Definitive Technology is now shipping what it calls the world’s thinnest high-performance on-wall home theater loudspeaker.
Definitive’s Mythos XTR-50is
The new patent-pending 1.5-inch-thick Mythos XTR-50is is being offered through an exclusive online agreement with Amazon.com and Crutchfield.com. In the coming weeks, Definitive plans to make the Mythos XTR-50 available online and in stores through additional retailers, including Magnolia Home Theater, Best Buy’s high-end store within a store; Sixth Avenue Electronics; Abt Electronics; OneCall; Ultimate Electronics; Vann’s; and elsewhere.
Definitive developed the Mythos XTR-50 to look great on a wall or shelf next to an ultra-thin television, with no sacrifice in sound quality. The Mythos XTR-50 offers the audio definition, detail, bass and dynamic range performance of traditional larger speakers, the company says.
“Ultra-thin TVs do a wonderful job displaying realistic, high-definition images, but they need external speakers to provide equally high-quality sound,” said Dave Peet, executive vice president of Definitive. “Previously, the only choices customers had were finding space in the room for full-sized speakers or cutting a hole in the wall to hide them, with only the grille showing.”
Shipments of LED-backlit LCD ultra-thin televisions in 2010 are expected to grow fivefold over 2009, according to figures released late last year by television maker Samsung. Definitive designed the Mythos XTR-50 to complement the demand for and aesthetic of today’s ultra-thin televisions.
The company accomplished the Mythos XTR-50’s thin profile through special engineering of a variety of materials, including naturally strong, but lightweight aluminum. This metal has the added advantage of quickly dissipating heat.
Another secret to the Mythos XTR-50’s thin profile and performance is its aluminum cabinet. By specially shaping the enclosure and incorporating stiffening ribs and channels, Definitive achieved a strong, rigid housing that produces no unwanted resonance. Additionally, magnets used for driving the speakers protrude through, but flush with, the rear wall of the cabinet, to minimize depth and conveniently dissipate heat throughout the enclosure.
Other product components are made from polyimide film, another strong, lightweight and heat-resistant material used in spacesuits and the Apollo Lunar Module.
The Mythos XTR-50 cabinet measures 27 inches high, 6 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick, the perfect size for televisions measuring 46 to 55 inches. The product comes supplied with a wall-mounting bracket that allows either vertical or horizontal orientation, with a total on-wall depth of only 1.6 inches. Also supplied are stands for vertical tabletop use and horizontal shelf placement.
