Immediately, Mission is called a specialist speaker producer, however that wasn’t all the time the case. Again within the early Eighties, it was a much more various model that made all elements of the audio chain from turntables, tonearms and cartridges to CD gamers proper via to audio system.
The corporate’s first amplifiers have been massively bold premium designs just like the 776/777 pre/energy mixture, however it wasn’t lengthy earlier than it produced a extra reasonably priced, although hardly much less distinctive, built-in design referred to as the 778. The 778 solely lasted a number of years earlier than its design was developed into the primary merchandise of Mission’s then-new sub-brand, Cyrus.
Construct & design
Whereas that authentic 778 was well-received, it’s truthful to say that the visually related Cyrus One and Cyrus Two amplifiers went on to make an even bigger impression on the world of hi-fi. However that shouldn’t detract from the brand new 778X we’ve on take a look at right here. Aside from being constructed right into a half-width casing and sharing the title of the corporate’s first built-in amplifier, there’s little or no right here associated to that authentic design.
Regardless, this can be a massively aggressive product that doesn’t want any assist from nostalgia to enchantment. It’s nicely outfitted by the requirements of its friends. There’s a shifting magnet phono stage alongside a pair of line-level inputs. Digital compatibility? Sure, the 778X has a pair of optical inputs, a single coax enter and a USB Sort B port. The interior DAC module is constructed across the long-running ESS Sabre ES9018K2M chip and might deal with 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 music recordsdata via the USB and as much as 192kHz PCM with optical and coax.
Mission 778X tech specs
Sort Built-in
Energy 45W per channel
Phono stage? Sure (MM)
Inputs Line stage x2, MM phono, optical x2, coax x1, USB (Sort B) x1
Outputs Pre-out
Bluetooth? Sure (Bluetooth 5.0, aptX)
Headphone output? Sure (6.3mm)
Dimensions (hwd) 9.8 x 23.6 x 38.6cm
Weight 6.3 kg
That’s not all – aptX Bluetooth streaming is on the menu too, as is a front-panel mounted 6.3mm headphone socket. After all, there’s a distant within the field – this isn’t the Eighties in spite of everything – and it’s a easy, small however efficient handset. Surprisingly, Mission doesn’t provide the CR2025 button battery required to make it work, so chances are you’ll must make a journey to the retailers.
The 778X’s casework’s industrial design is probably not to all tastes, however there isn’t a denying the excessive stage of match and end. The casework feels stable and we like the sleek but substantial motion of the primary rotary management dials. Total, that is definitely one of many best-built built-in amps we’ve come throughout at this stage.
Mission’s dad or mum firm IAG owns a number of manufacturers, together with Quad and Leak, so it comes as little shock that there are electrical circuit similarities between the Quad Vena II, Leak Stereo 130 and this 778X built-in. The rated energy outputs are similar at 45 watts per channel into 8 ohms, rising to 65 watts per aspect because the impedance halves. Examine the options and normal specs, and there’s little in it bar small variations within the enter sensitivities of the road and phono enter of the Mission in comparison with the opposite two.
Does it matter that the three are intently associated? Not in our view. It makes financial sense for a dad or mum firm like IAG to design issues on this approach, and so long as every product nonetheless displays the respective model’s values, then there isn’t a downside. We haven’t formally examined both the Quad or the Leak, so can’t touch upon the relative efficiency of both, however on the time of writing the Mission prices significantly lower than each, which means it has the potential to be the very best worth.
There may be nonetheless loads of powerful competitors at this worth stage. There may be Rega’s built-in amplifier duo of io (£420 / $725) and Brio (£549 / $1100) to think about and mighty contenders like Arcam’s award-winning A5 (£749 / $699), but we really feel the 778X is nice sufficient to stay a part of the dialog at its £549 / $549 price ticket.
Sound
We examined the Mission amp in two completely different techniques. The primary is our reference arrange of Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and ATC SCM 50 audio system and the opposite, a Cyrus CDi CD participant with Bower & Wilkins 607 S3 standmounters. In each circumstances, we carried on utilizing the amplifier lengthy after our official take a look at course of was over. That could be a good signal. We’re hardly wanting extra premium options in our take a look at rooms, however there was one thing in regards to the 778X’s well-judged steadiness that stored us listening.
This can be a tidy-sounding product; one which digs up loads of element and consists sufficient to rearrange all that info right into a cohesive and musical entire. As we take heed to Mount The Air by The Unthanks, it doesn’t take lengthy for our consideration to shift from what the 778X feels like to only how a lot we’re having fun with the music. Nothing within the sound stands proud or annoys, and that’s essential.
This built-in has a pleasant, open steadiness that retains sufficient in the way in which of pure heat to keep away from costs of sounding scientific. It helps that dynamics are rendered in a managed however expressive approach and the music’s altering momentum is conveyed with conviction. Positive, the easiest of its rivals present much more enthusiasm when rendering these facets of the sound, however the Mission works nicely sufficient in its personal proper.
We just like the Mission’s approach with voices, and anybody accustomed to The Unthanks is aware of that the people group delivers a few of the most lovely and expressive vocals round. That is apparent via the 778X because of a beautiful mix of chew, sweetness and perception at mid-to-high frequencies. In case you feed it with an aggressive supply or recording it gained’t cover any shortcomings, however there’s sufficient in the way in which of refinement to cease issues getting nasty. This can be a useful trait in an amplifier that’s as prone to be partnered with finances parts as it’s these additional up the worth and skill ladder.
Dvořák’s New World Symphony is a demanding classical piece however the Mission delivers sufficient in the way in which of scale and authority to fulfill. An influence output of 45 watts per channel sounds comparatively modest, however so long as you might be wise with partnering audio system and don’t have an unusually giant listening area we predict the 778X will cope simply fantastic. It’s composed with demanding music resembling this, and inside the expectations of its class, does nicely at capturing the grandeur and emotion of the music.
Probably the most spectacular facets of this amplifier is simply how constant it sounds via its varied connections. Whereas every little thing we’ve described to this point applies to the line-level inputs, the story is equally constructive via the trio of digital choices. The DAC module fitted right here is an effective one, retaining the crisp but forgiving steadiness we hear via the analogue inputs. We attempt a spread of recordings from Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones (24-bit/88.2kHz) to the DSD of Stevie Marvel’s Innervisionswith Mahler’s Symphony No.4 in between and the Mission copes admirably. It sounds balanced and attention-grabbing, even at decrease quantity ranges.
The excellent news continues after we plug our Technics SL-1000R/Vertere Sabre MM file participant into the 778X’s shifting magnet phono enter. It’s a decently quiet circuit that retains the character and liveliness we get pleasure from via the opposite inputs. We have now a nice afternoon spinning data as various as Nitin Sawhney’s Human and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Verdict
It must be clear by now that the 778X is a fantastic all-rounder. It even sounds good via the headphone output and that isn’t all the time the case with amplifiers at this stage. This Mission is up towards some powerful competitors, and possibly its barely understated sonic method gained’t draw the eye as strongly as its rivals, however make no mistake, this can be a well-rounded product that deserves loads of success. Retro enchantment or not, the Mission 778X convinces.
SCORES
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