Mission 753 - minimum amplifier requirements needed?

[the record spot]

I'm in the hunt for a pair of rather smart 753s - however, I know they thrive on good amplification. Does anyone who's heard them or used them have any idea what the minimum standard I'd be looking at to do them justice.

My Marantz 6010KI probably isn't up to the job long term, and I@m not looking to buy another amp right away, so it's just to get an idea of:-

i) which amp and
ii) can the 6010KI - a 60 watter - do them enough justice for the time being?

Thanks in advance all.

 

[Anonymous]

Mission 753 or 753 freedom??

from my points of view before explaining on the amp requirement:

753 - bright & details sound with clarity...the bass is ok...

753F - hugh bass compared to 753 with a bit less of bright & details from 753...

i first bought my 753f (used till now) in leeds & cyrus3i which produce 50w to drive it...the sound not so ok i guess as just a minimum requirement...maybe suitable with 753...

when i do biamping with cyrus power 50w..only then can hear the difference...

once added...another power amp for mono mode 110w..the sound is much control & details...

when added another 2 smart power...only then i satisfied...

overall performance..i think it best partnered with cyrus...

for other amplifier no idea...some people say try to avoid nordost cable with 753 as both give bright sound...

any other comments??

 

[Frank Harvey]

Go pre/power. The best I ever heard the 753's sound was with an Audiolab 8000 C/P combination. If you're on a budget, look at the older pre/powers like the Audiolabs and Cyrus ones.

 

[the record spot]

Yes, I should've clarified, this was a pair of 753 Freedoms.

I suppose I could ask the same question about the model down which I currently have - the 752s. These are the original, non-Freedom version which are excellent IMO. Any suggestions regarding a really suitable amp for those? With the right recordings they absolutely shine.

 

[WinterRacer]

I originally ran my 753Freedoms from an Audiolab 8000A (about 60W) and it really wasn't up to it, adding an 8000PX (100W) and bi-amping with the 8000A and P really brought the speakers to life.

They can sound a bit dull (i.e., lack of treble) and can have a tendency to boom in the wrong setup, basically I think lots of power and a large room is needed for these speakers to sound their (not inconsiderable) best.

 

[the record spot]

OK guys - thanks for the feedback; it's a pity as the pair I've seen are about as good as new. However, I always kind of knew they needed plenty of room and welly to do their thing best and it's a financial stretch too far (even going down the used kit route for amps) right now.

One day though!

 

[Anonymous]

audiolab set-up with 753f would not suitable for me as audiolab sound more laid back as. maybe suitable for old 753 to give balance sound as 753 has bright sound.

 

[the record spot]

Just reminded myself I asked a simmilar question a post or two up, any suggestions for suitable amps for the Mission 752s I currently have? This is the original 752, not the Freedom version (very nice speaker incidentally - even with the mesh dome tweeter, it is anything but bright).

 

[AEJim]

I used a pair of 753f's on the Audiolabs mentioned, and on a Naim nap90/nac92 combo, both worked well - prefered 'em on the Naims. They did not work so well on a Nait 5 so the power output didn't seem as much of a factor as the power supply since the Naim pre/power was rated at the same 30 watts as the integrated if I remember rightly... I'd imagine they were fairly sensitive but had tricky impedance as is pretty normal for multiple-driver speakers.

 

[the record spot]

Thanks Jim - given my current amp is a 60w, do you think it might be able to cope in the short term, or am I better off sticking with the 752s? I couldn't afford to buy the speakers and the pre/power combo (alas!) together.

Thanks for the reply by the way - much appreciated.

 

[AEJim]

I'd be a little wary - the 752's were well respected (actually wanted them rather than the 753's but due to dealer issues I was given them for the same price, never actually heard the 752's!) and pretty easy to drive. In my experience the Japanese electronics have always been on the lean side PSU-wise, though I'm not sure what changes the KI model had implemented.

You don't need (can't use the italics option for some reason but imagine I said "need" in italics ) a pre-power as such, I currently use an AVI Lab series integrated and have had Densen amps in the past with huge power supplies - basically an amp should be neutral and have as much power as possible for headroom, this isn't always clear in the "Wattage" figures unfortunately, much like the wattage figures on speakers are less an indicator of how loud they will go than sensitivity!

That doesn't really help much! Personally, if the 752's go loud enough without strain and have powerful enough bass for you then I wouldn't change them in a hurry for the 753's - if you want more (though not necessarily much deeper) bass and more volume then they would be a good candidate if you can get a good deal - I doubt they will sound horrendous on the Marantz.ÿ

 

[the record spot]

OK - that's good to know. The thing I find is the Marantz CD player I have (SA7001 KI) is considered a little on the lean side and with some discs this is definitely true. Equally, with others there's no problem - picked up a few first generation, pre-remasters are I've been astounded by how good some early discs really are. These are analogue all the way through to the digital mastering phase.

The amp is a good one; tonally good for my ears - detailed, pretty neutral - but so too are the speakers and I guesss some might see this as leaning too heavily towards the one tonal quality at the expense of the bottom end.

I think I will be sticking with the 752 based on Jim's last post. It's a pretty fine speaker and I enjoy what it can do with the right recordings. The bass is a slight issue, but not excessively so - I like the realism they offer me and there are other compensations too; piano, voice and bass drums all sound superb.

(This is really a case of "the grass is always greener" I think...!)

 

[Anonymous]

There's a guy on Gumtree selling a massive array of Cyrus kit. He has 753s (non F I think) and wants £300 - overpriced?

 

[Anonymous]

when i was in uk...hyperfi if not mistaken did a stock clearance of old 753 rosewood finish at gbp 600 (black finish cost less by gbp 100). that was in 1996 when 753f was in the market...heh..

 

[the record spot]

Graham_Thomas:There's a guy on Gumtree selling a massive array of Cyrus kit. He has 753s (non F I think) and wants £300 - overpriced?

Err, no! That's the chap I was referring to. He may be happy to demo if you ask him and as those are the Freedoms, in near mint nick, still with boxes (I think) and given used pairs go for £250-£300 on Ebay in less good condition, then these are a bargain.

Of late, on Ebay, a damaged pair went for £83 alone, and two other pairs went for £220 and £340 respectively. If I had the confidence in my current amp, I wouldn't be having this discussion on a public hifi forum as they wouldn't be on Gumtree anymore!

In short, I've never seen a better pair of 753s listed anywhere; these look as good as new and, given the quality of the 75 series, this was the pinnacle of Mission's mid-to-late 1990s efforts IMO - superb at £700, mindbogglingly ace at £300. Like I say, if it wasn't that I'd probably have to improve my amp, I'd be biting the seller's hand off to get them!