Strong yet Subtle

from the test bench

DEFINITIVETECHNOLOGYMYTHOSFOURSPEAKERSYSTEM

appealing, though. The Mythos are so intimate in their imaging and precise in their reproduction that they create a sonic portrait with such subtlety and sincerity that, if you could somehow freeze forever such an audible moment, it would be worthy of hanging in the Louvre.

“Music and movies are equally stunning”

The cabinets’ narrowness, the lack of parallel sides, the excellent internal damping, the PolyStone mineral-ﬁlled polymer front bafﬂes, the specially annealed aluminum dome tweeters with silk surrounds, and the Medite planar bass radia- tors that refuse to let midrange frequencies bleed into the room combine to provide the unfettered, thoroughly unencumbered lightness of being a Mythos speaker. But what it really boils down to is this: How do these slender silos sound when you plunk them on the ﬂoor or pop them on the wall next to your plasma? In a word: three- dimensional and thrilling. Well, that was three words, but you get what I mean.

The underlying nature of the Mythos Fours, Threes, and Gems (which, by the way, also fared quite well as main speakers when I paired them with the SuperCube II sub-woofer) is a subtle sweetness and unerring accuracy. The sonic blend of the bass with the midrange vocals, guitars, and harmonica on

Blues Traveler’s Truth Be Told DVD-Audio disc is a great exam- ple of this; at the same time, the ensemble ﬂawlessly reproduced the maniacally deﬁned antics found on Chesky’s Musical 5.1 Surround Show SACD. In fact, if you don’t think these speakers have what it takes to run with the ugliest but best sounding speakers in the price range, listen to “Music for Cello, Helicopter and Cars” on the Chesky disc. If the system is dialed-in properly, it’ll change your opinion of how good a lifestyle product should be.

“drop-dead gorgeous. I’m talking stunning, can’t get-them- out-of-your-mind”

All of the aspects that make music sound so good achieve sim- ilar results with movies. Master & Commander was much more than I bargained for with this system — especially early in the movie, when you’re lulled into calm by the creaking of the ship and the break- ing of the waves just before a hell storm of cannon shots is released. These Mythos are no passive wall- ﬂowers, let me tell you. Seabiscuit, a much less rambunctious movie that relies on subtlety of sound and narration as a large part of its story, was just as engagingly portrayed and just as enjoyable.

Hopefully, the Mythos are an early indication of a paradigm shift in the way manufacturers and con-

sumers think about how products should perform and fit into our lives. I, for one, am certainly ready for this shift. Even if other manu- facturers don’t follow Def Tech’s lead, this system is still a mighty fine-sounding and damn good- looking group of speakers.

11433 Cronridge Dr. • Owings Mills, MD 21117 • (410)363-7148

For information and dealers

www.deﬁnitivetech.com

Reprinted from the October 2004 issue of HOME THEATER.