Mission 778S

The Mission 778S is a network player streamer intended to integrate a complete digital source into a hi-fi system. It handles the conversion and streaming of audio files from the network, a USB drive or streaming services, before passing the signal to an amplifier via its analogue or digital outputs.

At the heart of the unit is an ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M digital-to-analogue converter operating at 32-bit. This component processes PCM streams up to 768 kHz and DSD streams up to DSD512 over USB PC, allowing playback of common compressed files (MP3, AAC, OGG) as well as lossless formats such as FLAC, ALAC, WAV or AIFF, and the native DSD formats DSF and DIFF. The balanced XLR analogue output, together with the RCA output, allows these high-resolution formats to be used while limiting noise and interference over long cable runs, a useful point in installations where the electronics are located away from the rest of the system.

In terms of connectivity, the 778S offers a USB Type-C input for a computer, an Ethernet input for the home network, as well as several USB-A ports: one dedicated to microcontroller updates, and two others for USB storage or USB audio output. On the digital output side, it has an optical link and a coaxial link, in addition to the analogue outputs and a headphone output.

This type of network player is aimed at users who wish to centralise their digital sources - files stored on the network or on a USB drive, streaming services, local library - without having to go through a computer each time they listen. It is particularly suited to hi-fi systems already fitted with an amplifier featuring dedicated analogue or digital inputs, the presence of balanced XLR outputs making the unit relevant for configurations where cabling is longer or more sensitive to electrical interference.