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Want a list of the best speakers below \u00a3200? For most of this year it would have been a shortlist comprising just a single name, the\u00a0Q Acoustics 3020<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nothing we\u2019ve heard has come close to knocking these talented speakers off their perch, until now that is.<\/p>\n Yes, Mission\u2019s LX-2s are good enough to give the Qs a fat lip, and we admit it, that\u2019s something of a surprise.<\/p>\n A decade or so ago it wouldn\u2019t have been. At the time Mission dominated our group tests and Awards, particularly at the more affordable end of the market.<\/p>\n But in our view, the brand hasn\u2019t delivered over recent years, turning out decent but hardly class-leading boxes. We think the LX-2s buck that trend.<\/p>\n These are a product of a rethink at IAG \u2013 Mission\u2019s parent company. IAG also owns speaker brands\u00a0Wharfedale<\/a>,\u00a0Quad<\/a>\u00a0and Castle (remember them?), and it\u2019s been clear for a while that Mission hasn\u2019t thrived in such an environment.<\/p>\n These speakers even look a little like Missions of old, most obviously with the use of the brand\u2019s traditional tweeter below the mid\/bass configuration.<\/p>\n This arrangement is claimed to aid the time alignment between the drivers \u2013 the sound from each unit arrives at the listener better synchronised \u2013 so helping integration. It helps that this upside down arrangement makes these standmounters stand out from the competition too.<\/p>\n That tweeter is a 25mm microfibre dome. It\u2019s coupled to the 13cm fibre composite mid\/bass through a single-wire crossover.<\/p>\n The crossover is a 4th order design, carefully calibrated to optimise off-axis performance while keeping the on-axis sound balanced. The Mission design team spent a great deal of effort trying different components to optimise the results.<\/p>\n Neither drive unit looks particularly exciting on paper, but they\u2019re carefully developed to deliver sound with low distortion and an even response. A great deal of care has been taken to ensure consistency between samples.<\/p>\n This may not sound particularly glamorous, but it is vital that all units leaving the factory perform the same. What we test has to be what you can buy in the shops.<\/p>\n Lax tolerances have always been something of an issue, particularly with budget products where costs are trimmed to the bone, so it\u2019s good to see Mission trying to do things properly.<\/p>\n The cabinet is built well. Its small size \u2013 the LX-2s stand just over 30cm tall \u2013 ensures a degree of rigidity that\u2019s hard to get from larger enclosures.<\/p>\n Finish is neat, and well up to the standards we expect at the price. We like the understated visual design touches that make the speakers look rather classy.<\/p>\n Compatibility<\/strong><\/p>\n Ideally, you should put them on the stands as they sound so much better that way. In our test room we got the most balanced presentation with the LX-2s placed close to a rear wall, but not right up against it. The speaker\u2019s rear-firing port needs a little space behind it to work properly.<\/p>\n Speakers at this price are as likely to be driven by a micro system such as the\u00a0Denon DM-40DAB\u00a0<\/a>as they are dedicated separates kit from the likes of Onkyo, Marantz or Rega.<\/p>\n This means that in an ideal world they would have to be easy to drive and unfussy about partnering kit while still having enough transparency to allow the better sounding separates kit to shine.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a difficult balancing act that few manage well. The Missions do a fair job in this respect, but we think its Q Acoustics rival is a more forgiving product thanks to greater refinement at high frequencies and a richer, sweeter presentation.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t let that put you off. Partner these Missions with a bit of care and they\u2019re as entertaining a budget box as we\u2019ve heard in years.<\/p>\n Sound<\/strong><\/p>\n Play alt-J\u2019s\u00a0Left Hand Free<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and the LX-2s get straight in the groove. They\u2019re fast, pack a serious punch and deliver deep bass with precision and authority.<\/p>\n Best of all, they deliver the song\u2019s hard charging rhythm track with skill and enthusiasm. These speakers time well, communicating changes in momentum convincingly.<\/p>\n Through it all they don\u2019t forget the subtleties. The group\u2019s vocals are clear, easy to follow and packed with energy. Nuances are rendered with finesse and the mass of instrumentation and voices is organised really well.<\/p>\nBuild<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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It seems that the high-ups at IAG had the same thought and decided the brand needed a dedicated design team. They\u2019ve hired people that had worked with Mission in the past in the hope that some of the old magic could be resurrected.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mission_lx-2_06-300x201.jpg\")
The single-wired route makes sense to us, particularly at budget price levels. It allows funds to be concentrated on a single good quality run of speaker cable rather than splitting it between two cheaper alternatives.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mission_lx-2_03-300x201.jpg\")
The cabinet is equally carefully designed. Budget constraints mean that there\u2019s no place for high tech materials or extravagant engineering solutions to controlling cabinet resonances, so the designers have gone back to basics (while using cutting-edge measurement and design equipment) to come up with a wooden box that provides a solid platform for the drive units to work from.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mission_lx-2_press.jpg\")
Positioning is easy, just as it should be for speakers that could find themselves as likely to be stuffed in the middle of a crowded bookshelf as they could on top of a pair of dedicated stands.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mission_lx-2_02.jpg\")
These get right to the heart of the music, as if the Missions have a direct line to the studio and know exactly what the musicians wanted you to feel. That\u2019s a rare quality regardless of price.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/famous-av.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/mission_lx-2_05-300x201.jpg\")
At no point do these speakers sound like they\u2019ve taken on more than they can handle.<\/p>\n