What would you do?

mantis

Ok,
I have owned the Definitive Technology Mythos series speakers for about 10 years now. I never ever held on to a speakers package this long before. I loved getting a package, living with it for a while then going out and finding the next system as I wanted more. When I got the Mythos series which I fell in love with when I was installing them I have tried to replace them a few times but never found anything I felt was a better system within my price range.
Recently my one Mythos ST tower's sub amp Volume control stopped responding and now I have to send the sub amp in for repair. This issue with the volume control not working is the sub is HOT and I can't adjust it. I makes the entire speaker un balanced and way to heavy bass to the point of shaking the hell out fo the grill.
There are no replacement parts available for these anymore as they are discontinued. I'm gonna get it fixed but as I do love them BUT I'm now really thinking of replacing them.
I have a 5.2.2 current Atmos system.
So my idea is which I'm having an extremely hard time finding is find a pair of Mythos 10's and mount them to the wall as left and right and get rid of the ST towers. Then add 2 floor subs either a pair I already own or try out SVS or go with JL audio 2 of them. This is a pretty good idea as it frees up the space on the left of my cabinet as Christmas time we put the tree in the left corner and usually a fat sucker and i have to move my left channel Mythos ST closer to the cabinet for a few weeks. Yeah Yeah I know 1st world problems bo hoo but it's annoying the entire time. If I had wall mounted speakers they would not be an issue and left is good with or without a christmas tree.
OR I look for an entirely new speaker package that can out preform the Mythos series I own which is no easy task. I have yet to find a 5 channel speaker package under 10K that is better then the Mythos for both Music and movies. These things are excellent at both.They are smooth like Dynaudio, Monitor Audio or B&W for music and Dynamic Like Klipsch Reference series for Movies. It's pretty impressive but I can't get new grills which I could use at least 1 new on the other one is fine but it would be nice to have a fresh brand new set with no broken pegs. The Broken one has about 4 broken pegs and the other one has I think only one broken peg.
I'm digging back into Monitor Audio as I feel they are a pretty killer line but I'm not sure if I'll feel like I upgraded or just got new different speakers. I'm at that point where It would take a much greater amount of money to improve on this system and I'm not sure what I want to do.
I had the LSIM703's in the house years ago on demo and I thought they where pretty damn nice but the Mythos ST's stomped them in everything sound.Shame as it would have been cool to go back to a full polk audio system. The LSIM came close but they don't have a direct firing surround speaker I would have to go in wall for that duty and I don't remember seeing a direct perfect matching in wall to the LSIM's.

shs

I am not sure what you mean by the LSiMs don't have a direct firing surround speaker. The 702 F/X are monopole speakers, i.e. one tweeter, one midrange and one woofer in an on-wall unit. The tricky part is that the mid and tweeter are at an angle so they need to be placed either forward or behind your MLP.

TopperDude

Hey Mantis - I remember all your old DefTech posts. You inspired me to check them out before .

Since your looking for something new, can you get deals on the Legend Series? Definitely check them out or see if you can demo them. I particularly like the L600 more than the Mythos STS and ST-L.

VR3

Are you sure definitive doesn't have parts?

I order stuff all the time for twenty year old plus speakers

halo71

VR3 wrote: »

Are you sure definitive doesn't have parts?

I order stuff all the time for twenty year old plus speakers

I agree, they sent me a new amp for one of my ProTower 400's. For free. I even told them I bought them used, knowing the amp was bad. Not sure how old this model is though.

Dabutcher

I would wait til the next Adorama sale and get the package deal for LSim 707 or 705 if your room is smaller? Center 706 or 704. 703 or FX for rear or rear and sides. At least 150 watts to fronts and the rest off the AVR For $2500-3500 I think it would be an awesome set up. I really like my 705’s and the 703’s before that for two channel movies or music. Good luck. D

mantis

shs wrote: »

I am not sure what you mean by the LSiMs don't have a direct firing surround speaker. The 702 F/X are monopole speakers, i.e. one tweeter, one midrange and one woofer in an on-wall unit. The tricky part is that the mid and tweeter are at an angle so they need to be placed either forward or behind your MLP.

They are a stupid design and I'm not into them at all. I feel they are placement tricky and can't be mounted as intended 90 degrees to the sides at 72 inches to the tweeter. They have a stupid name for the 3 1/2 inch driver and tweeter array and then add a woofer off straight. I'm all out.

mantis

TopperDude wrote: »

Hey Mantis - I remember all your old DefTech posts. You inspired me to check them out before .

Since your looking for something new, can you get deals on the Legend Series? Definitely check them out or see if you can demo them. I particularly like the L600 more than the Mythos STS and ST-L.

Cool man yes I can get Legend series speakers but no one as usual has them set up anywhere to go check them out.

mantis

VR3 wrote: »

Are you sure definitive doesn't have parts?

I order stuff all the time for twenty year old plus speakers

Yup I talked to them and there are no parts available anymore. I need a grill and a new amp module. They told me they can fix the amp module but I'm beat on the grill. That doesn't make me want to keep them or buy new Def Tech's as much as I love them. They just came out with a new series but the service over there has gone way down hill. I emailed them twice and didn't get a response until I called and called and finally got a call back and learned this.
I hate it man but maybe I'll discover something worth moving on.

mantis

Dabutcher wrote: »

I would wait til the next Adorama sale and get the package deal for LSim 707 or 705 if your room is smaller? Center 706 or 704. 703 or FX for rear or rear and sides. At least 150 watts to fronts and the rest off the AVR For $2500-3500 I think it would be an awesome set up. I really like my 705’s and the 703’s before that for two channel movies or music. Good luck. D

They are nice speakers but I would need something better. I had the 703's here and got a good taste of how they sound. My Def Tech's stomped them and they didn't show me anything that I would want to move to them. If I didn't own the Mythos ST's I could however see myself being happy with that line. But once you go up it's really hard to go back down.

Upstatemax

Focal Aria?

I use Focal in my HT and I find them to be excellent at both HT and music.

I also found Focal’s customer service to be excellent.

Dabutcher

VR3

The new series is a far departure from the old stuff in almost every way. Sound quality, build quality, etc

TopperDude

mantis wrote: »

TopperDude wrote: »

Hey Mantis - I remember all your old DefTech posts. You inspired me to check them out before .

Since your looking for something new, can you get deals on the Legend Series? Definitely check them out or see if you can demo them. I particularly like the L600 more than the Mythos STS and ST-L.

Cool man yes I can get Legend series speakers but no one as usual has them set up anywhere to go check them out.

You may also want to look into the new DefTech Demand Series. No built-in amps so no major service issues to worry about down the line. Haven't heard them yet but I expect them to be good and will check them out when i get the chance.

mlistens03

I had some volume control and input issues with a guitar amp, which I had pretty much written off. But I was bored one day, so I opened it up and found a bunch of cold solder joints throughout the thing. resoldered them, and voila! like new.

All that to say, if you haven't yet, you should open it up and take a peek. it could be as simple as a cold solder joint.

Also, after a brief Google to fully figure out what the Mythos were, I found this... https://www.crutchfield.com/S-9eYgE3ZQ1HC/p_735MYTHSTS/Definitive-Technology-Mythos-STS-SuperTower.html?XVINQ=GLX&awkw=75619413265&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47439141265&awdv=c&awug=9011757&gclid=Cj0KCQiA04XxBRD5ARIsAGFygj-cJoogz6fFYnP6TjcQMvzcX1aHsbqvmxlh7UGKrWLuA_1E4qCVH1MaAg5jEALw_wcB

mantis

Upstatemax wrote: »

Focal Aria?

I use Focal in my HT and I find them to be excellent at both HT and music.

I also found Focal’s customer service to be excellent.

Not a bad idea I have not messed around with Focal in about 7 years. When I was at Audiolab we did many Focal systems and they where always fantastic.

mantis

Dabutcher wrote: »

That's a rather large step down from where I sit currently. But the BP line is pretty awesome. I have done tons of Installs with them and one of the best sounding systems at that time was when the 8080 series came out and we did full 8080 theaters with Pioneer SC-68's in the front end. It's was epic to say the least.

mantis

VR3 wrote: »

The new series is a far departure from the old stuff in almost every way. Sound quality, build quality, etc

I wonder about the new Demand series which sits as flagship. The bookshelf models that came out first years ago where pretty nice and sounded great.

mantis

mlistens03 wrote: »

I had some volume control and input issues with a guitar amp, which I had pretty much written off. But I was bored one day, so I opened it up and found a bunch of cold solder joints throughout the thing. resoldered them, and voila! like new.

All that to say, if you haven't yet, you should open it up and take a peek. it could be as simple as a cold solder joint.

Also, after a brief Google to fully figure out what the Mythos were, I found this... https://www.crutchfield.com/S-9eYgE3ZQ1HC/p_735MYTHSTS/Definitive-Technology-Mythos-STS-SuperTower.html?XVINQ=GLX&awkw=75619413265&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=47439141265&awdv=c&awug=9011757&gclid=Cj0KCQiA04XxBRD5ARIsAGFygj-cJoogz6fFYnP6TjcQMvzcX1aHsbqvmxlh7UGKrWLuA_1E4qCVH1MaAg5jEALw_wcB

I headed in and found everything as it should. One Cap looked to be covered in some kind of brown goo but it might be sloppy work or the cap blew.

VR3

Not sure about the demand series, but what I saw with the 8000 series was far away from the 7000/3000/2000.

.75 inch cab construction throughout versus using 1 to 1.5 inch thick at the drivers. Plastic speaker baskets, non mirror imaged pairs. Just really cheapened the whole line up. The amps are even cheaper built as well

The 7000 tower set with the built in super cube reference sub is the pinnacle of definitive, imo. They still demand 2k used

mantis

I've installed a few 7000 series theaters back in the day and they where breath taking. Sheer power and dynamics is what one would want in an explosive sounding home theater system. I really like the 7000 series Def Tech's. The 8000's where also great sounding despite the cheaper built quality. I don't care for the 9000 series looks with the black and sliver.

DeftoTech

Hello, Mantis, just wondering how things turned out for you and the Mythos ST? My volume control is behaving the same way (and almost all my speaker grill pegs are broken). And, yes, a year later, there definitely are no replacements. I liked your original thought, get a couple Mythos 10s and mount them on the wall. Probably even more difficult to find good quality M10s today. I'm using my towers now in a 7.2.4 as close to the wall as I can get them, with the amps unplugged, and using my Anthem 1140 speaker tweaking combined with two subs to get a pretty decent result. What did you ultimately go forward with?

mantis

DeftoTech wrote: »

Hello, Mantis, just wondering how things turned out for you and the Mythos ST? My volume control is behaving the same way (and almost all my speaker grill pegs are broken). And, yes, a year later, there definitely are no replacements. I liked your original thought, get a couple Mythos 10s and mount them on the wall. Probably even more difficult to find good quality M10s today. I'm using my towers now in a 7.2.4 as close to the wall as I can get them, with the amps unplugged, and using my Anthem 1140 speaker tweaking combined with two subs to get a pretty decent result. What did you ultimately go forward with?

Hello,
I was able to get the amp fixed and I also got new Grills. Come to find out the ST-L model uses the same exact grill and they still have them in stock so I got 2 of them. I kept my original grills but you would have to either put new pegs on them or figure out magnetic solution or something.
I found one pair of Mythos 10's but they where over seas. I was completely un comfortable trying to buy them. I'd prefer to buy them from someone in the States. No luck no one is selling them.
I have 2 Velodyne DD10 plus subwoofers I have been using for a while now , I also had a pair of JL's but I like the velodyne subs a little better. It's really a pick em as they both are amazing.


I'm thinking of Monitor Audio and I want to check out the new Reserve line

DeftoTech

mantis wrote: »

DeftoTech wrote: »

Hello, I was able to get the amp fixed and I also got new Grills. Come to find out the ST-L model uses the same exact grill and they still have them in stock so I got 2 of them. I kept my original grills but you would have to either put new pegs on them or figure out magnetic solution or something.
I found one pair of Mythos 10's but they where over seas. I was completely un comfortable trying to buy them. I'd prefer to buy them from someone in the States. No luck no one is selling them.
I have 2 Velodyne DD10 plus subwoofers I have been using for a while now , I also had a pair of JL's but I like the velodyne subs a little better. It's really a pick em as they both are amazing.


I'm thinking of Monitor Audio and I want to check out the new Reserve line

Thanks, Mantis! Did you fix the amp yourself or send it somewhere? How much did it cost to fix? And how much were the grills? I'm at the point I think I may use my Mythos towers just as a pseudo- Mythos Gem XL, leaving them unplugged in and relying on my two external powered subs for the bottom end.

mantis

They use the Internal Subwoofer I believe upwards of around 350hz or so. So running an external sub isn't in the cards for substitution.
I hate that most if not all powered towers and even many Subwoofers with these digital amps all fail. It's like they have about a 5-10 year life span then need repair. I don't get it but I see it all the time.
I forget what I paid , it wasn't much Maybe I paid $100 to get the amp fixed and maybe another $50 for the grill? Sorry man I don't remember but it wasn't much.

DeftoTech

mantis wrote: »

They use the Internal Subwoofer I believe upwards of around 350hz or so. So running an external sub isn't in the cards for substitution.
I hate that most if not all powered towers and even many Subwoofers with these digital amps all fail. It's like they have about a 5-10 year life span then need repair. I don't get it but I see it all the time.
I forget what I paid , it wasn't much Maybe I paid $100 to get the amp fixed and maybe another $50 for the grill? Sorry man I don't remember but it wasn't much.

Awesome, thank you! Where did you take/send the amp to get it repaired? Did you have to remove it from the tower yourself? I really appreciate your guidance. We seem to be the only Mythos owners still trying to keep our speakers going.

mantis

I did it myself. They shipped me the parts and away I went. It was very easy. The Mythos ST's are heavy speakers I used a bunch of couch pillows to lay it on it's side to remove the Granite bottom.

DeftoTech

I talked to DefTech and they no longer have parts, but they can repair, at over $500CA. I'm trying to find someone who has found a way to use the towers as three-ways without the amps. Paired with external subs, they may be very satisfying.

mantis

That sucks man. The crossover points are important. I would research the crossover points and see exactly where the sub blends in and at what slope. Maybe you can use the internal Crossovers with external amps and power the internal sub that way with speaker wire. A custom back plate would be in order.

So if you can get 2 sets of binding post on a custom plate, one for the mid and highs just like factory, then another set for the internal Woofer and power it externally .... I think that might be a very col project and maybe you can use a better quality amp than the Plate amp than what came with the ST's?
JL audio has a pretty killer rack mountable Subwoofer amp with a nice amount of adjustments and room correction.
If mine ever go again, this is what I would do. One JL sub amp for each speaker. I wonder if that would be worth investigating now??? You got my wheels turning.

DeftoTech

Thanks for the encouragement! I will keep this thread updated with any developments.