Mission M73

An informative midrange, the looks and good build quality ultimately earning this our approval

Popular speaker manufacturer Mission has put a new pair of speakers our way this month. Standing tall from the new M70 range is the M73 floorstander, the most affordable full size speaker in the range at £200. Its neutral colours and swanky looks should help it to bond with any listening room or lounge environment. A couple of months ago, we warmed to its younger counterpart the M71 standmounter, and it would appear the M73 enjoys the same value for money charm. In comparison, you should expect the larger cabinets to give you noticeably more bass, and historically Mission has achieved this aim, often at modest price points. Such low end prowess, 48Hz is claimed, is clearly designed to appeal to home cinema lovers too, who could use the M73s as front channels.

The ubiquitous MDF makes up the cabinets and the baffle, which supports an ABS moulding that houses the glass fibre mid/bass driver and soft dome tweeter. The rear mounted bass port means that the supplied foam bungs will be required for close to wall placement. Speaking of which, spend some time experimenting with positioning, it really will pay off on the satisfaction front.

The cabinet volume certainly does wonders for the bass, which is faithfully solid and punchy. The cabinets are mass-fillable, which should tighten up the bass a shade if required. Despite the slightly forward treble and an overall brightness, the speaker's musicality was never in question - neither was the timing, bass guitar and kick drum making good progress throughout
Led Zeppelin's Nobody's Fault But Mine.

An informative midrange helps cement the sonic capabilities of the Missions, the looks and good build quality ultimately earning them our approval. Had the M73s been around when I had a £200 speaker budget, I think I would have been very tempted indeed.

FEATURES

20x85x30cm (WxHxD); MDF cabinet; 160mm woven glass mid/bass cone; 25mm soft dome tweeter; sensitivity 90dB at 8 ohms; Can be mass loaded.