Mission argonauts

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone, I'm a noob - thought I knew a bit about hifi but apparently not...

I have a pair of Mission Argonaut speakers, they are quite old and I think the model number is 820 but they're under the stairs at mothers help in need of tlc. They were her late husbands and he said I should have them after he passed away. They are the most amazing things I've ever heard - but hey are now damaged due to dumb sister playing awful tapes at stupid volumes - they put out awesome volume. I used to love listening to them - anything sounded great on them. It's been a while since I've seen them, but I'm sure 2 bass cones have popped seals and I think a tweeter is bugggered. I have emailed mission and they said they have replacement parts available and the estimated price of repair comes in over the £300 mark. I really wan to get these guys going again but wonder will they be the same and how easily can I do this if at all. I brick it at the thought of buggering them up completely....

Have any of you ever heard of these speakers, heard them played and can anybody suggest a decent amp in the range of £300 or less. I used to be a big surround sound guy but decided a while back the you can't beat stereo. I currently use a pair of mission m71s I got a few years back on a ghastly pioneer av amp...HELP!

Thanks Guys/Gals

 

[Anonymous]

Having extensively googled the subject, I think they may be 780 argonauts. Have seen someone else pic on another forum and they look to be the same although a different colour. They are described as being 90cm tall though, but I'm sure they were taller than that...

 

[Anonymous]

Never heard them.

Are they the same as sold in this ebay auction for 140 quid?

ebay item number - 30170771401

If so, that something similar might be a good source of your spare drivers, if you got a more broken pair than these? Might also make spending 300 quid on them questionable regardless of how they compare in sound to a more recent 300 pound speaker as you may we get them going again for much less.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for pointer re. would they compete against newer models etc. I'm sure they would - but I just love the sound they produce. It's kind of a labour of love. I want to put them right even if I don't decide to keep them long term. Ebay say that item has been removed and the only Mission 780s on there are shelf types - mine are floor standing - beautifully ugly retro monsters.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, I need a little advice on speakr repair. I got the Argonauts home today and after an inspection it was apparent that the rubber seal is broken on just one of the bass cones. I plugged them into the amp to discover that the tweeter is completely dead on the other. Furthermore there was no bass being produced from the one with the working tweeter.

To make this simpler.

Left Speaker - broken bass cone + knackered tweeter.

Righ speaker - No Bass or Low Mid- tweeter fine.

I switched tweeters over and now the left is fine bar the broken bass(replacable) and the right does nothing. Obviously, this means the tweeter originally in the left is definately gone, but I can't believe that both bass are gone in the right, they don't even vibrate so I wonder if it may be the Xover. Having briefly looked I can't see any obvious damage to the Xover but I don't really know what I'm doing.

Any advice? please don't tell me to bin em, even with a knackered bass the left is so sweet and vibrant.

 

[Anonymous]

Having completely tested all speakers now, I know that the Xover is intact. So am now emailing Mission with images of the tweeter and woofers to see if they have the EXACT parts or are offering generic replacements. Having read up on a few oher forums, It's said that they do have an excellent stock of proper parts for discontinued models. In fact, most of their speakers during the 80s were supplied by a Danish firm called Vifa, who also stock the replacement tweeter I need but I've read that the magnet is slightly bigger but will manage through the aperture it needs to go through. Ideally though, I'd like Mission to turn round and say they have exacts available as I want the look to be the same and am worried that any change may be detrimental.

Advice to anyone not wanting to part with beloved kit is to look hard for replacement parts. It's often hard to get google going to start with, but I found in this case it helped to be quite specific.

 

[Andrew Everard]

With speakers that old I'd suggest replacing all drive units in pairs, to ensure matching. One old and one new bass unit, for example, might sound very odd indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
With speakers that old I'd suggest replacing all drive units in pairs, to ensure matching. One old and one new bass unit, for example, might sound very odd indeed.

[/quote]

This is what I will be doing now. Just waiting for a reply to an email I sent this morning.

 

[Anonymous]

Mission 780 Argonaut
Enclosure Type: 2-Way Tuned Reflex
Frequency Response: (ñ 3dB) 30Hz -20kHz
Sensitivity: SPL/M @ 1w 95dB
Crossover Frequency: 1.7 kHz
Effective Volume: 55 Litres
Nominal Impedance: 8 W
Recommended Amplifier Power: 50 -200W
Cabinet Dimensions: (H x W x D) 950 x 260 x 320 (mm)
Finish: Black Ash, Walnut, and Grey
Weight: (Per Loudspeaker) 28kg

I think most of that is pretty good - any thoughts?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_665263476909648]

Seen and heard a pair today. Great sound. Better sound stage than my Dynaudios. On situ at least.