newandold
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Posts posted by newandold
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13 hours ago, FabRik8r said:
Stanton ... a blast from the past.
The first cartridge I used in the XA was an Empire 999VE.
Sounded harsh….just couldn’t get it right. Then to the Stanton….Like night and day.
I recall the Shure V15 was the popular choice back in the day. I don’t recall what prompted me to the Stanton.Interesting note about the monies….The cartridge was equal money to the turntable 75.00 each. Then of course I bit the bullet twice on the cartridges!
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53 minutes ago, Chris Barbot said:
I've heard that you can use the mids and tweeters regardless of model between the Allison Models 1, 2 and 3.
How about other models? Could I use the mids and tweeters from a CD-8 in an Allison 2?
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions!
Chris
The tweeters are another story…. the two way tweeters are cooled with ferrofluid and the three ways with silicone grease and should not be interchanged
Bill
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Hi Chris,
The Allison dome midrange can be used in A1, A2, A3, A8,Cd8,A9 And IC20 (I think I got All of them!)
Depending upon the vintage, some modifications are needed to accommodate the leads. That depends on internal or external with those old brass pins.
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1 hour ago, FabRik8r said:
I had the mods done ... I got the table stock from my Dad with a Shure M44 cartridge. I had hum issues with the stock arm and was going to have to rewire the arm. At that time, I didn't have the experience to do a rewire, and I was encouraged to consider a new arm. Found a steal on a used "bad wire" Rega arm and had it sent to Johnnie at Audio Origami for a wire and other custom stuff like the brass stub and counterweight ... I wanted that as a nod to the original counterweight.
As for the darker wood being the original wood color ... I know there are a few ways I can approach the finish, but I'll choose the best solution to achieve originality. My normal finishes include shellac (hand mix blonde flakes), lacquer, danish oil, or in some cases Howard's Feed N Wax works wonders.
Yes that original arm was prone to hum and resonance issues.
After years of storage my XA did not fair well and was negated to last years trash pile.
I did however, rescue the Stanton 681EEE-S that was on board and turned it over to an electrical engineer professor friend of mine who in turn, transplanted the thing into his player. Turns out by checking out EBAY that cartridge still has good value and quite a following. It sure as hell looks sweeter in his machine than it did in mine!
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1 hour ago, FabRik8r said:
I'm curious about the mid's ... all I see is a "sponge", and I don't hear about people discussing those.
I'll look around the forum to see if I can find threads that are helpful, but feel free to post links.
There is nothing I can think of regarding the 2ax that someone here doesn’t have an answer for. I’m sure you’ll find out what you need in short order.
It’s a little scary when I think how long it’s been since I let the 2ax go! 44 years!
To put that into perspective I had problems with those potentiometers only around a year or two after getting them brand new. So my hats off to guys who are handy and knowledgeable to fix here in the 21st century.
I never knew what the drivers looked like behind those stapled grills until I got involved here!
Bill
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31 minutes ago, FabRik8r said:
Hey guys, thanks for the responses! I need to check my post settings, but I didn't get notifications, so sorry for the late reply. I'm usually right on it.
genek, the grills in the first photo are correct. My dad may have had these upside down and not thought much of it. He has never considered himself an "audio guy", so I can see him doing that. The dark ring was probably from an ornate Japanese brass lamp with felt pad on the bottom. It looks the right size.
ar_pro the cabinets have no damage, which is part of why I was so excited to see the condition when we pulled out of the attic last year. I don't need the badges shiny to enjoy, so I'll avoid damaging them with Brasso or the like, thanks! Good to know on the velcro / grills ... that would be my first option.
Giorgio AR thanks
I guess I'll need to pull the woofers to inspect after I get these home in August. I rebuild turntables and have experience with speaker surrounds, crossover upgrades and electronic repairs. Although, electronics for preamps and amps is one thing I limit myself to my own stuff, and only when I can get some help from smarter people. All to say that if it turns out that I can fix the tweeters on my own, I'll do it ... but only if it's the best course of action. As mentioned, these are a historical gem for this model and I'd like to honor that. I have better speakers, but for me, these will be fun to own and use. I may even decide to pair up with my Dad's old AR XA and maybe give me an excuse to get an old Fisher 400/500 ....
Just for context, here is my Dad's old AR XA. By the way, I have the original box and all paperwork. He never filled out warranty cards, and doesn't throw anything away. Nice for me.
That turntable looks “futuristic” compared to my 1969 XA!
I think that weight on your platter would have been heavy enough to stop that little midget motor that drove mine! LOL
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A pair of pristine 8” grills that fit most 8” Allison models are up on Ebay today….sure as Hell they won’t last long
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On 4/25/2021 at 2:59 PM, Ddjr said:
Anyone know of a supplier for the grills on sevens? The top ones, I think, should be sturdier, as people sometimes set things on speakers. The tweeter grills are what I'm after.
D
The grills were never available anywhere except directly from the long gone Allison Acoustics.
When they were in the process of permanently shutting down, I received a phone call from them, inquiring if I were interested in buying a new replacement set of Allison:One grills. Mine were still in fine shape in those days and so I declined.
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On 2/21/2019 at 3:31 PM, mikezohsix said:
I understand I will not have the push pull woofers, and will not have "real" IC20's, but I'll be closer to them then I currently am with my refreshed A:1's. I have considered the push pull, and could print the reverse woofer tube, which I may very well do if I decide to build IC20 replica cabinets. I'm not there yet, this is an interim experiment, that may never go any further.
I've played with stacking speakers, running multiples, and have always found the results interesting. You gain some things and lose other things. One of my other plans is to build a pair of either a 16 or 25 driver linear array. More drivers seem to mean more music. Roger Russell's, of McIntosh speaker fame in the same time frame as Roy Allison, last project was the IDS-25 array. Look it up, it's got quite a following, and I may not be remembering correctly, but I think RA was experimenting with them also.
Guess where I'm going with all this is I'd like to "correctly" add more drivers to the A:1. And by correctly, I mean use the original drivers (have them), and build the IC20 cross over - which I will do. To house the added four drivers to my "tops", I had first thought about cutting up a set of empty A:1 cabinets my son has, essentially lop the top off, flip it over, and put new top on it, and put it on top of my A:1. I was persuaded not to sacrifice those cabinets, so will build new. So now I'm committed to building new top cabinets, so really just want to see if RA kept the mid to tweet spacing the same as the A:1.
I may even build the switchable cross over, haven't decided yet, but if I do, it won't be remotely operated. So, short of the push pull, and the cabinet volume, I'll be as close as can be. Roy is not building these anymore, and as we all know, they're extremely rare, so how would one get close? - I think the path I'm on is pretty solid.
Project update?
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At 850….the woofers need to be in perfect operational condition. Those tweeters and mids are unusually impeccable as I said the first time I saw them! If you restore the woofers they would probably sell in a day or two
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Esthetics behind the grilles was clearly of no concern back in the old days with the AR.
I recall trying to peek back there as a youngster with my Dad’s 2a’s. When the grill fought me I knew enough to leave it or end up in hot water!
Even when I finally got my own 2ax and those pots plagued me with trouble, I never tried to remove the grills…. I simply dumped them in favor of the Allison’s.
Bill
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32 minutes ago, JKent said:
Those pushed-in domes are unfortunately pretty common with Allison tweeters. I've had some success wetting them with water and using a tube to suck them out. You have to be very careful of the delicate leads but it can sometimes work.
Yes indeed (one of many tricks used).
Pushed in, or otherwise damaged domes and dust caps of conventional drivers has been a common problem to many loudspeakers (not exclusively Allison) over the decades.
Ironically, with the later introduction of the metal protective mid. And tweeter screens, the Allison drivers became some of the most “bulletproof” out there.
I recall kicking back with my latest Allison surround arrangement a few years back and being quite happy that finally I had rid myself of all the non protected drivers (except the woofers of course). You also get the bonus of protection for those woofers that are inverted by design.
Bill
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On 4/15/2021 at 7:53 AM, Ddjr said:
Right then! Since there is no interest in these, ill just put them back in the bedroom.
With those woofers restored, those speakers probably sound nearly good as new, so if you still have a room to enjoy them in, that’s a VERY good thing.
Esthetically, they look pretty rough and the damaged tweeter domes are a big negative to the serious buyer. So, the resale value is going to very low.
No activity for selling successfully here. If you want a real chance at unloading them, do a nice listing on Ebay or your local Craig’s list.For what you’ll get you would be better off holding on to them while the drivers still work.
Bill
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Great pictures!
Thank you for the additional information
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On 4/1/2021 at 11:30 AM, Ddjr said:
I have an old pair of allison sevens(not cd7) that I'm looking to sell. They could stand to be refinished. Sound great. These are the top firing speakers. Any interest, please respond here. I'm in western ma.
Please post clear pictures of the woofers with the grills removed....Have they been refoamed?
The other tweeter... is the dome damaged like the one pictured?
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On 2/21/2019 at 3:31 PM, mikezohsix said:
I understand I will not have the push pull woofers, and will not have "real" IC20's, but I'll be closer to them then I currently am with my refreshed A:1's. I have considered the push pull, and could print the reverse woofer tube, which I may very well do if I decide to build IC20 replica cabinets. I'm not there yet, this is an interim experiment, that may never go any further.
I've played with stacking speakers, running multiples, and have always found the results interesting. You gain some things and lose other things. One of my other plans is to build a pair of either a 16 or 25 driver linear array. More drivers seem to mean more music. Roger Russell's, of McIntosh speaker fame in the same time frame as Roy Allison, last project was the IDS-25 array. Look it up, it's got quite a following, and I may not be remembering correctly, but I think RA was experimenting with them also.
Guess where I'm going with all this is I'd like to "correctly" add more drivers to the A:1. And by correctly, I mean use the original drivers (have them), and build the IC20 cross over - which I will do. To house the added four drivers to my "tops", I had first thought about cutting up a set of empty A:1 cabinets my son has, essentially lop the top off, flip it over, and put new top on it, and put it on top of my A:1. I was persuaded not to sacrifice those cabinets, so will build new. So now I'm committed to building new top cabinets, so really just want to see if RA kept the mid to tweet spacing the same as the A:1.
I may even build the switchable cross over, haven't decided yet, but if I do, it won't be remotely operated. So, short of the push pull, and the cabinet volume, I'll be as close as can be. Roy is not building these anymore, and as we all know, they're extremely rare, so how would one get close? - I think the path I'm on is pretty solid.
Two years later (as I knew full well) nothing ever came of this.
It’s a noble thought.....but unobtainable, though a few have kicked the idea around.
Bill
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Congratulations! Those 3a’s appear to be beautifully restored.
I wouldn’t be overly concerned about the roll radius unless you’re noticing an issue with the bass at high volume levels, when the movement really gets going.
The main concern I have with woofers as old as these is the compliance of the spiders.
Often overlooked, they may appear fine and uncracked. However, if the compliance is significantly down from the original specs then they could more easily bottom out then when new. The smoothest bass comes from the spider and the surround working in unison to maintain control over the voice coil.
Bill
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On 2/26/2021 at 1:16 PM, hyrdr said:
How right you are. The pictures available do not reveal these details. I understand the cabinets are solid with staining on one of them. The original cloth and cloth frames are still on them. They are buried in a basement and it will be my job to dig them out. I cannot test them ahead of time. If I had more info I would have certainly added it to the question. Can anyone give a estimate of driver restoral? It will be figured into the price.
Your friend needs to be a better friend to you!
You have to dig them out of some basement, they weren’t his, you can’t test them and you have to haggle??
Just watch me leave skid marks going the OTHER way! (Just sayin)
Bill
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4 minutes ago, samberger0357 said:
Never saw the ad before you referred to it in your original post. But this would provide some clue as to how long he's been waiting for a buyer:
"Listed 15 weeks ago in Summerville, SC"
And yes, I agree with your points about how to insure a reasonably quick sale. You see a lot of his type on Craig's List, as least I do locally. Stuff that just sits and sits, never a price reduction, questions hardly or never responded to. Scratch your head situations.
Takes all kinds I suppose.
"
The one saving grace is The entertainment value. I mean, I do get a kick out of some of the sellers (and you become familiar with them after a while. Their M.O. is the same all the time, And much of their stuff just sits there forever.
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30 minutes ago, samberger0357 said:
I suppose the answer to the question as to why they haven't sold in months has now been answered.
Months?!? Wow....you’ve been monitoring this one I see.... selling quick is all about being brutally honest. Lots of pictures, and if you as a seller don’t know something for sure, let it be known in your advertisement. Oh well, I love buying, But I hate selling, a necessary evil at times.For what it’s worth, the last pair of speakers I sold off, went out of here in one week.
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58 minutes ago, lakecat said:
Yes...I stand corrected!..lol. I contacted the guy thru messenger and he avoided any question I had but swore they were teak. I asked him to remove tape to see....and he proceeds to block me on messenger!...lol.
Ah Ha..... In one ☝️ post you’ve exposed the seller for what he is. A seller who’s hiding nothing would not respond to anyone like that!
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Follow up… After reading what some of the experts say here that I trust. I still like the five, but maybe not this pair!
Bill
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If I were in the market for such a speaker, I would buy them in an instant. The five was a brand new system back when I received a pair a brand new AR 2AX . They were a gift from my parents and beggars can’t be choosers. LOL, once I really got into this and started to read up on AR, I became intrigued by the five and realized if I was going out shopping back then the five is the one I would have bought.
Bill
Crossover schematic for Allison 9 / CD-9?
in Allison
Posted
That’s a great story!
I’m nearly certain I have the schematic on my main computer….will look tonight or tomorrow. I also have a copy of that brochure, though mine is pretty beat up from where it came!
Bill