What amp. Mission FS1 speaker system?

R

ruskie

Guest
I'm going to set up a new system using a Mission FS1 speaker system. According to the review

all the speakers are connected to the sub, then only two cables - one for the LFE - go to your amplifier

So I'm not sure what kind of Amp to buy, I like the Sony STR-DB790, but if I only connect up 2 speaker wires how does all the processing work? I'm a bit confused now and looking for any advice!

Thanks.
 
sony amp should be good enough for it but also look at the denon 1804 some other similarly priced ones... but for the price the sony one should do the job nicely without problems and should sound as good as the other slightly more expensive ones...

take a look here http://www.homecinemachoice.com/testbench/index.html

I used to have fs1 5.1 set... didn't really like it much... but anyway the way it worked was each speaker was connected to the sub and the umbilical cord connected all the reciever's output (all 5 for the satellites) to the sub. and a separate sub cable connected the sub normally...

I hope that makes sense.
 
Thanks for the reply. My question is really very basic, if I only connect 2 wires from the amp to the sub, then the other 5 or 6 outputs on the amp are wasted if not used. So do I just use a 'normal' Hi-Fi type amp and let the crossover and electronics(?) inside the Mission sub do all the processing.

I can understand a system where you have a 5.1 amp with 6 outputs that are connected individually to 6 speakers, but confused about only connecting 2 wires from the amp to the sub, from where the 5 satellites are then connected. In this case why use 5.1 amp, when all the processing it does is not used.? I'm missing something, but can't quite see it!

EDIT>

Singh, Thanks for your reply, I wrote the above before reading it. I understand now, all the speakers do get a feed from the amp.

Can I ask what you didn't like about the FS1 and what you have now?

Cheers
 
I have a Pio 501 driving my FS6.1 AV, sounds pretty good to me, i dont think you will be dissapointed.

Out of the box before running in Missions sound a bit steely and flat, however after using for about 24 Hours or so they smooth out, and sound exceptionally laid back, not at all what i imagined

Phoned Mission to ask why the change in character, and they explained that these satellites use exciters (NXT panels), and are coated with ferrofluid, this fluid then lubricates the exciter after some use, and the sound becomes more mellow.

In my view you need a slightly brighter amp, Pio seems to match well, as i suspect Denon will be too laid back, and smooth, and will not really wake up the Missions

With the Pio 501 Missions, sound coherent, interesting,and quite detailed, they certainly suprised me as to how good they are at most AV, and even sound pretty good in stereo

My system is Pio 504HDE, 668, 501 in a room approx 23ft x 15ft

Let me know how you get on
 
mine sound awesome watched the running man in dts es 6.1 **** hot
 
Originally posted by ruskie

Can I ask what you didn't like about the FS1 and what you have now?

Cheers [/B]

The build quality of them appeared cheap to me... IMO didn't feel like they would last long... they were very light. And at highish volumes (after 24 hrs of use) one speaker would make a rattling noise in some situations (eg when the clock makes that high pitch tick tock noise in 24) that was most annoying... probably a fault with just one of my fs1s but still... but for everything else it was pretty much good for the money (£250 @ richer sounds)...

but I felt like i needed better, higher quality speakers, that would last longer (was just my opinion about the cheap build of the fs1... seems way too light for a speaker... if knocked around a bit i dont think it would last), so I am buying B&W VM1s on wednesday, which should give me better sound quality and should last longer before becoming obselete or breaking IMO.

also by doing a search in this forum, i found that many people were disappointed with the sound quality, and many claimed the older FS2 system had better sound quality...

hopes this helps
 
I checked with Richer Sounds, and they only have the old version 5.1

The FS6.1 is very different in sound quality as Mission redesigned the sub, and obviously the 6 AV connections, am not sure about the sats.

When using for AV it is a truly awsome system far better than most small speaker packages i have heard.

It is absolutely imperative that after you connect speakers up wallk all round the room while playing multichannel, and ensure no deadspots (sound drops) etc. very immersive sound, which means you dont have to set up speakers in convential placement

Then on my Pio i have MCACC which auto sets up the speakers, and you will be astonished how clear dialog is, and the steering of sound and placement is superb. Matrix sounds awesome

I would reccomend you have Mission stands all round as it makes a considerable difference to the overall sound
 
Thanks for the positive replies.

s2kmike, I hadn't considered the Pioneer, its a tad more expensive than the Sony, and I couldn't find a review of it anywhere yet, (I'll keep looking). Its got an impressive spec. and its good to know you find its well matched to the FS1's. Auto setup seems like a usefull feature for someone like me taking the plunge from 2 speaker HiFi.

I haven't decide yet and will probably not buy until the end of the month, pay day! So have a few more days to consider. The idea is to try and get Speakers amp and DVDR for close to or under a grand. The DVDR can wait till last as I have a DVD player and Sky+ already, also have a DVDR on the pc.

If you know of any deals that might suite me given the above, let me know!!

Cheers

<EDIT> Thjis forum is too quick!! I was writng my reply above and 2 more replies came in before I posted!

Singh: Thanks for the explanation about your experience. Does s2kmike's comments about the newer build go some way to clearing that up? I did read that older FS2's were considerd a better choice by some, untill you listen in your own home its difficult to tell.
 
ruskie,

I have had the FS1's for a long time now and I am still more than pleased with them (although I haven't used them since I left UK in January, but will surely keep them for a long time when I get back this year). Firstly, the WAF, the design, the style the coolness is just absolutely stunning. Everyone who's has seen them is just astounded what design you can get for such a small price. Yes design is important to me and in my small home simplicity and design are even more important to make the home appear bigger and more spacious. Of course, the sound has to be equally good, and they all (albeit maybe few of my friends has anything to compare with, but nevertheless) has been impressed with the sound.

The speakers are driven by the warm, powerful, musical and dynamical Marantz 4300 and the combination result is very good.

The dialogue is clear, very wide, spacy sound and no sweetspots in my room (huge advantage when there are loads of us, which is often, everyone gets the optimal sound), the bass is more than enough (they even tell me to turn down LFE's). I can play quite loud but it admittedly won't hold a mega loud volume.

The only negative points are that the sub dimensions is a bit too bulky and there is no adjustable crossover filter, but I shall not complain too much considering I'm very happy with the overall result.

Yes there are of course better speakers for the money, but not with the WAF in mind.

If I had a separate movie room or say a big living room where I could more easily hide speakers in different ways, then the situation would be different, the WAF would not be top priority.

Regarding amps, just to let u know, Pioneer is releasing the x14 series in June, and 914 and 1014 has automatic MCACC while 814 still has manual and they also gain DPL-IIx but otherwise nothing groundbreaking. Yamaha are also releasing their x50 series sometime in Q2, which RX-V750 and 650 also has auto-setup feature.

Wasabi
 
Originally posted by ruskie
Singh: Thanks for the explanation about your experience. Does s2kmike's comments about the newer build go some way to clearing that up? I did read that older FS2's were considerd a better choice by some, untill you listen in your own home its difficult to tell.

I was completely unaware about the difference between the 6.1 set and the 5.1 set. There might be a further difference in sound quality if you modify/cut the speaker cables and wire it straight to the reciever...

it might be worth buying individual FS1 for left, right and surround from here:
http://www.hifistore.co.uk/product.php?qsProd=FS1PANEL

and maybe get a better centre speaker and sub... I think this might yield better sound quality overall...

Personally I prefer to go for more solid speakers that feel like they will last longer than these FS1s, because with kids running around these are prone to falling over now and again (on the desktop stand anyway, not sure about floor stand), unless mounted on walls, and i dont feel that they will take enough punishment.

The 6.1 set seems a lot more expensive than the 5.1 set (about £200)... so there must be significant improvement.
Stands cost around £58(inc p&p) a pair at
http://www.hifibitz.co.uk/product.asp?id=1339&aid=50002

well from all this positive feedback flowing in, there must be little reason not to get them...
 
Thanks again for the input and comments.

Wasabi: You've helped me make my mind up about the FS1's, though I can't really wait untill June for the latest amp. So I'm going to go for the Pioneer 501. I take all comments about the look being important, my wife has insisted we get silver 'space-age' looks, whilst I really wanted to make sure they would sound good! I'm moving my old Celestion DL6's and Denon amp upstairs and didn't want to regret it too much. Judging by the response here we'll both be happy!

Singh: Your link to the HiFi store did me a big favour. I prefer to buy all-in-one instead of getting individual speakers, and found they are selling the FSI 6.1 including a pair of stands at £449.95 with the stands included and a 2 year guarantee I couldn't resist!

Here is the link

http://www.hifistore.co.uk/product.php?qsCat=AVSPKPACK2&qsProd=FS1INCSTANDS

So thanks everyone, decision made.

Just need to locate the best place to buy the amp now.

Cheers!
 
ruskie,

What about getting the Pioneer 912 also with automatic MCACC, and a very good amplifier indeed, I would say significantly better than 501 but now to the same price (usually 390). Richersounds is selling them for 300 - http://www.richersounds.com/index.php?f=itemlist.php&c=1101 and get hifistore to pricematch it and you get both from the same supplier.

If you still want the 501 you can use superfi or homecinemaheaven who both sells it for 300 and get hifistore to pricematch it.

Wasabi
 
Originally posted by Singh

it might be worth buying individual FS1 for left, right and surround from here:
http://www.hifistore.co.uk/product.php?qsProd=FS1PANEL

and maybe get a better centre speaker and sub... I think this might yield better sound quality overall...

Having a different centre in your front line up would not be a good idea. The centre speaker needs to be the best match to the left and rights you can get, otherwise you risk getting an uneven front soundstage.
 
Originally posted by Stellavision
Having a different centre in your front line up would not be a good idea. The centre speaker needs to be the best match to the left and rights you can get, otherwise you risk getting an uneven front soundstage.

Hmm i didn't know about that... I thought it was a good idea, when I read (on this forum I think) that someone bought a new centre speaker with their FS1 5.1 set and made the FS1 centre into a rear centre... the person who did that claimed that sound quality improved vastly... but since im a newb i was probably wrong or misunderstood or something...
 
A better quality centre speaker would improve the sound of everything coming out of that channel, primarily speach usually.
However, the quality of left to right pans and visa-versa could become dissjointed as the pan may have a different tone in the centre, making the pan across the front less seemless.
 
Originally posted by ruskie

Singh: Your link to the HiFi store did me a big favour. I prefer to buy all-in-one instead of getting individual speakers, and found they are selling the FSI 6.1 including a pair of stands at £449.95 with the stands included and a 2 year guarantee I couldn't resist!

Have you ordered it yet???
http://www.leconcepts.com/spkr/mission/msfs1.htm
above comes with 2 pairs of stands for the same price...
so it might be worth ordering it from above instead.... havent really done you a favour if you have already ordered it :(... but may be there is time to cancel...

also if you only need 1 pair of stands, you can buy it for £350 and get one pair of stands separately from elsewhere

thanks for the info Stellavision... its always good to get a bit more educated with info from the pros... thanks i won't make the same mistake if i upgrade to 6.1 in the future
 
Hi,

Singh: Yes! I took the plunge and ordered before I changed my mind! You found a good deal there for sure. I'm not going to complain, I'm happy with one set of stands, so could have saved a bit of money. Thanks for looking though, someone else may see it and go for it.

Wasabi: Thanks too for pointing the way to the RicherSounds offer. The 912 at 300 is unbeatable (?). I've read a review of this now and it does seem to be liked if you are using satellites. I wonder how well its matched to the new FS1's? I'm going to ring my local store ask how many they have and think about getting one. I can call in anytime and just pick one up, don't need to mail order.

I'm learning alot from this forum, much appreciate all the replies, thanks.

So looks like I'm all sorted, unless I hear anything negative about the 912, thats what I'll get.

Cheers!
 

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