Definitive Technology Mythos Series Thread - Page 3

I've been listening to Bose 301s for the past 15+ years with their "direct/reflecting" sound. I imagine I'd be fine with the Gem sound. I'm really eager to listen to them. Unfortunately, I live in Africa and don't have a convenient listening room. I'll be back in the US this summer, but I'm not sure I can wait that long to order them. Maybe the mark-down models won't even be available by then.


Thanks for that info. I had no idea they were different drivers. That difference in freq response along with the shorter size might make up my mind for me. The only problem is that the Gem XLs are the only one of the aluminum series that isn't marked down on Amazon, so they are almost the same price as the 2s.

Another question. Did any of you Mythos owners audition the DT ProCinema series before settling on Mythos? If so, can you comment on your impressions on the difference in sounds. The ProCinemas seem pretty attractive to me, too. Since they seem to offer a deeper base response (based on specs) at a cheaper price. Then you can lower the crossover freq on you sub and decrease the localization effect on the sub. What do you think I would be missing out on if I chose them over the Mythos (the lower-end Mythos models, that is)?

While showroom demonstrations can be misleading for a number of reasons, my impression was that the Mythos were notably smoother in the midrange and especially the highs. Of course, that was what I was expecting to hear, so who can say how much the placebo effect was influencing my observation.

If you go with the XL's, you can comfortably use an 80Hz X-over, which should cause no localization problems. Theoretically, 100Hz should be fine, too. A lot of early AVRs used 100 or 120Hz as a fixed X-over without problem, but some people insist they can hear localization at 100Hz. But then there are those say they can at 80Hz or even 50 or 40Hz. Again, it's hard to know how much of that is placebo, but once it's in your mindset, it's almost impossible to dismiss.

I am looking interested in becoming a Mythos owner. I am thinking about two set ups
1.The 6's L/R,7 C, Gem XL rear
2.The 2's L/R, 3 C, Gem XL rear

Cost being a big issue. I am also considering the Supercube II since I can get it for 40% off MSRP. The cost will be about $260 difference. (I also could get the Gem's for $80 less a pair to save.)
My room is 10x13, 70%H/T 30% music and I will be using a Pioneer Elite VSX03 receiver

Any recomendations or thoughts would be appreciated, I cant find these two setups side by side to compare the differences.
Thnx

I have a Def tech PF15 plus which I love , I been thinking of adding the two's and a three center for the front, what are my best option for rear?
do I even bother with 7.1 ? what height do you guys put your rears at?

Thanks very much for your opinion. Since I tend to stick with one system for a long time, I'm really leaning toward the Mythos system (GemXL fronts, Three center and Gem Surround). Two years from now, I don't think I'll regret spending a little more than a needed to. But I sure would regret if I felt like I should have spent more.

so 2's for L/R 3 for center keep my older PL15plus
and add 2 gems xl for the rear.

6's L/R and 7 Center if the money is short or just go for the silvers in the 2's 3's that are on discount as long as GEM XL will be big enough for rears

I think your right MVP 2's front 3 center I have a 15pl plus sub and I will need the rears which I think the Gem XL's should be good for. Im not a big fan of the silver color ones but if I can get the better sounding speaker and save a little I will.

Thanks for the insight...I think I am best going with the 2's,3 setup like you stated. If I just get the Gems it will only be $180 difference and I am not sure that I would get much out of the XL's over the Gems anyway. Plus I can use that saved money and get two more Gems for 7.1 down the road. The sub I can always audition as they are easy to install/setup and buy and return at BB.
Thnx

Yes, I'd like to go with 2 L/R instead of the GemXLs, but for my room right now, I really need a bookshelf-sized speaker. I move around every 2-3 years, so the size and flexibility of the GemXLs is a big plus. Later if I have space for the 2s, and I feel like the GemXLs aren't cutting it, I can upgade. In this case, the regret of spending less won't be so bad because there is a simple upgade path with the 2s, without replacing the whole shebang. And then I have myself a 7.1 setup.

I have not heard any of these speakers myself. But I've read and heard very positive reviews using the Gems (not XL) all around with a 7 center.

I finally sat down and looked at all whole Mythos line and figured out which models go with which based on driver type and size. I thought some here might find this useful, so I’ve listed them below (please let me know if you see something wrong). Some of the model numbering seems funny to me (for instance, the model progression from tower - tabletop - center in the 4.5”ers go out of sequence: 4 – 2 – 3, but the 3.5”ers go in sequence: 5 – 6 – 7).

I’ve also thrown in the ProCinema models that seem to use the same drivers as the SuperTowers. It kind of makes me wonder if the ProMonitors would be a better surround match for the SuperTowers than the Gem/GemXL. Any thoughts?

Balanced Double Surround System (BDSS)
5.25”
- Mythos ST SuperTower
- Mythos Ten (center/on-wall)
- ProMonitor 1000*
- ProCenter 2000*

4.5”
- Mythos STS SuperTower
- Mythos Nine (center/on-wall)
- ProMonitor 800*
- ProCenter 1000*

3.25”
- ProMonitor 600*
- ProCenter 600*

High Definition Drivers
5.25”
- Mythos One (tower)
- Mythos Eight (center/on-wall)

4.5”
- Mythos Four (tower)
- Mythos Two (table-top/on-wall)
- Mythos Three (center)
- Mythos GemXL** (satellite) angled drivers

3.5”
- Mythos Five (tower)
- Mythos Six (table-top/on-wall)
- Mythos Seven (center)
- Mythos Gem** (satellite) angled drivers

* The ProCinema line of speakers (ProMonitor and ProCenter) are not necessarily voice-matched with any of the Mythos line.

** The information Macfan424 got from DefTech indicates that the Gem/GemXL drivers are actually new and improved over the ones I’ve grouped them with, but I didn’t break them out separately. They are intended to be voice-matched to all Mythos speakers, including the SuperTowers.

Actually, there are other cases where the drivers are different, albeit the same size. The Nines compared to the Threes, for an example. The Nines use the newer drivers developed for the STS's; the Threes use the older ones that match the Fours. Your charts reflect that, intentionally or not. On the other hand, it's pretty certain that the ProMonitor drivers are distinctly different than the Mythos, regardless of size.

I seem to be rather lonely in this, but I think too much emphasis is placed on driver size anyway (not here especially, but on AVS in general). Voicing is much more important. For that matter, positioning may well be a bigger factor. A good designer can match two speakers very closely, even when employing different sized drivers. Further, even identical speakers will sound slightly different in a real room depending upon their placement, and it's all but impossible to make horizontal speakers sound absolutely identical to vertical ones even when they have the exact same drivers (this invariably shows up in lab tests).

DefTech has taken the position that the whole Mythos line is designed to mix and match seamlessly. They have been quite willing to recommend combining different driver sizes in their system suggestions, and I, for one, am inclined to take their word for it. They know how their speakers are designed, and they have a vested interest in suggesting systems that make their customers happy.

That said, your chart is interesting and handy, bigAWL, although I'd guess the Gem XL's are closer to the STS/Nines than the Two/Tree/Fours. (Maybe the midrange of the former and the tweeter of the latter???) I also think the ProMonitors should be treated separately.

On the other hand, while I wouldn't say "better" the the XL's, I'd bet that the ProMonitors would combine very well as rear surrounds in a Mythos system. I recently inserted a pair of old Polk M3's (a Sandy Gross influenced design from his salad days at Polk) as rears, and they blend effectively with my STS/Threes, even on pink noise. No doubt a more current Gross inspired design would blend at least as well. While I firmly believe the front three speakers should match as closely as possible, the rears (and, to a lesser extent, the sides) allow much greater latitude.

yup, you can really hear the difference when you sit down and run pink noise to each channel. even with identical speakers like you said

this is why some people say the most important component is the room (room acoustics)


that's why i have always run my center channel vertical for like 12 years now

a few weeks ago, i turned my center horizontal just to check to see if i'm crazy but it sounded much better vertical so i switched it back

It's the "right" way to go, but not logistically feasible in most rooms. Is yours in a home theater (the "real" kind with a projection screen)?

Never thought it would be too cool to have a vertical speaker obscuring the middle of my plasma.

i keep my center vertical below my screen tilted up a bit

someday i plan on doing 3 identical towers behind an acoustically transparent screen

I agree totally. And in most "real world" rooms, there can be some latitude with the side surrounds without disrupting the effect; even more with the rears. This is aided by modern AVRs which can do a surprisingly fine job of blending disparate speakers.

However, I still believe the front three should match as closely as possible (e.g. use sets recommended by the manufacturer).


Yup. The whole audio hobby is tinged with this, and always has been. I often cringe when I think of the money I've spent over the years on "improvements" that were only in my head.

Still, feeling good about your equipment is a big part of the fun, and it can be argued that money spent to that end is money well spent after all.

I wound up with two subs, too, although in my case the second one actually tamed a nasty standing wave.

Just curious, what are you guys using for a center channel? I have MYTHOS ones and am looking for a voice matching center.Great forum by the way.

I'm using a Three with my STS's. I like the idea of a Nine, but they didn't exist at the time. The Three uses earlier generation drivers than the STS whereas the Nine uses the same ones. At first, I thought the Three was a bit less smooth at the top, but after it (or, more likely, my ears ) broke in, it seems to integrate seamlessly.

I first heard the Three at a dealer coupled with Ones, and I thought they were great together. In any case, DefTech makes a point of voice matching the entire Mythos series to make it mix-and-match, so whatever you choose should work well.

Cool. I've also edited it a bit just to include a couple notes reflecting others' comments about the voice-matching of the Mythos line, and that the ProCinemas are not necessarily voice-matched.

I am using a CLR2002 - also same drivers I believe and it works well. Lookswise, it dosen't quite match of course....

If I get the Mythos 6 or the Mythos 5, how much power will the receiver need? The Mythos 6 says 10-175w and The Mythos 5 is 10-200w. I'm thinking about getting the Denon AVR-789.

Power ratings from speaker manufacturers don't mean much. I'm sure the Denon will be more than adequate. I have power meters, and my Mythos 3 (rated 10-200w) rarely draws as much as 2w on peaks. The 5 and 6 are supposed to be slightly less efficient, so you might draw 3-5w. Even if you play twice as loud as I do, that would be only 30 to 50w.

To get an idea of how amp power translates into dB, you can use this conversion chart. Enter the amp power into the lower box and it will show how many dBs it will produce. Add that figure to the speaker's sensitivity (89dB in the case of the 5's and 6's), and you'll get an idea how loud it will get (e.g. ~108dB with the combinations you are considering). Various factors such as room configuration, listening distance, number of channels playing, etc. affect the exact output, but this is close enough.

To translate that into everyday experience, you can use this dB chart.