Need The Info: Mission M32i

 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 212
Registered: Oct-04
What's the low down on these M32i. I can't find much info on them on the net.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ptarmigan

Post Number: 15
Registered: Nov-05
This is true; there isn't much info. I did find a few reviews, in part through he company's website. Also, a search of Mission and its original designer, Farad Azima, shed some light.
Mission is an established British company, so there are limited sales in US, though I did find a store near Philadelphia that sells them and has a description online.
The company is now part of a corporate group, AIG, that includes Quad and Warfedale, from what I read, and Azima is still associated with that group. They also moved their factory to Malaysia from Britain recenly, accounting for the lower cost.
After finding this info, I decided to order them from Amazon. I expected some pretty good speakers, but those expectations were tempered by their size. The speakers have far exceeded my expectations, including in the bass department. Frankly, they are pretty close to flawless; I cannot find a fault with them.
I have used the speakers with four different amps, and gotten different sound from each. This suggests the speakers are very neutral. With my old Yamaha Class A/AB amp they sounded very pure, with precise stereo imaging and very good front-back imaging. But the bass was a bit weaker than with my old NAD receiver, which pumped out the bass.
I recently bought a Marantz SR4600. This has improved the bass vs the Yamaha and still gives me very detailed, warm sound. But if I ever upgrade my amp, I think the speakers will do justice to the better equipment, based on my observations with the Yamaha.
I also bought the Mission M31i, which is a bit smaller. This also puts out a lot of bass, especially with an amp like the NAD, which has a high current output, although the impedence match may have something to do with it. But with the same equipment, the M32i of course goes deeper. With a piano concerto, the M32i sounds like a concert grand, while the M31i sounds more like an upright. The M32i also does a better job of reproducing the complex harmonics of the piano.
The M32i are also 2 db more efficient than the M31i, which is noticeable. They are both great speakers.
As strange as it sounds, the M32i can actually do a credible job of reproducing a pipe organ, its got that much bass. And it does great with a harpsichord, so it has all the high end you want.
The sound seems reasonably flat - I could not hear any irregularities of response with the M32i, though the M31i did seem a touch weak in the lower midrange.
This was with bi-wiring. There was a remarkable improvement with bi-wiring - better stereo imaging and better response.
If all this sounds similar to the Amazon review, it is because I wrote it. All I can add is that I like the M32i so much that I bought a second set in cherry before they ran out. They still have the graphite, last I checked. Also, this model has run out before and they got more in. The original stock date was Aug, I believe, so it is hard to say, but they may get more.
If I had it to do over again, I might have gotten the M30i for surrounds, though. My Marantz puts out hardly any sound in the surround channels, so you don't need full sized matching speakers. But I also have concluded that surround as it is now is a waste of time. These speakers with a good amp can produce such amazing stereo imaging that you will prefer it over surround gimmicks.
FYI, I tried the speakers with a wide range of classical and jazz, and some pop vocals, and it sounds great with all of them.
If you get them, you will find they sound dull the first hour. Be patient. And be gentle as you break them in. They will soon sound amazing. With a good amp the music sounds amazingly lifelike with an extraordinary amount of detail.
I am more than 100 percent happy with them.
If you get them, I would be interested in your opinion. I have limited experience with modern speakers in this price range, and would like to know how you think they compare.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 214
Registered: Oct-04
I realize you have written several glowing review of these speakers. For the life of me, I can't figure out why your the only one? No reviews on epinions, audio review, or here on ecoustic. What gives?

Having said all that, I am very interested in the M32i, but will need to do a bit more digging before I bite the bullet.
 

Gold Member
Username: T_bomb25

Dayton, Ohio United States

Post Number: 1193
Registered: Jun-05
You have to dig around in the British Magazines,Missions have never been reviewed good in the states or Canada.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 216
Registered: Oct-04
T

Does that mean they're no good? At this pricepoint, they would seem to be worth listening to.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ptarmigan

Post Number: 18
Registered: Nov-05
True, there isn't a lot out there, but there is some. I had to dig. Also, Mission has a new website since I did that digging, and it is amazingly atrocious. I don't know how to get into it - that''s both the US and UK versions. However, a google search did lead me toward an in:
http://www.mission-usa.com/reviews/
This is a DOS like index.
As to epinions, there are some reviews, but you need to search for Mission loudspeakers. The M32i is a relatively new model.
There is a store in Pennsylvania that has some links to reviews on its website, STO Sound & Vision:
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/tsto.storefront/EN/catalog/1076
Here is an interesting review from Stereophile:
http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/511/
One of the things that convinced me was Mission's affiliation with IAG, which includes Quad. Quad is sort of the Rolls Royce of hifi, which would put Marantz in perhaps the Cadillac rung, and McIntosh as BMW?
Keep in mind that Mission has not sold much in the US, and these are newer models. I suspect with their move to Malaysia a shipment or two wound up going to Amazon for some reason.
I have found that every now and then you can find a speaker maker who does not advertise much but that really knows what it is doing. Years ago I had Hartley Zodiacs. You have probably not heard of them, nor of the Hartley Concertmaster (which had a 24 inch woofer). They didn't advertise much because they didn't need to. They sold themselves, and most of their output from their factory in NJ went to Japan. I worked in a hifi store in NJ and that's what I heard.
Now if you don't advertise in the magazines, how many reviews do you think you are going to get on your equipment? The answer is not zero, of course, but there just might be some correlation.
Certainly, there are other good speakers out there. But these are half off, and worth their full price. I listen to classical, and with a good amp the sound is very solid, realistic, with an almost holographic soundstage, left to right and front to back. But you need a good amp - I tried these speakers with several amps and the front back detail does not come through as much with lesser gear. In short, they are very clean, neutral speakers. I am happy with them.
Hope this helps.

 

Bronze Member
Username: Ptarmigan

Post Number: 19
Registered: Nov-05
True, there isn't a lot out there, but there is some. I had to dig. Also, Mission has a new website since I did that digging, and it is amazingly atrocious. I don't know how to get into it - that''s both the US and UK versions. However, a google search did lead me toward an in:
http://www.mission-usa.com/reviews/
This is a DOS like index.
As to epinions, there are some reviews, but you need to search for Mission loudspeakers. The M32i is a relatively new model.
There is a store in Pennsylvania that has some links to reviews on its website, STO Sound & Vision:
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/tsto.storefront/EN/catalog/1076
Here is an interesting review from Stereophile:
http://stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/511/
One of the things that convinced me was Mission's affiliation with IAG, which includes Quad. Quad is sort of the Rolls Royce of hifi, which would put Marantz in perhaps the Cadillac rung, and McIntosh as BMW?
Keep in mind that Mission has not sold much in the US, and these are newer models. I suspect with their move to Malaysia a shipment or two wound up going to Amazon for some reason.
I have found that every now and then you can find a speaker maker who does not advertise much but that really knows what it is doing. Years ago I had Hartley Zodiacs. You have probably not heard of them, nor of the Hartley Concertmaster (which had a 24 inch woofer). They didn't advertise much because they didn't need to. They sold themselves, and most of their output from their factory in NJ went to Japan. I worked in a hifi store in NJ and that's what I heard.
Now if you don't advertise in the magazines, how many reviews do you think you are going to get on your equipment? The answer is not zero, of course, but there just might be some correlation.
Certainly, there are other good speakers out there. But these are half off, and worth their full price. I listen to classical, and with a good amp the sound is very solid, realistic, with an almost holographic soundstage, left to right and front to back. But you need a good amp - I tried these speakers with several amps and the front back detail does not come through as much with lesser gear. In short, they are very clean, neutral speakers. I am happy with them.
Hope this helps.

 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 220
Registered: Oct-04
J

Thanks for the help, and I appreciate your enthusiasm for these speakers, but it still doesn't explain the lack of reviews online, and especially the lack of reviews at amazon, they must be selling a boatload of these speakers and still no reviews? I can't figure it out? Can amazon be censoring reviews?
 

Gold Member
Username: T_bomb25

Dayton, Ohio United States

Post Number: 1208
Registered: Jun-05
All of the companies under IAG are very established companies with speakers,that have all made legendary speakers,with Wharfedale being one of the oldest companies in Audio with 80+ years the oldest speaker company in the UK.And no the UK take 2 channel audio much more seriously than the US, who have swithced their attention to Home Theater and a lot of 2 channel audio dealers dont exist anymore in the US.Missions are good,but it is puzzleing how they received so little attention here in the States and in Canada and the little press they have gotten in North America hasnt been very good.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 222
Registered: Oct-04
T

As I understand, Mission has experienced some financial turmoil of late (hence the amazon liquidation pricing). Perhaps they have not been able to play by the rules when it comes to magazines/reviews (I assume they're are are some unspoken rules) because of those financial problems. But that still would not explain the lack of consumer reviews.
 

KBear
Unregistered guest
Not to hijack this thread but I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on Mission subs. I've got an MS-8 sub as part of a mini system, which I bought because my speakers needed the help. It was cheap (on sale at $280) and was a respected speaker brand and I wanted something fast (Mission is pretty available in the Toronto area).

I haven't really had a chance to listen to something like HSU and I'm wondering if Mission is a lot worse or at least approaches HSU quality.

For what it's worth I love the way it has improved the sound of my system, but I know my speakers (Energy C-1s, which are great otherwise) needed couldn't handle the lower end by themselves...so any half decent sub would lead to better sound I guess.

Thanks!
 

KBear
Unregistered guest
True, there isn't a lot out there, but there is some. I had to dig. Also, Mission has a new website since I did that digging, and it is amazingly atrocious. I don't know how to get into it - that''s both the US and UK versions. However, a google search did lead me toward an in:
http://www.mission-usa.com/reviews/
This is a DOS like index.


I think you need to click on "enter site" and then on "Products" at the bottom of the page. This is on their UK site, not sure about the US.

Here is a link to the product page:

http://www.mission.co.uk/index1.htm

It also looks like they have some sort of Professional Line, whatever that is:

http://www.missionprofessional.com/
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 223
Registered: Oct-04
I was thinking something a bit more independant.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 225
Registered: Oct-04
I think I'm going to pick-up a pair of M32i on a whim. I've got a $20 credit at amazon, so they should only cost me $154.

I would like to see how they size up tp my Infinity Alpha 20s.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 226
Registered: Oct-04
A few more positve reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AREC3O
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 231
Registered: Oct-04
I will be posting my first impressions of the M32i shortly.
 

Gold Member
Username: T_bomb25

Dayton, Ohio United States

Post Number: 1235
Registered: Jun-05
Love to hear it,this will be really interresting.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 232
Registered: Oct-04
You have to hand it to Amazon, I ordered a pair of the Mission M32i & received them the next day. I quickly A/B'd them against the Infinity Alpha 20s.

First things first, both feature 1" tweeters & 6.5" mid/woofers, the Missions are rear-ported; the Infinities are front-ported, and are about 3" taller (pushing the limits of what is & isn't a bookshelf). The build quality of the M32i is comparable to the Alpha 20s, very solidly built with convincing wood-grain vinyl. Both are bi-wireable.

My NAD C740 provided the juice through a conventional two-wire hook-up; my Dell DJ Jukebox provided the MP3s. Three songs would have to do (The wife was on the way home, and she doesn't like it when I pay more attention to my electronic than I do to her).

1. Bob Dylan/The Essential Bob Dylan/Tangled up in Blue
2. The Rolling Stones/Stripped/Wild Horses (studio rehersal)
3. Fiona Apple/Extraordinary Machine/Tymps (the sick in the head song)...just to stray off my normal listening path a bit.

The A20s are very fine sounding speakers; slightly laid back, a little thin, with very nice clean midrange & vocals, and almost a sparkle. The M32i sound bigger, much bigger with full bass, bordering on, but just short of, being boomy, much more forward with a very wide soundstage, every bit the equal of the A20s when it comes to mids & vocals, and with a little running-in, I imagine these will even open-up a bit more. The M32i are keepers.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why these Missions seem to have been overlooked in the market place (there are only a handful of reviews on the net), but they have, and that's a shame. These Missions are damn-good speakers.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 234
Registered: Oct-04
OK, I've had a few more days with the M32i, and maybe I'm just giddy, but let me tell you, these are fun speakers. Same configuration (this time the wife was nowhere in sight), on the menu this time...

1. Eric Clapton/Me & Mr. Johnson/When You've Got A Good Friend
2. The Sundays/Blind/Wild Horses
3. Stone Temple Pilots/Encomium/Dancing Days

Please realize I'm listening to these in something less than ideal conditions (my kitchen actually), however, I can confidently say these things sound huge, and I'm not joking when I say they have a very wide soundstage, the M32i put every instrument where you would imagine they would be on stage, the vocals, right in front of you. Wow!

I've listened to many speakers over the last few weeks; Paradigm, Epos, Mordant-Short, Totem (I just bought a pair of Dreamcatchers too), Monitor Audio, Infinity, even some other Missions. The M32i are quality speakers at any price, at $175 they are an absolute steal. You'd have to spend at least the $100 more to approach their sound; approach, but perhaps, not improve upon, remember the M32i has a 6.5" mid/woofer & real bass. Grab them while you can if you're in the market for a speaker in the sub-$500 category. They won't last long.
 

Gold Member
Username: T_bomb25

Dayton, Ohio United States

Post Number: 1240
Registered: Jun-05
Thats one thing all British monitors do is produce a huge soundstage,and play big thats the prefered choice in the UK since they have smaller rooms.Over there all Monitors must play big with a huge pinpoint soundstage, correct timing,great imaging,great tight bass,micro and macro dynamics,smooth extended topend,and last and most important to the Brits,a accurate holographic midrange,thats the Britt way and thats the main reason why they build the best monitors in the world at all price points.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 235
Registered: Oct-04
T

You can say that again. You really should try to get a chance to listen to these if you can.
 

Gold Member
Username: Edster922

Abubala, Ababala The Occupation

Post Number: 3002
Registered: Mar-05
TW,

So is there any truth to the oft-repeated criticism that British speakers tend to favor a smiley-shaped EQ curve? (Tipped up bass and treble with a hollow midrange.)

Can you make a generalized distinction between the "sound" signature of a British vs. an American speaker?
 

Gold Member
Username: T_bomb25

Dayton, Ohio United States

Post Number: 1276
Registered: Jun-05
Hollow midrange where did you here that,the Britts invented the concept of monitors,thats totally untrue Eddie.It used to be a real big distinction,but the Canadian and American speakers have improved by leaps and bounds,one thing thats usaully apparent is the spoken voice the Britts are just so good at that.Most of my speakers that I've owned have been British,and I favored them for their Midrange,Coherance,Soundstaging and imaging,and their tight bottem end,and their build quality for the dollar.And most of all their timing,and realism with accoustic instruments.
 

Gold Member
Username: Edster922

Abubala, Ababala The Occupation

Post Number: 3013
Registered: Mar-05
Glad to hear that, Tawaun, I also thought it was a little puzzling.

Anyways, three questions for you concerning a 2-channel, music only and no-subwoofer bedroom system, powered by NAD separates:

1. If I want to stay under $200: the Mission 32i or the Infinity Primus 150s?

2. Is it worth it to spend an extra $150 and get Tim's Lings instead? Or the Epos ELS-3?

3. Or should I just get a used pair of Polk RT600i floorstanders which someone locally is selling for just $200 and claims to be in mint condition? I am intrigued by its downward firing port.
 

Silver Member
Username: Exerciseguy

Brooklyn, NY USA

Post Number: 250
Registered: Oct-04
Tim actually has a sale on the Lings w/Clear Cherry finish for $299+s/h, check his B-stock.
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