Back to basics (Mission 77 series)

Member Name: RogerP

Product:	Mission 77 series
Date:	03/06/01 (1473 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Finish, The Name

Disadvantages: Internal Design, Cost cutting

Forgive me for not writing about a specific model. My comments are aimed at design concepts. The fact that I've reached the ripe old age of 50 means that I've clocked up some 35 years of passionate interest in things Hi-Fi. Specifically, I have spent a vast amount of time designing and building loudspeakers. Some of these have been simple, some very complex. While there are many factors which affect the quality of the end result, none has a more direct effect on sound quality than the drive unit itself.
Anyone who's ever read a Hi-Fi magazine could be forgiven for thinking that Mission make the only speakers worth buying. However, my own experience is that while they are visually good value for money, I've felt them a little 'wanting' in the all important sound stakes. I was recently in a position to give a pair a close examination and was horrified to find that all that 'hard-earned' bought me an underdamped box and a plastic driver. Home constructors who know what they are about will tell you to buy the most expensive drive units you can afford, which will almost certainly feature a heavy cast chassis. Those more strapped for cash will investigate the more well-designed pressed steel versions. Frankly, I might put a plastic driver in the car for the local yobs to steal, but nothing more. By way of complete contrast I was able to investigate the innards of a very small, unassuming stand-mounter from a Canadian company and was impressed by the massively built main driver. On re-assembly the two pairs were compared directly, and at length, and the results were unmistakeable. Those little standmounters parted me from £150 of my savings, having thoroughly outperformed the Missions in all areas, most surprisingly in the bass where the Mission's larger driver and cabinet SHOULD have won the day easily. I rest my case.

Summary: