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Definitive Technology Mythos STS crapped out... worth repairing?

Greetings... I dipped my toes into the world of higher end (?) audio eight years ago through a pair of Definitive Technology Mythos STS speakers. These speakers have integrated subwoofers and I loved the bass output and overall sound. But after dropping around $3000 CAD on them (at a time the CAD was at par with USD) the amp boards on both speakers failed after around eight years of relatively light use. Not that I'm bitter or anything...

Def Tech confirmed that replacement amp boards are unavailable. Their local authorized repair centre advised that a component level repair couldn't be carried out. Def Tech customer service has suggested that I send the amp boards to them for diagnosis and potential component level repair for a cool US$600 plus shipping (or a US$80 sucker charge in the event they cannot be repaired).

I am not impressed.

Are these speakers worth repairing under the circumstances? Has speaker technology has improved and/or gone down in price since I bought them (as have televisions, for instance)?

I liked the integrated subwoofers because I have no space for a surround sound system, although listening to music was my primary focus. But I am disappointed that they failed so quickly and equally disappointed with Definitive Technology's laissez faire attitude about the problem.

Any advice (including recommendations for potential replacements if not repair) would be greatly appreciated. I am not sure it's worth investing a further US$600+ to repair the speakers. But I'm also unsure what I might replace them with, budget permitting.

Thanks,

CRex

chuckasaurusrex

Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,545 posts
 

As a die-hard speaker builder i think the only reason to keep these speakers now is as a learning experiment.

On E-bay they are running $1k.  $600 for repairs seems like too much, and all the mods suggested above are great, if you are already a speaker hobbyist OR want to learn but none of them get you back to a simple life.  Just how many wires and holes do you want to have running around here?

I strongly suggest that your choices are either pay for repairs or decide to learn a lot more about speaker design and configuration, and be prepared to sink lots of money into these as you learn.  :D  A better path forward there is building a kit from Maidsound, Meniscus or Parts Express honestly.

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