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© copyright AudioEnz 2000 New Zealand’s hifi and home theatre resource a review from www.audioenz.co.nz The flat response Mission's speakers make a discrete package. By Michael Jones Mission fs2-av home theatre speaker system. $3399 Anyone following the UK hi-fi press over the past three or four years is sure to have heard of a new speaker technology called nxt. Long in promise but - to date - short in application, nxt is supposed to change the way we view speakers, by allowing the use of small flat panel speakers. A conventional loudspeaker drive unit moves backwards and forwards to create sound - you can see this most clearly in woofers playing low notes. Instead of this traditional motion, a nxt panel vibrates microscopically over its whole surface to produce sound. The Mission system is available in a variety of configurations. The fs2-av (which I auditioned) is a home cinema package. It comprises five panels and a subwoofer. The fs2-a ($1899) is for stereo use two panels and a sub. If you later want to upgrade this to I was very a home theatre system, the fs2-3 impressed with pack supplies the the Mission fs2-av remaining three panels. Finally the system fs2-2 pack comprises two panels. This is designed to clip into an existing panel, making for a bigger speaker and increasing the power handling and volume capabilities. With the fs2 system, the panels are small and flat. The basic structure is designed to clip into an end cap, or into a desktop stand (all included in the package). The back of the structure is engineered so that it can be screwed flat to a wall, or screwed into a corner. Once the mounting platform is in place, simply clip the panel in and you’re done. Examining the speakers, it’s immediately obvious that this is a very well thought out package. The Mission fs2-av system is designed to have everything you need to install and set up the system in a couple of hours. There is 45 metres of flat cable inside the box, along with doublesided tape to install and hide the cable (the cable can also be painted over). December 2000 All of the screws and hardware to install the panels is included, so you won’t be left unable to install the system after the hardware shops have closed! As you’d expect, small panels don’t plumb the depths of bass. To make the fs system full range, the fs2 subwoofer is included. This is a nicely designed unit, shaped to go in a room boundary (such as the intersection of a wall and the floor, or in a corner). While this has certain aesthetic advantages (the subwoofer can easily be hidden under a couch or behind the TV) there are good acoustical reasons for this as well. Placing the woofer in a room boundary increases the level of bass, without requiring the cone or amplifier to work harder. The design niceties go further. All of the connections and controls are on the front baffle of the subwoofer, hidden by the grill. The overall level of the woofer can be set (relative to the panels) and a contour control (basically a tone control) allows some alteration of response depending on room conditions. Setting up a system like the Mission can take two or three hours to install and hide away all of the cables. Because of my aversion to drilling holes in my lounge walls, and because Peter Munt from Smith Sounds had done such a nice job setting up a room with the system instore, I made use of the facilities of Smith Sound for auditioning this speaker system. At Smith Sound I used the Denon DVD-1500 DVD player and AVR-2801 AV receiver, along with a lovely Loewe widescreen television to audition some music and movies. The system has been set up with four panels in the corners of the room and one screwed to the wall above the television. First up was music. Although the fs2AV really isn't designed to compete with Mission’s (or anyone else’s) conventional hi-fi speakers, the system did a creditable job. Playing one of my favourite jazz CDs, the trio of trumpet, guitar and bass come across very well. Both the trumpet and guitar and good presence, but the bass player could sound a little lumpy at times. When I saw Starship Troopers at the movie theatre I giggled all the way through the movie. The story of allAmerican young guys and gals fighting giant bugs has that affect on me. Watching and listening to the movie through the Mission system brought back the giggles. Vocals were clear and articulate. Ambience and sound effects were also very effective. One really nice aspect of the nxt panels is their dispersion. Normal speakers will sound very different depending on where in the room you are. The dispersion of the nxt panels is so good that you can move around the room without the sound changing. This means that everyone in the room will receive basically the same sound. I was very impressed with the Mission fs2-av system. The sound quality of this system is competitive for the money and the aesthetics and ease of use can't be beat!