My new old speakers
mlistens03
Posts: 2,767
in Speakers
About a month before Christmas, my friend blew his only pair of speakers (don’t worry, they were acoustic monitor something or others, and they pretty much defined cheap), so I let him borrow my Mission Freedom 770s. I bought them at the beginning of summer last year to replace a pair of cheap old onkyo speakers, and instantly fell in love with them. Unfortunately, they were shortly replaced by the Infinities I am selling in the for sale thread. I kept them for a while, going back and forth about which is better, until I decided that the missions for sure were more enjoyable to listen to, even though the infinities had more clarity to the sound. Anyway, the infinities became kind of background speakers for an emergency. Then my friend needed a pair of speakers, and I let him borrow the Missions because they were essentially worthless. In perfect condition they would rarely sell for over $150 and they were very far from perfect condition (what do you expect, they are almost 40 years old, probably not being taken great care of, not to mention the fact that they had to be shipped overseas). Not wanting him to ruin the valuable speakers, I gave him these. Anyway, they have now returned and sound absolutely amazing. I forgot how good these things sound. Here are a few pictures:
As you can see, the cabinets are structurally sound, but are not pretty to look at. I plan on restoring these speakers to their former glory, and I will probably keep up with this story here, however it could take a long time (and I mean a really long time, as I don’t ever have enough money to do everything at once).
Micah
As you can see, the cabinets are structurally sound, but are not pretty to look at. I plan on restoring these speakers to their former glory, and I will probably keep up with this story here, however it could take a long time (and I mean a really long time, as I don’t ever have enough money to do everything at once).
Micah
Comments
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VERY cool.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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Thanks. Cleaned them up a little bit just now, apparently my friend doesn’t get the dust off of his speakers?
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Since they appear to be real wood veneer, give Howard's restore a finish a shot. Inexpensive, but can give some pretty nice results.
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Will that help with the water damage on the top? I didn’t do it by the way, if I did I would probably give away the speakers so I didn’t have to look at my wrongdoings...
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mlistens03 wrote: »Will that help with the water damage on the top? I didn’t do it by the way, if I did I would probably give away the speakers so I didn’t have to look at my wrongdoings...
@F1nut ... -
ken brydson wrote: »mlistens03 wrote: »Will that help with the water damage on the top? I didn’t do it by the way, if I did I would probably give away the speakers so I didn’t have to look at my wrongdoings...
@F1nut ...
Yup -- he is a pro and has provided tonnes of good advice here over the years.
I had done a quick search earlier, but didn't come up with a good thread to post as a
reference. They are on here, someplace, though... or... just PM him (if he doesn't show up on this thread spontaneously).
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mhardy6647 wrote: »ken brydson wrote: »mlistens03 wrote: »Will that help with the water damage on the top? I didn’t do it by the way, if I did I would probably give away the speakers so I didn’t have to look at my wrongdoings...
@F1nut ...
Yup -- he is a pro and has provided tonnes of good advice here over the years.
I had done a quick search earlier, but didn't come up with a good thread to post as a
reference. They are on here, someplace, though.
Ok, I will look for some info.mhardy6647 wrote: »or... just PM him (if he doesn't show up on this thread spontaneously).
lol.
Thanks! -
Might have to wait until sundown lol
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Upon listening again, I really like the sound of these. They are from the 80s, but they don't sound old. I remember listening to some older JBLs a while back, and while they did sound good, they had an old sound to them. These have a newer kind of sound to them, very bright, and not very warm either. Very nice speakers.
I am gonna try and find some of that Howard's Restor-A-Finish stuff, see how it works. -
I've never seen speakers with a "perforated" port like that. Or with integrated stands like that!
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If you push the speaker backwards, and then lift the speaker, the stands come off. The perforated port was to tune it deeper than the original 770, which had a flat response down to around 50 hertz I think, the port helps it play down to 35. It also looks really cool
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A good buddy of mine had a pair of Mission - they are a very nice speaker from that era - congrats!VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
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Upon listening again, I really like the sound of these. They are from the 80s, but they don't sound old. I remember listening to some older JBLs a while back, and while they did sound good, they had an old sound to them. These have a newer kind of sound to them, very bright, and not very warm either. Very nice speakers.
heh -- most of the drivers in my loudspeakers were already old in the 1980s -- very old.
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A good buddy of mine had a pair of Mission - they are a very nice speaker from that era - congrats!
thanks!
Lol. If you have them today, that would be really cool to listen to.mhardy6647 wrote: »Upon listening again, I really like the sound of these. They are from the 80s, but they don't sound old. I remember listening to some older JBLs a while back, and while they did sound good, they had an old sound to them. These have a newer kind of sound to them, very bright, and not very warm either. Very nice speakers.
heh -- most of the drivers in my loudspeakers were already old in the 1980s -- very old.
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mlistens03 wrote: »...
Lol. If you have them today, that would be really cool to listen to.
Listenin' to 'em as I type this. Nothin' old soundin' about 'em.
No siree Bob.
DSC_9984 (3) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
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Sorry, that's not what I meant. A lot of the vintage speakers have a very vintage sound to them, these don't. I don't know if yours do, as I have never listened to them.
Those are really cool by the way
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They are fit for purpose
Your 'sounds new'/'sounds old' perspective may mature (so to speak) as you listen more and more.
Keep open ears and mind for best results & the most fun in this hobby.
(just a passel of my own opinions, needless to say)
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I think he just meant that some vintage speakers that maybe aren't in the best of condition have a tendency to sound kindof cloudy/vague/muddy and lack detail.
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No doubt.I think he just meant that some vintage speakers that maybe aren't in the best of condition have a tendency to sound kindof cloudy/vague/muddy and lack detail.
The Missions are very decent loudspeakers -- how new or old they are isn't the salient variable, though.
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I think he just meant that some vintage speakers that maybe aren't in the best of condition have a tendency to sound kindof cloudy/vague/muddy and lack detail.
Exactly. That is what those JBLs sounded like, and it is probably the cause of age, and not how they were designed. -
My first fix on the Missions, I touched up the corners of the front silver baffle with a silver sharpie marker. Here are some pics:
Not the perfect color, but far less noticeable than before for sure. Very pleased with how it turned out, I’m hoping with age that it will get a little darker. -
Whenever you guys bring up 80's speakers I get sad. I had a pair of Advent Maestros that were just sweet....When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
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mlistens03 wrote: »Upon listening again, I really like the sound of these. They are from the 80s, but they don't sound old. I remember listening to some older JBLs a while back, and while they did sound good, they had an old sound to them. These have a newer kind of sound to them, very bright, and not very warm either. Very nice speakers.
I am gonna try and find some of that Howard's Restor-A-Finish stuff, see how it works.
If that doesn't achieve the results your looking for, a little sanding and restaining will do the trick. Especially if you go for a darker color, IMO.Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
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Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Ok, I’ll try that if it doesn’t work. Thanks for all the help you’ve given me with this, this is hopefully the first of many restorations.
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... sorry my question posted twicePost edited by mlistens03 on
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So, minor issue, a while back I had the surround replaced on one of the speakers because my “friend” who I was forced to hang out with a few months back cranked the volume and the surround separated from the cone (this would not be the same guy who I got these back from). I got the surround replaced, and just now noticed that the guy did it wrong and the glue is holding back the movement of the driver. As you can see in this pic, the edge that is glued to the cone is stiff probably because there is glue behind it or the rubber reacted with the glue somehow.
You cant see super well in the pictures, but the surround is very hard and feels like it is going to crack or break if I push on it any harder.
Do any of you know of any surround kits I can use for this specific speaker, or a drop in replacement woofer if all else fails?
And if I have to buy a generic surround, how do I measure the surround that is already there?
Also, in my research this is a picture I found from a u ship document from 5 years ago:
This pair of speakers was shipped from Washington DC to Orlando FL. I bought mine in a flea market in Daytona FL, and since these speakers were only ever sold in England, there can’t be many here. Same finish, same style stands, but the speakers have covers. But covers can be lost over the course of 4 years. And, a few weeks after I got my speakers there was a set of covers for these for sale. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! -
Parts express, Simply Speakers, others are out there. Give it a shot! Lot's of threads here on foam surround replacement.
https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-parts.htmlBasement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
I’ve replaced foam before, and I know how to do it, but there is no specific surround for this speaker. I just need to know how to measure it. I’m gonna contact Mission tomorrow because I heard somewhere that they still make parts for these speakers (at least as of 2012) and maybe I can see if they have the original surrounds.
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You might want to contact Rick Cobb & see if he has proper surrounds for them. He may well.
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Ok, I’ll see if I can find him, but for now I’m gonna hope Mission has the parts.
How can I contact Rick?
