Speaker upgrade from MISSION 7601SE to.....

[mpcpba]

I have just re set up my old hi fi system in my study and am looking to do a modest upgrade - to the Mission 7601se speakers I think... I have a NAD 7225PE amp powering the stand mounted bi wired Mission speakers, a NAD 5440 CD player and a Rega Planar 3 for the vinyl. I also play digital Apple lossless music from a mac mini via the excellent Dacmagic XS DAC all in a room 5m x 4m with hard floors and limited soft furniture

Whilst the sound is still pleasing and plenty loud enough it lacks 'oomfph' - Mid range and treble seem fine but it is generally acking in the base area. I have a separate TV system with a Dali Zensor 5 surround sound system driven by a Yamaha AV reciever which of course chucks out awesome levels of base and this has probably spolied me somewhat!

Any suggestions as to a sensible upgrade for the speaksers within the £250 bracket? Would the Q Acoustics 2020i or maybe the Monitor Audio Bronze BX2's (2012 hifi awards) really make a difference or maybe I should try swapping them around with the Dala Zensor 1 rear speakers and seeing if those work well with the hifi - maybe even swap them permanetly?

I listen to a wide range of music from Adele to Pink Floyd and Rammstein.

Cheers

 

[matthewpiano]

I would definitely give the Zensor 1s a try as it is a completely risk-free way of experimenting with something else. If you like them you could then look at two options:

1. Put the Missions on surround duties (which probably won't be noticeable after a while)

or

2. Put the Zensor 1s back into the surround system and try some Zensor 3s with your 2-channel set-up. The 3s are brilliant.

 

[mpcpba]

Update on first post re trying a swap between my old Mission 760i's with the Dali Zensor 1's stolen from my Zensor 5 TV system

The Zensor 1's were great but I found them too bright / attacking for my ears with this set up / room. They were certainly much more critical and detailed in the mid / upper ranges than the old Mission 760i's but did not add much extra clarity or weight to the base - and overall were just a little are too tiring for me. Even the Rega 3 playing Muse The Resistance sounded a little too critically bright whilst also not adding much in terms of lower weight.

Just goes to show that the old NAD system can still push out some quality sounds and that changing ths speakers woudl definitely make a difference!. Just not sure to what

So back to the Mission's for now until I can get to hear maybe the Monitor Audio Bronze BX2's (my stands are good ones) or maybe Mission MX3's and I can pack away the stands? Any one herad these?

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Mission around the late 90's - 00's were on a role with thier speaker design I own a set from the 780 range and started out with a pair of 731's. While I agree they are not the bassiest speakers the bass sounds real and tuneful and on the end of a decent amp its easy to differnciate between instruments in the lower register and count the amount of voices in a harmoney. (low resonance cabinates)

My gut tells me after a few weeks listening to these old speakers you will spend your time trying to replicate their sound with any modern speaker you may care to name in the price range you are looking at. If they are on stands I'd suggest trying various positions if possible and angle of toe-in, in your room to see which one reaps the most reward - fortunatly they do sound 'clean' so it could just be a question of hitting the sweat spot with them.

have you compared them to the Dali 5 - your fronts, just to compare how they sound with the NAD amp?

heard a pair and they were bassy - not defined but had alot of bass for the size, in retrospect I would not discribe them as 'fast' which I suspect those Missions are - that I believe was the Mission sound . But it was in a demo room so hard to tell there true quality.

Pls do a comparison and let us know.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

to add - I recall the 731's kicking out a sneer drum with real venom, way out in the room hanging off my technics amp of the time (cannot remember name/number but it was brown) it was about 40 to 60watt power but the little Missins did a good job. gave them to my sister who's kids blew them. Those little missions were great.

 

[mpcpba]

Well finally made the call on an upgrade. Went for the Dali Zensor 3 as the replacement for the Mission's. They are just awesome now that they are getting run in. The larger base driver from the 7's give them a clear but not overstated base which combined with clear mid and sparkling top mean that I am hearing stuff I haven't heard before! The larger than avg bookshelf boxes also pay dividends and give them a really open sound stage too. I have some really robust stands which seem to suit and allows me to give the rear base port space to breathe. A bit of toe in also seems to suit them

if anyone is thinking of the zensor 3's then at £300 they are a snip!

 

[mpcpba]

Well finally made the call on an upgrade. Went for the Dali Zensor 3 as the replacement for the Mission's. They are just awesome now that they are getting run in. The larger base driver from the 7's give them a clear but not overstated base which combined with clear mid and sparkling top mean that I am hearing stuff I haven't heard before! The larger than avg bookshelf boxes also pay dividends and give them a really open sound stage too. I have some really robust stands which seem to suit and allows me to give the rear base port space to breathe. A bit of toe in also seems to suit them

if anyone is thinking of the zensor 3's then at £300 they are a snip!