Magnepan vs Quad

I have owned Quad 63's, 63's with Gradient subs, Original Quads, and Maggie 3.6's. It's a tough call. I really like the voicing of the Maggies - they are laid-back in the upper mids and lower treble, which keeps them from sounding harsh even with relatively poor recordings. The 63's are a bit forward in upper mids and lower treble, and will sound good with fewer recordings. I don't know if the 989's are voiced like the 63's in this region or not - from what I've read they are probably similar, but I haven't heard them yet. The Original Quads have the best mids of all, but don't do the frequency extremes as well as the Maggies. The Quads have better resolution than the Maggies, and the Quads sound better at low volume levels than the Maggies do. Overall I'd probably pick the Maggie 3.6's over the Quads I've heard, but the Maggie is not a clear winner. It's their warm, forgiving voicing that tips the scale in their favor. And I would pick any of them over box speakers in the same price ballpark, just to put things in perspective.

I would keep the 3.5s and buy a good subwoofer. Properly integrated, you will have a full range speaker system which would be comparable with if not more musical than some very expensive dynamic speakers (to wit, the Revel Studios, etc.)

Remember, newer and more expensive does not necesarily equate to more enjoyment of the musical experience. Isn't that the bottom line?

Audiokinesis, to these here ears you are right on the money! You've put it much better than I did. Gmorris's subwoofer idea is also great, that goes for the Quads too, by the way. The 989 are indeed similar voiced to the 63s in the midrange, they have better bass, the highs are sometimes slightly etchy with mediocre software. Its a demanding speaker, but heaven with good recordings of small ensembles. All the same, Sdzink, I would also look into the Soundlab ESL's, they REALLY give you the best of both worlds

The Quad 989 is a great sounding speaker but it has a low wife acceptance factor. i just sold mine and really miss their full-balanced sound and great imaging.

Sorry about that, LjGj, what was it, that she didn't like about it? Was it too big, too black? I think its a very good point to bring in and to consider, when hunting for a new speaker system.