Will Quad 989s work well in my active room?

There is nothing about your room size that would prevent them from sounding good. You will have to treat some of the weaknesses though. That may sound daunting at the outset, but remember it is cheaper to treat a room than it is to buy new speakers, and room treatments will outlast most componants (they way many people go through gear here) whether speakers or electronics, and they can make a huge difference in the systems sound quality.

The room should be done anyway. So buy the Quads (which I have heard and thought they sounded very good) fix the room a little and enjoy some beautiful music.

Hello Eetheredge,

Quads will work fine in your room. Just give them some space behind to breathe.

By "active", I presume you mean your room is acoustically very lively, with lots of reverberant energy. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You'll be hearing more of the speaker's power response in a lively room, and the Quads will probably have smoother power response than more conventional speakers would.

When you talk out loud in that room, how does your voice sound? How does it compare to other rooms in your house? What the room's acoustic signature does to your voice is a good indication of what it will do to a loudspeaker, and from there we can plan on what's the best approach to take.

But to get back to your original question, Quads will work quite well in your room - just don't shove 'em into the corners or up against the wall. They gotta have some breathing room.

If you aren't yet committed to the Quads, you might consider Sound Lab electrostats. They do an exceptional job in some areas that might be of particular benefit in your situation (including very smooth power response). The Millennium-3 is in the size/price ballpark of the Quad 989. Disclaimer - I own & sell Sound Labs.

Best of luck to you!

Duke

Why don't you just ask for a home demo ? Any good dealer (in the UK at least) would give you a home demo if you're comtemplating spending 3500-4000 GBP (600-7000 USD) on a pair of speakers.

You room shouldn't be a real problem. But you ought to hear them in the room