Mission

700 Stand Mount Loudspeakers

£1,299 RRP (£1,499 with stands)

At the beginning of the nineteen eighties, many British loudspeakers seemed to be variations on the theme of BBC monitors. Most were either created by ex-BBC engineers or used KEF drive units similar to those in the Beeb's reference models. That was precisely what yours truly – then a rowdy young teenager – did not want, for playing my Clash, Stranglers, Undertones and Jam singles. The new Mission 700 was different, though, and to my young ears delivered a far livelier sound than the middle-aged speakers so popular at that time. It was just the sort of experience that the brand-new, reimagined Mission 700 aims to deliver now.

This loudspeaker does not attempt to be all things to all people but is instead a lively character who just wants to go out and party – and there's nothing wrong with that. Today's speaker market shows a similar level of uniformity to when the original 700 came out in 1980 – albeit manifested in a different way. No longer is every model trying to be a BBC monitor clone, but now they all seem to be slim, narrow-baffle, small-footprint designs with multiple small-diameter mid/bass drivers. With most modern designs created by the same CAD software to similar cabinet dimensions and profiles, this new Mission stands out a mile.

One of the few other budget speakers I liked back in the early eighties – if I'd had the money – was the Heybrook HB1. This was another modern, clean sheet design that owed precious little to British Broadcasting Corporation orthodoxy. Feisty, fast and fun, it was designed by a young engineer who had already made a name for himself penning high-quality technical reviews of hi-fi products. Funnily enough, many years later, Peter Comeau went on to work for the newly relaunched Mission brand, as Director of Acoustic Design – and has designed the new 700 that you see here.

While Mission continues to offer more conventional modern loudspeakers, it raised many peoples' eyebrows last summer by launching its 'reborn' 770. This is a loving tribute to the brand's first-ever commercial release, launched around 1977. After hearing it, I concluded that Peter delivered a very capable modern speaker dressed in retro Mission clothes – and the result was a highly likeable yet quirky design. It was only a matter of time then before the iconic 700 would be next to get the treatment – and here we are in 2023 with this striking-looking new affordable standmounter.

UP CLOSE

Peter explains that: “The original 700 had a bright and lively character which, coupled to a firm bass performance, matched the vinyl and tape sources commonly in use at the time it was launched. The new 700 matches this character, albeit dialled back slightly for today's digital recordings and with a more extended bass and treble performance… Starting with the original 770, the trademark Mission sound has followed a quest for a revealing, musically lively and detailed performance.”

When launched in 1980, the original 700 looked highly distinctive thanks to its inverted bass and treble units, putting the treble unit beneath the bass/midrange driver. “This was to help phase integration between the units by lengthening the path length from the treble unit to the listener's ears”, Peter tells me. “This not only makes the crossover design easier but also tilts the acoustic lobe slightly upwards instead of the downward lobe that would otherwise occur. Mission named this Inverted Driver Geometry, and it became a hallmark of the company's loudspeakers.”

Naturally, the new 700 retains this and, like its bigger modern brother, uses a cabinet made with a sandwich of MDF outside and particle board inside, bonded by a layer of damping glue. “This 'constrained layer damping', plus the use of differing materials, scatters resonant peaks as well as inhibiting the transfer of energy from the inside of the cabinet,” says Peter. The internal foam and fibre damping is similar to that in the new 770, and both speakers sport a profiled forward-firing port.

The use of polypropylene as a cone material was radical in 1977 and made lots of audiophiles sit up and pay attention. Of course, now, it's just another option on the menu – albeit a perfectly good one. As per the very first versions of the original 700, the new 700 gets a polypropylene mid/bass cone, but stiffened by mineral loading. This is likely to make it fractionally heavier but less resonant, which is no bad thing. Cone diameter is 165mm, and this is married to a diecast aluminium chassis and motor system, with a copper-clad pole piece that's said to deliver lower distortion. The 28mm microfibre dome treble unit is the same as the more expensive 770, which is considerably larger than the 19mm tweeter on the original.

Peter has voiced the new 700 in an interesting way. “Whereas the 770 adheres to similar crossover slopes as the original to retain the same character,” he says, “the new 700 features third-order acoustic crossover slopes, which give a slightly brighter midrange performance, again to match the character of the original.” Another facet that surprised me slightly is the design to mirror-image the front baffles. “The treble unit is offset to avoid the port affecting its power distribution. Although there is a small increase in manufacturing cost, the acoustic performance is the primary consideration here.”

The result is a large standmount loudspeaker that measures 510x260x270cm [HxWxD] and weighs 12.8kg. Its 24.8 litre cabinet is real wood veneered, and the front baffle is painted white as per classic Missions old and new. The 700 is sold as a pair, and bespoke stands are also available, which Peter says have been carefully designed to optimise the sound of the speaker, especially in the time domain. Whereas the expensive 770 is made in the UK, using Mission's parent company IAG's expanded manufacturing facilities in Huntingdon, the more affordable 700 is made in China to keep costs competitive.

Mission's quoted frequency response is 45Hz-20kHz (-3dB), which is impressive for any standmount design, especially a relatively inexpensive one. Sensitivity is said to be the same as the original 700 at 86dB, which is average by today's standards, and nominal impedance is said to be an amplifier-friendly 8 ohms. From these numbers, we can deduce that Mission has tuned things for bass extension and ease of drive rather than simple efficiency. Peter told me: “One of the problems of standmount speakers is that the port output becomes audibly obvious if the frequency of tuning is too high. In order to improve bass articulation, the system resonance was reduced to below 40Hz. The -6dB point of 38Hz is remarkable for a speaker of this type and size, and well worth the slight lowering of sensitivity.”

This is a relatively easy loudspeaker to position. It's largely a matter of getting the amount of bass that suits you, your room, and your system by moving the speakers toward and back away from your rear wall. Then you can toe them in slightly and sit back to let them settle. Peter says, “Most speakers need running in for two reasons: first to bring all the components to a stable temperature, which normally initially takes twenty-four hours. Secondly to relieve stresses from manufacturing. The latter can take several months, but most of the work will take place over the first forty-eight hours with gradual improvement during the next five days.” I found my review pair were properly dialled in within just a few hours.

For this review, I used my reference Sony TA-E86/TA-N86 pre/power amplifier combination – and an Exposure 3510 integrated – fed by a Chord Hugo TT2 DAC playing CD and streaming sources. Loudspeaker references included NEAT Majistra and Acoustic Energy AE500 standmounters. The new Mission 700 didn't give either amplifier any problems as far as driving them was concerned, although I think you won't get the best from this speaker with amplifiers under 40W RMS or so – as they do like power!

THE LISTENING

“Vive la difference!”, as they say in France. As soon as you set ears upon the new Mission 700, you know you're not listening to another 'me too' design cut from the same cloth as mainstream products. This speaker is flawed like all its price rivals, of course, but has been carefully fettled so you don't fixate on its downsides and instead enjoy its obvious and clear strengths. Fire up a pair of these, put on some punchy music with a strong beat or rhythm, and sit back and enjoy the music. Simple as that!

In this sense, it's a similar listening experience to the original 700 – which was also a barrel of fun. This new speaker rather reminds me of the sort of sounds coming out of the USA back then – lots of affordable, big, efficient, wide-baffle standmounters that really made rock and disco music fun. Likewise, the late seventies Wharfedale E-series also hit that sort of spot. Purist audiophiles derided this sort of sound as being crude and crass and vulgar, naturally…

This new 700 isn't as rough as those seventies classics, though, as it's far better behaved and composed, especially at higher listening levels. Yet it retains their essential charm, which is something conspicuous by its absence in many modern designs. Cue up a classic slice of heavy rock such as Saxon's 747 (Strangers in the Night) – which coincidentally came out the same year as the original 700 – and you'll get a very different presentation to most standmounters at this price. It's large, gutsy, fast and physical, with well-conveyed dynamics and rhythms. I really enjoyed the sense of drama that this speaker conjured up – absolutely appropriate for this fabulous, rather over-the-top track that could have appeared on a Spinal Tap album. The effect was gripping and immersive, just as it should be.

Compare this to the sound coming out of one of my favourite budget standmounts – the Acoustic Energy AE500 – and the Mission sounds bigger and bolder, with more 'shock and awe'. I heard the same from The Jam's In The Crowd, a jaunty new wave number from the same period. It's a pretty poor recording, but that's not really the point; the new Mission 700 gets into the groove and celebrates this brilliantly tight band at its creative peak. Bass guitar work sounded very fluid, superbly syncopated with the edgy, spiky lead guitar and drum kit; even lead singer Paul Weller's vocal phrasing was carried in a highly rhythmic way.

Give this speaker a more refined recording, and critical listeners will begin to notice its weak points. Tonally it is noticeably less sophisticated than its way more expensive bigger 770 brother. Whereas the latter has a creamy smoothness and impressive lack of colouration, the new 700 is a little more rough and ready. Of course, this is to be expected at the price; few direct rivals do better – the only example I can think of is the much smaller Acoustic Energy. This sounds cleaner in the midband, but of course, lacks the power, punch, headroom and dynamic articulation of the Mission. As ever, what you gain on the roundabouts, you lose on the swings…

There's something quite pleasing about the new 700's bass; it goes very low – much more so than you'd expect given its size and price – and is pleasingly warm. It's not super-dry and taut like the AE500, and does slur low bass notes very slightly, yet still, this is fun to hear. Bass-driven techno tracks like 808 State's In Your Face came over as satisfyingly large scale, making this speaker sound bigger than it really is. It also proved pleasingly tuneful, and integrated well with the midband.

To my ears, there's a slight liveliness in the upper midband that isn't present in the silkier 770; with a bright source or amplifier, I can see this becoming a distraction, but with my amplifiers, it manifested itself as a brightly lit effect that pulled things like female vocals forward a touch, without making them harsh. Sade's When Am I Going To Make a Living was a case in point; it was a little more feisty sounding than with more conservative sounding rivals, but that was actually no bad thing in my system. I think it is a feature more than a fault, but you should definitely aim to match the new 700 with smooth-sounding ancillaries.

Last but not least, another strength of this speaker is soundstaging. It conjures up a very impressive recorded acoustic for an affordable standmounter. Feed it a great classic jazz track like Herbie Hancock's I Have a Dream, and it dissolves into your listening room enough to make you feel highly immersed in the music. Depth perspective isn't perhaps the best I've heard, but a pair of 700s goes very wide – giving a sumptuous, big-hearted sort of sound that the likes of the smaller AE500s simply can't match. As Peter Comeau told me, “you can't beat the laws of physics no matter how hard you try!”

THE VERDICT

Mission's new 700 is an excellent speaker at its price point then, although it was never designed to be forensically neutral and transparent. Instead, it's aimed at thrill-seeking music lovers who want a big bang for their buck, so to speak – and most likely enjoy rock, dance, soul and jazz rather than classical music. If you fit into the former category, you really should hear a pair.

For more information visit Mission