Meet the Mission 778S
The Mission 778S is a network music streamer, a source component designed to bring your favorite streaming services and stored music library into a high fidelity system. Unlike a passive loudspeaker that needs an amplifier to make sound, or the Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier that needs speakers to drive, the 778S sits at the front of the chain as your digital hub. It gathers the music, converts it, and hands a clean analog signal off to your amplifier.
Part of Mission's 778 electronics family, the 778S carries the engineering pedigree that comes from Mission's place within IAG, with electronics developed alongside Audiolab expertise. It is a thoughtfully compact source at 9.29 by 3.86 by 14.06 inches and 11.68 pounds, available in a black or silver finish that pairs naturally with the rest of the 778 range.
Design and Technology
The DAC and Streaming Platform
At the heart of the 778S is an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M 32-bit digital to analog converter. This is a well regarded chip that handles high resolution material with ease. The 778S supports PCM playback up to 768kHz and DSD up to DSD512, so whatever format your collection or streaming service delivers, this streamer is ready for it. On the balanced XLR output, the DAC achieves a signal to noise ratio of over 120dB, which speaks to a quiet, low noise foundation for your music.
Streaming duties are managed by the Silent Angel platform, a stable and well maintained ecosystem for network playback. The 778S is Roon Ready and supports Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, AirPlay 2, and TuneIn. That combination covers the vast majority of the ways listeners access music today, from lossless streaming to casual listening.
Connectivity
Because the 778S has its own built in DAC, it offers both balanced XLR and RCA analog outputs, letting you connect to virtually any amplifier or preamplifier. It also provides optical and coaxial digital outputs if you prefer to route the digital signal to an external converter. Network connection is flexible, with Gigabit Ethernet for the most reliable link, plus dual-band Wi-Fi and a USB input for local storage. A clear OLED display keeps track information visible at a glance.
A Built In Headphone Amplifier
One feature worth highlighting is the onboard headphone amplifier. This makes the 778S a genuine personal listening station as well as a source for your main system. You can enjoy a quiet late night session on headphones without needing any additional hardware.
Sound and Performance Character
The 778S is voiced to be revealing yet natural, a source that gets out of the way and lets the recording speak. The ESS Sabre conversion delivers detail and dynamic contrast, while the low noise design allows subtle textures and spatial cues to come through clearly. It is a source that rewards good recordings and good partnering equipment, presenting music with clarity and composure rather than added color.
Where It Sits in the Range
Within Mission's 778 electronics family, each component has a defined job. The 778X integrated amplifier combines amplification with its own built in DAC. The 778CDT CD transport spins discs but has no internal DAC, so it relies on a converter such as the one inside the 778X. The 778S, by contrast, is your streaming and digital source, complete with its own DAC and headphone stage. If your music lives online or on network storage rather than on physical discs, the 778S is the natural choice.
Building a System Around the 778S
Amplification and Speakers
A streamer needs an amplifier and speakers to complete the system. The most cohesive partner is the Mission 778X Integrated Amplifier, which shares the same design language and range and gives you a matched pair of electronics. From there, the choice of loudspeaker shapes the character of your system.
For a classic Mission experience, the Mission 770 Classic Loudspeakers are a Made in Britain reissue of the original 1980 design, offering a full bodied and engaging sound. If you are working with a smaller space or prefer a stand mount presentation, the Mission 750 Bookshelf Loudspeakers and the Mission 700 Loudspeakers bring Mission's signature Inverted Driver Geometry, with the tweeter positioned below the mid-bass driver for improved time alignment, along with mineral loaded polypropylene bass cones and soft dome tweeters.
Cables
To connect your amplifier to your speakers, the Audioquest Rocket 33 Full Range is a fine single wire option, while the Audioquest Rocket 33 BiWire suits speakers set up for bi-wiring.
How It Compares to Other Streamers We Carry
AEA carries several network streamers, each with its own design goals. The Silent Angel Munich M1 shares the Silent Angel platform heritage and also includes a DAC and headphone amplifier, while the Silent Angel Bremen SL1 Plus offers another take on streaming with an onboard DAC. The Audiolab 7000N Play comes from the same engineering family that helped shape the 778 electronics. The Cambridge Audio CXN100 and the EverSolo T8 Streaming Transport round out the choices with their own control interfaces and feature sets. The right one comes down to which control app you enjoy, which outputs you need, and how the source fits your existing system rather than any one being superior to another. The 778S stands out for its integration with the Mission 778 family and its Silent Angel platform paired with the ESS Sabre DAC.
Come Listen
AEA is an authorized Mission dealer with a showroom in Timonium, Maryland. Our demo units rotate and not every model is always set up, so we invite you to contact us to arrange a listen and hear how the Mission 778S sounds in a system built around your preferences.