Mission ZX-2
These speakers look great, but do they live up to that potential?
Judge the Mission ZX-2S on anything other than sound quality and they would be considered one of the class leaders. They sport clean, classy aesthetics and feature cutting-edge drive units to match or better those used on most price rivals.
Add what appears to be highly aggressive pricing and you have boxes that should have the best at the price quaking on their stands. Yet, the star rating on this review makes it clear that they don’t. We’re surprised – Mission has been on a good run and has the resources to excel. That solid foundation is clear in the ZX-2’S engineering content, particularly the drive units.
Ringing the changes
Not long ago, only high-end speakers featured a ring dome tweeter such as that used here. A conventional tweeter dome is driven around its circumference, leaving the centre less than fully controlled, which leads to distortion.
A ring tweeter gets around this issue by firmly locating the centre of the dome and attaching the voice coil part way up it. The resultant diaphragm shape takes the form of a ring, which should give a cleaner and more transparent sound.
The pair of 13cm mid/bass drivers is equally impressive. They have what Mission calls a Diadrive cone – a double-layered set-up with an aluminium outer layer reinforced and damped by a sub cone driven by the voice coil. This configuration is claimed to offer superior control to more traditional alternatives. Mission has added extra venting behind the diaphragm to reduce resonances and improve midrange clarity.
The engineers have worked hard on the crossover network to ensure that the drive units work together seamlessly. They have also reinforced the cabinet to give the drive units a solid and low-noise foundation to work from. It sounds sensible, yet all that work hasn’t resulted in a pair of speakers that makes us want to listen to music late into the night.
We use our reference set-up of Naim ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 Mk III reference amplifier to see what the Missions do when pushed, but also try Cambridge’s CXA81 amplifier to see how they perform with more price-comparable kit. Connection is through the ZX-2S’ high quality single-wire terminals.
Once positioned on stands a little into the room, they deliver an agile and open sound. We play The Absence by Melody Gardot – a recording packed with sumptuous vocals and intricate rhythms. A system needs to be expressive and rhythmically surefooted to shine here – areas where the ZX-2S struggle.
While there’s plenty to admire in the way these speakers define individual notes – leading and trailing edges are crisply drawn – they don’t manage to arrange them into a convincing whole. It’s all a little messy and cluttered.
We notice a lot of vibration coming through the enclosure panels while music is playing, particularly the top and sides. We can’t help but wonder if that’s the source of the things we’re noticing.
Gardot’s voice is as distinctive as they come, but through the Missions, she sounds insubstantial, diluted of natural warmth and expression. The result is that her vocals come across as though she’s rehearsing the lines rather than fully expressing passion in the lyrics.
We switch to a pair of B&W 606s and are greeted by a more entertaining performance with a greater dynamic punch and more rhythmic coherence.
Low-end authority
We play Dvořák’s New World Symphony and note the Mission’s even tonal balance and pleasing low-end authority. That pair of mid/bass drivers delivers far more depth and punch than the slim proportions of the ZX-2S would suggest.
These speakers are capable of rendering large-scale dynamic shifts with conviction, provided you listen at higher volume levels. Once the dial turns south, they become a little lifeless.
We have no issue with the quality of the stereo imaging – it’s stable and precisely located. While these speakers have a crisp presentation, they’re refined enough to play aggressive recordings without any harshness. It’s a quality that helps with system matching, though we would avoid overly forward electronics.
But the issues remain. This is a stirring piece of music but through the Missions, it doesn’t keep our interest. The presentation lacks in dynamic nuance and natural warmth. It’s fair to say we’re disappointed with the Missions. All the ingredients are in place for the ZX-2S to challenge the best at the price, but they seem a little undercooked. There are glimpses of greatness, but that’s all.