Definitive Technology Mythos Series Thread - Page 97

I was able to move the rear seating about 1ft back from the wall and it was about the same. BUT I just got rid of my old 10yrs Sony ES receiver and put the Onkyo SR608 and WHAT A DIFFERENCE after Auddessy! Everything was excellent, including the rears, sides and fronts! Calibration was the big key, along with all the THX, PLII, etc formats.
Cant wait until the new high-end Marantz comes out..thats whats going into this room.

Just picked up my Mythos STS (silver). Mythos nine and Gems are going to be ordered in the next few days. Looking for a high value AVR....recommendations?

I know you said AVR, but for the money, Emotiva separates are the way to go! Give them look, and they get awesome reviews. I am currently running a Pioneer Elite VSX-21TXH and am planning on upgrading to an emotiva UMC-1 and XPA-5.

would like to stay under $1000. Im pretty new to the stuff so to be honest I dont know much of what would be best

I have been searching a bunch on here, and am seeing lots of options. I was looking at the Yamaha 1900

Take a look at the Onkyo HT RC180. Most places online have for (much lower than MSRP) and you get 110W, Audyssey DSX, firmware updates over Ethernet, etc.

Picked one of these up on sale at Fry's and it is heads and shoulders above the Denon 1909 and Pioneer 1020k it replaced.

Good luck with the gorgeous new speakers!

With that speaker package look for a used Pioneer Elite SC-05 or 07. New I suggest the Elite SC-25. They mate perfectly together. Don't skimp out on quality power , your speakers will shine , with a cheaper receiver they will not. You can get away with the Pioneer Elite vsx21 or 23 but they don't sound as good or have the dynamic ability of the ICE amps in the SC models.

Stay clear of Denon , they don't mate well , Yamaha will make them slighty bright depending on the model but Yamaha has excellent dynamic range. Marantz is like Denon and kinda boring to listen to. Onkyo and Integra are a bit thin in the mid range but are rock solid receivers with good power in the higher end models. Sony models are nice, stay with the ES lines ,they tend to have very good sound quality and very nice dynamic range.

Another good choice is cambridge audio Azur series , not many bells or whistles but excellent control and fantastic 2 channel performance. They are a bit quirky but I like how they sound. If I didn't use all the features of my SC-07 , I would pick one up. They also only have 3 HDMI in's which doesn't work for me. I use all 4 of mine and could use 6. But if you can afford one , you woul hear how damn good the STS speakers can sound. You will get 98% of the sound quality out of the Pioneer ELite SC models as well but that last word in detail does go to Cambridge.

Choose your receiver wisely.

I ended up getting the Elite VSX21. Got a great price at BB on it. Any setup tips would be greatly appreciated as I am very new to HT systems and higher end audio in general.

Im glad to hear I picked a decent one. I planned to do get all speakers in place and use the MCACC as a good baseline. Maybe I can get lucky from the start! I paid a few hundred under retail. So how did you like the 21 with your mythos setup? I listened to the Denon, onkyo, and 2 different yamahas and I thought this one sounded pretty good for the price. The other option I almost did was a yamaha rx 1900 that was a floor model almost half msrp. I guess it was 2 years old. It had higher wattage per channel then the 21 but oh well. Hopefully I can make these STSs rock!

Great receiver! That's what I have until I upgrade to emotiva. As far as advice with the setup, use the MCACC as a starting point and tweak slightly how you like the sound. If your not used to input labeling, give the manual a read and it definitely helps. Really your best bet is to fool around with it and give the manual a read.

Yea, the MCACC is good, but it only takes 1 spot measurement in the basic setup (I haven't really messed around with the pro). I have demoed the the 21 with the mythos line, but am actually putting together a bp setup. This receiver actually replaced my RX-V1800 Yammy, which is the model right before the RX-V1900. One thing I was really surprised about was that the RX-V1800 dropped to like 55wpc when all channels were driven. Conversely, the 21 is rated 110wpc all channels driven simultaneously. Don't you worry about the STS's rocking with 21, because they definitely will! Pioneer's always tend to sound more robust and are very dynamic IMO. I think you made a great choice and will enjoy it, but if for some reason you don't, just return it.

That's like scoring a date with Megan Fox and taking her to Denny's.

You're kidding right?

VBMan29, head into the "receiver" section in the Audio forum and read up on the RC180. There are plenty of owners using this receiver with very high-end speakers like your STS and are extremely happy.

The RC180 has Audyssey DSX and plenty of power...I own one and absolutely love it!

It's just a derivative of the regular product, they just take away an hdmi in and change the front face

Same guts

haha, I like that reference....I once told someone who was inquiring about changing some of their high end home theater and had a Vizio TV, that they needed to upgrade their TV first because it was like having a Ferrari with cloth interior...lol

No offense to anyone with Vizio's, I'm just not personally a fan

that looks like a nice receiver full of good features and power for the price. it even has a full set of 7.1 pre-outs which is getting rare at that price point

how big is your room and how far away do you sit from your speakers ?

I fried my Center Mythos 3 tonight. I am not sue if I want to replace it or upgade it to the Mythos 9 or 10. Any opinions? The fried Mythos 3 is still under warranty so that's the a good thing.

To be 100% honest, I've never hooked up my Mythos One / Eight system to the Onkyo 875 I have. It is not allowed within 50 ft of them....they are powered by a Pio SC-07.

Like everyone here, I'm sure I'll upgrade the receiver at some point but I really like these speakers and would rather get opinions on how the RC180 will power the STS's not about how it's too "low end" for this set up.

Just because a receiver costs $500 doesn't always mean it won't have just as many features as the higher name for $1000 plus. I looked hard at the 807 but really didn't need the extra HDMI input. That wasn't worth $300 extra dollars. Also my room is relatively small at 12'x18' so higher power is not needed. I just want a crisp clean sounding speaker and the aesthetics of the built in Subs help in the small area.

the rc180 will do fine, the sts are quite easy to drive. i have the onkyo 807, 3007, and pr-sc5507 as well as multiple amps, drove some mythos ones off the 807, i don't see the sts as being more power demanding then the ones.

if def tech specs are accurate, the STS should be easier to drive than the ones

sensitivity on the STS is 93db vs 92db on the ones

I'm very happy with my Integra 40.1 receiver powering my Mythos 2s up front. I also have the PC 2000 center and BP1.2x for surrounds.

How do the Mythos 2's sound for music in stereo? I'll be using a Rythmik F12 sub and am looking for something with a bit more oomph than the ProMonitor 800s that up up there right now (along with ProCenter 2000).

I know the PC2000 is 5.25", but the Mythos Two is the largest bookshelf they offer (I currently don't have floor space for towers).

Debating going with the Mythos Two now or waiting and pulling the trigger on Mythos Ones (or STS if I'm lucky!) once we move into a new place next spring.

I was in a jamming mood and cranked the system pretty loud. The sound stayed crystal clear and never distorted. Next thing I knew the center channel was gone and the amp protection circuit had kicked in for that channel. I put one of my pld standby speakers in it's place until I replace or upgrade it.

It is a 7.1 setup with Mythos One's up front, Mythos Gems Side and Back Surrounds and A Def Tech Supercube Reference Sub. A Parasound HCA 806 drives the surrounds. The center channel is bridged (180 RMS @ 8 ohms). Fronts are driven by a Carver M1.0 mkII opt 2.

I think this link will show the system.
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...03578680nwuuIK

Whether the receiver is low end or high is not the question. I agree the STS will be easier to drive then the Mythos One's according to the published spec's. What usually kills speakers is distortion. Every receiver or power amp can reach a volume level that introduces distortion into the speaker. What usually happens is the amp section will reach it's max and the signal clips (think of a sine wave then chop off part of the curve at the top). When that happens the speakers reaction is no longer smooth and can become damaged or die. That happens mostly with a receiver or power amp that under powers the speakers (example speaker rating is 20 - 300 watts rms and the receiver or power amp is rated at 50 wpc). You can be within the manufactures recommended range and be fine at normal listening levels. It is normally better to be on the other end with a stronger power amp or receiver rated at or higher then the speaker. A quick analogy is a ten speed bike. 1st gear moves the bike (bike being the speaker cone)easily. 2nd moves you a little faster. Stay in 2nd gear going down hill and try to pedal faster you reach a limit. If you stay in 2nd and keep pushing to go faster you loose control of the pedals (speaker) and sometimes the bike. You (your legs) are the amp. What happens to your legs?

However, with all that said, at normal listening levels (not cranking like I was) the receiver you mentioned is fine. Hope this wasn't confusing.

I could go further into it but I think that would be overkill. I am laughing because I know somebody out there is saying it's already overkill. LOL

By the way I forgot to mention my room (atleast the listening area I use) is the same size as your room. Until I moved to higher powered amp's I never believed I would hear a difference in sound, but I did and it was an unbelievable difference.