Mission 770 Freedom...Bleh

[rotobadger]

Picked these Mission Speakers up today after reading how great they were both in original reviews and reviews by collectors.

Gotta say, not my cup of tea. I know, they need to be recapped but they just sounded wrong. Full bass was there and tweeter was nice and crisp. I just was not a fan. Anyone else have an experience with these? I might play around with them a bit but am leaning towards just selling them off for what I got them for. I really am bummed as I had high hope for these speakers. British made and $1000 in 1985 or so.

I know these speakers are not real common and maybe I'm not using them correctly?

 

[Fairlane]

What are you powering them with?

 

[rotobadger]

What are you powering them with?

Sansui au888. 45wpc. I know that’s not a ton of watts but my weaker amp (my 555a) made other speakers sing. Including my Boston Acoustics a150s which are 90db sensitivity. The Mission Freedoms are 91db.

I’m just very surprised as people’s comments were mostly how outstanding these are.

They are small, however. Basically, they look like bookshelf speakers in a tall cabinet.

Also, I know I’m gonna get the “you should recap them” speeches but the Bostons a150s and my Marantz Imperial 6 are not recapped either and they still sound outstanding.

 

[Fairlane]

Sometimes synergy plays a big part in how speakers sound between power sources.

They are British speakers and they can be unflattering of their source either in the recording or the amplifier.

Do you have any tube power to audition them with?

And it could just be that they do not do it for you. They look like all the ingredients are there to sound very nice though.

Give them a chance you just might like them.

 

[rotobadger]

Sometimes synergy plays a big part in how speakers sound between power sources.

They are British speakers and they can be unflattering of their source either in the recording or the amplifier.

Do you have any tube power to audition them with?

And it could just be that they do not do it for you. They look like all the ingredients are there to sound very nice though.

Give them a chance you just might like them.

I do have a tube amp. I’ll give it a shot.

And, to be completely fair, there COULD be something wrong with them.

I’ll try them again.

 

[Qtronic]

They’re older, and it makes me want to ask, did you just acquire them from someplace where they had been unused, in storage for years? I tend to pick up old sets of speakers out of long storage and often feel meh about them, but then I leave them powered up/ being used for a week, after a few days I play them loud. Then I judge again, often times my impression changes.
My neighbor came over last Monday and I had just gotten a set of alnico Utah speakers, I was playing them, he didn’t comment. I played them all week, and I cleaned all the electromechanicals with deoxit. He visited again on Saturday and I was playing them and the first comment he made was how good he thought the speakers sounded. He didn’t think they were the same speakers he had heard the previous Monday, he admitted on Saturday he thought they sounded bad on Monday.
I’ve started to not allow first impressions to influence my opinion too much and give older speakers a chance to get into their groove, and always a cleaning of deoxit, even the binding posts, The spade connections inside the cabinets, switches/ pots, fuses, protection circuit breakers...corrosion, not even visible corrosion from the years, the signal can be degraded every step of the way with all those points in the signal path.
Or, they’ve been used daily before you got them and they just don’t suit you?

I have one set of British speakers, Celestion SL6Si, I don’t like them much on lots of amps, but when they have a high powered amp with plenty of reserves they can be super sweet.

Good luck with the Missions!

 

[rotobadger]

They’re older, and it makes me want to ask, did you just acquire them from someplace where they had been unused, in storage for years? I tend to pick up old sets of speakers out of long storage and often feel meh about them, but then I leave them powered up/ being used for a week, after a few days I play them loud. Then I judge again, often times my impression changes.
My neighbor came over last Monday and I had just gotten a set of alnico Utah speakers, I was playing them, he didn’t comment. I played them all week, and I cleaned all the electromechanicals with deoxit. He visited again on Saturday and I was playing them and the first comment he made was how good he thought the speakers sounded. He didn’t think they were the same speakers he had heard the previous Monday, he admitted on Saturday he thought they sounded bad on Monday.
I’ve started to not allow first impressions to influence my opinion too much and give older speakers a chance to get into their groove, and always a cleaning of deoxit, even the binding posts, The spade connections inside the cabinets, switches/ pots, fuses, protection circuit breakers...corrosion, not even visible corrosion from the years, the signal can be degraded every step of the way with all those points in the signal path.
Or, they’ve been used daily before you got them and they just don’t suit you?

I have one set of British speakers, Celestion SL6Si, I don’t like them much on lots of amps, but when they have a high powered amp with plenty of reserves they can be super sweet.

Good luck with the Missions!

My impression is that these were, indeed, in storage and unused for quite some time. The seller has several garages full of speakers and amps and vintage audio gear. So much, that he had to “dig these out” of stacks of stuff.

The surrounds are good and I really don’t know how long he’s had them but I’m guessing they had not been used frequently recently.

They sounded very boxy and almost toy-like. Not much resonance or depth. Tinny and smaller, almost but the bass was there as well. I mean COMPLETELY different in quality from my other speakers.

I’m going to look them over more carefully and try your advice as well. I just can’t believe people would rave about speakers that sound this bad (to me) so it stands to reason that it’s more likely that something is wrong.

Again, didn’t feel like a matter of “gee, I’m just not loving these speakers” (like it was with Klipsch KG4 for me. Good speakers just not my bag). It was more like “EWW! What the hell??”

I’m going to further investigate before completely giving up.

 

[Dazaa]

Your speakers have totally incorrect tweeters fitted. I've had 4 or 5 pairs of these Freedom models (and even more of the original 770's/707's) and although I consider them pretty low end they certainly don't sound bad. Well worth restoring back to original.

 

[luxmaster]

Well I would have to agree with you that I am not a fan of Mission speakers. I guess they are an acquired sound. I have owned the Argonauts and the m73 as well as some bookshelfs and they can play loud but didn't like the tone they gave off. Bass was not deep enough, the treble was high pitched and sounded wrong to my ears.

 

[rotobadger]

Your speakers have totally incorrect tweeters fitted. I've had 4 or 5 pairs of these Freedom models (and even more of the original 770's/707's) and although I consider them pretty low end they certainly don't sound bad. Well worth restoring back to original.

Crap. You’re absolutely correct. I didn’t bother to look carefully enough and that’s on me.

That may account for how bad they sound.

I’m going to contact the seller and see if he’s willing to do something about it.

Crap.

 

[cabby]

Crap. You’re absolutely correct. I didn’t bother to look carefully enough and that’s on me.

That may account for how bad they sound.

I’m going to contact the seller and see if he’s willing to do something about it.

Crap.

Did you get the twitters sorted out ? I had a similar experience with mine. I got a near mint pair for an excellent price and just could not get it to sound right. They were in and out of my closet for a year. Then I found the factory stands ( these need proper stands, at least same height as the factory stands ) on CL and after much amp matching, ( I have it paired with some Yamaha power amps ) they sound magnificent. They went from my least favorite to one of my favorites. Mission recommends no toe in and placed close to back wall. Good luck.

 

[rotobadger]

Did you get the twitters sorted out ? I had a similar experience with mine. I got a near mint pair for an excellent price and just could not get it to sound right. They were in and out of my closet for a year. Then I found the factory stands ( these need proper stands, at least same height as the factory stands ) on CL and after much amp matching, ( I have it paired with some Yamaha power amps ) they sound magnificent. They went from my least favorite to one of my favorites. Mission recommends no toe in and placed close to back wall. Good luck.

I did finally get a pair of SEAS tweets to replace the cheap crappy tweeters the speakers came with. Unfortunately, it didn't do the trick for me. I did an A/B with my Marantz Imperial 6 speakers and the Marantz completely destroyed the Missions. My wife even had absolutely no trouble hearing the difference.

Again, there may have been more to it (placement, as you indicated, capacitors, or something else).

I just didn't want to labor over it and sold them locally. Gave the guy a good deal as he was getting the SEAS in the deal.

 

[vintage27]

I had a pair of the 770's back in late 70's or early 80's and while they were one of my first attempt at hifi I didn't like them. they were too bright for me and the room I had them in. then I sold them and went with a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 7's which was not bad but then sold them and got a pair of Boston Acoustics A150's that fit the bill for me for several years.

 

[NAD80]

Have a pair of 737R's had to recap them. High ESR and the values were totally out of tolerance 4.7mfd reading 11.6mfd Bennic cap, ALCAP 5.65mfd. Could hear the tweeters then.

 

[rompstar]

I own these and I can confirm those tweeters are not original... I never touched the cross-overs and my pair sound great!

But I can tell you right now, this is an acquired taste kind of speaker, Woofers while they def have Bass, it's not like tight Ass Bass (if that makes sense) and they could sound too bright to some people. I power mine with a B&K 125.2 Amp, no access to British amps here, but maybe one day.