Mission m30i 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Graphite Black)

by Mission

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 13 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000AREC34
• Item model number: M30i Black
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,709 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The stylish, diminutive Mission m30i entry-level loudspeakers, which fit on the bookshelf or mount easily on the wall, are ideal for listeners who have limited space but still want to enjoy the full passion of their favorite music. Each m30i features a 3.93-inch DiaDrive bass unit, which is designed to offer the best attributes of soft fiber and high-rigidity cones in a single multilayer diaphragm. As a result, the deep and mid frequencies are rich and full bodied, though without the heft of tower speakers. The high frequencies are driven by a 1-inch Viotex fabric dome tweeter that offers excellent dynamic range and a bandwidth that suits both home theater use (as a satellite) and traditional hi-fi stereo playback.

The speakers' i-series crossover, meanwhile, takes into account the baffle diffraction effect to give a more open and detailed midrange performance, with superior integration between the drive units for smoother treble output. The crossovers are also wired with Mission's special HP-OFC (high-purity oxygen-free copper) cable, which features dedicated bass and treble formulations to further enhance the audio clarity. And with an impedance characteristic that is easy to drive yet extracts the maximum power from any amplifier, m30i is a good match for a wide variety of equipment and applications.

To enjoy the best performance within a surround sound system, listeners should consider teaming the m30i speakers with Mission's m3c1i center channel and ms8, ms10, or m3as subwoofers. All the speakers are magnetically shielded to protect against video interference and are tonally matched to ensure the best possible sound for movies and multichannel music formats. As an added bonus, the speakers take up a minimum of space at 5.7 by 8.6 by 7.5 inches (W x H x D) each--a perfect size for sitting on a bookshelf or mounted on a wall (Mission's m70BR brackets are sold separately). The speakers, which sport a graphite black finish, are backed by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
Two m30i speakers, user's manual.

Product Description

Unparalleled sonic performance at an incedible price! Mission's new and improved m3i series loudspeakers transmit power, excitement and emotion, all aspects of sonic performance that lift the series to a new level of excellence at an affordable price! The m3i series is dedicated to revealing the passion of musical performance and the thrills of movie action. The m3i series feature DiaDrive bass units that provide remarkable bass performance and harmonious natural midrange; matched to an ultra-light, Viotex fabric dome treble unit, which handles high frequencies with exceptionally wide dynamic range and finesse. A new crossover design developed for the highly acclaimed Elegante range, has been applied to the m3i series. In addition, crossovers are now wired to drive units using Mission's special High Purity Oxygen Free Copper cables. The result is that all the speakers in the m3i series, whether used in a stereo or home theater system, exhibit a lively and musical performance with enhanced rhythm and timing!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good speakers once broken in, November 15, 2005

By 

BoolaBoola "Nutmegger" (Whittier) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mission m30i 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Graphite Black) (Electronics)

These M30i Mission speakers put out very good sound for such small speakers, and for such a small price. They have two bass reflex ports in the front, allowing them to be used against a wall, unlike rear ports (although the M32i and M31i come with foam plugs to allow you to do this).
My expectations were limited for such small, inexpensive speakers. But my initial impression was that these speakers were pretty dreadful. There was no bass, the stereo imaging was severely blurred and the bass reflex port seemed to muddy the sound.
Boy have they changed after a few days!
The tweeter apparently is the same as on the M32i and M31i, and the tweeter is not normallly affected much by the cabinet - and Mission supposedly mounts them to further isolate them from cabinet resonance - so the sound above 2,500 Hz shouldn't vary much from the bigger speakers, and it doesn't, once the tweeter gets broken in. In other words, it has superb, crisp transient response, and precise stereo imaging. Listening to some Flamenco guitar sounds about as good on the M30i as on the M32i.
The bass took a while to get broken in - I generally take my time before adding bass, usually a couple of days. Once it did, the M30i put out more bass than anyone has the right to expect from such small speakers. My guess is it is at least as much as my old 3-way floor speakers with 10" polypropelene woofers, though I am too lazy to reconnect them for an A/B. I know this sounds hard to believe. But that tiny woofer must have a long throw to move the air. It's not as good as the bigger M32i and M31i, but they have pretty astonishing bass. Using a pipe organ CD, all the low notes were there. Overall, though, the bass is not as powerful as the bigger missions. It goes surprisingly deep, but the deeper notes are weak, vs the M32i. For bookshelf speaker purposes, and most general purposes, the M30i seem to put out enough bass. But if you're a bassaholic, don't expect miracles. One oddity: When the speakers play an extended deep note, you can feel a puff of air a few seconds later, about five feet away.
The ports on the front add the some bass reflex coloration, which is absent from the M31i and M32i, which have a single large port in the rear. The bass reflex ports extend the bass, of course, by making the driver think that it is in a bigger cabinet. The bass reflex design adds some resonance in the lower midrange. This is not necessarily unpleasant once you get used to it - it makes the sound fuller. It also makes some instruments sound farther to the back, while instruments that use primarily the tweeter sound very forward, creating a stronger front-back imaging.
The result is that you could easily fool someone into thinking the sound is coming from much larger speakers. You can get a lot of clean sound of these by turning up the volume.
I still think the M31i is a better choice for a little more money, if you don't mind larger speakers - probably two or three times the cabinet volume. But if I had gotten the M30i first, I think I could have been happy with them as my only speakers.
The M31i and M32i are capable of producing real, deep bass, while the M30i produce enough bass to get by. The M30i are not bi-wireable, which may account for their not producing as much treble as the bigger speakers when bi-wired.
Of course, their natural use is as surround speakers. They have two 3/8" bolt receptacles on the back aligned vertically for a mounting bracket, which sure would be convenient if I could find a set, but a good hardware store ought to be able to help you make your own. The overall frequency response character matches the larger speakers enough for a surround sound matchup.
However, there is one significant difference: The M30i does not sound as lifelike. The sound is pleasant, detailed, excellent stereo imaging, with plenty of sizzle and bite on instrument like trumpets and cymbals. But whereas with the M32i you might be able to fool some people into believing the sound was real with a blindfold test, the M30i sound like sound from speakers. But what do you expect at a list price of $200?
I would not hesitate to recommend these to a young person starting out in building a hifi. They would do justice to some pretty expensive gear, while not being too revealing of the faults of lesser equipment. Even if they later get a larger speakers, one can always find a use for these miniature marvels.
And having used the M30i for about a week, I can recommend them without hesitation for adults, too, even with high end gear. Do not judge these speakers by their price. Mission has managed to make some exceptionally good sounding speakers at a remarkably low price.
But some advice: Don't pass judgment on these speakers in the first few days. And break them in slowly and gently. I think it would be a serious mistake to give these speakers loud pounding bass from the start because the cones have far more extending to do than a larger woofer. Wait till you get clean, clear highs and midranges before you work in the bass. Best bet: Leave them on overnight at low volume the first day or two.
Tip: Get some Caig ProGold or DeOxit and apply it to the speaker wire and terminals. You will probably get noticeably better sound, and it will reduce corrosion over time.
Notes: I do not have any idea what "classic British sound is," and whether these have it. If they do, then the M31i and M32i don't, because they have a different character. The only other British speaker I have owned had an electrostatic tweeter, which produced exceptionally clear treble. The M31i and M32i are closer to that sound. What they do have in common is a striving for neutrality and accuracy on the part of the speakers. Americans seem to have more of a taste for exaggerated highs and lows, and often crank up their bass and treble controls (just listen to a modern hotrod souund system driving by). All of the Missions seem to have fairly flat frequency response - all are rated within +/- 3 db, and the specs appear to be conservative.
Having bought several Missions, my advice is that if you have trouble removing the stickers on the grills, complain to the company and ask them to send you a new grill. I haven't had any trouble, so something must have been wrong with the other reviewer's items (perhaps they were sitting in a warehouse too long?). But frankly, I use mine with the grills off; they sound better.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classical British Sound, October 24, 2005

By 

D. Pang (san francisco, california United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mission m30i 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Graphite Black) (Electronics)

Very warm and detail sound, like any other Mission speaker used to be. The actual bass goes lower and deeper than I've expected. Sweet treble but nothing sharp. Right out of the box, it sounded dry and lack of depth, but as it is broken in, the field is tremendous with my musical fidelity A220. The only down side I can think of is that a little excess response at about 100Hz. Because of this, the mids can sound a little too "woomy" if you are listening in a limited space room. Other than that, nothing beats this 100 dollar solid performer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet deal for $80 shipped, December 18, 2005

By 

Drifter (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mission m30i 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Graphite Black) (Electronics)

My set up is as follows:

DSP: Yamaha CAVIT

Stereo Reciever: SONY STR-DE185

Front: Polk Monitor M40

Rear: Mission m30i

The whole setup retails for more than $1k, but I got all of them for less than $500 from Amazon, CircuitCity and Ebay.

m30i work very well as surrounds, their build quality is incredible - better than M40(not that they are bad).

They sound natural without adding anything.

I bought them thinking of mouting them on wire stands. But m30i are too heavy insipte of it's demutive size.

They look very pretty on top of book shelf with the grill off.