Guest rjcrum Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 I am the proud owner of a pair of Allison:Ones that I bought new in....was it 1977? They're twenty-four years old, and still going strong. I added a trio of MS-200s from the 'new' Allison Acoustics in 1991 when I bought my first Dolby Pro Logic surround equipment. Still using it all...Anyway, I hauled my Allison:Ones to Europe with me when I was relocated there in 1978, first to England and then to Germany. When I got to Germany, I found that the mid-ranges on one of the speakers wasn't working. I sent a Telex (remember those?) to Allison from Germany and got a reply instructing me how to determine the problem. I followed the instructions, and determined that one midrange was blown. Telexed back to Allison and didn't hear anything....until a box arrived about two weeks later with a new midrange and instructions to replace it!I did so, the speaker worked fine, and wanted to know what to do with the midrange. So I called Allison one day, and who answered the phone? None other than Roy himself. I thanked him for the midrange and asked how much I owed them. "Nothing" he replied. I then asked him if he wanted the damaged midrange back and he said nope, they didn't need it.Talk about service! Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing the Allisons; I sort of feel in my bones that there might be some better sounding speakers out there for my combination home theater/music system. But in the back of my mind, having owned AR-4x and Large Advent speakers, I guess you could say that I'm a lover of that 70's Boston sound. Any new speakers that have that sound?And....what ever happened to acoustic suspension design? Seems like almost EVERY high end audiophile speaker these days (B&W, KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc.) are all ported. I always loved the bass of acoustic suspension; can you get that with ported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nigel Posted May 29, 2001 Report Share Posted May 29, 2001 Hi;Regarding ported versus sealed (air suspension); I too prefer the sealed designs. The ported designs tend to get better -3dB numbers than sealed, but then roll off much much faster.My home theatre system has AR High Res AR7 main speakers (ported), and my audio has classic (not the recent High Res) AR9 speakers (sealed). The 7s are very efficient; 94dB vs 87dB for the 9s, and the are both rated -3dB at 28Hz, but the 9s have much more solid base. The difference is especially noticable on Huey Lewis's "The Heart of Rock Roll". The heart beats at the beginning are incredible on the 9s and just so-so on the 7s.I don't believe that there is anything new out there better than your Allisons. You might consider rebuilding them, there is an article on this site of on rebuilding AR94 speakers that is very good for a reference. If the inductors are not air core, replace them while you have everything apart.Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted September 26, 2002 Report Share Posted September 26, 2002 >Telexed back to Allison and didn't hear anything....until a >box arrived about two weeks later with a new midrange and >instructions to replace it! >>I did so, the speaker worked fine, and wanted to know what >to do with the midrange. So I called Allison one day, and >who answered the phone? None other than Roy himself. I >thanked him for the midrange and asked how much I owed them. >"Nothing" he replied. I then asked him if he wanted the >damaged midrange back and he said nope, they didn't need it. >>Talk about service!Well, here is a response to a message posted several months ago, so the writer of that message may not be checking messages these days, but I thought I would add my comments about Allison speakers. Roy Allison came up through the Acoustic Research tradition of top-flight customer service; and added to that, he has an unusually honest and straight-forward demeanor. Allison Acoustics adopted the very same attitude about customer service as AR, and had a similar warranty. At AR, if a speaker "failed" for about any reason, it would be replaced usually no matter who was at fault, and AR would pay for shipment to and from the factory if the speaker had to be returned. It was AR's full warranty for five years. Allison had a similar warranty.>>Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing the Allisons; I sort of >feel in my bones that there might be some better sounding >speakers out there for my combination home theater/music >system. But in the back of my mind, having owned AR-4x and >Large Advent speakers, I guess you could say that I'm a >lover of that 70's Boston sound. Any new speakers that have >that sound? >It's all a relative thing: what do you consider "better sounding," in this day and time? Brighter and punchier perhaps, but more accurate and musical, probably not. While the Allisons might not be the best combination for a theatre system or a surround system, they are still fine for stereo-type music systems, and it is doubtful that there are many speakers -- if any -- that are truly more accurate than the Allison: Ones and IC-20's, etc.>And....what ever happened to acoustic suspension design? >Seems like almost EVERY high end audiophile speaker these >days (B&W, KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc.) are all >ported. I always loved the bass of acoustic suspension; can >you get that with ported? Ported designs came of age a few years ago, and were greatly improved. It is probably less expensive, both in terms of amplifier power required and box design, to make a good ported speaker than a good acoustic-suspension speaker. The acoustic-suspension woofer is still considered better in terms of lower harmonic distortion and less "boominess" and so forth, but the ported designs of today are nevertheless excellent. Hope you still have your Allisons.--Tom Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rjcrum Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 Well, it's been awhile since my first post; over two years. A lot has happened since then...and (Tom)...I still have my Allisons!After that post in late 2001, I went on a speaker hunt during 2002 and 2003. I wasn't in a rush, but I *was* interested in something new. Listened to a *lot* of speakers (B&W, Dynaudio, JMLab, PSB, Paradigm, Monitor Audio, etc.). Since I didn't have the money to replace at the time, I was in no rush! I was interested in getting a complete new system of 6 speakers: front L/C/R, two surrounds and a back channel.During this time I was carrying on a conversation with David Faulker, who you all know is the president of Allison Acoustics. I was pestering him with questions about speaker placement for my old Ones (which was no longer ideal in my new setup) and he graciously replied and even passed on one of my messages to Roy.In September, 2003, I found myself at CEDIA in Indianapolis, and went to the hotel suite where Allison was. I met David, and spent a wonderful hour talking with him about Allison!Well, fast forward to last month, when my wife told me that for my upcoming 'major' birthday (you have to guess...) I could treat myself to something. I immediately thought of new speakers. After my last search, I had decided that *if* I were going to get anything new it would be the Dynaudio Audience series. However, since that search was over a year old, I decided to see what was out there again.I went out speaker shopping (again), and after listening to a variety of brands, decided that I really liked the JMLab Cobalt S series in addition to the Dynaudio Audience series. Very nice sound, and within my self-imposed budget for six new speakers. One weekend in January I brought home the JMLab Cobalt 816S and the matching center channel on loan, and temporarily replaced the Allison:Ones and the Allison MS200 I use as a center. My wife and I watched "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" over the weekend, as well as listening to music.Well, both she and I were disappointed. Except for clearer dialogue on Pirates, we didn't really notice much difference. So...back to the store the JMLabs went, and I talked with my wife about what I actually wanted to accomplish. The bottom line is that I really wanted to 1) have a better center channel for clearer dialogue and 2) add a single back channel. In spite of their 'non-optimal' placement, I guess my current vintage Ones are (apparently) just as good as newer speakers to my ears. And so, if it aint' broke...don't fix it! Consequently, I decided (after yet another conversation with David Faulkner) that I would simply get a new Allison Center Channel speaker, and use the MS200 I currently have for a center as the back channel. The Allison Center is in a box in the garage...waiting to 'surprise' me on my birthday next week! You can be that it will be installed that day!Why this long post? I guess for a few reasons. I've never been prone to 'upgradeitis' (I kept my Audio Research preamp for 26 years before replacing it!), and even now, as 'sexy' as new speakers might be, the 27 year old Allisons that I have are (to my ear) just as good as anything *I* listened to. So, thanks to Roy for a timeless design. Also, I'd like to wish David Faulkner and Allison Acoustics the best of luck. David is truly interested in making a comeback with the company, and I hope he does! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sean Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Rj: Your post only confirms my findings. That is, many "modern" designs are actually a step backwards from "vintage" products. If you were to take your Allison's and upgrade the internal wiring and crossover parts, i bet that you would fall in love all over again. That is because you already have the hardest part conquered i.e. a good basic design. What you're lacking is the improvements that technology has brought with it in terms of upgraded passive parts. I've done this to many "old" speakers and it is quite amazing what they can do compared to "current models". As a side note, i just rebuilt / modified my Father's $3000 Legacy speakers. Believe me, these things used good quality drivers, but were SOOOO far "under-designed" and lacking in terms of proper implimentation that it wasn't funny. The end results? After hearing them, one of my Father's friends asked if i could rebuild / modify his newer and two steps up $5000 Legacy speakers. What does that tell you? Newer, bigger and more expensive doesn't necessarily make them "better". It's all in the design and the implimentation of that design. Tom: I hear you and understand where you're coming from about "vented designs" getting better, but there are VERY few vented designs that are even remotely worth considering as far as i'm concerned. This is especially true once you hear a simple but well designed sealed speaker and compare that to even a "top dollar" vented design. You can't get the transient response out of ANY vent that you can out of a reasonably low Q sealed design. To top it off, since most manufacturers are more concerned with profit margins than anything else, i would only consider a vented design if i was willing to invest both time and money into correcting the mass-production cost cutting principles that they implimented into the product when slapping it together at the factory. Otherwise, you'll end up like Rj did i.e. buying a fancy looking, big-name under-designed piece of junk. He's just lucky that he could return them. Others might not be so lucky. Sean> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mrl Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 >Well, it's been awhile since my first post; over two years. >A lot has happened since then...and (Tom)...I still have my>Allisons!>>[[snip]]>>The Allison Center is in a box in the garage...waiting to>'surprise' me on my birthday next week! You can be that it>will be installed that day!>>Why this long post? I guess for a few reasons. I've never>been prone to 'upgradeitis' (I kept my Audio Research preamp>for 26 years before replacing it!), and even now, as 'sexy' as>new speakers might be, the 27 year old Allisons that I have>are (to my ear) just as good as anything *I* listened to. So,>thanks to Roy for a timeless design. Also, I'd like to wish>David Faulkner and Allison Acoustics the best of luck. David>is truly interested in making a comeback with the company, and>I hope he does!>I love these long drawn-out posts! If rjcrum is still reading this forum, I'd love to know how your Allison Center Channel worked out, and whether it's been durable for the last 17 months!Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynaco_dan Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 Hi there>>Telexed back to Allison and didn't hear anything....until a >>box arrived about two weeks later with a new midrange and >>instructions to replace it! >>>>I did so, the speaker worked fine, and wanted to know what >>to do with the midrange. So I called Allison one day, and >>who answered the phone? None other than Roy himself. I >>thanked him for the midrange and asked how much I owed them. >>"Nothing" he replied. I then asked him if he wanted the >>damaged midrange back and he said nope, they didn't need it. >>>>Talk about service!> >Well, here is a response to a message posted several months>ago, so the writer of that message may not be checking>messages these days, but I thought I would add my comments>about Allison speakers. >>Roy Allison came up through the Acoustic Research tradition of>top-flight customer service; and added to that, he has an>unusually honest and straight-forward demeanor. I still have in mail files, letters from Roy Allison at AR in response to my always buying bits and pieces and fuses.He was always polite and courteous to my every stupid and or silly question. He was off sick in one letter, his secretary sent me a very nice letter and said Roy would reply upon his return to work.He did.I felt of him as a friend that I never met.He might have thought of me as a pain in the woofer, but his letters were always gracious.I have never had that feeling from a complete stranger before or since.He's one in a million, for sure.Have a good one.Allison>Acoustics adopted the very same attitude about customer>service as AR, and had a similar warranty. At AR, if a>speaker "failed" for about any reason, it would be replaced>usually no matter who was at fault, and AR would pay for>shipment to and from the factory if the speaker had to be>returned. It was AR's full warranty for five years. Allison>had a similar warranty.>>>>>Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing the Allisons; I sort of >>feel in my bones that there might be some better sounding >>speakers out there for my combination home theater/music >>system. But in the back of my mind, having owned AR-4x and >>Large Advent speakers, I guess you could say that I'm a >>lover of that 70's Boston sound. Any new speakers that have >>that sound? >>>>It's all a relative thing: what do you consider "better>sounding," in this day and time? Brighter and punchier>perhaps, but more accurate and musical, probably not. While>the Allisons might not be the best combination for a theatre>system or a surround system, they are still fine for>stereo-type music systems, and it is doubtful that there are>many speakers -- if any -- that are truly more accurate than>the Allison: Ones and IC-20's, etc.>>>And....what ever happened to acoustic suspension design? >>Seems like almost EVERY high end audiophile speaker these >>days (B&W, KEF, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc.) are all >>ported. I always loved the bass of acoustic suspension; can >>you get that with ported? >>Ported designs came of age a few years ago, and were greatly>improved. It is probably less expensive, both in terms of>amplifier power required and box design, to make a good ported>speaker than a good acoustic-suspension speaker. The>acoustic-suspension woofer is still considered better in terms>of lower harmonic distortion and less "boominess" and so>forth, but the ported designs of today are nevertheless>excellent. Hope you still have your Allisons.>>--Tom Tyson> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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