Quad 988 / 989 reliability ??

So far, so good.

I've been using 63s for years and had no special reliability problems, except for the fact, that after about 3 years of very heavy use they had to go into service, which was costly, but well worth it, because it is still an excellent transducer. Not so with the 989, which I am not happy with. 2 weeks in use, one went sour one me and since then, there are intermittent crackling and popping noises from both speakers.

First pair were faulty. Replacements have been fine so far (touch wood). I think that if you get a pair with a problem, it'll be immediately obvious so you can get them exchanged straight away. Once you have a good pair, based on other owners' comments I've seen, I think that you'll be fine. I admit that you shouldn't have to deal with QC issues at this price level, but please don't it dissuade you from owning a magnificent speaker.

And BTW, do you really feel the need for a sub? The 989s go down to 35hz at -6db and adding a sub will introduce a crossover and phase incoherency (if your sub is ported). If you must, perhaps you could try the REL ST series subs which are very flexible from an integration perspective and are designed for music, not HT.

reg