I picked up some new speakers the other day. Well, old "new". Some rather nice Mission 752s in Rosewood. Picked them up (heavy), brought them home (lovely drive back up through the hills south of Edinburgh on a very bright monlit night) and plonked them down.
I know I've prattled on about the 1990s Mission ranges, but this was probably Mission's heyday - the 75 range was superb from top to toe from my own experience (had a pair of 751s) and the reviews for the 752 and 753 floorstanders were just as glowing if not moreso.
So, out the box, what are they like? Heavy - a good bit more than my existing 733s - with chunky gold plated binding posts at the back. They're not so deep as the 733, so you have a slimmer box, which is convenient, although the design tapers out as you go down to the plinth. For what was a (I think) £600 or so speaker, the finish is very smart. A deep and dark rosewood with the grille cover around two thirds of the front speaker panel. Condition-wise, given that these are pre-owned, I'm not quibbling; a very minor chip at the edge of the wood at the rear of the top plate, whilst there is a minor mark on the side. Other than that, perfect.
Soundwise, I'm still running these in - they've been boxed and kept in the loft by the previous owner for the last couple of years - so this is just an initial impression.
The pre-Freedom 752 has a metal tweeter and whilst some find these a little sharp with some kinds of music, it's never bothered me (the 751s employed the same design). The added benefit is the children won't be able to push them in as they're getting into exploration mode growing up! The bass driver's construction I'm not sure of so apologies there. It's other specs include 90db sensitivity so pretty standard fare.
Having run them in a little in the last day or two, the sound has filled out a little, though I expect there's more to come. Initially a little flat, they've pepped up and I can now hear a very definite improvement in terms of the width of the soundstage. It's also a bit more open than my much loved 733i's. It's not night and day though, but I think this is maybe more testament to the 733's abilities than criticism of the 752.
The Marantz amp I use to power them is doing an okay job, but an upgrade (and more power) would probably be a good bet. I'm thinking of something along the NAD C372 route which has plenty of oomph and 150w on tap. Add a NAD power amp to that and you have a bit more clout which would suit this speaker well.
Music flows effortlessly so far (handy, being a speaker) and is detailed, although not exceptionally weighty, but this is at lower volume listening levels. Turning the volume up to 11 o'clock when I had the house to myself today deeply impresses. Where the 733 begins to lose its composure, the 752 just sings louder, holds its notes and doesn't get out of breath.
Doesn't really matter what kind of music you give it to chew on and it's pretty easygoing about placement too. All it does is present the music, although it does err towards the slightly unforgiving side with poor recordings. A bit of an occupational hazard with some (many!) discs out there.
So, not bad for a used buy; very impressive speakers that work well still and wouldn't be out of place against some of the current boxes on the market today, moreso considering the build quality and components therein. Five or six hundred quid's worth of box and one that'll stand an upgrade or two for the rest of the system yet.
The best bit? I got them for less than £80...for a used buy, can we start giving out six stars?
I know I've prattled on about the 1990s Mission ranges, but this was probably Mission's heyday - the 75 range was superb from top to toe from my own experience (had a pair of 751s) and the reviews for the 752 and 753 floorstanders were just as glowing if not moreso.
So, out the box, what are they like? Heavy - a good bit more than my existing 733s - with chunky gold plated binding posts at the back. They're not so deep as the 733, so you have a slimmer box, which is convenient, although the design tapers out as you go down to the plinth. For what was a (I think) £600 or so speaker, the finish is very smart. A deep and dark rosewood with the grille cover around two thirds of the front speaker panel. Condition-wise, given that these are pre-owned, I'm not quibbling; a very minor chip at the edge of the wood at the rear of the top plate, whilst there is a minor mark on the side. Other than that, perfect.
Soundwise, I'm still running these in - they've been boxed and kept in the loft by the previous owner for the last couple of years - so this is just an initial impression.
The pre-Freedom 752 has a metal tweeter and whilst some find these a little sharp with some kinds of music, it's never bothered me (the 751s employed the same design). The added benefit is the children won't be able to push them in as they're getting into exploration mode growing up! The bass driver's construction I'm not sure of so apologies there. It's other specs include 90db sensitivity so pretty standard fare.
Having run them in a little in the last day or two, the sound has filled out a little, though I expect there's more to come. Initially a little flat, they've pepped up and I can now hear a very definite improvement in terms of the width of the soundstage. It's also a bit more open than my much loved 733i's. It's not night and day though, but I think this is maybe more testament to the 733's abilities than criticism of the 752.
The Marantz amp I use to power them is doing an okay job, but an upgrade (and more power) would probably be a good bet. I'm thinking of something along the NAD C372 route which has plenty of oomph and 150w on tap. Add a NAD power amp to that and you have a bit more clout which would suit this speaker well.
Music flows effortlessly so far (handy, being a speaker) and is detailed, although not exceptionally weighty, but this is at lower volume listening levels. Turning the volume up to 11 o'clock when I had the house to myself today deeply impresses. Where the 733 begins to lose its composure, the 752 just sings louder, holds its notes and doesn't get out of breath.
Doesn't really matter what kind of music you give it to chew on and it's pretty easygoing about placement too. All it does is present the music, although it does err towards the slightly unforgiving side with poor recordings. A bit of an occupational hazard with some (many!) discs out there.
So, not bad for a used buy; very impressive speakers that work well still and wouldn't be out of place against some of the current boxes on the market today, moreso considering the build quality and components therein. Five or six hundred quid's worth of box and one that'll stand an upgrade or two for the rest of the system yet.
The best bit? I got them for less than £80...for a used buy, can we start giving out six stars?
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