timmetathena
New Member
These are the ones: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/mission/700-leading-edge.shtml
My parents purchased these when I was 12 and they were in the kitchen for a few decades. Not too long ago my folks moved and downsized and finally passed them on to me - I'm 50 now, but can still hear reasonably well!
I've always been fond of these Missions and IMO the reviews at the above link citing detail and imaging are spot-on. I've long been primarily a headphone listener but as I've gotten older I've come to really appreciate how nice it can be to turn to open-air listening. So, as I'm finally in a position to set up a nice, traditional 2 channel system, I'm hoping some folks who are familiar with these can provide recommendations for a "grownup" version, namely, some floor standing towers that keep the detail, imaging, and overall lively, uncluttered sound of these at low to low-mid volumes, but add bass extension and the ability to crank up a bit louder every once in a while, without getting shrill or shouty.
The new speakers will be at the narrow end of a 23' x 13' x 8' room; about 6 feet apart center-to-center and pretty much against the wall except for special occasions. It's a small house and that positioning is non-negotiable so something forgiving of that would be best. The room isn't too bright and the listening chair can be dragged to where it’s needed. Height and depth of the cabinets doesn’t matter too much but 15” wide is about the max, and under 12” would be better. Cosmetics are pretty flexible.
Amp will be built (tubes) or purchased (solid state) to suit, once the speakers are chosen. Front-end is likely to be a very mixed bag: my vintage Planar 3, high resolution FLAC + decent DAC, or my laptop headphone jack, as circumstances dictate.
Program-wise, I listen pretty widely but the big categories are 50s-60s jazz from the usual names, small-ensemble and solo-instrument classical (Bach cello, Beethoven quartets, etc.), 90s-era Radiohead/Stereolab-adjacent pop, and what I can only call “traditional experimental electronic music” (approximately Morton Subotnick to Richard D. James)
I do not want to just add a subwoofer to the Missions.
Budget is $2000 for the pair, honestly hopefully on the lower end of that if possible. Given that I’m hoping to improve on a 40 year old design, I’m optimistic that it can be done at that price. Something a few years old that I can still find used is totally fine - I don’t need the latest and greatest and have no one to impress but myself. I can re-cap a crossover; never replaced surrounds but I’m sure I could manage.
Some makes I've enjoyed at other folks' houses over the years include Thiel Audio, KEF, B&W, Advent, and Coincident.
Thanks in advance, and let me know if there’s any other info that would be useful.
EDIT / addendum: just as a point of comparison, a few years back I was gifted a pair of Epos ELS 3 (https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/104epos/index.html) and I think they are awful - stuffy, dull, and lifeless. They were quickly exiled to the kids’ gaming system. Not sure if that helps but it’s a data point!
My parents purchased these when I was 12 and they were in the kitchen for a few decades. Not too long ago my folks moved and downsized and finally passed them on to me - I'm 50 now, but can still hear reasonably well!
I've always been fond of these Missions and IMO the reviews at the above link citing detail and imaging are spot-on. I've long been primarily a headphone listener but as I've gotten older I've come to really appreciate how nice it can be to turn to open-air listening. So, as I'm finally in a position to set up a nice, traditional 2 channel system, I'm hoping some folks who are familiar with these can provide recommendations for a "grownup" version, namely, some floor standing towers that keep the detail, imaging, and overall lively, uncluttered sound of these at low to low-mid volumes, but add bass extension and the ability to crank up a bit louder every once in a while, without getting shrill or shouty.
The new speakers will be at the narrow end of a 23' x 13' x 8' room; about 6 feet apart center-to-center and pretty much against the wall except for special occasions. It's a small house and that positioning is non-negotiable so something forgiving of that would be best. The room isn't too bright and the listening chair can be dragged to where it’s needed. Height and depth of the cabinets doesn’t matter too much but 15” wide is about the max, and under 12” would be better. Cosmetics are pretty flexible.
Amp will be built (tubes) or purchased (solid state) to suit, once the speakers are chosen. Front-end is likely to be a very mixed bag: my vintage Planar 3, high resolution FLAC + decent DAC, or my laptop headphone jack, as circumstances dictate.
Program-wise, I listen pretty widely but the big categories are 50s-60s jazz from the usual names, small-ensemble and solo-instrument classical (Bach cello, Beethoven quartets, etc.), 90s-era Radiohead/Stereolab-adjacent pop, and what I can only call “traditional experimental electronic music” (approximately Morton Subotnick to Richard D. James)
I do not want to just add a subwoofer to the Missions.
Budget is $2000 for the pair, honestly hopefully on the lower end of that if possible. Given that I’m hoping to improve on a 40 year old design, I’m optimistic that it can be done at that price. Something a few years old that I can still find used is totally fine - I don’t need the latest and greatest and have no one to impress but myself. I can re-cap a crossover; never replaced surrounds but I’m sure I could manage.
Some makes I've enjoyed at other folks' houses over the years include Thiel Audio, KEF, B&W, Advent, and Coincident.
Thanks in advance, and let me know if there’s any other info that would be useful.
EDIT / addendum: just as a point of comparison, a few years back I was gifted a pair of Epos ELS 3 (https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/104epos/index.html) and I think they are awful - stuffy, dull, and lifeless. They were quickly exiled to the kids’ gaming system. Not sure if that helps but it’s a data point!
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