We had to wait 40 years for it, but finally Mission has released a new stereo amplifier: the 778X.
In 1983, the Mission 778 stereo amplifier was released. What stood out about it were simple controls and a good amount of inputs, all at a pleasant price. After that, a Mission amplifier never appeared again. At least, not under that particular brand name, but under the name Cyrus. And Cyrus, in turn, is a spinoff of Mission. Apparently, the manufacturer was never able to completely abandon the concept of the 778 after all, as evidenced by the brand new 778X.
Ready for the twenty-first century
In many ways, the Mission 778X resembles the original 1980s version. But adapted to modern times, including a USB B asynchronous input and three S/PDIF connectors. Furthermore, the analog inputs have remained, two line in and one MM phono jack. You will also find some coaxial and optical outputs on the 778X, plus a pre-out output. Also new is Bluetooth, supporting aptX and AAC. As DAC, the manufacturer has chosen a member of the Sabre32 Reference family: the ES9018K2M. Supported are PCM up to 32 bit / 384 kHz and DSD up to DSD256. The affordability of the new Mission – in either a black or silver finish – has remained: $799; sets that include speakers are also available.