LX-3 MKII is a 2-way standmount loudspeaker with a 6.5″ bass driver and a 1″ softdome treble unit.

The LX MKII Series is the latest in a
long line of distinguished Mission loudspeakers. It maintains the
Mission trademark ‘Inverted Driver Geometry’ design, which means the
path length between the drivers is optimised. Unique at this
price-point, this arrangement allows the precision-tuned crossover to
yield improved transient attack and astonishing detail.

Perfected
over hundreds of hours of critical listening by Mission’s lead acoustic
designer, Peter Comeau, Mission LX MKII utilises trickle-down
innovations from Mission’s higher-end speakers. Improvements in the
famous Mission DiaDrive bass unit offer superior control of the
low-frequency diaphragm while a refined high-frequency performance and a
re-engineered cabinet bracing system further help create a loudspeaker
system that outperforms its price-class.

Mission LX3 MKII Bookshelf Speakers - OPEN BOX -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store LX%20MKII%20Group%20(5)

The art of compromise

By
its very nature, speaker design is about balancing variables and
finding the best possible compromise. At entry-level price points, where
the cost of production is most constrained by the need to hit a
specific retail price, the necessity of compromise is at its greatest.
But does one have to accept that a ‘budget’ speaker will always deliver a
‘budget’ performance? Mission’s designers are not the easily accepting
kind. They push for greatness in design, whereas most would be happy to
stop at ‘good’.

What makes a great loudspeaker? What makes it
sing? For Mission, the answer is simple: in a well-matched system, the
speakers have to allow the performance of the music to shine through.
It’s not a group of notes; it’s a performance. It’s not all about
frequency response, impedance, sensitivity and directivity, although
they all play a part. To paraphrase a famous expression, it’s the music,
the whole music and nothing but the music – and that, in a nutshell, is
Mission’s philosophy.

Mission LX3 MKII Bookshelf Speakers - OPEN BOX -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store S Tweeter Exploded Diagram 5

Feel the high

High-frequency
drive units require extremely consistent parts and manufacturing in
order to be selected for a Mission speaker. Given the tiny moving masses
involved, one micro-drop extra of high-tech adhesive can destroy the
balance of the design, thus affecting sensitivity and frequency
response. For the LX MKII Series, Mission has meticulously designed a
tweeter with a neodymium magnet, selected for maximum magnetic force in a
small space, and a 25mm microfibre dome, chosen for its light weight
and consistency in manufacture. It delivers sweetly incisive high
frequencies – crisp and detailed with impressive transient attack.

Mission LX3 MKII Bookshelf Speakers - OPEN BOX -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store S Tweeter Exploded Diagram 2

Dishy drivers

The
LX MKII Series features a new version of Mission’s DiaDrive
bass/midrange drive unit, where the usual cone and dust cap arrangement
is replaced by a seamless curvilinear diaphragm. This is directly driven
by a secondary sub-cone connected to the voice coil, improving the
efficiency of drive and providing superior control of the smoothly
dished diaphragm.

The diaphragm itself is fashioned from an
advanced dual-layer fibre formulation, selected for its reduced
susceptibility to hygroscopy as well as being very stiff for its mass
with excellent self-damping. A high-strength ferrite magnet ensures that
the magnetic field is directed precisely within the area of voice coil
excursion, enabling an ultra-linear performance and excellent transient
response.

Mission LX3 MKII Bookshelf Speakers - OPEN BOX -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store S Tweeter Exploded Diagram 3

Sound with teeth

One
of the critical areas highlighted by the development of Mission’s
upmarket QX speakers is the use of ‘comb-tooth’ serrations in the driver
surrounds to help scatter interfering reflections from localised
surfaces to the bass/mid cones. The LX MKII Series incorporates similar
serrations in the main driver surrounds, as well as indentations around
the tweeter, adding further finesse to the drive unit outputs and
providing a smoother frequency response than the previous generation of
LX speakers.

Mission LX3 MKII Bookshelf Speakers - OPEN BOX -Trendy Electronic Audio Supplies Store S Tweeter Exploded Diagram 8

Networking skills
With
minor perturbations in the driver response ironed out, each model’s
crossover network has been optimised to take advantage of the improved
performance. The LX MKII Series uses a 4th order (24dB per octave
acoustic) Linkwitz-Riley network, developed with advanced computer
modeling and many hours of listening tests, to knit the drivers together
seamlessly. It is particularly notable for its ability to balance
excellent off-axis performance with a flatter on-axis result.

Driver inversion for musical immersion
The
standmount models in the range feature DiaDrive units positioned
according to Mission’s Inverted Driver Geometry (IDG), with the bass/mid
driver sited above the treble unit rather than below to aid
time-alignment – a Mission trademark since the 1980s. Placing the
bass/mid driver closer to ear level with the treble unit positioned
beneath helps to equalise the path lengths from the two drivers’
acoustic centres, so that the sound waves coincide at the listener’s
head height.

Available in lux black cabinet finish

The
cabinet is as critical as the drive units and crossover to the overall
performance of any loudspeaker system. Designing an effective low-cost
box is tricky, as budget dictates that the designer cannot use expensive
materials or high mass to create an inert structure.

With the
help of 3D Computer-Aided Design, finite element analysis and laser
interferometry, coupled with a great deal of experience, a budget
cabinet can be designed that delivers better rigidity with lower
radiated noise than many would believe achievable at such low material
cost. As part of the critical fine-tuning of the new models, judicious
placement of extra internal damping fibre inside the rear-ported cabinet
has reduced the level of midrange colouration and improved the bass
transient attack.

As the Mission LX MKII Series emphatically
proves, like many Mission designs before it, budget loudspeakers can
truly sing, whilst also being smart, practical and unfussy in terms of
positioning.

“Mission loudspeakers have been thrilling music
lovers with powers of communication that far exceed their affordable
prices for more than 40 years,” said peter Comeau, Mission’s Director of
Acoustic Design. “I’m proud to have been involved in the design of many
of these speakers since my first association with Mission in 1999.
We’ve won many awards over the years, but nothing Mission has produced
can eclipse the sheer value-for-money offered by the LX MKII Series –
we’ve worked tirelessly to improve upon the already excellent LX Series,
ensuring these speakers reward the modest investment required to own a
pair with a thoroughly engrossing musical experience.”

General description	2-way bookshelf speaker
Enclosure type	bass reflex
Transducer complement	2-way
Bass driver	6.5″(165mm) composite fibre
Treble driver	25mm microfibre dome
AV shield	No
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m)	88dB
Recommended amplifier power	20-120W
Peak SPL	105dB
Nominal impedance	8Ω Compatible
Minimum impedance	4.1Ω
Frequency response (+/-3dB)	45Hz ~ 20kHz

Bass extension(-6dB)	40Hz
Crossover frequency	3.2kHz
Cabinet Volume (in litres)	13.2L
Height (on plinth)	345mm
Width	226mm
Depth (with terminals)	(300+8)mm
Carton size	590 x 400 x 450mm
Net weight	8.42kg/pcs
Gross weight	18.9kg/ctn