Mission - 731i
Mission is a showcase of British sound, which included the Cyrus Audio group. In the early 1980s, Mission Loudspeakers created the electronic sector with Mission Cyrus, a company known to every audio hobbyist. The first amplifiers with the proudly pronounced name today were made at the end of 1984. The legendary Mission Cyrus-ONE and its improved version of TWO were incredibly successful. The amplifiers were affordable, and thanks to their fantastic sound, they gained recognition among the constantly growing number of satisfied customers. Mission Cyrus One / Two proudly stands on the podium among the most famous audio killers such as the NAD 3020, Pioneer A400, Naim Olive etc.
Returning to the main merits of the review, which is the budget set of Mission 731i loudspeakers, I would like to mention that the Mission Cyrus brand coped very well not only with amplifiers. The loudspeakers, which have become a supplement to one of the most famous British Cyrus amplifiers, have many fans to this day, and their sound pleases not only the ear but also the wallet. Missions, although they have not been produced for several years, can be easily purchased at Second-Hand auctions. The huge sales scale that the Missions brought in during their heyday allows you to buy very well-preserved models at an amazing value for money. By combining them with the above-mentioned killer electronics there, you can create a cheap, good-sounding stereo set.
The 731 model is a small monitor with a front bass-reflex port equipped with a 5 ”Mission 60-LFC13 / BKN mid-woofer and a 4 Ohms Peerless 842987 tweeter with its own 73-HFDOM / BAY logo under the Mission logo. The front and rear part of the housing are made of plastic. The mid-woofer is in a small part covered by the front plastic panel. It is screwed to the plastic rails of the rear part of the housing, which is screwed to the front plastic front. Such a structure stiffens the housing, which reduces the acoustic resonances of internal vibrations to some extent. The Bass-reflex tunnel is led out from the front, which greatly facilitates the optimal positioning of the loudspeakers close to the wall. On the back there are screw-on speaker terminals that accept bare wires up to a maximum thickness of approx. 3mm. The terminals to which a simple crossover has been bolted from the inside, also accept standard banana plugs, through which we can connect much thicker wires. It is worth mentioning the interestingly designed bass-reflex opening, which in order to reduce turbulence disturbances of the acoustic wave was divided with a plastic partition in half. The back of the housing has the added bonus of two gold-plated threads for mounting a wall bracket.
Sound
Despite their small size, the 731i is capable of delivering dynamic sound with a well-controlled bassline and balanced tonal balance. What I notice immediately after switching from better loudspeakers is stereo, which in the Missions does not provide a wide balance between the left and right channels. The treble is slightly withdrawn and over-exaggerated in places. The frequency response range of 7-16 kHz does not introduce anything extraordinary, at the same time it provides everything you need in the area of ultra-sounds. The bassline is dynamic and well stretched, with a fairly low drop down to 55 Hz. The midrange, despite the poor stereo image, is quite wide extended and harmonizes well with the bass. Vocals sound clean and have a texture known from more expensive competitors loudspeakers. The Mission-731i matched quite well with the 60 Watt ONIX-OA 21S integrated amplifier of a similar design to the above-mentioned Cyrus ONE. The sound in combination with the ONIX was decisive, strong, with great panache not afraid of a bass attack, which the small budget Missions handled perfectly. The Mission 731i will not provide us with the sonic nuances known from more expensive constructions, but they are consistent enough to reproduce an interesting, well-balanced sound at its low price.
Conclusion
Summing up the sound and the low price of the Mission-731i, I must admit that it is an interesting proposition for creating a cheap stereo set for small rooms (bedroom, office or children's room). 8 Ohms impedance and a decent sensitivity of 89 dB at 2.83V allows you to easily drive the loudspeakers by virtually any amplifier available on the market with even little power.
Technical data
frequency response: 55 Hz - 20 kHz
sensitivity: 89 dB
maximum sound pressure level (SPL): 103 dB
case: bass-reflex
type: two-way speaker system
impedance: 8 Ohms
mid-woofer: 130mm Mission 60-LFC13 / BKN
tweeter: dome 28mm Mission 73-HFDOM / BAY (Peerless 842987)
recommended amplifier power: 25 - 75 Watts
dimensions: 315x175x200mm
color: satin black / ash vinyl
scales: 2x4kg
Prepared by: Łabędź Przemysław