John
New from Mission: the LX Connect all-in-one hifi system that activates their LX-2 MKII standmount loudspeaker (featured here) with: 1) 60wpc of Class D amplification; 2) a 2nd order (12dB/Octave) Linkwitz-Riley DSP crossover that digitally stitches together this two-way’s 13cm DiaDrive mid/bass driver and its 2.5cm microfibre tweeter; 3) modules that play catch on digitally separated left and right channels, streamed wirelessly at 32-bit/192kHz from a central hub. Only mains cables need apply.
From the press release: “Like the LX-2 MkII passive speakers on which they are based, the drive units are 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.”
“The Hub transmits to them wirelessly on frequencies between 5.2GHz and 5.8GHz, switching automatically to ensure the most stable connection and eschewing the crowded 2.4GHz band to avoid interference.”
Getting music into the LX Connect system means feeding the hub digitally via its coaxial, TOSLINK, USB, HDMI ARC or aptX HD Bluetooth inputs; or hooking up an analogue source to its RCA sockets. A pre-amplifier output presents for subwoofer connections.
The LX Connect hub is Roon Tested. This means Roon Labs has certified the unit against odd behaviour when a PC, Mac or RPi is connected to its USB input. Roon Tested is not to be confused with Roon Ready which applies only to network streamers (which the Mission hub is not).
Now comes today’s wrinkle: the LX Connect hub is also a DAC and headphone amplifier. The DAC stage is built around an ESS ES9018K2M DAC chip to offer 192kHz support to its S/PDIF inputs and 384kHz/DSD256 to its USB. The headphone amplifier that follows was designed by Audiolab with “current-feedback circuitry, excellent gain bandwidth and high slew rate” and outputs via a front-panel 6.4mm socket.
Whichever way you skin it, this is another slice of Future-Fi.
Price? £999.
Further information: Mission
