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Quad 989 repair - California

Does anyone know if I can have my quad 989 repaired in California, Nevada or Arizona?

I had a pair of Quad 989s shipped from England to Palm Springs a couple of months ago. One of the 989s was fizzing and ticking on arrival.

Insurance has refused to pay out on a nice little get out clause (we won't pay for internal damage unless external damage is also evident). This means shipping the speaker to QSandD is NOT an option (they want $750 for shipping alone, not including repair). I could I'm sure find cheaper shipping options but the possibility of more shipping damage concerns me. So I'm looking for somewhere within driving distance of Palm Springs I can take the 989.

I spoke to True Sound in Northern California and they told me to sell the 989s as they are. Is finding someone to repair my 989 really going to be that difficult? If so then True Sound are probably correct, they aren't worth keeping.
growly
johnsonwu
469 posts
 
FIzzing and ticking upon power on may not be the dreaded panel arcing problem.
It may be as simple as that 220uF Lytic right @ the input that needs a replacement. Lytics do fail over time. Mine did.
Re-doing the panels of course involve expert workmanship and knowleddge. Replacing that cap is a 2 minute job for anyone good with a soldering iron.
Ask around and see if you can get a technician who knows the basics of electronics and spend $10 on that bipolar lytic... (Mundorf ad Madisound or ebay)
acbc
38 posts
 
Any progress?

If you haven't already you might want to also try.

http://quadsunlimited.us/#/contact-us/4534267357

Check out their website. They do much more than repairs.
http://quadsunlimited.us/#

Good luck I hope this gets resolved quickly and as inexpensively as possible.
growly OP
3 posts
 
I sent my 989 to Kent McCollum - estatsolution.com, Kansas City. Shipping was reasonable.

His assessment: The top bass panel is damaged. Stator delamination, damaged diaphragm, the glue holding the plate together has failed.

Two more original panels have signs of delamination and he is going to reglue these too.

This is the speaker that Quad in the UK repaired 5-6 years because of fizzing crackling noises. It is 'unfortunate' that $8000 speakers can fail because of dried out glue. I didn't realise how lucky we Quad owners are in England, their repair costs (replacing panels) are very reasonable.
growly OP
3 posts
 
I don't think I'll buy another pair of Quad electrostatics. I sent my speaker for repair to Kent at estatsolutions and it arrived this morning. I plugged it in and it seemed fine. So I moved my other 989 from the corner into position, plugged it in, and fizz pop fizz! Now my other 989 has died. Quad must use glue from the dollar store, or perhaps in the UK the poundshop, or in china the renminbi store.
acbc
38 posts
 
Hi, sorry to hear that it didn't work out. Quad/IAG should do better job supporting their brand. Every time someone has a bad experience its a lost future sale. I love my 989's, but in the back of my head I worry about what you just went through. One could only image what could be if they actually made these things easy to own. As you travel to the UK on a regular basis you might want to pop by their offices and "let them have an ear full!" one day. I appreciate your frustration and your determination to move on, but you never know you may come across a set of ESL's in future that are in good shape - best of luck.
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