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ferent sonic character than you
might be used to, largely because
the Mythos speakers feature a
forward-radiating design, not a
bipolar one. As a result, the sound-
stage isn’t as big as that of the
larger bipolar towers. There’s
something here that’s equally as
Gems (plus the Mythos Twos,
which the company sent me before
they had a pair of Gems ready for
me to listen to) with the intention
that there would be a subwoofer in
the system, so there’s no midbass
peak designed into the speakers.
Some manufacturers use this trick
to fool the listener into thinking
there’s bass where there is none.
In addition to detrimentally altering
the sonic balance, such a peak
makes it more difficult to
smoothly integrate the speakers
with a subwoofer.
That’s a rather bold step because,
if you put these speakers on a demo
wall in a store and compare them
with another speaker that’s been
voiced with a peak in the midbass,
your first reaction is likely to be that
the Mythos are a little thin and
weak, rather than highly accurate
and neutral. But, here again, your
thinking would be going in the
wrong direction. Add a subwoofer,
such as the SuperCube II, and–
like a rich socialite with a dark
past–these mild-mannered, highly
refined beauties turn into adrena-
line-pumping, take-no-prisoners
competitors that will eat for lunch
(belch included) just about any
other system in the price range.
The system’s blending of bass
and beauty is quite astounding. I’ve
rarely run into a combination where
it was so easy to match the sub-
woofer to the speakers–or a combi-
nation that sounded so natural
together. It’s as if they were made
for each other (which, now that I
mention it, they were).
If you’ve long been a fan of
Def Tech’s bipolar speakers, this
Mythos system has a slightly dif-
H I G H L I G H T S
Mythos beauty is more than
skin deep
Gems utilize wide-dispersion
bipolar array
Music and movies are equally
stunning
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY MYTHOS FOUR SPEAKER SYSTEM
OVERALL RATING
Value
In this price
range, you normal-
ly get either style
or substance;
the Mythos
gives you both
The SuperCube
II trounces most
under-$1,000
subwoofers
Features
Wall-mount
brackets are
included with
the Mythos Three
and Mythos Gem
The Mythos Gem
has a prethreaded
insert for the
option pivoting
wall mount
Performance
Pinpoint accu-
racy, incredibly
intimate detail
Bass is extremely
convincing
The subwoofer
blends phenome-
nally with the
other speakers
Ergonomics
Slender silos
and wall-mounting
options make
these some of the
easiest speakers
to integrate into
a real living room
It’s easy to reach
the SuperCube II’s
controls
The Mythos system
is not only one of the
best sub-$3,500 sys-
tems on the market,
it’s one of the most
stylish and attractive
systems, too.
General information
Mythos Four Tower Speaker, $699
Mythos Three Center-Channel Speaker, $499
Mythos Gem Surround Speaker, $249
SuperCube II Subwoofer, $899
Definitive Technology, (410) 363-7148, www.definitivetech.com
Dealer Locator Code DEF
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“worthy of hanging
in the Louvre ...
some of the
easiest speakers
to integrate in a
real living room”
“The SuperCube II
trounces most
under-$1,000
subwoofers”
Build Quality
Polystone,
non-resonant
front baffles
Aircraft-grade
aluminum cabi-
nets with interal
ribbing and
camping pads
