MISSION REDESIGNS ANOTHER OF ITS CLASSICS

Mission has redesigned another classic model from its rich history, the new Mission 700 loudspeaker.

Following the release of the Mission 770 in 1978, the Cambridgeshire loudspeaker brand developed a ‘compact’ model that was more easily accommodated in typical British living rooms. Launching in 1980, the Mission 700 took the engineering principles of the Mission 770 and distilled them into a smaller package that could be manufactured in larger numbers and sold at a lower price.

The original Mission 700 Loudspeaker

A NEW MISSION FOR 2022

In spring 2022, Mission resurrected the 770 in entirely re-engineered form, celebrating the company’s rich heritage and the ‘sonic spirit’ of the original whilst utilising modern techniques and technologies to elevate the speaker’s performance. Six months on and Mission is ready to deliver another reimagined classic, the new Mission 700.

The new Mission 700 Loudspeaker

MISSION 700 LOUDSPEAKER

There is not a single element from the original Mission 700 that has not been greatly improved in the new version, from the cabinet to the drive units to the crossover network. And yet, Mission says it remains ‘entirely faithful to the spirit of the original, in terms of technical ethos, sonic approach and appearance’. Anyone familiar with the original design will immediately see the resemblance in the cabinet proportions, the white front baffle and the Mission 700 logo which are all instantly recognisable, albeit enhanced with new design touches such as the white mid/bass cone, larger flared port surround and hidden fixings. The black or walnut wood veneer and the front baffle’s lacquered finish have also been improved, and the new speaker is twice the weight of the original which reflects its enhanced construction.

Mission 700 Loudspeaker in walnut

INVERTED DRIVER GEOMETRY

Another familiar feature is the inverted driver arrangement. Until the original Mission 700 arrived in 1980, two-way dynamic loudspeakers were invariably designed with the treble unit at the top and the mid/bass driver below. The 700 pioneered a different approach, placing the treble unit below the mid/bass driver, this configuration, known as IDG (Inverted Driver Geometry), became a Mission signature and is a cornerstone of the company’s speaker designs to this day.

Interior of modern apartment living room panorama 3d render

IDG is designed to aid ‘time alignment’ by placing the bass/mid driver closer to ear level with the treble unit positioned beneath, the path lengths from the two drivers’ acoustic centres are equalised so that the sound waves coincide at the listener’s head height.

POLYPROPYLENE CONE

The new 700’s mid/bass cone is fashioned from polypropylene, the use of which in commercial loudspeakers was pioneered by Mission back in the day. However, this new 165mm cone is loaded with minerals to make it stiffer than regular polypropylene diaphragms.

Mission 700 drivers

The entire mid/bass drive unit has been completely redesigned for the new 700, with the motor system upgraded to take account of modern power handling and dynamic requirements. Like the more expensive, recently launched 770, the driver is built onto a die-cast chassis with large rear ‘windows’ to reduce early reflections back through the cone. Special care has been taken to marry a low-density nitrile surround to the cone, to match its impedance and reduce reflections from the cone edge. The cabinet and front-firing reflex port are tuned to a very low frequency, in addition, the port is strongly flared at both inlet and outlet to smooth airflow and eradicate distortion. Bass extends to below 38Hz in room.

The new 700’s treble unit incorporates a lightweight, damped, 28mm microfibre dome, backed by a damped rear chamber, greatly superior to the 19mm-dome treble unit in the original 700.

CROSSOVER

The crossover circuit has been mapped out onto separate bass and treble PCBs using very short signal paths and accommodating high-quality components such as super-transparent polypropylene capacitors and air core inductors, maintaining the simplicity of the crossover in the original 700 whilst improving critical elements

MISSION 700 CABINET

The drivers and crossover are housed in a real-wood veneered cabinet, measuring 51x26x27cm (HxWxD) and featuring a twin-wall sandwich of high-density MDF and particle board bonded by a layer of high-damping adhesive. This enhanced construction, more sophisticated than the original speaker, results in a cabinet with panel resonance well below audibility. Internal bracing adds strength to the front baffle and braces the drive unit to the cabinet, creating a mechanical support that aids the dynamic performance of the bass unit. This is complemented by a layer of acoustic foam and damping fibre, strategically placed to absorb reflections inside the cabinet without overdamping the bass quality.

STANDS

Mission has designed a pair of optional floor stands, tailor-made to match the new 700. An open-frame design made from carbon steel with damping material in each of its four uprights, the stand positions each speaker at the ideal height

Mission 700 Loudspeaker on stands

PETER COMEAU

Peter Comeau, Mission’s Director of Acoustic Design, told us of the popularity of reviving classic loudspeakers: “The larger cabinets and bigger drive units of ‘classic’ loudspeaker designs give them an acoustic advantage over speakers that follow the contemporary trend of slimmer cabinets with smaller footprints – you can’t beat the laws of physics no matter how hard you try! When used with modern sources, however, these classic speakers, in their original form, can be found wanting in terms of definition at the frequency extremes, power handling and dynamic range, that’s why it’s critical that they are thoroughly re-engineered using contemporary techniques and technologies to allow them to thrive in the modern age. When this is done well, the combination of classic design and modern technology can deliver a wonderfully satisfying musical result. The new Mission 700 expands upon the sonic transparency and sense of musical engagement that made the original one of the most successful and fondly remembered speakers of the 1980s, enhancing its performance in every respect. The depth and articulation of the bass; the effortless expression of the midrange; the smooth, seamless clarity of the treble, these are standmount speakers that emphatically engage the ears without stress or strain.”

Mission 700 Loudspeaker front and back

MISSION 700 SPECIFICATIONS

Speaker type Two-way standmount

Enclosure type Bass reflex

Treble driver 28mm microfibre dome

Mid/bass driver 165mm mineral-loaded polypropylene cone

Sensitivity (2.8V @ 1m) 86dB

Nominal impedance 8 Ohms

Recommended amp power 25-150W

Frequency response (+/-3dB) 45Hz-20kHz

Bass extension (-6dB) 38Hz

Crossover frequency 3kHz

Cabinet volume 24.8L

Dimensions (HxWxD) 510x260x270mm

Weight (each speaker) 12.8kg

Stand dimensions (HxWxD) 485x320x330mm

MISSION 700 PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Available from mid-September at an RRP of £1,299 per pair, in a choice of black or walnut real-wood veneer. The matching stands are available at an RRP of £299 per pair; the speakers and stands may be purchased as a package at £1,499.

HiFi Pig Says: These new classics give audiophiles the nostalgia of iconic design, paired with modern advances in technology.

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