Mission has announced the launch of a brand new pair of bookshelf speakers. The compact Mission 750 standmounts continue the legacy of the iconic 700 series that traces its lineage back to the 1970s, with the retro-inspired speakers harking back to the company's heritage while forging its own path with a brand new design.
While the larger 770 and 700 standmount speakers were modern reinventions of classic speakers, the Mission 750 is an entirely new design. With a compact 'bookshelf' design (35cm high, 21cm wide and 27cm deep), the two-way Mission 750 speakers sport that recognisable white baffle and signature Mission logo we've seen in the Award-winning 770.
The new standmounts are notable for their inverted driver arrangement – wherein the treble unit sits below the mid/bass driver. Mission claims this design aids timing and stereo imaging by placing the mid/bass driver closer to the listener's ear level and equalising the path lengths of the drivers' acoustic centres. This inverted driver arrangement can also be seen in other Mission speakers, such as the LX-2 and QX-2 MkII.
On the subject of drivers, the 750's 13.5cm mid/bass cone is constructed from polypropylene, the use of which Mission pioneered in commercial loudspeakers. Minerals are added to the cone to make it stiffer than regular polypropylene units, aiming to provide a faster, tighter bass response.
Mission also claims that it has tuned the rear-firing reflex port to a very low frequency, a decision which supposedly avoids the 'one note bass' effect from some bass-reflex systems. At the other end of the sonic spectrum, the speaker's tweeter unit incorporates a lightweight 28mm microfibre dome supported by a damped rear chamber in the pursuit of a high-frequency performance which is both smooth and detailed.
The drivers and crossover are housed within a real-wood veneered cabinet, with a twin-wall sandwich of MDF and particle board connected by a layer of damping adhesive, which aims to reduce panel resonance and noise interference. Internal bracing, meanwhile, strengthens the front baffle for enhanced dynamic performance from the mid/bass driver.
According to Peter Comeau, Mission's director of acoustic design, "The techniques and technologies harnessed to create the 750 are cutting-edge, but as always with Mission this technology is used purely to capture the emotional power of music – in line with the company’s motto: ‘music leads, technology follows’.”
Will these compact Mission 750 have a portion of the articulate, cohesive, and punchy sound we liked so much in the larger standmount 770 siblings, albeit on an understandably smaller scale? We are excited to find out when we get a pair in to review.
The new Mission 750 speakers are available from mid-April in either walnut or black wood veneer finishes, costing £899 / $1199 / AU$2199 per pair. There are also dedicated Stance speaker stands available at £129 per pair.
MORE:
The Mission 770 story takes in the BBC, Spendor and the drive to do better
Read our review of the Award-winning Mission 770
Check out the best hi-fi speakers for every budget
The most important component in your hi-fi system isn’t what you think it is
