Mission launched the LX Series back in 2016, and now, four years later, the company has announced the LX MkII where price of ownership starts at £189 for the LX-1 MkII standmount model up to just £599 for the range-topping LX-6 MkII floorstander.

The new and improved LX range has also grown to feature nine models. There are the six models as per the first iteration – two standmount speakers, three floorstanders and a centre speaker for home cinema systems. The LX MkII range then adds an additional standmount model, a choice of two centre speakers instead of one, and a dedicated surround speaker. The latter can be wall-mounted or sited on top of the floorstanding models as an upward-firing effects speaker.

Mission LX MkII Series Drivers

The Mission LX MkII Series is rewarded with a “meticulously designed” tweeter with a neodymium magnet and a 25mm microfibre dome. Joining that is 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. The upshot here, we are informed, is improved drive efficiency and superior control of the smoothly dished diaphragm. The diaphragm is fashioned from an advanced dual-layer fibre formulation. The overriding characteristics here are its reduced susceptibility to hygroscopy as well as being very stiff for its mass with excellent self-damping, we're told. A high-strength ferrite magnet ensures that the magnetic field is directed precisely within the area of voice coil excursion, resulting in an ultra-linear performance and excellent transient response, says Mission.

'Comb-tooth' serrations, as seen on the upper-tier QX Series, can also now be found employed on the LX MkII Series in the main driver surrounds, along with indentations around the tweeter. This apparently brings further finesse to the drive unit outputs and provides a smoother frequency response than the previous generation of LX speakers.

Due to the improved driver performance, each model's crossover network has been optimised to take advantage of that. The LX MkII Series uses a 4th order (24dB per octave acoustic) Linkwitz-Riley network. Listeners are promised to experience excellent off-axis performance as well as a flatter on-axis result.

Cabinet Design and Driver Formation

The three 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.

The two-way LX-4 MkII and LX-5 MkII floorstanders extend IDG to a full D'Appolito array, siting the treble unit between a pair of DiaDrive bass/mid units – one above, one below. The largest model in the range, the LX-6 MkII, is a three-way design, with a dedicated midrange driver positioned above the tweeter, a pair of bass drivers stationed below.

The trickiest part at this price range is cabinet design and performance. However, we are comforted to hear that the LX MkII cabinet has been designed to deliver 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, according to the manufacturer.

Frequency response for the standmounts is 58Hz-20kHz, 55Hz-20kHz, 45Hz-20kHz with 86, 87, and 88dB sensitivity for the LX-1, 2 and 3 respectively. The LX-4, 5 and 6 floorstanders are quoted as being 45Hz-20kHz, 42Hz-20kHz, and 35Hz-20kHz, with 89, 90, and 91dB sensitivity. All quoted frequency response figures are at the usual +/-3dB.  

Peter Comeau, Mission's Director of Acoustic Design, told StereoNET:

Mission loudspeakers have been thrilling music lovers with powers of communication that far exceed their affordable prices for more than 40 years. 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.

The Mission LX MkII Series is available in September in a choice of soft-touch matt black or white, or walnut for those who prefer a wood-style finish.

For more information, please visit Mission.

Mission LX MkII Series Pricing

Standmount

• LX-1 MkII – £189 per pair
• LX-2 MkII – £229 per pair
• LX-3 MkII – £279 per pair

Floor standing

• LX-4 MkII – £399 per pair
• LX-5 MkII – £499 per pair
• LX-6 MkII – £599 per pair

Home cinema speakers

• LX-3D MkII – surround speaker – £249 per pair
• LX-C1 MkII – centre speaker – £199
• LX-C2 MkII – centre speaker – £249