MISSION LAUNCHES THE MISSION 778X INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER, ITS FIRST AMPLIFIER SINCE THE 1980S

The Mission 778X integrated amplifier is the first produced under the Mission banner for almost 40 years.

The new Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier has much in common with its forebear from 40 years ago including a compact, half-width design.

Top of the Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier

MISSION IN THE 1980S

In 1983, six years after the company’s formation, British loudspeaker brand Mission launched its first integrated stereo amplifier. The 778 was a design of narrower width than typical HiFi amps.

Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier in silver

A year later, Mission launched the Cyrus brand, an offshoot for its amps and, eventually, other audio electronics leaving Mission to focus solely on loudspeakers. For that reason, the 778 has remained the only integrated amp ever branded solely as a Mission product.

MISSION 778X INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER INPUTS

Inputs for digital sources comprise asynchronous USB Type B and three S/PDIF sockets (one coaxial and two optical), while digital outputs are provided in optical and coaxial flavours. Analogue signals are catered for by three stereo RCA inputs – two line-level plus an MM phono input for turntables – while pre-out sockets permit the addition of an external power amplifier. Bluetooth reception facilitates wireless audio streaming from smartphones, tablets and the like, with support for multiple codecs including aptX and AAC.

Front and back of the Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier

ROTARY CONTROLS

The front of the amp sports a pair of smooth-acting rotary controls, one for source selection, the other for volume, surrounded by white LEDs to show current settings. Between these controls are the IR sensor, power button and 6.3mm headphone output.

Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier with the LXII MKII speakers

DAC

Digital sources connected through the USB, coaxial and optical inputs, or paired for Bluetooth reception, take full advantage of the 778X’s built-in hi-res DAC. This is based around the ES9018K2M chipset from the Sabre32 Reference family, enabling the amp to benefit from ESS Technology’s 32-bit HyperStream architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator. Hi-res PCM is supported to 32-bit/384kHz, alongside DSD to 11.2 MHz (DSD256).

A critical element is the postDAC active filter; Mission’s design team has paid great attention to this circuit, using op-amps that were specifically chosen for their synergy with the ES9018K2M.

The Mission 778X is a Class AB Amplifier

CLASS AB AMPLIFIER

The 778X’s power amp stage is a Class AB design incorporating a low-noise 200VA toroidal transformer. This is followed by 2x15000uF reservoir capacity (30000uF in total. The amp’s output from its gold-plated speaker terminals is rated at 45W into eight ohms and 65W into four ohms.

The preamp section is kept as simple as possible to maintain signal purity, with line input signals passing to a precision, microprocessor-controlled analogue volume stage. Much effort has gone into the physical layout of the 778X’s circuitry, protecting the sensitive preamp section from noise interference. There is also independent low-noise power supplies for all critical stages.

TURNTABLES AND HEADPHONES

There is also a phono stage for moving magnet cartridges. This JFET-based circuit provides RIAA equalisation. Headphone listeners are equally well served by the 778X’s dedicated headphone amp. With its current feedback design and high slew rate, all headphones are catered for.

Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier in black

MISSION 778X INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER LOUDSPEAKER PAIRING

Mission says that the 778X is an ideal amp to partner with a wide range of speakers, from models costing as little as £200 per pair to upmarket designs at several times that price. It isn’t designed to solely suit Mission speakers.

Mission is promoting two package deals that combine the 778X with popular standmount models from its range. The first includes a pair of Mission LX-2 MkII speakers at a package price of £649, saving £130 from the individual RRPs. The second upgrades the speakers to the Mission QX-2 MkII at a package price of £799, saving a total of £150. In both cases, the speakers are available in a choice of matt black, matt white or walnut.

MISSION 778X INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The Mission 778X integrated stereo amplifier is available from December 2022 in a choice of silver or black, at an RRP of £549.

HiFi Pig Says: A fantastically priced amplifier, it is sure to prove popular with budget conscious audiophiles.