Originally printed in the November 1993 issue of Gramophone.

Mission has a proud tradition of dimension- and price-defying small loudspeakers. The 760iSE, a 'turbo' version of the cheapest model in the current Mission range and truly deserving of the description 'bookshelf' (although using it on anything but rigid stands will never do it full justice), is the latest in that distinguished blood-line.

In the beginning (May 1990) was the 760, which in November '91 begat the 760i, with a bigger magnet on the bass/midrange driver and changes to the crossover. In May of this year the 760i (which remains in production) in turn begat the £30 costlier 760iSE, with further crossover refinements— polyester film capacitors in place of reversible electrolytics plus electrically separate high- and lowpass filter sections to permit bi-wiring—and thicker internal wiring.

Other key features remain as in the lowlier version, notably the injection-moulded baffle of mineral-loaded polypropylene. According to Mission, this and the remainder of the cabinet (constructed of 15mm high density particle board) are intended to be light and stiff, and to store the minimum of resonant energy as a result, the aim being a 'fast' and detailed sound in the tradition of the marque.

The most notable aspect of the two drive units—a doped paper cone bass-mid unit and Ferrofluid-cooled polyamide dome tweeter—is their disposition: bass/mid driver above the tweeter rather than below. It's an old idea, commonly employed by Mission but still seen relatively infrequently elsewhere, the point being to equalise the path lengths from the two drivers' acoustic centres to the ears of the listener, without recourse to a stepped baffle. For this to work correctly, of course, the top of the cabinet has to be at or below ear height, as it normally will be if the loudspeaker is used on stands in the normal way. If for any reason the loudspeaker is located higher then it should be turned upside down to achieve the same result, although the 760iSE's instruction manual curiously makes no mention of this—a crucial omission, as we shall see.

Mission's literature talks of the inverted drive unit disposition achieving smooth phase response through the 3-5kHz crossover point, but at least as important is the benefit to on-axis amplitude response. With the drive units time-aligned, integration around the crossover point is much improved.

To achieve good sensitivity (89dB) and passably good bass extension (-6dB at 55Hz) from a mere 6.5-litre internal volume, the 760iSE is reflex loaded, the reflex port being integral with the moulded front baffle. I expected the port mouth to have been generously radiused to reduce chuffing — a simple matter with an injection - moulded baffle — but in fact it is barely rounded at all. Something for the 760iSE/II, perhaps?

Performance

I used the 760iSEs atop 22-inch Foundation stands, positioned in accordance with Mission's instructions: 10-20cm from the rear wall and without the loudspeakers toed-in to face the listening position—as it happens, precisely the same arrangement I use for my normally-resident Alphason Amphions. "Ensure no toe-in is used", commands the product information, "[otherwise] imaging will be impaired." Mission also recommends running in the 760iSEs for 24 hours on music signal before beginning critical listening. As is my habit, I ran them overnight (14 hours) on pink noise instead, then for a couple of hours on music programme. Usually I remove a loudspeaker's grilles for listening, since 99 times out of 100 this improves the sound. On this occasion, though, I chose to leave them in place. The reason is to be found in the 760iSE's grille frame, which curves around the vertical edges of the baffle to provide a more gentle transition to the side panels—a refinement which is well known to reduce secondary radiation from the cabinet edges.

Within a few seconds of firing up a small, inexpensive loudspeaker in earnest you usually know which of two design philosophies it embodies. Either it's the warts'n'all approach, in which the loudspeaker's inevitable imperfections are undisguised, and hang the awful noises it may make with inexpensive ancillaries; or the cosmetic approach, where the loudspeaker's rough edges are smoothed off, even if this means some sacrifice to ultimate transparency.

In the 760iSE, Mission has clearly attempted to plot a middle course between these two extremes. It says the loudspeaker "will clearly show improvements as [the] source improves" — which is certainly true — but also that it "may be used with any competent budget electronics". You might anticipate from this a compromise in the worst possible sense, but in truth the 760iSE is a feat of balance of which even Blondin would have been proud.

That is, provided your listening position is correct. The one thing you absolutely must not do with this loudspeaker is to place it too high, otherwise it sounds dull, compressed and two-dimensional. Lower it somewhat, or sit higher, so that you can clearly see its top panel, and it undergoes a transformation. The lower treble comes up, returning life to the sound, and suddenly you are presented with a spacious, lifelike stereo image, and sound quality in general, worthy of loudspeakers a class or two higher. The boxes disappear as the sources of sound, and very soon you find yourself asking: if Mission can conjure this captivating performance from a modest £150 box, why do others so often struggle to match it at £500 and more?

One thing you cannot escape, of course, is the 760iSE's lack of bass extension, but Mission has wisely made no attempt to disguise this by an upper-bass lift. As a result the lower frequencies are always tuneful—you can clearly hear what bass instruments are playing—which is altogether more important than the added weightiness any false emphasis might offer. There is also some mild coarseness and a lack of treble extension, but these imperfections are likewise easy to forgive because the 760iSE is otherwise so clean, clear and lively—qualities which are best realised with firstclass ancillaries (like the Audio Innovations' First Audio Amplifier and Kenwood DPX9010/Audiolab 8000DAC I used) but which will also flatter more modest ones.

In fact, on the basis that designing an inexpensive loudspeaker— where resources are minimal and the variability in partnering equipment is highest- represents one of the professional loudspeaker designer's most difficult tasks, I reckon the 760iSE is something of a masterpiece. It disguises its unpretentious price and diminutive dimensions in the best way possible: by being a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining listen. Take a bow, Henry Azima and team.

Specification

Type: two-way with 130mm bass/midrange, 19mm dome tweeter Bass loading reflex Frequency response: 70Hz-20kHz ±2.5dB. Nominal impedance: 6 Ohms Sensitivity 89dB/VVatt/metre. Recommended power amplifier rating: 25-75 Watts. Dimensions: (WxHxD) 180 x 295 x 200mm. Weight 10kg. Manufacturer: Mission Cyrus Group, Stonehill, Huntingdon, Cambs PE18 6ED. Telephone: 0480 451777. UK distributor as above. UK retail price £149.90.

Keith Howard