I don't really know what to call these, and neither, apparently, did Mission. The hammertone grey baffle dates them around 1985, and they use the same stand as the 737, 770 Freedom 4 and 780 Argonaut in the 1985 speaker catalogue. They're the same form factor as the 780, but the drivers are all different. They're made in France by Sierre, a high end OEM manufacturer, later bought by, and absorbed into, Audax. In researching these speakers, I found a complete set of photos of an identical pair in eastern Europe, but no model number. A gentleman in Alberta, who called them Argonaut Reference speakers, was trying to find a single woofer for his. I've seen one other speaker from Mission with the same ribbed woofer. It was designated 770S, and had a standard 770 Freedom 4 Vifa tweeter, with one ribbed woofer. Frank Fabian, at The Speaker Shop (where Fernando installed new surrounds on the tweeters, a very, very difficult process), was very surprised to see a pair on this continent. Perhaps they're prototypes (maybe even in conjunction with CYRUS, who used Sierre drivers in demonstrations at european hifi shows), perhaps a limited edition.
So, how do they sound? I'm a big Mission fan, and know the 770 in all it's versions pretty well. I've never heard a made in England Mission that I didn't like, especially the 70s and early 80s products. These sound bigger in every way, and add to the traditional Mission strengths in subtle and not so subtle ways. There is nothing subtle about the bass response of these speakers. Subjectively, I've only enjoyed bass of this depth once before in my apartment, from a pair of ESS AMT3 Rock Monitors, but not with the same speed. The bass is fast, tight and extended, but very tuneful. The mids are beautiful, as is the top. They're very revealing, never hard though.
These are some of the coolest speakers I've ever owned.
There was a pair for sale here in Vancouver about 6 months ago. The guy was asking around $350/pair. I offered him $250 but he did not bite. My thought was I have a pair of 770 Freedom 4's that I picked up for a C note, so it was a stretch to buck up for the 780 Argonaut's.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy them.
Funny seeing this since I ended up buying these missions in Vancouver for 3 bills. I do not regret it one bit. I sure would like to find out the history of these. I do think they were made around 1982 and I think the newer 780 Argonauts came out in 85 but don't quote me on that
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ReplyDeleteThese are the original Mission 780 Argonauts (that's how they were branded in the UK). The bass drivers you have in that version are indeed those from the 770S (the worst of the 770 line, IMHO). The tweeters though, are not the production version - do you know what they are? Looks like you may have something either experimental, prototype or with drivers changed by one of their owners at some point in their lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThere are pictures on my blog of the Mission 780 Argonauts in both MkI (based on the 770 Freedom MkI with the tweeter at the top as per your photo here) and the MkII (based on the 770 Freedom MkII and having the tweeter placed between the woofers): http://audiophilemusings.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-mission-page.html
I know this is and old thread but I just obtained a set of these speakers and I am hoping I can get some help. My speakers have the same tweeters but the woofers are different because they do not have ridges. Also, it has two sets of speaker binding posts so they can be bi-amped. The plate where the binding posts are attached states the specifications are 100 watts and 8ohm. The surround on one of the tweeters is starting to fail. Does anyone know where I can source suitable surrounds or replacement tweeters? The surrounds appear to be made out of cork and rubber. Also, there is a jumper between the second set of binding posts (+ to -). I have never seen this before because the jumpers usual run - to - and + to +. Any idea as to why someone would do this? Is this something that would be done at the factory or more likely an owner modification? Also, most specifications I have seen for these speakers say they are 4ohm with a higher wattage rating. Would this mean someone installed a different crossover either at the factory or later? The speakers seem to perform fine so I am not sure any of these conditions have any negative impact on performance. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
ReplyDeleteI just purchased a set today in Penticton, BC. They have the same tweeter and woofers as those of the original poster. They sound wonderful. Im having a hard time deciding if I want to leave them in my daily system or keep my Paradigm Studio Monitors for every day use. They are that nice to listen to. One of the tweeters has new foam and i have the foam surround for the other one, i may do that this evening.
ReplyDeleteI sure would like more info on these but it is hard to find anything on them.
Can you provide a source for the tweeter surround? Both of mine are shot.
ReplyDeleteThese speakers were the very first incarnation of the Mission 780 before the addition of the Argonaut designation.
ReplyDeleteThe tweeters were in fact the production driver when originally manufactured, with changes in subsequent models. As noted they were introduced with the new 770S, but when it started out with the SEAS tweeter before the change to the Vifa.
The ribbed woofer composition was something Mission referred to as a special homopolymer impregnated with minerals which was an advancement to polypropylene.
Hi Everyone, I have these 780 reference speakers and they are a bit beat up. My tweeters need refoaming but does anyone know where I could get a kit for them?
ReplyDeletePicked up a pair at a thrift store for $50. They're really great speakers and have been my preference in my home when head to head against some respectable competition. I had to re-glue the spiders on a couple of woofers and glue some small cracks in one surround. I need to refinish the veneer to really complete the package.
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