Customer Reviews

Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-42 Speaker (Single, Silver)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted a wall mountable sound bar for my bedroom to replace some fairly cheapo speakers that I got to go with my old Onkyo 605. This speaker sounds fantastic and I would definitely buy it if sound is what you are about.

However... the wall mount bracket is one of the worst pieces of engineering I have seen in my life. Not only that, but there is no piece for the sound bar to sit on if you choose to set it on a desk. Instead you have to use the wall mount bracket with some included screws to raise the back and tilt it appropriately, clever.. if the bracket wasn't so awful. What is wrong with the bracket.. where to start?
1. There is really no avoiding using the bracket, whether wall mounting or desk mounting.
2. The area to run your speaker cables is more narrow than the 5 sets of banana plug posts blocking running thick wires very easily and meaning you need to remove the bracket to mess with your cabling.
3. The bracket fits so snug to the back of the speaker you cannot use banana plugs in the posts while using the bracket, who makes a required part for an expensive speaker that blocks the use of banana plugs!!
4. The bracket when screwed to the wall fits so snugly that you are required to cut a hole in your wall to run wires or you need to space it from the wall manually. You cannot run the wires without running them through the bracket.
5. The bracket does not come with screws to mount it to your wall, nor any way to space it from a wall to run wire through the wiring harness.
6. The bracket opening to slide your screws in is extremely snug and the speaker weighs 30 pounds. Try lining that up by yourself.. it ain't easy.

Basically it seems Definitive spent 100% of their time designing the acoustics of the speaker, then handed it to an intern to design the required bracket and threw it in a box without review.

If you plan to wall mount this product, do yourself a favor and buy a 1/4in piece of wood the same size as the bracket, cut a U shape into it for running wire and run your screws through the wood into your wall studs.

Do to some issues with wiring I could not install a traditional surround sound system in my family room. I was highly skeptical of the soundbar for two reasons. 1) one wall was mostly glass, the other open to the foyer. 2) the space in my bookshelf only allowed for the 42 inch and not the 50 inch soundbar. All I can say is WOW!!! My family room is 16 x 18 with the above mentioned challenges and the DT rocks. Combined with a Denon 3808ci receiver and the DT 800 sub it gives a very impressive sound quality. The biggest issues I have so far are on some movies it can be hard to hear the voices, and the system is at its best when you crank it up. Not the best situation late at night when the Mrs. is trying to sleep up stairs.

Although you cannot match a good traditional 5.1 system with a soundbar the DT is at the top of the class of this technology. You get what you pay for and the DT shines.

Solid construction, very appealing design, I am still tweaking the receiver settings to optimize sound. The sound is a little dull with standard Denon equalizer configuration.

I have tried several sound bars including products by Polk, Yamaha (Sound Projector), and ZVOX. The Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-42 is the best-sounding sound bar by far. It creates a pleasant spatial sound field; very clean and accurate. Dialog is clear (even at low volume levels). The SSA-42 does require a subwoofer, but that is to be expected for a product of this type. After several months of searching, I have found a sound bar that works as advertised. Do yourself a favor and audition the SSA-42; you won't be disappointed.

We ordered a Mythos Surround Array 442 Speaker from Best Buy in early November, 2009. It was on back order and we were told it would arrive on Dec. 2 of 2009. The Best Buy price was $799. Dec. 2 came and went, and Best Buy couldn't promise when it would be shipped. We cancelled our order and started looking elsewhere. Our first place to look was Amazon.com, and a new one was available for $399. We jumped and two days later it was under our Samsung 46-inch LCD.

We added a "Dynamo" sub-woofer from Martin Logan, the loudspeaker company. What a beautiful marriage of sound. The Mythos Sound Bar and the Logan Martin sub are beautifully compatible. Watching movies at home has never been this great. We may never get off the couch.

I bought this soundbar to go with a Definitive Technology Supercube II subwoofer. And I am blown away by the combo. I did not have the space for a full surround set-up in the room these went in and am not disappointed. The soundbar has 5 inputs on the back for speakers so your receiver broadcasts in full surround and the bar gives you the full effect. I am amazed and sometimes find myself looking for the surround speakers in the room. Ha ha.

I picked up the soundbar refurbished from the Amazon warehouse and did not have any issues with it or scratches, etc. I also got the sub as a used demo model from a local big box store so definitely did not pay full price on any of this and ended up with a great combo at an even better price.

Purchased with a new Denon receiver and 60" Sony LED, great package.
Installed directly under the TV, basically OK but the actual mounting bracket seemed a bit flimsy as I had to bend back into shape after a couple tries at mounting. The build quality on the speaker seems great but the bracket pretty minimal, and the design is not very good.
Overall sound is very good and very consistent.
Voices are clear, locked to the screen, and have the correct volume.
Left and right channels are clear and distinct with OK separation.
Surround again is clear and distinct, and occasionally does seem to be coming from the right and left, never the rear. Most of the time
it sounds a little in front of the three main channels.
I tried with and without a sub and although not bad without, it sounds a lot fuller with a sub.
Overall this is a great looking and convenient sound system. It is very clear, and all 5-channels are distinct.
Regardless of the source it always sounds very good, and occasionally with a high end new soundtrack (Dark Knight) sounds great.
The right/left separation and surround is very clear and distinct, but not as broad as hoped for.

Due to constraints on what my wife would tolerate regarding wiring and mounting hardware, I went with the soundbar from Definitive. The sound quality is excellent and it will handle a lot of volume. You will definitely need a sub to augment base but that is standard for all small speaker systems. The soundbar does a reasonable job of providing surround effects but no soundbar can re-create a true surround system with actual speakers behind you. The sound field is immersive and you are not left wanting more when it comes to action movies unless you are a hardcore audiophile and you would never buy a soundbar if you are hardcore about your a/v products. This soundbar is coupled with a Onkyo HT-260 receiver and a Klipsch sub and the whole system works very well together.

I've had this unit for a few months. I replaced larger floor-speakers and a dedicated center channel. Replacing all that is a tall task for a soundbar. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. However, having a separate powered-sub is a must for me. The soundbar coupled with the sub, produces a very good experience for movie watching and music. I have not really noticed much on the surround sound aspect. I have it set to recommended settings, but it really just seems like it's replacing all the fronts. For me, this is not a problem, but if you are really looking for an immersive sound experience, this soundbar will not replace true rear speakers.

Also, as some have commented, the bracket for the speaker is quite thin. I didn't have much of an issue getting it mounted, but it's a tight squeeze to get it all wired and then mounted.

Good product, but overpriced considering it has no amplifier or subwoofer built in.
I suspect in 6 months it will come down to $399, when the competition catches up.