Quad 988 / 989 reliability ??

Mbonn, we talking about the ESL 63, right? Had no downtime, because I've always kept a pair in reserve, bought cheap and used. Downtime would have been 4-5 weeks and we are talking Switzerland, Germany here. Service: sometimes panel replacement, restretching of the plastic covering, checking all the electronics, tightening loose panels. As far as the 989 is concerned, parts quality is cheapo, the bord is flimsy. Hififarm is right and to be commended for his honesty. Also the speaker is voiced differently from the old 63s. It is darker. I am going to drive it to death and then switch to SoundLab.

Detlof - Actually I'm talking about the 988 or 989. Having 2 pair so that I always have a spare pair is not a realistic option for me. It sounds from your post that you have moved from the 63 to the 988 or 989 ? And that you plan to swith to Sound Lab when you "drive it to death" ?

Thank you all for your reponses. I would like to keep this thread going. I am assuming that any Quad owner who is an "end user" (not a dealer) who sees this thread will respond as to whether they have had problems or not with their 988 / 989. It may require some time to gather meaningful statistics.

I encourage all 988/989 Quad owners to make a posting on this thread. Thanks !!

Mbonn, I use an array of stators in mys setup. I am running 63s with a pair of 989s. It is the latter that I am unhappy with and which, after its demise, I shall replace with Sound Labs. Cheers,

I have had my 989s for a year and a half now, with no
problems yet (I even moved 800 miles to a new job, and
they survived just fine). I use them a LOT, up to several
hours a day. I tend not to listen very loud, perhaps
around 86-88 dB (with peaks up to 6 dB higher).

Before my 989s, I had the ESL-63 US monitors for 10
years. It never failed on me even once in all that time!

Perhaps I've just been lucky. I do have a spare speaker
just in case my 989 dies (a Harbeth M40).

- Sridhar