Mission 701 bookshelf speakers, a pair with grilles off showing white-cone woofers mounted above the tweeters and front bass ports

Mission 701 bookshelf speakers seen from an angle, black ash cabinets with the woofer above the tweeter and a port below

Mission

Mission 701 Bookshelf Speakers, Pair – British Design, Black Ash

Name: Mission 701 Bookshelf Speakers, Pair – British Design, Black Ash
Brand: Mission
SKU: 21328
Price: 245.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

$174.00

A pair of Mission 701 two-way bookshelf speakers in black ash, with Mission's inverted driver layout and their grilles. One of our favourites in this size.

✔️ Tested on our bench, woofer and tweeter in each
✔️ Very good, grilles included
✔️ 89 dB, 8 ohms: easy for any receiver
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping

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Categories: Used/Vintage, Speakers, Bookshelf / Monitors Tags: 701, audio components, black ash, bookshelf speakers, British speakers, home audio, Mission, Mission 701, Mission speakers, speaker pair, stereo speakers, two-way speakers, vintage audio

Description

A pair of Mission 701 two-way bookshelf speakers in black ash, from the British speaker maker Mission, with their black cloth grilles. They have been tested on our bench before listing.

What it is

Mission was founded in England in 1977 and made its name with compact speakers that sound bigger and livelier than their size suggests. The 701 is a classic example: a two-way, front-ported bookshelf design with a 6.5-inch white-cone woofer and a 1-inch dome tweeter, voiced for an open, energetic sound that suits everything from acoustic music to rock. They sound extremely good, and they are one of our favourites in this size.

The first thing anyone notices is that the tweeter sits below the woofer rather than above it. Mission call it Inverted Driver Geometry, and the reason is time alignment: the tweeter’s output has a shorter path to travel than the woofer’s, so mounting it lower brings the two into step at the height of a seated listener’s ears.

At 89 dB sensitivity and 8 ohms nominal, they are an easy load, happy with anything from 25 to 100 watts per channel. A modest vintage receiver drives them well, and a good integrated amplifier lets them really open up. Because the bass port is on the front baffle, they are more forgiving of a spot near the wall or on a shelf than a rear-ported speaker.

Each speaker has a single pair of binding posts on the back that take bare wire or banana plugs; our own Radique Audio banana plugs are a neat fit, and our Custom Speaker Cable Builder will make a pair to the exact length you need.

The testing it has had

Tested on our bench before listing: woofer and tweeter in each speaker.

Condition

Very good: the cabinets and drivers are free of significant marks. The one cosmetic flaw is a Mission badge that has come off. The grilles are included.

A lively, easy-to-drive British bookshelf pair that brings out the best in a vintage receiver.

Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Mission 701 Bookshelf Speakers Specifications

Type: 2-way bass reflex (front-ported) bookshelf speaker, sold as a pair
Drivers: 6.5″ (165 mm) white-cone woofer, 1″ (25 mm) dome tweeter, mounted below the woofer (Inverted Driver Geometry)
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal
Recommended amplifier power: 25–100 watts per channel
Terminals: one pair of binding posts per speaker
Grilles: included
Finish: black ash
Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 8.5 x 17.7 x 11.8 inches (215 x 450 x 300 mm) each
Weight: 15 lbs (6.8 kg) each

🔌 Speaker Cable, Built on Our Own Bench

The speaker terminals here take banana plugs — the quickest and tidiest connection there is, and the one you want if anything ever gets moved. We hand-build speaker cable here in any length you need on our Custom Speaker Cable Builder, terminated with our own gold-plated banana plugs. If you already have cable you are happy with, we sell the plugs on their own. 👉

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

$174.00

Additional information

Weight	32 lbs
Dimensions	15.8 × 23 × 21.7 in
Impedance	8 Ω
Power Handling	51–100 W
Sensitivity	86–89 dB
Woofer Size	6–7″

About brand

Mission at Radique

We service Mission, too. Bring us your own Mission speakers and subwoofers for repair, servicing or restoration (speakers up to 80 lbs each), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Mission was founded in England in 1977 by Farad Azima, starting with a trio of loudspeakers and following them with the 770 in 1978. In the 1980s it even had a Canadian subsidiary in Toronto. We carry Mission bookshelf speakers, towers, centre channels and subwoofers. We've had more than 75 Mission listings so far, covering more than 40 different models. Every used Mission here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

The Mission models we've sold most often include the MS8 subwoofer, the reissued 700 bookshelf speakers, and the m71 bookshelf speakers and m7c1 centre channel from the m70 series.

The Mission story, 1977 to today

Farad Azima, who Stereophile says had been a UK pro-audio importer, founded Mission in England in 1977. Its first range was three speakers, the 710, 720 and 730, and the 770 followed in 1978. His brother Henry took on a design role from 1979.

The 700 and Cyrus. The original 700 of 1980 put its tweeter below the mid/bass driver, and What Hi-Fi calls it one of the first speakers to do so. In the mid 1980s Mission's engineers developed its first CD player and the Cyrus amplifiers, and Cyrus later became a separate company.

New owners. In the 1990s Mission was part of the listed Verity Group, alongside Quad and Wharfedale. Its directors bought it back in 2000, with design staying in Britain while manufacturing moved to Asia, and in 2005 International Audio Group (IAG) bought the business and the brand.

Today. IAG runs Mission from Huntingdon, England. It reissued the 770 in 2022, made in the UK, followed it with a re-engineered 700, and returned to amplifiers with the 778X.

Which Mission is which?

The first speakers (1977 to 1980): the 710, 720 and 730, the 770 of 1978 and the original 700 of 1980.

The 7-series families (1980s to 1990s): such as the 70x MkII, the 73x (including the 731 and 731i of the mid 1990s) and the 75x.

m70 series (2001): the m71, m72, m73 and m74, the m7c1 centre and the m7ds surround.

m3 series (2004): the m30 to m35, the m3c1 and m3c2 centres and the m3ds surround.

Elan, MS and MX (2006 to 2010): the Elan e-series, such as the e34 tower, the MS subwoofers such as the MS-8, and the MX series of 2010.

Today: the QX, LX and ZX ranges, and the 770 and 700 reissues.

Buying used Mission: what to check

Driver layout. The 700, the m71 and the MX-1 and MX-2 put the tweeter below the mid/bass driver on purpose, so don't flip them on their stands.

Surrounds on early models. Owners report rotted foam surrounds on 1970s and 1980s Missions such as the 700, 720 and 730. Inspect every surround and budget for re-foaming.

Tweeters. Check that both tweeters play and match. Original tweeters for the 75x series are no longer made, and substitutes need adapting.

Original 700 grilles. Owners report that the grille is not removable, so don't try to pry it off.

Powered subwoofers. Owners and repairers report failed capacitors and loud hum on MS8 amplifier boards. Play any Mission sub at volume, and listen for hum with nothing playing.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.