To produce a good left to right stereo image, as well as the front to back soundstage, start by positioning them about 2 metres apart. Then adjust them in or out to optimise the sound quality. If necessary, be prepared to ‘toe’ them in very slightly towards your favourite listening position to improve the focus of the sound.

Many speakers are rear ported causing the air exhausted from the cabinet to reflect off the rear wall and mix with the direct sound from the drive unit. This causes a ‘boomy’ sound whereby the bass notes tend to drown out the detail of the mid-range and the brightness of the treble. By positioning the speakers between 150–200 mm from the wall, the effects of the reflected sounds are minimised leading to better-balanced sound.

The crossover unit at the back of the loudspeaker separates the input signals from your amplifier into high and low frequencies and directs them to the tweeter and woofer respectively so that they can be more faithfully reproduced.

Most crossovers have 2 pairs of terminals, one pair for the high frequency (HF) and the other pair for the low frequency (LF). Both the positive (red) terminals are shorted out with a bi-amp link, as are the corresponding ground (black) terminals. To bi-wire the loudspeaker, simply remove both shorting links and take two multi-stranded wires of the same length and specification from the positive terminal of your amplifier and connect the free ends to the positive (red) HF and LF terminals of the crossover. Repeat the process using two identical wires from the ground terminal of your amplifier to the ground (black) HF and LF terminals of your crossover. Finally, replicate the complete procedure for the second speaker. What you’ve effectively done is to move the common point from the back of the speaker to your amplifier’s terminals.

Separating the feeds to the treble and bass drivers at the amplifier terminals rather than the loudspeaker assists the separation of the sound reproduced by the speaker. The transparency of the sound is much improved with better definition to the music

Bi-amping is the next stage up from bi-wiring and again necessitates removal of the bi-amp links from the crossover terminals. However, rather than having the common point at the amplifier’s terminals, the HF and LF terminals are fed by two dedicated amplifiers, one driving the HF and the other driving the LF. By allowing the tweeters and woofers to be driven separately, the ‘load’ seen by the amplifier is reduced and improved sound quality results. Ideally, these two linked stereo amplifiers should be of a comparable power rating and similar acoustic characteristics.

When positioning unshielded loudspeakers close to a television screen, it is often the case that the stray magnetic flux from the drive unit affects the path of the electrons in the TV tube, resulting in discoloration on the screen. Shielded magnets greatly reduce the influence of this stray magnetic flux allowing loudspeakers to be sited closer to the TV screen without causing any detrimental effect on the colours. If colours or patterns do appear on your TV screen, simply move the adjacent speaker further away from the screen and the coloration will disappear. You should note that gas plasma screens do not have these beams of electrons inside them so they are not subject to the same discoloration effects when a loudspeaker is placed in close proximity to them. However, please note that to create an optimum stereo image the speakers should still be of the order of 2 metres apart.

It takes a while before your speakers can operate at their maximum efficiency. Firstly, the drive units need to have their suspension system brought up to normal working temperature. Secondly, any ferrofluid (oil bath) surrounding the voice coils needs to provide the correct level of ‘damping’ as too little damping will produce a piercing treble whilst too much damping produces a dull, lifeless sound. Mission therefore recommends running your speakers on a background music programme for 24 hours before listening to them seriously, simply to give your speakers time to loosen up and more faithfully recreate the source information

Flat panel speakers and conventional speakers make sound in totally different ways. Conventional speakers have a cone, which moves backwards and forwards displacing the air directly towards the listening position. Effectively, they are very directional in nature, producing a pronounced ‘sweet’ spot or focal point for the sound. Flat panels make sound by electrically stimulating the surface of a rigid board in the same way that a tuning fork excites the surface of a table. The sound produced is not directional and spreads out over a wide area dramatically minimising the ‘sweet’ spot effect.

The M-cube active subwoofer acts in 3 different ways. Firstly, it acts as an amplifying device for all those low frequency effects (LFE) that you feel rather than hear and does this via an RCA phono lead. Secondly, by means of the umbilical cable, it amplifies all the channel specific information that the m-cube satellite speakers cannot reproduce simply because of their small size. Finally, it acts as a buffer, not a filter, between your amplifier and the satellite speakers to reduce the risk of damage in the event of the system being over-driven. If you really must connect the m-cube satellite speakers to the amplifier terminals because of your room configuration, you would effectively remove that degree of overload protection. In addition, you would still need to have the umbilical cable connection between the amplifier and the subwoofer, simply to reproduce all the frequencies on all the channels.

When trying to match the output of your amplifier to the power handling capacity of particular loudspeakers, please try to match them as closely as possible. Remember that more damage can be caused to a pair of speakers using an under-powered amplifier than an over-powered one. Driving loudspeakers with an under-powered amplifier introduces elements of distortion resulting in clipping of the signal. This in turn can lead to damage of the electrical components within the speaker or even damage to the output transistors of your amplifier. If your amplifier is rated at 100w/c, consider speakers with a similar rating. By the same token, if you already have speakers that can operate with amplifiers rated between 25-100w/c, consider purchasing an amplifier towards the top end of the scale, namely 100w/c, rather than towards the lower end.

Mission does not recommend any particular brand of loudspeaker cable for use with its products. However, as a rough guide, to bring out the very best performance in terms of the balance of the sound produced, its tonal quality and acoustic transparency, consider using a high quality, multi-stranded cable with a cross sectional area of 1.5 mm² or greater.

It’s not advisable to extend cables as there is always the chance of wiring them out of phase or, worse still, shorting them out. If you need longer lengths of either the umbilical or satellite cables, contact your local dealer in the first instance or, if you prefer, contact the Mission spares desk directly on +44 (0)1480 452561 or spares@mission.co.uk

Yes is the simple answer although you will need to purchase a plug adapter which has a moulded 2-way terminal block at one end and a polarised connector for plugging into your satellite or subwoofer at the other. These can be obtained from your local Mission dealer or, if you prefer, directly from Mission on +44 (0)1480 452561 or spares@mission.co.uk

Yes. Simply contact your local Mission dealer who will be glad to assist you. In the event of experiencing any problems, please contact the Mission service desk directly on +44 (0)1480 452561 or by e-mail to service@mission.co.uk

Yes. Mission offer a complete range of stands for their loudspeakers, details of which can be found on our web-site. All stands can be ordered directly through your local dealer.

Yes. Mission endeavours to carry a comprehensive range of replacement parts for many years covering both current and discontinued models. Typically, these will include spares items such as tweeters, woofers, grilles, plinths and foot spike sets. Please contact our service desk on +44 (0)1480 452561 or e-mail to spares@mission.co.uk for prices and availability.

Yes, although the first point of contact should always be through your local dealer who may well be able to cost-effectively repair or service your speakers for you directly. However, if this is not practical, Mission can always repair or service your speakers at our Huntingdon facility. If necessary, we can even arrange for their collection and return to you following repair via our couriers. Please contact our service desk on +44 (0)1480 452561 or e-mail service@mission.co.uk for details.