquest ITA 1.1 Custom built by me so Audioquest Mantis series.
Rear speaker wire is Audioquest 14-2
Center is Audioquest 14-2 ( will be replaced with Kimber 4tc)

Movies.
I will go on record right off the bat and say this is the most awesome impact dynamic theater system I have ever owned. Even before I Installed the Dynaudio sub500, the system is kinda scary in a good way.
Example: My son and I watch Resident Evil on DVD and everytime something jumped , we jumped. We both watched this movie a few times n the past and kinda know it. But the dynamic range of this system will put a fear in your spine. I love this about it.
Voice is natural and very tone rich. What I mean is male voice sounds real. It's like someone is talking in the room. It doesn't sound like it comes from the center channel. It sound like it's coming right out of the screen. Some speakers have a "speaker"sound" and you can tell it's being recreated. This Mythos 10 center channel has a extremely clear and deep "Airy" if you will ability. It's bigger then it's cabinet. I think the curved design does something for the way it sounds. The roundness about it I think comes into play. Something went right when they designed it.
Effects jump out into the room. You feel like your being assaulted. You feel like bullets are being fired off in your room and hitting things. Ok killer rears man, the Mythos 10 is a unbelievable rear. It really fills the room with sound, pressure and authority. It lets you know it's got it's job handled. It asked for more and more. Push it and it pushes you. Like a big bully or something. I feel these rears act like mono / bipolar speakers. They are a mono design but they are huge sounding. Having the center and rears being the same exact speaker powered by the same exact amp power is uncanny. I believe I have found Synergy in it's deepest meaning. I can't be any happier here.
Front performance. Well what can I say that I already didn't. They ST's just blend in with everything the 10's do. They stand there ground, pound there chest ( and mine) and do there job. They roll right in and fill the front of my room with a landscape. A city block , a country side , deep space or whatever you are watching.
As a system this system is perfect for me and everything I wanted and more. I have not laughed at my system in a very long time. It's a laughter that you get when you are very pleased with what you are experiencing. It's what I have always wanted and didn't know I did. I have alway s gone after the perfect music first type system that did movies as well(with in my budget of course). I have had some very good gear speakers wire and what have you. I always found that I wanted more. Today I can sit here and tell each and every one of you I have reached my goal. My theater experience is top notch. It's a system if you would have asked me a year ago if I would own , I would tell you to fly a kite. I never thought I would go back to a receiver and of all speakers own Definitive Technology. I heard them many times in the past( BP series ) and thought they where nice but not for me. Man it's nice to grow up and allow an experience judge your decesion then the names on the gear. It's a wonderful experience.

MUSIC.

This is something I have been nervous about ever sine I took my long loved and still loved/missed Dynaudio Audience 82's. These where my babies. A year ago if you asked me to sell them , fly a kite would have been the answer. I considered it a few times as I knew my theater experience was not what I wanted. They where so clear and detailed but lacked the sheer force and dynamic range I required that I didn't know I required but knew something was always missing. I would Install other systems and have to go home to see if my system sounded that good.

The Mythos system I have I use for cd / sacd and dvd audio as well as Ipod. I think cable music sucks balls and sounds like ass so I don't "listen" to it. If I was cleaning the house , working out in the garage and had the house on ,sure cable music is fine. When I want to sit down and enjoy a piece of music , I need the best quality I can get.

2 channel performance.
The ST's are skinny towers with built in subs. I had RT1000p's and told myself back then I would never again have powered towers. I hated the time and effort that had to go into them to get them to perform that way I wanted/expected. but What I noticed about the ST's is there uncanny ability to sound like a full range passive speaker. You have to blend the subs in for 2 channel just right. This is something I learned with experience over the last week and would be glad to share my craft.
I listen to Loreena McKennitt a lot. I have all of her cd's. It's a voice and mood I often need to clear my mind and soul. I'm a angry person by environment I guess. My life has been good to me for the most part but I have had some ruff times growing up and in my adulthood. She has a way of calming the beast with in and when my system is on , she can reach me on a very deep level. I hear her voice and it .... ok you get the idea. The Mythos ST's for music are wonderful. They are very different sounding then my Dynes. I had to get over they are gone and there is a new kid on the block. I'm one who loves/hates change. I like structure and guide lines. I feel sad and a bit lost when things change even if it's for the better. I can't go on record and say the Mythos ST's are a better musical speaker , I don't believe that.If anything they are different. Some things I like very much but others I like my Dynes more.
Rock music. I find the ST's to be able to play rock music very well. I can jam with them and dig every riff. The Kick drums thunder out of the built in subs and sound like kick drums and not a one hit wonder crappy theater junk trash sub. They are actually pretty musical when tuned right. I'm pretty impressed here.
Jazz. I have mixed feeling here. Some of my cd's sound pretty damn good but lack something. I have not been able to place my finger on it. It's like the emotional connection to the mood is disconnected. I don't know if they are doing something wrong or I'm looking for something else. Not sure what to say other then I like my Dynes better here.
Classical. Huge big deep sounds. I have SACD cuts on a sampler I got years ago when SACD first came out. It has some really good cuts on it and the ST's are way up for the challenge. I'm not a big fan of classical but I find it fascinating at times to listen 2.Stravinsky doesn't make my top ten list but finds his way into my SACD collection. I'd rather listen to Jerry Goldsmith and movie cuts like Star Trek the motion Picture or Air force one. All on SACD.
Music overall I'd say most people will find the ST's exceptional for a theater skinny powered tower. You could put them up against most 4 thousand dollar speakers and below and feel very good about the results.

I did however enjoy listening to Norah Jones sacd "come away with me". It started out as a demo secession and turned into a entire album secession. Thats when I know I enjoy a speaker when I can sit there and start out in demo mode and end up in comfort mode. When I feel myself living in the moment , I know I have something I enjoy. When I sit there wanting more or just stay in demo mode, I know I need to move on.

This will be one of many reports of my finding of the Mythos series speakers. So far so good. As a double duty speaker , I think these are the ones. They are good enough with music that I can live with them with no regrets but the theater performance is just off the effing hook. I'm so damn happy.

I could get into gaming performance but I think I made my point. If you can get a proper demo of the Mythos series speakers I think you might find something special. It's like finding a gem where you didn't expect it. I love that about them. You know you go around and read the reviews and think to yourself " how the hell are these Definitive Technology speakers getting such high marks across the board in all the reviews. No other speakers made has better reviews. NONE. And now I know why they score so well. The cost to performance is uncanny.

In the Old Home Theater review fashion I give them an overall score of 96 out of 100. I think they don't have enough weakness to flaw them much. No speaker is perfect unless you have the Dynaudio C4's and even then you have to pay out your ass and nose and maybe your mouth to get them. Then there is the rest of the system that is required to power them and get them to achieve such incredible sound. The Mythos series does what it does with receivers. I personally think the SC-07 is the very best sounding under 2200.00 receiver on the market and can sound as good as some separates. Those ICE amps are amazing. And mixing them with Mythos is truly my dream come true.
__________________
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.

I've now owned these speakers for over a month and figured it's time to give a final review of them now that I got a full understanding of how they work, what they can do and can't. Without further ado.





Ok so I've purchased this home theater speaker package so I could go into another direction. But I'm so into music I can't help but test with music. Now that they are completely broken in , I think they are incredible. They hit with the most thunderous bass when a kick drum or bass guitar player gets busy. They reach down and play the beats and notes correctly. They sound kinda real doing so.
Human voice is pretty hard to reproduce correctly. The ST's have no problems here. I have played every single Female voice I own and I have yet to want more. Male voice is the same way. My recordings sound great and I can't be happier with a theater first speaker playing music.
Sacd is flat out kiler. I can't get over the synergy I have now using 3 Mythos 10's for Center and rears. This was a good choice. I talked to Def Tech tech's and they all think thats the way it should be sold. It's so damn good. I can't believe how well they play Sacd. Amazing. It's like living inside the speakers themselves. I feel as if there is no loss anywhere. Thats damn good as my room sucks. I have 14 foot ceilings and the room is mostly open in the back to my dinning room.
So basically to sum up music, they pass with flying colors. I think they would give my Dynes a run , I don't think however they would win out , I think the Dynes have the last word in definition and grace. But the height of these ST's are unreal. I can't believe how big of soundstage I get. I figured out the placement issues I was having early on when I first got them. I found a formula that seems to work well.

As far as theater sound goes, they destroy everything I have ever owned. The sheer impact is something that you find in much higher end systems. I have a receiver , yeah a receiver that powers these bad boys and It sounds like I have a 200 watt per channel amp running them. It's pretty sick. They dynamic range is the best I've heard anywhere even remotely close to this price point. Sick I gotta say SICK.



The sub section shocks me. There design is freaky and the actual driver size doesn't make any sense the amount of force and destruction I get in my family room. They shake the living hell out of my room yet play the most delicate note precisely. I'm now ready to test there extention and find out exaclty how deep and how loud they go. I plan on going by 5 db at a time and fully sweep the room. I want to know exaclty what I have and what I don't. But honestly I don't really care. They perform so well I don't know if the results are going to mean anything to me. But you know me I gotta test every damn thing. It's like I'm cursed to test everything. I maybe want to see someone about my addiction.

Anyway the top half of this speaker it would be nice if Def Tech made a stand alone version of it. Like a Mythos 11 or something. No passive radiators and a fully sealed design. I think thats where they get there tightness and speed from. The sealed inclosure. It works whatever the case maybe. I still would like a top half of the ST as a stand alone speaker. That would be cool.


So to end this short. I'm completely happy with my ST's. I think they have a home for a very long time. Or until the next speaker catches my eye/ear. Bad thing is we just became a TOTEM dealer. We have Hawks on the floor and i have listened to them a few times now and walked away with a huge smile on my face. TOTEM is one of those companies like Dynaudio that no matter what speaker you listen to , you could fall in love.

Both the 9 and 10 are fantastic on wall speakers. I love em as I have the 10 as a center channel and I use them for rears. Multichannel music at it's finest. I have Installed the CLR2300 with Mythos STS and it works. Not a perfect match but it's close. You can if you have 2.
You going to need a sub. There got to be a place in your room you can add a Supercube II. It will sound awesome and give you back your low end. Actually this combo you may like better then the BP series.

Let me now if you need any placement help. Go 10's.

Dan

What most miss out on is they make killer rears as well. You should hear it. 10's are even better. They both destroy the Gem and Gem xl's for multichannel music.
I just setup the STS/9/Gem system in our front showroom. The Gems don't even come close. They are nice for surround for most movies but I want to take them down and put up 9's.

Nice review Dan, beautiful setup

Thanks man, I think it's time I invested in a new TV. LOL. I keep swapping out my audio but never the video. I got a problem like that.

After reading this thread for a few weeks now I realized we need some more heart. There is no posts about emotional connection or anything. What's up with that??? We all talk about spec's and placement blah blah blah!!! Guys and girls lets go in a new direction for awhile. Lets talk about movement , Lets talk about the last thing you listened to on your awesome Mythos speakers. How they moved you. How they allowed the music to move you.

Right now I'm listening to Loreena Mckennitt "Book of Secrets" on my music server. Right now "Dante's Prayer" is playing. I can hear her breathing. I can feel the piano hammers hitting the strings. This is why we spend the money. it's the very reason I love this hobby.( I have a few White Ales in me so please excuse me )

But seriously lets hear about your experiences.

Hello,

I have a newbie question for wiring speakers.

Can I use banana plugs on Mythos? I have the STSs and Gem XLs.
Thank you for your answer!

Michaelmorio

A lot of us are still waiting for 6ave to send the rest of our speakers so we can complete our setup! I'll definitely post some of my thoughts when my system is complete.

Yes, I use the closed-screw banana plugs from monoprice.

Thanks for the advice. I do have 3 mythos 9's. All three speakers will be at ear level and evenly spread across 15 ft. I am hoping all horizontal is going to sound good. This is my first 5.1 system. Life was easier with two channel on stands. Unfortunately my new den setup was not going to work with two tall vertical speakers on a shelf for my LR. Had to figure how to keep my WAF in check. Will post in a few of weeks after I setup my system.