I'm afraid I'm not at all knowledgeable about speakers (although I'm willing to learn what i need to know), so please forgive me if I say anything silly or miss anything important...
I recently acquired some Mission 753 speakers for a very low price on the understanding that they hadn't been serviced and might not be at their best. I now have them connected to my Marantz PM66SE, which is amplifying my NAD 533 turntable with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. I had previously been using a pair of Tannoy 632 speakers, which I enjoyed, but which I had expected the Missions to significantly improve on. Having had the new speakers hooked up for a while now, I'm impressed with the clarity and detail they get out of my LPs, but I find them a little uninvolving, and they have pretty much zero bass. (I'd been told to expect them not to be particularly bassy, but this is more like absence than attenuation.) Having done what I can to listen to the individual drivers, I think at least one of the bass drivers isn't pulling its weight (I read that bass drivers were often damaged on this model by people heavily EQing them to try and get a deeper sound out of them). I was wondering if any could tell me:
a. Does it sound like I'm making something out of nothing? (Perhaps I have the wrong expectations.)
b. Does it sound like I'm partnering them with the wrong equipment? (Maybe the Marantz isn't up to the task.)
c. Are there easy tests I can perform to judge the state of the individual drivers?
d. (This one is a bit ridiculous, but I've looked all over them and I really don't have a clue) If I need to open the cabinets to remove individual drivers, how do I do so? (Could there be screws hidden behind the rubber sockets the grilles sit in?)
Any thoughts or suggestions will be very much appreciated.
I recently acquired some Mission 753 speakers for a very low price on the understanding that they hadn't been serviced and might not be at their best. I now have them connected to my Marantz PM66SE, which is amplifying my NAD 533 turntable with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. I had previously been using a pair of Tannoy 632 speakers, which I enjoyed, but which I had expected the Missions to significantly improve on. Having had the new speakers hooked up for a while now, I'm impressed with the clarity and detail they get out of my LPs, but I find them a little uninvolving, and they have pretty much zero bass. (I'd been told to expect them not to be particularly bassy, but this is more like absence than attenuation.) Having done what I can to listen to the individual drivers, I think at least one of the bass drivers isn't pulling its weight (I read that bass drivers were often damaged on this model by people heavily EQing them to try and get a deeper sound out of them). I was wondering if any could tell me:
a. Does it sound like I'm making something out of nothing? (Perhaps I have the wrong expectations.)
b. Does it sound like I'm partnering them with the wrong equipment? (Maybe the Marantz isn't up to the task.)
c. Are there easy tests I can perform to judge the state of the individual drivers?
d. (This one is a bit ridiculous, but I've looked all over them and I really don't have a clue) If I need to open the cabinets to remove individual drivers, how do I do so? (Could there be screws hidden behind the rubber sockets the grilles sit in?)
Any thoughts or suggestions will be very much appreciated.
each driver is bolted on with 8 (allen key) fittings simply unscrew each one (the whole front panel is not removable in one piece)
get a test meter check the (ohms) of each driver write it down in corresponding order of each driver check against both speakers
gently pressing the speaker evenly in/out not in the centre to check for rough grating sound (voice coil rub)
I had a pair they lack serious volume for there looks and the treble was over the top harsh
good luck
get a test meter check the (ohms) of each driver write it down in corresponding order of each driver check against both speakers
gently pressing the speaker evenly in/out not in the centre to check for rough grating sound (voice coil rub)
I had a pair they lack serious volume for there looks and the treble was over the top harsh
good luck
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Thanks a lot for the help Charlie, I really appreciate your taking time to reply. I'll try what you've suggested.
Ok, I've tried removing the driver bolts mentioned in Charlie2's post, but, while this removes a small fascia from the speaker, the driver itself still seems to be stuck fast. Is it glued, or is there something else I should do to release it?
It would also appear that one of the drivers does indeed have voice coil rub. Should I simply look for another 753 driver on eBay, or is there another/a better option?
It would also appear that one of the drivers does indeed have voice coil rub. Should I simply look for another 753 driver on eBay, or is there another/a better option?
It's an old trick to rotate a driver 90 or 180 degrees if it's rubbing voicecoil. Might fix it. Gravity helps the fix.
Mark the upright position with an indelible marker like an arrow to keep track of the effect.
I looked up the crossover, just to be thorough. It's two 5" woofers in a reflex, two similar drivers used as midrange in closed box, and a single metal tweeter.
Not a lot of bass there, IMO. Small drivers just don't do big bass. You might improve the tweeter with a 7.5R and 0.68uF Zobel across the tweeter, since I always like what that does to smooth the top end. What that means is you wire a 10W ceramic 7.5R resister in series with a little 0.68uF polypropylene capacitor and put that across the tweeter in some way. Cost you about 5 bucks.
Mark the upright position with an indelible marker like an arrow to keep track of the effect.
I looked up the crossover, just to be thorough. It's two 5" woofers in a reflex, two similar drivers used as midrange in closed box, and a single metal tweeter.
Not a lot of bass there, IMO. Small drivers just don't do big bass. You might improve the tweeter with a 7.5R and 0.68uF Zobel across the tweeter, since I always like what that does to smooth the top end. What that means is you wire a 10W ceramic 7.5R resister in series with a little 0.68uF polypropylene capacitor and put that across the tweeter in some way. Cost you about 5 bucks.
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Thank's a lot Steve, this is extremely helpful stuff, and very much appreciated. I'm embarrassed to say, though, that I still have no idea how to get the drivers to budge after removing the eight bolts and the plastic fascia (from which you may well deduce a thing or two about my general technical competence - fortunately I have an electronically inclined friend I can pass your suggestions on to).
Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I am having similar issues with my 753`s, and was wondering if you got the driver out? I have replaced drivers in other speakers before, but never stripped these as I have had them from new, dont want to screw them up, so did the driver come out???
Hi,
I have these speakers and all you need to do is pull the driver somehow and out will come out. Be ready to catch the driver if the speaker isn't laid down as these drivers are deceptively heavy.
Alex
I have these speakers and all you need to do is pull the driver somehow and out will come out. Be ready to catch the driver if the speaker isn't laid down as these drivers are deceptively heavy.
Alex
Many thanks Alex, I will get a replacement ordered up (2nd hand unfortunately) and give it a go when it arrives.