Mythos STS Technical Brief

The Mythos STS and its component parts were custom designed from the ground up by the Definitive Technology Advanced Research Facility in Ottawa Canada. No off-the-shelf parts were used in the making of this product.

Product Goals
The goal of the Mythos SuperTower Small project was to design a truly full-range loudspeaker that combined the accuracy, imaging and detail retrieval of the finest monitor speakers with the depth, dynamics and sheer output of top-of-range separate subwoofers into one visually attractive, small-footprint enclosure. Accurate and three dimensional musical performance was the paramount goal along with high impact, wide dynamic range home cinema sound. For the vast majority of listeners a pair of STS will produce all the bass output and impact required for thrilling home theater and music enjoyment—no separate subwoofer is required.

System Set-Up
When used as a stereo pair hooking up the STS could not be easier, simply connect it with speaker wire as one would any pair of speakers. There is no benefit to using the low-level LFE inputs.

When using the STS in a multi-channel system there are two options:

• Connect speaker wire as in a stereo system; set bass management as Front=Large, Subwoofer=None
• In addition to speaker wires connect low-level cables from the LFE/Subwoofer output of the receiver/processor to the LFE inputs of the STS (Y connector is usually required). Set bass management as Front=Large, Subwoofer=Yes. The only benefit of this hook up method is that one now has the ability to control the level of the LFE channel relative to Front L&R bass.

The Case for Integrated Subwoofers
Early on in the design process we determined that the best approach was to integrate a powered subwoofer with a high quality small monitor into one enclosure. Besides eliminating the need for a floor space hogging separate subwoofer, integrated subwoofers offer dramatic performance benefits. First is the obvious benefit of having two subwoofers in the room instead of just one for simply more bass output. Most importantly the subwoofers are perfectly integrated with the mid/high section. Audiophiles often spend dozens of hours moving and adjusting their subwoofers’ crossover and phasing controls in pursuit of perfect subwoofer to main speaker “blending.” With the Mythos STS the listener does not have to go through that kind of bother to get audio perfection. Definitive’s engineers have perfectly adjusted the crossover and phase between the subwoofer and main speaker sections to achieve seamless blending and life-like sound. All that is required of the listener is to set the bass volume to match the room and listener’s taste then sit back and enjoy audio perfection.

Enclosure
All of the Mythos STS styling emanates from a parabolic form, grounded as much in technical appropriateness as visual beauty. With emphasis on a narrow, deep column, the parabolic theme is repeated in the lines of the cap and granite base. There is an unabashed acknowledgement of classic “American Streamline” principles in the STS, communicating motion, direction and clean utility.

The slim, curved shape of the enclosure reduces diffraction contributing to the STS’s remarkable imaging that is truly startling in its ability to float utterly lifelike sonic images across a broad and deep soundstage. The granite base combined with the heavy Toroidal transformer mounted on the bottom plate of the enclosure provides a low center of gravity for superior stability. The base incorporates 5 machined metal feet that may be fitted with either smooth furniture glide tips for wood or ceramic floors or spikes for carpeted floors.

The enclosure is extruded Aluminum with internal ribs for stiffening purposes. Strips of damping material are adhered to the inside of the extrusion to suppress ringing. The baffle is “Polystone” a dense and non-resonant mineral-filled Polymer material that is slightly oversized and is force-fit into the extrusion ”mouth” to prevent the Aluminum enclosure from ringing. The midrange/tweeter array is isolated from the woofer enclosure by a sealed MDF enclosure.

Midrange Drivers
Each Mythos STS contains a D’Appolito array consisting of two high-definition 4-1/2" drivers surrounding a 1" dome tweeter housed in an acoustically isolated sealed enclosure. The drivers feature Definitive’s patent-pending Balanced Dual Surround System (BDSS) technology that supports the speaker cone at both the inner and outer edges for longer, more linear excursion, greater clarity and finely textured inner detail. (See illustrations on last page) The driver baskets are die cast Aluminum alloy.

Tweeter
The tweeter is a pure Aluminum dome, which has been heat-treated to relax the crystal structure and then coated with a ceramic to produce extended highs that reveal nuance and shimmer without a trace of edginess.

Subwoofer System
The subwoofer is built around a 5" x 10" racetrack-shaped polymer/carbon composite cone driver powered by a built-in 300-Watt Class D amplifier and pressure-coupled to two 5" x 10" racetrack-shaped planar low-bass radiators for a total bass radiating area greater than a 12" woofer. A pair of STSs is like having two 12", 300-Watt powered subwoofers in your room without taking up all the floor space.

The Sound
The first thing that critical listeners have noticed about the STS is its huge boxless imaging, featuring extraordinary image width and depth. Further listening reveals its uncanny detail retrieval and seamless coherence. And of course the depth and power of the STS bass lends a sense of realism and excitement rarely (if ever) found in full range speakers in this price range. While not inexpensive the Mythos STS stands out as a remarkable value.

BDSS Driver
The complex curved radiating surfaces that make up the BDSS (balanced double surround system) SURROUNDS, CONE, and WAVEGUIDE combine to effectively annihilate the parasitic resonances that plague traditional designs.