surrendertoo Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 New here. I've had my Allison CD6 speakers since 1987. Sadly I need to replace the woofers. Please, any suggestions would be welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Welcome Are you sure? What’s the problem? If it’s just the surrounds have crumbled, no problem. Easy fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrendertoo Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 While beginning the refoaming process I discovered one of the spiders is immobile. Like it’s paralyzed. No movement or even the ability to move. The cone is stuck in place. I suspect it may have been that way when I got it 30+ years ago. The other spider has sagged. I think that can be addressed, but I think I’m better off replacing both woofers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 You would have to get original Allison woofers. Not an easy task. I’d call Bill LeGall at Millersound. If anyone can fix them he can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrendertoo Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Curious why they would have to be Allison. Is it not possible to find a replacement that would “fit”? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Fit? Maybe. Sound the same? No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrendertoo Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 I know, they will never sound the same, and it's not an ideal situation, butt I'm not ready to part with them. Looked at Miller Sound and they don't service Allison. "no exceptions" So I'm back to replacing the woofers. I have the specs for the original, but not sure when I look up replacements if I'm getting it right. Woofer: 8" Impedance: 4 ohms nominal Resonance Freq: 59Hz Low Freq. performance: - 3db @ 46.5 Hz Sensitivity, SPL: 90 db, 2.83v/1m Efficiency: 0.7% in average room, 30Watts per channel will generate 100 dbSPL Recommended Power: 15 to 150 watts per channel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Sorry, I was unaware of that. I'm not an Allison expert. I owned a pair of Fours for years and loved them. Have also refurbished other Fours and Sixes (not CD6). I think member newandold is the resident Allison expert so I hope he'll chime in. If you go with a replacement you first need to be sure it will fit in the hole. Not all 8" woofers are truly the same diameter. Next, it has to be 4 ohms. There are other technical specs you don't list so I suppose a woofer that is designed for acoustic suspension use (not ported) is the next important criterion. I'll do a little looking but again, I'm no expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Huw Powell at Human Speakers in NH has a good reputation and is primarily known for his work on Genesis and EPI speakers but he does repair Allison. Probably worth giving him a call https://www.humanspeakers.com/o/brands.htm He also sells replacement drivers. 8" 4 ohm classic style woofers are hard to find. Dayton has a "classic" series but the 8" is 8 ohms. Here's a 4 ohm but I don't know about the fit or the sound. You could contact tech support there https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-RS225P-4A-8-Reference-Paper-Woofer-4-Ohm-295-567 Here's one by ScanSpeak, a very well regarded brand but again I don't know how well it would fit or work in your Allisons. You could contact Madisound with questions https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/approx-8-woofers/scanspeak-22w/4534g-discovery-8-woofer-4-ohm/#tab-1 I think Human Speakers is your best bet. Kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrendertoo Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Thanks Kent. Really appreciate all your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npt3 Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Longtime Allison guy here (Threes and CD6s.) 8” Allison woofers are pretty plentiful on That Auction Site, but your better bet may be to find a pair of beater CD7s to cannibalize. That’s what I did a couple of years ago when I had to fix my CD6s. The CD7s are (somehow!) less desirable than the CD6s, and you could probably find a pair for less than a pair of woofers on the Bay. Keep trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 2:05 AM, surrendertoo said: New here. I've had my Allison CD6 speakers since 1987. Sadly I need to replace the woofers. Please, any suggestions would be welcome. https://www.simplyspeakers.com/ My “go to” since Millersound stopped Allison…..and I have had great original Allison woofer work done here. Best shot I know of to maintain that vital original “Allison build” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 23 hours ago, surrendertoo said: While beginning the refoaming process I discovered one of the spiders is immobile. Like it’s paralyzed. No movement or even the ability to move. The cone is stuck in place. I suspect it may have been that way when I got it 30+ years ago. The other spider has sagged. I think that can be addressed, but I think I’m better off replacing both woofers. You’re describing a voice coil that is destroyed. The spider and the surround are the suspension components for the coil. There are many ways that could have happened but over driving is most often the cause. The spider sag is another age related phenomenon, where they “ look” fine but have lost compliance thus shifting too much burden on the surround to keep it all together. IMHO, spiders are the most overlooked component when do it yourselfers jump in there and replace a crumpled surround….then think everything is A OK. The reality however, is quite another thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted January 24, 2022 Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 There is currently a single Allison:Five woofer on the auction site, in case you'd like to replace the woofer you have with the damaged voice coil. The woofer for the Five and Six are interchangeable. Going by the spec sheets found in the library, the woofer in the CD6 is likely the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrendertoo Posted January 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2022 Thank you all for your input and advice. As much as I'd love make these my forever speakers, I think they will become a project, which I'll enjoy. I'm going to purchase some new speakers and work on my Allison's over time. BTW Newandold, I had already been in touch with Simply Speakers and am on the waiting list for a their suggestion which is out of stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 25, 2022 Report Share Posted January 25, 2022 On 1/23/2022 at 1:14 PM, JKent said: Sorry, I was unaware of that. I'm not an Allison expert. I owned a pair of Fours for years and loved them. Have also refurbished other Fours and Sixes (not CD6). I think member newandold is the resident Allison expert so I hope he'll chime in. If you go with a replacement you first need to be sure it will fit in the hole. Not all 8" woofers are truly the same diameter. Next, it has to be 4 ohms. There are other technical specs you don't list so I suppose a woofer that is designed for acoustic suspension use (not ported) is the next important criterion. I'll do a little looking but again, I'm no expert. LOL ! (Hardly an expert) just An Allison lunatic who saw the writing ✍️ on the wall and started scarping spare parts! First time I saw trouble as an Allison end user was around 1994, when a woofer I ordered from the company wasn’t exactly what I expected. That being said, It played beautifully, despite it’s appearance being somewhat different. Fast forward past the 2000 reorganization debacle, (for myself at least) its been Ebay all the way. Keeping it going here for as long as possible. Still running my surround system with all original Allison drivers 28 in all, save one Velodyne Sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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