Great Midrange

No deep bass but plenty of mid and upper bass to blend well with a sub

I heard a lot of speakers before picking the mission 771. I have a 10 by 15 room and listen to striaght stereo only through a nak re-2 receiver. I wanted a warm, full sound which was hard to find. The mission was that and more so. The woofer is tight and fast and the soft-dome tweeter has great detial and is very smooth sounding after about a week or so of break in. The tweeter is on a moving surround which isolates it from the cabinet so it isn't disturbed by vibrations. This does mean, however, that the speaker's tweeter will need more than usual break in. If anyone says it sounds bright, just let it break in longer and the edge will fade away.
I also loved the paradigm reference 20's, the alon rascles and the celestion A1's, but they wouldn't fit in my cabinet. If you want more bass overall check out those speakers. But if small size is a requirement, like my room, the missions are the best out there.

Similar Products Used:

Kef Q15, mission 701, Energy, Bose (awful) and Vienna Acoustics

I have been in the market of updating my speakers for a while, but since my fiance blew my old B&W 301's, it prompted me to purchase sooner than I wanted to. I chose the 771's after listening to Boston Acoustics speakers in the same price range. I also listened to the B&W 302's as well as, and man was I surprised. The Missions out performed them both easily, with such a nice warm sound and very good range in the mid's and highs. The construction of the Missions are better also, a much more robust and sturdy cabinet, which equates to a better sounding speaker.
The real test was when I got them home. Boy what a difference from the B&W's, they filled the room with such clean, clear and warm sound. I ran the gamet of music, from Stevie Wonder, old Van Halen, Harry Connick Jr. to classical. Wow what a difference. The great sound didn't stop there. I popped in my Glory DVD, and wanted to see how they handled that. They took on that demand with ease, and did a great job with the range of loud cannon fire, to the screams of the dying men.

For the $350 I paid, I am very happy and couldn't find a speaker with such warm and clean sound.

I recently had the opportunity to hear the new Mission 771 after having heard the 772 model several weeks previously. Like the 772 model, the 771 is an excellent sounding speaker. I would characterize the sound as snappy, vivid, and smooth with a well behaved treble and punchy bass. Moreover, the smaller 771 delivers 95% of the 772's performance for a signifigant savings.
First off, the Mission 771 seems beautifully built. It feels heavier and more solid than the 772 model. A look around the back reveals a quality set of binding posts. The real cherry wood veneer is very attractive. The 771 sports the same silk dome tweeter and aerogel woofer as the 772 model. I believe that the tweeter is one of the keys to the speaker's success.

I listened to my usual range of test discs. To test for treble, upper mid-range smoothness, I listened to a disc of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, as well as the introduction of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." To test for piano accuracy, I listened to a disc of Liszt piano works. To test for vocal performance, I chose a disc of Motown hits. I skipped my usual Crystal Water's dance disc. The little 771s clearly do not possess the ability to reproduce deep bass given the small size of the box and the 5 1/4 inch woofer.

The introduction of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" sounded smooth and melliflous. I heard no undue harshness on upper strings. Although the sound was not the last word in richness, much of the atmosphere and drama of the piece was captured. It was very listenable.

The Schubert was just as successful. The 771s managed to avoid steeliness and shriek while delivering a sound full of drama and impact. I heard nice bloom and scale.

The piano test of Liszt piano works revealed a very vivid and involving piano tone, that was only slightly exaagerated. It was not quite as accurate sounding as the 772 model, but just as crisp. There was the slightest hint of the blurring of piano treble transients. Overall, the piano tone was very listenable.

The disc of Motown hits revealed unusually good separation and definition in voices. The Marvin Gaye/ Tammy Terrell duet sounded unsually articulate. Many speakers do not clearly differentiate tonally between Gaye and Terrell's voices. Their voices sounded distinct and clear on the 771s. I was impressed with the speaker's ability to reproduce intonations of diction.

Furthermore, the bass sounded punchy, fast, and tuneful, though as expected, I did not hear deep extension. Although deep bass is not on the 771 agenda, their sound has alot of snap and impact. Any extension deficit can easily be remedied with a subwoofer.

I am very impressed with the Mission 771s. They are snappy, punchy, articulate sounding speakers. Moreover, they carry a tune. Out of a half dozen speakers that I have heard recently, as well as the B&W P4s and Tannoy Mercury M2s that I currently own, the Mission 771s possess the most well behaved treble. This treble contributes to the accurate and consistent reproduction of orchestral string tone. It is a rare gift. The 771s possess the gift of musicality. They impress deeply with classical music, displaying smooth strings, atmospherics, and drama. They are equally impressive with vocals. Voices sound beautifully fleshed and articulate. Furthermore, the 771s are attractive and sturdilly built feeling more solid and better damped than the 772s. At $400/pr the Mission 771s represent extraordinary value for such a quality sound. I can't wait to buy a pair. I rate them five stars!

Mission 771 (87 dB/W/M; 8 ohms; 75 Hz- 20 kHz)

1. Upper orchestral strings (Wagner, Schubert) *****

2. Piano (Liszt) ****

3. Vocals (Motown Hits) *****

4. Looks ****

5. Build Quality ****

6. Value *****

I am involved in the design audio equipment for many major manufacturers, msotly the audiphile stuff. Heard a lot of speakers in a lot of demo rooms.The 771 as rear speakers are absolutely great!
Imaging of this and the other 77 series is amazing!
The rears provide great music fidelity and HT mid ranges and I was a bit surprised how good the bass is for these heavy little guys. I had issues on the 774's until bi-wiring fixed the bass, but the 771s have been to notch right out of the box. The Denon AVR-5700 receiver pairs beautiflly with them! The 5-Ch stereo mode with Eagles DTS disk really brings out the best in the Missions 771's. I twould take one heck of a receiver to make the Mission 77 the weak ling. They can really hold their own! Not too bright, very good balance for all frequencies as surround direct rears in my system. Very happy with purchase.

Use these with Rotel 970 bx amp, Sony xb-920E cd player marantz CD 63 ii ki sig, van den hul 50 pound interconnect(P2 or somink?)and Van den hul snowline speaker cable. I agree with other comments....great fast, tight bass..good for medium to small rooms, nice clear treble, not splashy in right system, and the sound is very clear and well defined.
Regards Danny.

I am now using Mission 771 as rear surround speakers. These speakers have a very clean, natural, lively sound. Excellent imaging. Because of the design, the bass tends to be a little boomy. If you prefer a more natural sound, get the 772. They have identical drivers. Yet, they are the best sounding speakers that I tried out in this price range. Great!!

Accurate and detailed highs, clarity overall

Bass response is not quite as impresstive as some other bookshelves

I have recently stepped into the world of hi-fi audio and the Mission 771s definetley pushed me there. I purchased them from a friend who is an audiophile and was demoing them; I trusted his opinion.

Compared to the mainstream products sold in most stores such as JBL, Infinity, and Polk, personally I think these speakers leave them in the dust. I feel as though that the music I have been listening to with my previous speakers has been missing parts and now has a fuller, clearer sound.

Some say that the highs can be annoying and irritating...this is true for the most part. It takes some getting used to, but I think I acctually appreciate it in the long run.

Overall I can say that I just got back from throwing my JBL's in the trash and am very pleased with these speakers. The value and sound are both great.

Similar Products Used:

Klipch Synergy, JBL G-Series