MISSION 778 S network reader

The Mission 778S is the first network player offered by Mission. It was designed to be the ideal digital partner for the famous 778X integrated amplifier, but not only.

Mission 778S: Chassis

It of course uses the same chassis as the Mission 778X amplifier. We therefore find the manufacturer’s emblematic front panel with the two large knobs. The one on the left allows selection and navigation in the menu, and the one on the right controls the variable volume and the headphone amplifier output. Between the two, the 778S offers an OLED screen with adjustable brightness for status information, the menu and the selected input. There is also a 6.35 mm stereo jack headphone output.

On the back of the unit there are analog outputs in RCA and XLR as well as SPDIF digital outputs in coaxial and optical Toslink. In addition, there are USB connections to connect an external hard drive, a USB-C to connect a computer and an RG45 output for the network connection. Of course there is also a small antenna that allows connection to the WiFi network.

Note that all functions are also grouped on a remote control and that the application also manages the device and streaming.

Mission 778S: Technology

The Mission 778S network player is equipped with an excellent ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M 32-bit digital-to-analog converter. It uses HyperStream and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technologies. The Mission 778S network player offers PCM upsampling to 352.8 kHz or 384 kHz before conversion. It is possible to disable this function and select one of the five digital filters offered by the DAC.

The analog circuits of the Mission 778S are fully balanced, up to the XLR output.

Streaming is managed by the free Mission 778S application compatible with iOS/Android. It supports Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, QQ Player, TuneIn, Internet Radio, Roon Ready, AirPlay 2…

The 778S is equipped with Powered by Silent Angel technology with its proprietary VitOS application. Mission adds to this an RK3399 ARM processor with Cortex-A72 2.0 GHz cores + Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz cores to perform the streaming work. In other words, Silent Angel manages the software part and the integration of the services and protocols necessary for streaming, which Mission integrates into its device while developing its own design, its power supply, its conversion section and its own analog stage.

It is possible to read files stored on an external hard drive. These files can be in DSD, DSF, DIFF and DoP format. But also in PCM lossless, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, CUE, APE. It also supports compressed files in MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG.

The network connectivity of the Mission 778S combines dual-band WiFi and a Gigabit Ethernet port, allowing a reliable connection both wired and via WiFi.

The integrated power supply is linear, based on a toroidal transformer with several windings dedicated to the different sections of the 778S combined with several dedicated regulation and filtering circuits.

Mission 778S: Sound performance

We find a dynamic and very lively reproduction associated with an excellent soundstage. The 778S is detailed and precise without being too surgical or analytical. The timbres are rich and neutral, which makes listening very realistic and enjoyable over time. It is clear that Mission has really optimized the analog output stage, which makes the difference compared with many competitors that offer the same functions but with less musicality.

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