Definitive Technology TAS108 Brochure & Specs

Also see for Mythos Gem XL: Owner's manual Owner's manual

Definitive Technology TAS108 Brochure & Specs Manual pdf 1 page image

bout a year ago Definitive TechnologyPresident Sandy Gross called me,sounding excited. “I wanted to tell youwe’re working on a new kind of SuperTower speaker that will use a variation on thosemid/bass drivers you liked so much in ourProCinema 1000 system. We’re going to call it theMythos ST.”The $1649 ProCinema 1000 rig, which Ireviewed in Issue 168, featured mid/bass driversso sophisticated they would not have seemed outof place in costly high-end stereo speakers. I hadoften wondered what would happen if Definitiveused those drivers in a more ambitious speaker.“So the new speaker is going to be a SuperTower and a Mythos model at the same time?”“Yes,” Sandy replied. “It will be a slenderfloorstander with an aluminum enclosure, tallerand deeper than past Mythos models, but styledto have the traditional Mythos look. Each ST willhave a forward-firing D'Appolito array on top,and a powered subwoofer on the bottom. Andeach one will have the same bass output as oneof our SuperCube subwoofers.”“How will SuperCube drivers fit insidea Mythos enclosure?”“Oh, they won’t,” said Sandy. “The ST cabinetis too narrow for traditional round woofers.Instead, we’ve designed ‘racetrack-shaped’ woofers and passiveradiators just for this speaker, and we’ll drive them with built-in300-watt amps.”“Are you doing a new tweeter, too?” I asked the question becauseDefinitive’s past aluminum dome tweeters, though good, were not inthe same league as its superb mid/bass drivers.“Sort of,” Sandy said. “We’ve revamped our tweeter, tweaking lots ofdesign elements to cut non-linear distortions in half. I think the new onesounds much better, but you can judge for yourself when you hear them.”I first heard the Mythos ST ($3798/pair) at CES 2007 and three thingsimpressed me from the outset. First, the speaker offered terrific amountsof low-level detail and high-frequency “air” coupled with an underlyingtreble smoothness. Second, it reproduced depth and imaging cues in aneffortless way, so that images broke free from the speaker cabinets.Third, it delivered bass that was powerful, tightly controlled, and fast.In short, the Mythos ST struck me as being hands-down the best-sounding speaker Definitive had yet made — andone that arguably established performance bench-marks in its price class. I considered doing an imme-diate review, but decided to wait until the compan-ion Mythos Ten center channel came out, so that Icould test a complete Mythos ST surround-soundsystem. And now that I’ve heard that system, I canconfidently say its performance puts many higher-priced rigs to shame.The Mythos Ten essentially takes the D’Appolitoarray section of the ST, flips it on its side, thenstretches the chassis just enough to fit in a pair ofoblong passive radiators similar to, but smallerthan those used in the ST. The Ten’s bass doesn’treach as low as the ST’s, but its voicing is otherwiseidentical to its bigger brother. Completing thesystem is a pair of compact Mythos Gem XLsurround speakers, also based on two-wayD’Appolito arrays. Because the XLs are an earlier-gen-eration design, their drivers aren’t quite as sophisticat-ed as those in the ST and the Ten. Nevertheless, theGem XLs would easily qualify as main speakers inmost systems, meaning they’re more than adequatefor audiophile surround applications.The Mythos ST system draws together three essential sonic qualities— resolution, dynamics, and 3-D imaging — that add up to a fourth: atouch of pure magic. Let me explain that comment in practical terms.On film soundtracks, the ST system produces an articulate, neutrallyvoiced and decidedly muscular sound that simply takes command ofmost listening rooms. In the initial chase scene from Terminator III: Riseof the Machines, a deadly robotic Terminatrix (Kristanna Loken) drivesa motorized crane, pursuing John Connor (Nick Stahl) and his spouse-to-be (Claire Danes) through crowded city streets. The ST system repro-duced the ensuing mayhem of the crane ripping through phone poles,cars, and even buildings with terrific dynamic impact. Yet even throughthe thickest action-film soundtracks, the ST system never lost sight oftwo essential qualities: overarching clarity and low-level detail. In thefinal shootout scene from Open Range, for example, the ST systemdisplayed both raw power (delivering the ear-splitting “craakkKK” ofindividual gun shots) as well as impressive textural subtlety. You canhear the ratcheting “clicks” of Colt revolvers being cocked, the sharp“whir” of shards of wood sizzling through the air as shots go astray, orthe gently modulated moan of the prairie wind in the background. Thepoint is that the Definitive system weaves together small, seeminglyinconsequential details to create a fabric of sheer realism.AMainstreamMULTICHANNELChris MartensDefinitive Mythos ST5.1-Channel Speaker System“the Mythos ST struck me as being hands-downthe best-sounding speaker Definitive had yetmade — and one that arguably establishedperformance benchmarks in its price class.”“I can confidently say itsperformance puts many higher-priced rigs to shame.”“Pure Magic”

/ 2

Related manuals for Definitive Technology Mythos Gem XL