Allison: "original" vs. "CD" series

[s forrey]

Hi all,

I have a pair of Allison Six speakers that I've used happily since around 1981. Aside from having the foam surrounds replaced in 1999, they've given perfect service, and I've always been amazed by their transparent sound and surprisingly rich bass.

A friend got a pair in the mid-80s that looked different: they had a lighter wood cabinet and the front tweeter grille was smaller. Is this the CD-6?

I remember them sounding just like mine.

My question is: does anyone have or know of an Allison timeline, showing the different models? Also, was the CD-6 designed as an improvement over the Six -- and in what ways did it differ?

Thanks in advance!

[JeffS]

Hi,

I know this post is late, but hopefully you'll see it.

I've collected three pairs of Allison speakers in the last year, a pair of Sevens, a pair of Sixes, and a pair of CD-6's.

I know that the Six came out around 1981 and had a circular grille for the top firing woofer, along with a square grill that extended to the cabinet edges for the tweeter.

The pair of Sixes that I have are the same cabinet style as the CD-6, that is, they have an oval grille for the tweeter. The only difference is that the cabinet on the Sixes is walnut veneer, whereas the CD-6 has oak veneer. When I removed the drivers from the cabinets on the Sixes (so that I could refinish the cabinets) I noticed that the date stamped on them was within a month of the date on the drivers in the CD-6's (Feb. & March of 1985). There is no difference in these units other than veneer and what is printed on the sticker on the back.

I like these speakers. They have a great top end, and good extension on the bottom. I use them with an NAD amp that has bass EQ, extending output into the bottom octave, and the results are very satisfying at moderate volumes. Not bad for a cubic foot block!