On-wall loudspeakers are nothing new, however most are compact and look nice when flanking a 42-inch or smaller HDTV. Furthermore a lot of on-wall speakers sound like, frankly, on-wall loudspeakers; lacking authority, weight and the impact today's modern uncompressed audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio require. Enter the Mythos Ten on-wall loudspeaker from Definitive Technology.
Additional Resources
• Read more on-wall speaker reviews by the staff at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Explore receiver options in our AV Receiver Review section.
Retailing for $899 each, the Mythos Tens are a two-way on-wall loudspeaker with trickle down technology from Definitive Technology's uber successful Mythos ST and STS floorstanding loudspeakers. Clad in the same aircraft grade aluminum cabinet, the Mythos Tens house a single all-new aluminum dome tweeter set between two five and a quarter inch bass/midrange drivers complimented by two five by eight inch oval or race track shaped bass radiators. The Mythos Tens are designed to flank today's larger HDTVs in excess of 50 inches or more, measuring in at six inches wide by four inches deep and 34 and a half inches tall. The Mythos Tens tip the scales at a solid 21 pounds apiece and are designed to be wall mounted via the included wall-mounting bracket, though they can be table mounted via their leveling foot if wall mounting is out of the question.
The Mythos Tens have a reported frequency response of 31Hz-30kHz with a high sensitivity rating of 93dB making them ideal for many of today's high performance surround sound receivers. Definitive recommends a solid 10-300 watts of power on tap to allow for the Mythos Tens to sound and perform at their best. The Mythos Tens can act as both left and right mains as well as a center channel thanks to their mirrored or symmetrical driver layout. You can even use a pair of Mythos Tens for rear channel use or as both side and rear channels in a seven speaker setup for a truly seamless surround sound experience. Rounding out the Mythos Ten's list of features is a single pair of five-way binding posts that accept bare wire as well as banana terminated speaker cable.
In terms of sound the Mythos Tens sound decidedly more full range then any on-wall speaker I've heard in recent memory. The Mythos Ten's sound is full bodied with incredible weight coupled with extraordinary dynamics and extension. The all-new aluminum dome tweeter is absolutely stunning, possessing all the qualities of a costlier, more refined high frequency transducer with none of the drawbacks normally associated with the metal dome tweeters. The Mythos Ten's midrange is truly magical and works well with both music and movies. The Mythos Ten's midrange performance is lush, textured and extremely agile with palpable weight. The Mythos Ten's bass, though not a true full range speaker, is quite remarkable, capable of plunging to depths I didn't think were possible from such a compact speaker, all the while retaining incredible detail and texture which should blend nicely with a sub or two for those with medium to large rooms.
Read about the high points and low points of the Mythos Ten on Page 2.
High Points
• The Mythos Ten's fit and finish is first rate making them one of the most elegant on-wall speakers available today.
• The high frequency performance of the Mythos Tens challenges what any
long-term audiophile would've thought possible from such a simple,
aluminum design. The Mythos Ten's high frequency performance is equal
to and in some regards surpasses more exotic driver materials being
used by higher end speakers today.
• The Mythos Ten's midrange is a delight and probably the speaker's
greatest weapon; it is equally adept at reproducing both music and
movie soundtracks with excellent results.
• While not full range the Mythos Ten's bass performance is solid, taut
and agile and mates well with a wide variety of subwoofers.
Low Points
• For true full range sound you're going to want to mate the Mythos Ten
with a subwoofer, which isn't a deal breaker but does add to the
overall system's bottom line.
• The Mythos Ten's binding posts are of a high quality though their
placement and implementation can make connecting larger gauge wire a
bit tricky.
Conclusion
At just under $900 apiece the Mythos Tens from Definitive Technology
aren't the cheapest on-walls you can buy today but they are arguably
one of the best sounding. When you consider their on-wall pedigree and
the fact that they compete favorably with (and in some instances
surpass) larger, bulkier floorstanding speakers, their asking price
begins to make a bit more sense. If you've just purchased a larger HDTV
and are looking for the right speaker to complement your no doubt
killer video, look no further than the Mythos Ten from Definitive
Technology.
Additional Resources
• Read more on-wall speaker reviews by the staff at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Explore receiver options in our AV Receiver Review section.
