Mission 717 loudspeakers

Different designers emphasize different aspects of the speaker characteristics. For example, some speakers offer high efficiency to the detriment of accuracy; others produce smoothness and low coloration but fail to generate adequate sound levels and musical dynamics; many impress on initial listening, but in the long-term produce fatigue and become irritating. At Mission we try not to compromise, and have optimized our designs within the limitations of the current state of technology. The result is a range of loudspeakers capable of reproduction of all forms of sounds accurately with very low distortion, excellent efficiency, and with high power handling potential. The speakers themselves are neutral in that they have no characteristic tonality. They reproduce all types of musical program with maximum fidelity to the original material. Above all, they are capable of attaining without distortion, sound levels with the realism of any live concert.

 

The 717 is a brand new addition to the Mission range. Here, the greatest challenge to our design team was to ensure a significant advance over the 700, which has presented genuine competition to many models costing substantially more.

Mission 717's will now set a completely new standard of quality in their price category and will be one of our most formidable products for the 1980s.

The 717's advanced 210 mm drive unit features a plastiflex treated cone material which is radially reinforced to achieve a combination of lightness, rigidity and sonic opaqueness. The 25 mm soft dome HF unit offers smooth treble response and excellent dispersion.

This high performance system offers a rare combination of accuracy, low coloration, high dynamic range, high efficiency and high power handling. Above all, loudspeakers of this quality will only be fully appreciated after extensive listening tests using a wide variety of musical material. Only then will the discerning listener experience the astonishing realism and depth offered by today's technology at its best.

 

Specifications

Frequency Range:  30 Hz - 25,000 Hz

Frequency Response:  55 Hz - 20 kHz ±3 dB

Recommended Amplifiers:  15 W - 100 watts / Channel

Impedance Nominal:  8 Ω

Sensitivity (SPL at 1 m, 1 W Pink Noise):  92 dB

Drivers

LF :  210 mm Reinforced Cone Woofer

HF :  25 mm Damped Dome Tweeter

Dimensions (H x W x D):  515 x 277 x 270 mm

Weight (net):  8,5 kg

Finish:  Walnut or Black

 

Mission 700 loudspeakers

In any hi-fi system, it is the loudspeaker which ultimately determines the quality of sound reproduction. The intricate nature of its operation, namely the complex process of transforming electrical energy into acoustical output, results in continued controversy between designers.

 

Acknowledged as the world's finest compact speaker system by technical press throughout Europe, Britain, Canada and the U.S.A. the Mission 700 remains our most sought after product.

And no, it's not upside-down. There are many complex reasons for the reversed positions of Mission's new 8" driver and the dome tweeter. There are also many other less visible technical innovations incorporated in this design, most of which are beyond the scope of discussion here. Suffice it to say that never before did a speaker system of this size and price offer the qualities and capabilities of our baby 700.

 

Specifications

Frequency Range:  35 Hz - 25,000 Hz

Frequency Response:  60 Hz - 20 kHz ±3 dB

Recommended Amplifiers:  15 W - 80 awatts / Channel

Impedance Nominal:  8 Ω

Sensitivity (SPL at 1 m, 1 W Pink Noise):  89 dB

Drivers

LF :  205 mm Plastiflex Cone Woofer

HF :  19 mm Ferrofluid Dome Tweeter

Dimensions (H x W x D):  460 x 260 x 255 mm

Weight (net):  6,5 kg

Finish:  Walnut or Black

 

Mission 767 loudspeakers

It has been a long standing dream of many loudspeaker manufactures to design a system large enough to produce the full bandwidth of a music program. Such a system, however, needed to maintain the accuracy, transparency, and imaging precision of a physically smaller transducers. Most attempts to date have been relatively unsuccessful due to the complex parameters involved in the loudspeaker/room interface, and the seemingly contradictory requirements of bandwidth against sheer perceived accuracy of the loudspeaker in its environment.

Mission's engineers were intrigued by this dilemma. Research and development work cantered on drive unit and cabinet technology in order to resolve the conflicting requirements of low distortion and coloration, optimum dispersion characteristics, and high power handling.

 

Mission and Cyrus loudspeakers possess an unusually wide frequency bandwidth capability for their physical sizes. To bring the realism of live music into the home environment, the bandwidth must extend down to 20 Hz. This requirement has become even more relevant with the advent of digital recordings

In addition to the fundamental requirement of being able to physically move more air, Mission's research showed certain phase characteristics should be maintained to reduce the amount of phase distortion and perceived group delay in the listening room environment.

 

The ensure correct low frequency reproduction, it was necessary to use dedicated transducers for frequencies below 80 Hz. As well as obvious limitations in using passive cross-over networks at very low frequencies, no phase or group delay alignment is within engineering parameters in an affordable consumer home system. To eliminate these problems, Mission's engineers have implemented an active Low Frequency Alignment Unit (LFAU).

 

Two 6,5 inch mid-range units utilized in conjunction with the Super Elliptical Impedance Transformed high frequency unit produce the full bandwidth of 80 Hz to 20 kHz. The simple, high quality crossover network allows bi-wiring or bi-amping configurations. The lower two octaves of the frequency range are covered by two 8,25 inch drive units powered by a Cyrus based stereo amplifier and an active filter designed to integrate the low frequency and the mid-range units. This active network was designed to drive the LF units down to their free-air resonance frequency of 18 Hz, while compensating for the inter-driver phase shifts and group time delays. This system realizes a totally phase coherent, minimal group delay low frequency energy propagated in "time" with the full spectrum of the music program.

 

Controls are provided for further adjustment of this system to the particular room environment. These adjustments fine-tune the amplitude and roll-off points of the low frequency signal without upsetting the phase characteristic of the system.

 

The 767 is constructed throughout in 25 mm  MDF. It is visco-elastically damped on all surfaces and braced at strategically sensitive points to produce a cabinet free of any coloration or measurable resonances. Modal analysis technique was utilized to develop a cabinet design with a fast energy dissipation, non-resonant enclosure.

 

The transducers used in the 767 are Mission's state-of-the-art. Drive units utilized in the top of the line Mission and Cyrus loudspeakers. The drive units are placed symmetrically in a vertical array to produce a dispersion characteristic designed to minimize floor and ceiling reflections (these two reflection sources are partly responsible for corruption of stereo imaging), while giving a frequency coherent wide lateral dispersion. This configuration was used successfully in the Argonauts for many years, and more recently in the Cyrus 782 loudspeaker. These drive units were developed through many years of research in materials and electromagnetic technologies, as well as ongoing refinements in construction and close tolerance engineering.

 

Specifications

Frequency Range:  20 Hz to 20 kHz

Frequency Response:  30 Hz - 20 kHz ±1,25 dB

Phase Response:  20 Hz to 20 kHz ±28 degrees

Sensitivity:  91 dB SPL (1 m/2,83 V)

Minimum Impedance:  8 Ω

Recommended Amplifier Power:  25 Watts to 250 Watts per channel

Maximum Sound Pressure Level:  114 dB SPL

Dimensions (H x W x D):  1400 x 270 x 430 mm (55" x 10" x 17")

Finish:  Black Ash, Rosewood, Mahogany, Black Piano finish

Mission 70 loudspeakers

The Mission 70's innovative design results in a unique wide bandwidth system, free of unwanted resonances, distortions, frequency response anomalies, and colorations - remarkable for a loudspeaker in its size and price category.

The 70 is designed wiat an unusual cabinet construction. The drive units are mounted on Mission rigid particle baffle board while the carcass consists of a sandwich construction to distribute and dampen enclosure resonances. Carefully optimised drive units ensure the smooth bass performance essential in high quality system. The driver geometry is inverted in Mission's novel style. This combines with elegantly simple crossover networks to enhance phase coherence and produce an astonishing three - dimensional stereo stage.

Technically the frequency response is unusually smooth and well balanced. Whereas the competition has an irregular response often as poor ±5 dB the 70 measures flat to within ±2 dB. When measured off axis it exhibits no mid-band cancellations. The modulus of impedance is very smooth, remaining above 6 Ω and with minimal electrical phase angles.

The ensures that the speaker presents an easy load to amplifiers. Harmonic distortions are minimised even at low frequencies, and sensitivity high sound pressure levels even with modest amplifiers.

Specifications

Recommended Amplifer Power:  20 - 60 W/ch

Frequency Response:  60 Hz - 20 kHz ±3 dB

Sensitivity (ref. 2,83 V/1 m):  90 dB

Nominal Impedance:  6 Ω

Crossover Frequency:  3,400 Hz

HF Unit:  19 mm Polymer dome

LF Unit:  177 mm Plastiflexed cone

Terminals: 4 mm plug/wire

Dimensions (W x H x D):  210 x 350 x 210 mm

Weight:  10 kg

Mission 700 L.E. speakers

The original Mission 700 was a landmark in the history of loudspeaker design, such was the acclaim it received and the success it achieved. In fact it is common knowledge that before the 700, budget loudspeakers were simply "boom-boxes". Now, with benefit of many years of research and refinement, Mission are able to introduce a unique, sophisticated, and high technology bookshelf system - the 700 Leading Edge. Advanced technology has been used to develop an exceptional 7 inch bass - mid drive unit. Shaped pole piece and an ultra-fine voice-coil gap combine with a rigid high mass cone, to produce an unusually extended bass response. Refined cone geometry and damping, with progressive hyperbolic suspension affords both high power handling, and inherently low coloration. This bass-mid unit is complemented by a ferrofluid cooled 19 mm dome tweeter. The system is capable of handling musical material with exceptional dynamic range, including digital masters, and remains linear even at modest power levels-unlike many nonlinear systems which, at low level, sound little better than a transistor radio.

The unusual inverted drive unit geometry, first designed by Henry Azima in the Mission 700, goes some way towards equalising the distance from the acoustic centres of the drive units to the ears of the normally seated listener. The effect of such a design is that at the crossover frequency the radiation lobe is directed up towards the listener rather than down to the floor.

The refinement goes one step further in the use of a time delayed baffle board resulting in dramatically better acoustic phase linearity, with substantial improvements in realism, dynamic, and stereo imagery. The baffle board itself is precision injection moulded in polypropylene reinforced with natural composite materials. This combines with Mission's multi-fold technique for cabinet construction to ensure phenomenal transient attack.

The Leading Edge is a high performance system offering a rare combination of accuracy, low coloration, extended dynamic range, and high power handling.

Specifications

Frequency range:  35 Hz - 20,000 Hz

Frequency Response:  55 Hz - 20,000 Hz ±3 dB

Impedance Nominal:  8 ohms

Recommended Amplifiers:  20 W - 75 W / channels

Sensitivity (SPL 1m/1V):  89 dB

Tweeter :  19 mm Polymer Dome-Ferrofluid

Woofer:  177 mm Plastiflex Cone

Crossover Frequency:  3,1 kHz

Grilles: removable

Terminal Connections:  4 mm plug or wire

Dimensions (H x W x D):  380 x 210 x 210 mm

Weight:  12 kg

Cabinet Finish:  Walnut, Black

Mission PCM II

 The PCMII was designed utilizing the Cyrus digital and analogue know-how and was built to the same exacting standards as all Mission-Cyrus products.  Of paramount consideration in the design and manufacture of a compact disc player is the integrity and sufficiency of the power supply section as well as the accuracy and consistency of the digital to analogue convertors (DACs).  Exceptional power supplies were designed for every stage of the PCMII.

The four separate power supplies give substantial power reserves and stability, ensuring that the different signals are not compromised in any way and that the sensitive digital and analogue circuitry, the laser/servo system and the control sections do not interact.

 Highly consistent pre-selected DACs ensure superior linearity and purity of the output signals, resulting in true fidelity in the reproduction of the recorded program material.  To further enhance the PCMII’s superior sonic Performance, the system contains a variety of pioneering facilities.  These include remotely controlled; display “shutdown” to minimize digital traffic, absolute “phase-invert” for optimum extraction of the recorded information and an exceptionally transparent electronic volume control for ultimate ergonomics of the system.

For the more demanding audiophiles, the PCMII can also be upgraded by the addition of a Cyrus PSX external power supply unit.  Connection of the PSX to the PCMII feeds dedicated clean power to the analogue section, resulting in availability of more power reserves for other sections of the machine.  The enormous reservoir of pure power available to the analogue section of the PCMII makes for increased refinement of the system.

Specifications

Frequency Response:  20Hz to 20KHz

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (20Hz-20KHz):  96 dB

Total Harmonic Distortion:   0.003% at 0 dB;  0.008% at -10 DB

Intermodulation Distortion:  0,002% at 0dB, (19KHz/20KHz);0,003% at  -10dB, (19KHz/20KHz)

Volume Control:  +4 dB to -59 dB (1dB steps)

Track Access Time:  lesss than 2 sec. mean

Error Correction:  900 um

Channel Balance:  ±0.2 dB

Remote Control:  30 function

Dimensions (W x D x H):  430 x 300 x 85 mm

Net Weight:  6.5 kg

Mission DAD-7000 (1985)

''Mission DAD 7000 is an attractively small-dimensioned machine, being essentially the CD 104 with Mission's grey/black decor. It has adequate rather than exotic control features, but the advantages of the Philips oversampling technique and digital filters. Mission claim to have introduced new electronic features, described at length in a booklet and a copy of their Patent Application which they let me have. In essence, they have directed their energies at eliminating the spurious supersonic harmonic signals generated as part of the digital-to-analogue conversion process and the mandatory low-pass filters which follow it. The extent to which these by-product tones in CD reproduction affect the sounds we hear, perhaps through the generation of intermodulation components down into the audio band, has never been scientifically established.''

''So an additional low-pass filter and delay sequence has definitely been included, reducing HF components at the sampling frequency and its harmonics by a kind of combfilter cancellations effect. This is said to have been achieved "without adversely affecting the phase linearity of the audio band". However, a plan to incorporate full 16-bit D-A converters has been postponed, and so the machine is in fact 14-bit, though the Philips oversampling arraneement has already been proved to perform pretty well up to 16-bit standards.'' JOHN BORWICK.

SPECIFICATION

Frequency response: 5 - 20,000 Hz ±0.3 dB

Total harmonic distortion: 0.005%

Signal-to-noise ratio: 90dB

Channel separation: 90dB

Output: 2V fixed

Dimensions (W x H x D): 320 x 87 x 298 mm

Weight: 7 kg