I just got an offer to buy a pair of floorstanding Mission M34 speakers (new) for the same price as the B&W DM601s3 speakers I had (nearly) decided to buy. The speakers are usually priced 5400 sek but is now sold at 3500 sek. I wonder, is this a bargain or should I stay with my decition about the B&Ws? Anyone had any experience with the M34s or with Mission in general?
I will be powering the speakers with a NAD C320BEE.
I have auditioned the M34 speakers for a couple of hours with an arcam 65+ amp and I liked the sound. It has a lot more bass preassure than the 601s (and the 602s as well). The speakers did however not feel as "articulat" (there is such a word isn't there?) as the 601s.
A simple way to express it: While the 601s (or 602s) didn't do ramstein justice the M34 really did. On the other hand, I'm not sure that Sara K was as well expressed by the M34 as by the B&Ws.
The problem is, however, obvious: different amps, cd-players, listening environment and 15 min travel between the stores where I auditioned the different speakers doesn't bode for good comarison.
Yes. I know it is a lot of effort, but you seem to want to get it right, so I think the effort would be worth it. Simply take your amp in to each dealer and play your CDs with the speakers you want to audition driven by your amp. It isn't a perfect solution, given the fact that the dealers are 15 minutes apart, but it will allow you to hear each set of speakers with your amp, and it should allow you to hear which speakers work best with your amp. Listening to speakers with another brand of amp is almost a waste of time.
I'm currently trying to find someone with a car to help me transport the speakers home so that I can audition them "in place". If I fail to find a car Ill take your advice and bring my amp to town.
It would still be interesting to hear some views on the Mission speakers from someone with a little more HiFi experience than I have. Anyone had any experience with the Mission M34 speakers?