Mission MX5 review

These stylish Missions offer a gigantic sound with bass strong enough to dent the walls Tested at £600

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

For those about to rock, the massive Missions make a serious racket

Pros

  • +

    Impressively massive, physically and sonically

  • +

    deep bass

  • +

    plenty of punch and agility

Cons

  • -

    Need lots of space

  • -

    smaller speakers have more sonic precision

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

If there was a memo that said floorstanders for the UK need to be compact, Mission didn’t get it.

The MX series range-toppers are massive, both in footprint and height, and in all but the largest rooms they’re going to be rather physically overbearing.

Still, you’ll certainly feel like you’ve got your money’s worth with the MX5s, even if there’s nothing particularly fancy about their build.

They do have a genuine three-way crossover, though, which passes frequencies to two 6in mid/bass drivers, a 6in woofer and a 25mm tweeter.

Huge presence (sonically and physically)
And the MX5s really do pump out the jams. They go mighty loud, and the sound is as full-bodied as their girth suggests: they positively lap up the basslines from tracks such as Flobots’ Fight with Tools and James Blake’s almost subsonic Limit To Your Love.

If you expect that weight to go hand in hand with sluggishness, though, you’ll be surprised.

Some speakers are more agile, but switch to Blake’s The Wilhelm Scream, and the Missions prove adept at resolving the drums with sharp definition.

There are, of course, imperfections, with Sufjan Steven’s Come On! Feel the Illinoise! proving that the MX5’s have their limits in terms of detail and organisation (although this does improve if you choose to bi-wire), as well as having a slightly rounded treble.

However, these are minor flaws. If you’ve lots of space and like big audio without many of the usual big-speaker caveats, the Missions are great fun and greater value.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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