British loudspeaker brand Mission has taken the wraps off its first-ever 'true wireless' all-in-one hi-fi system. The LX Connect consists of a compact hub with an OLED display, plus a pair of 60W active wireless speakers based on the firm's LX-2 Mk II.
Mission says the LX Connect Hub "intelligently transmits left and right audio signals to the appropriate speaker via uncompressed, 5.8GHz wireless audio signal transmission". There are no cables between the speakers and hub and the speakers do not need to be connected together. You will need to connect the power cables, though.
Will the LX Connect meet the needs of the modern hi-fi fan? It all looks very promising on paper. The Hub's analogue, optical and coax digital inputs are joined by a dedicated HDMI ARC connection for TVs, movies and games, and there's Bluetooth aptX HD for streaming hi-res audio from mobile devices. There's no built-in Wi-Fi networking, to "maintain simplicity" according to Mission.
Getting the stylish, 5.5cm-high Hub online should be a piece of cake thanks to the promise of one-touch set-up and touch-sensitive controls. Mission says the Hub is also Roon Tested, meaning it has been put through its paces by Roon and certified for use in a Roon audio environment (when connected to a PC or Mac running Roon software, for example).
The two LX Connect active speakers can be placed up to 20m away from the Hub, which should be more than adequate for most people. The Hub beams hi-res audio up to 32-bit/192kHz to the speakers, which feature Mission’s DiaDrive bass/midrange drive unit for improved efficiency and response.
Last but not least, Mission is keen to highlight the fact that the Hub contains an Audiolab-designed DAC, meaning it can double up as a high-end DAC for your headphones. Indeed, the company says the LX Connect will "outperform most dedicated headphone amp/DAC combinations at this price-point". Bold claim.
And that price point? The Mission LX Connect wireless speaker system will be available from October at £999. The official US price is $1699 (around AU$1900). The speakers come in a choice of matt black and matt white.
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Deep dive: read our full Mission LX-3 review