Customer Reviews

Definitive Technology Mythos ST 120v Supertower Speaker (Single, Black)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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I've owned my STs, along with a Mythos 10 center and a pair of Gem XLs for about a year. They are powered by a Denon 4308ci. They are beautiful, and really complement the black frame on my Pioneer plasma. Very high WAF.

But the sound is the important thing, right? I listen to a wide variety of music, from classical to alternative rock to folk. These speakers shine at reproducing the human voice. It's easy to fool someone with a rock guitar or synth, but everyone knows what a voice should sound like. Clarity, balance, and presence are all outstanding with these speakers. Listening to Norah Jones singing "Turn Me On" with these speakers will floor you.

One complaint I have is that there's a pretty narrow sweet spot where you have to sit (at least in my room) for listening perfection, especially in stereo. Everyone else thinks the sound is perfect until they sit in my seat!

I also use this system for my home theater with excellent results. Sound clarity and positioning are the most noticeable traits. The subwoofers work well and amount of bass is adjustable (mine are set on about 1 o'clock - 60%), but I still kept my 12" Sunfire for that little extra 1kW kick at the really low end. I suspect most folks wouldn't miss it.

These speakers replaced my big old Infinity towers with the rotting foam surrounds. They don't seem to move as much air - that feeling in my chest just isn't the same - but the trade off for balanced, unmuddied, tight, focused sound was more than worth it.

Im adding this review for people who find themselves in the same situation I was in, wanting a great HT, but want quality music especially classical and acoustic. Living in Dubai, my choices were limited and pricing is usually above anything in the US. I already have the Kuro 60 as my screen but needed the receiver and speakers. I wanted to buy the speaker set for about 5000 but was willing to go up 8000 if quality justified it. Looks were important for my wife and myself too, but she didn't enjoy the idea of the subwoofer :)
Reviews clearly indicated the mythos ST as the best option for my criteria. I wanted to have a chance to compare them with higher quality brands to know what I would be missing. So I went to a high end audio store to listen to what they had. I auditioned the motion series HT setup: these were motion 4 all around with motion 8 center. Great sound in front, but not enough power in surround leading to effects not really feeling immersive. For multichannel music it was excellent. I then checked the motion 10 and 12 in stereo (12 much better). These were really good especially at low end, but overall they have a "heavy" tone somewhat bassy. So high notes don't feel high enough. The guy there was really friendly and offered me to listen to sonus faber, mb1 (400k setup!! Amazing, better than some concerts I've been too), Martin Logan CLX and the Linn Majik 140 all in stereo. All the sources were Naim but didn't bother with details as all but last were way above budget. The Majik 140 was better than the motion but as per the rep and reviews you'd need a lot of power from a good amp. It had higher notes and better resolution (instruments could be clearly identified and separated at both high and low ends). Note that all demos were in perfect rooms calibrated by professionals.
I went to a Denon/def tech dealer where I listened to the mythos on the floor (glass walls) with a denon CD player and hifi amp (90 watt). I was VERY disappointed. Highs were great, but I couldn't even understand what was going on in mid and low. I was really shocked after all those reviews praising the STs. However, I have to point out that an HT setup even with mythos 4s and GEMs was better than the motion setup especially in surround. After that session I thought I would not end up with the STs. However reading more people's comments, some of which shared my impressions, the majority was positive. So I went with my wife (certified musician on piano) and redid all the comparisons with my own material ( saving private Ryan blu Ray sc2, loreena mckennit, sheherazad) the music was particularly challenging for LM as she has very high notes while the music is a mix of electric bass guitar, acoustic guitar and cymbals. Our Impressions were consistent with the Majik proving its versatility again. We tried the STs again on the floor and she shared my impressions. So almost convinced that it was useless, I asked the rep to put them in the HT room instead of the 4s. WOW!!
Even though the room is important, that was not what I believe made the difference, as I had stood right beside the speakers to listen to notes outside and they were no where near what I heard later. I think, like some people on forums said, they need more power ( I know it doesn't make sense as the subs are already amped, but the 140 watts made a huge difference both me and my wife could clearly hear. Now all the acoustic guitar and violin notes could be clearly heard with that "woodiness" and echo. Cellos and contrabass were clearly distinguishable not just a mass of sound.
So, Ive just ordered 2 STs, 1 mythos 10 and 2 mythos STS without sub as the test we had was without one and it was very good (unless you want your chest reverberating with explosions, my setup is enough) I'm coupling this with the denon 4311 from the same dealer to get a nice bundle. Amazingly, they offer prices better than MSRP unlike all the other dealers in Dubai. So I am not gonna feel exploited too. The speaker set will be 5400$!!!
Last impressions: in my price range the Majik was a little better in music (low end has more resolution, but not high end), but not sure about HT. They are nice looking but not as the STs and need tons of power which will add to price.
Some reviews compared to paradigm studio 100 which I was planning to demo, but after my experience with the STs and the fact that the shop selling the paradigms is MSRP +10% I didn't bother
In my opinion, the STs at the <5k HT setup are unequalled and unless you're looking for a mostly classical/acoustic music 2/2.1 setup they are also better as they would beat even the Majik in jazz and rock. Maybe higher end Martin Logan?
On the way, I've also auditioned high end Polk, yamaha, kef and klipsch. Unless you have one of those cars with the bass announcing your arrival 2 minutes before you're there, this is not even worth checking.
I am really indebted to all the reviewers and posters on the web for helping me in this search. I particularly point out KennyT from AVR and I can't remember the name, but he replaced his dynes with ST/10s setup and was very thorough in his comments
So, I hope my own review helps someone else out there looking for great sound

These are very good speakers. I use them just for 2 channel music.
I have had them for a few months, and have put them through the paces with good and bad tunes. I might not be an audiophile, but I have some very good stuff I have assembled over the years.

Most snobs would never give these a listen due to the name of a mass producer on them. That is too bad as mass produced things greatly reduce the cost and either there is quality in the product or there is not. The name badge means nothing. I find this true of many POLK products also. These Def Tec ST Speakers are quality.

Back to the speakers --
For me, don't need a sub for these. If I had them at the TV, of course, but for music - not needed. I have a good sub hooked in, but it is wasted there.

These can work well in a large room. I have them in my basement/bar, and the room is about 1100 sq ft. They handle it with ease. The are very musical, the highs are clear and the bottom is tight. I am very impressed by these speakers, and while they are not cheap, they don't break the bank and are certainly a "best buy" in the price range.
I would say they might be overkill for mains in a 5.1 TV system, especially as you would still want a sub for the car explosions - ha,ha. For music, they are very good. If you take the time to read a little and set them up right, incredible!

I have mine hooked to a SunFire amp, 600 watts to each channel, but I think they would sound quite good with less power as they have build in amp power for the low end. I will soon be trying them out with two 40 watt mono tube blocks hand built at CarverFest 2011 by MIKE with the help of audio genius Bob Carver. I'll try to post back on that.

I play a REGA P-5 turntable through the Def Tec speakers with a SunFire Preamp. The Def Tec speakers sound incredible, and are in the range of any speakers I just heard at CarverFest.

Buying speakers can be tough. Every manufacturer claims to have an "amazing, best-in-class, super high performance" product that will deliver angelic sound. Few deliver against these claims, but I have to tell you ... these speakers are among those that do.

I paired these speakers with an Emotiva XPA-2 power amp and an Emotiva USP-1 pre-pro. All I can tell you is that with the Emotiva components hooked up to these things, you will get sound that is CHOCK FULL of deep bass with highs/mids that sound excellent. The sound quality will satisfy many times over.

In addition to GREAT sound, these things are physically gorgeous. The polished aluminum is sleek and sexy. The speaker covers add to the beauty as well. Even when the speakers aren't playing, it's just great looking at them. They are BEAUTIFUL.

I purchased a refurbished pair and saved 50% off the going price. I would do it again in a hearbeat. If you are looking for a blend of beauty, brawn and clear/clean sound then strongly consider these. The only word of caution is that these speakers NEED good components if you really want to see them perform. Don't be fooled into thinking that an $1800 receiver from Denon, Onkyo or Yamaha will do the trick. (I was initially fooled like this.) They will only get you half way there in terms of what these speakers can really do. You will need a nice pre-amp and power amp to make these things shine. If you can feed these things with a good signal from pre/power components then get ready for an experience that you will cherish for many years to come. These are great speakers.

let me just start by saying wow these speakers are magical with a huge soundstage that go beyond the speakers the micro and macro dynamics are superb,with great imaging,detail,dynamics this speaker has it all to get this level of sound you would have to spend a lot more than their bargan price. if you buy this speaker make sure you use quality electronics some people use cheap recievers and amp's and then blame this speaker for not sounding right, if you going to buy a speaker like this do yourself a favor and give it what it needs to sound its best and your will be highly rewarded with some unbeleivable music. i use this speaker for music only this is by far an audiophile speaker which some people may snub because its made by definitive technology but if you snub this speaker its your lost. it just goes to show you that when designers and engineers take their time and build a speaker right this is what you get true audiophile sound the mythos st and sts do sound similar but the st is just more of a good thing you couldn't go wrong with either very impressive i cant see myself replacing the ST,s for the next ten years thanks deftech for making a truely highend speaker im playing them on a conrad johnson mf2500a(250 wpc)amp, conrad johnson premiere 18ls preamp, resolution audio opus 21 cdp. harmonic technology truth link interconnects, mit avt1 speaker cables...i had the analysis plus oval 9 speaker cable on them this cable is warm and rich and liquid in the mids and the treble is extended without that high frequency zing, the mit avt 1 is liquid in the mids and treble and the sound is so organic but a little lean in the mids it all depends on what you like...you never know what this speaker is going to do next always exciting. i played miles davis remastered kinda blue cd and michael franks abandon garden cd and i swear that they were in the room with me best speaker i have ever owned.

I am a proud owner of Definitive Technology Mythos ST Home Theater system.
I did a lot of research before investing on this system. Mythos ST has a formidable reputation among the HT enthusiasts, and no wonder it stands upto its name when it comes to delivering sound quality.
I have coupled my HT with 2 x Mythos ST for front, 2 x Gem XL's for the surround, 2 x Ten for rear and again 1 Mythos ST for center. Along with Pioneer Elite SC-37 A/V receiver and two SVS subwoofers.
This blows away gas off any high end Home Theater setup. I an compare the sound quality and powerful effects to any IMax theaters. This is one investment i will never regret for years to come.