Opinions sought - Mission 700s

[PaulStewart]

Hi All,

My recent experience of budget Mission speakers is, to say the least, limited. In a job lot I picked up recently there is a pair of Mission 700s, the grilles are missing, the cases are tatty but they are not un-restorable, also, the woofer foam is shot, but the tweeters are mint.

As I want these for selling on, my question is, are they worth the effort for the return, or am I better breaking them and selling the tweeters and crossovers and dumping the rest?

I tend toward the latter looking at fleabay prices, but if they are good, I hate to see them go to waste. Opinions please :)

[DSJR]

This is my opinion so please take or leave as you see fit..

The original 700 was a little mid-forward and possibly slightly old fashioned, but the overall presentation was huge fun, the response basically smooth with no nasty peaks or dips and of all the then new generation of £100 ish speakers, these were the clearest, the next step being something like MS Pageant 2's or the then elderly KEF Corelli's, which didn't quite have the 'enthusiasm' if you see what I mean.

When Mission chose to discontinue the 700, the 700S (or was it the 707?) which I think replaced it, didn't seem to gel as well, the rather spitty little tweeter so beloved of subsequent Missions then coming well to the fore I remember. First the HB1 took over and the body-stocking'd KEF models (Celeste III and IV?), followed by the rather thick toned cheap KEF Codas which followed. After that, it was open house :) We didn't sell Celestion, although I understand they were beavering away in Ipswich, designing and building some rather good low-cost speakers at this time.

Basically, we sold bucketloads of 700's with the likes of a NAD 3020 amp and Dual or Rega turntables. If you can re-foam them cheap enough and tart up the red-walnut cabs, I still think they're very worthy...

[PaulStewart]

Thanks for that Dave, Audiofriends do a kit for about £25 delivered, they don't seem to sell for much over £40 on Flea Bay..... Hmmm! difficult choice ;)

[Reffc]

Sell them for parts. Not worth the effort as you wont make anything on restoring them.

[hifi_dave]

They were pretty naff back in the day. Obviously had great write ups from all the comics but didn't sell against the competition - with us anyway.

[PaulStewart]

Thanks for that guys, OK, to the slaughterhouse with them :lol: anyone want any tweeters? :)

[Macca]

Where the 700 the ones with the white fronts and 8 inch mid bass? If so they were pretty good. Shame to scrap them.

[PaulStewart]

Where the 700 the ones with the white fronts and 8 inch mid bass? If so they were pretty good. Shame to scrap them.

These ones are white fronted, but no grilles and tatty cabs, I may re foam the Bass/mids and sell as spares.

[Macca]

Yes that is the one I am thinking of. Heard a pair once in a manchester record store on the end of right load of old dodge and they still sounded good.

[Haselsh1]

Back in the early 80's I used to love the Mission 710's and the Mission 720's but just what the hell happened to them...? Their recent Godawful stuff is just that...

[hifi_dave]

The original Mission stuff was made and designed by a small, enthusiastic company but as they became popular and always in the mags, they lost their roots and went mainstream. I believe the name is now owned by Richer Sounds.

[Haselsh1]

The original Mission stuff was made and designed by a small, enthusiastic company but as they became popular and always in the mags, they lost their roots and went mainstream. I believe the name is now owned by Richer Sounds.

OMG I never knew things had got to that stage. I guess it is similar to the situation with IAG and all of the stuff that falls under their control now. I detect a similar fate as the British motorcycle industry, oh and the car industry, oh and the aircraft industry...!!!

[Marco]

Well, they were one of my first pairs of 'proper' speakers (back in 1982), and to my ears, sounded fab on the end of an Ariston RD11S/HFN 'Flutterbuster' PSU/Linn LV V (with AT MG-10 magnesium headshell)/Denon DL-103, Sondex S-230 (with Lentek MC head amp).

Not a bad system then for a 17 year-old to use in his bedroom!

However, I suspect that my standards of what was considered as "fab" back then may be rather different now... ;)

Marco.