Jump to content

Allison Three speaker problems


Guest BartJY

Recommended Posts

Hi Folks,

I have an old pair of Allison Threes. The first problem I have is that one of the tweeters seems to be shot, any idea where I might find replacements that have the same sonic quality? The second issue is the foam suspension around the woofers is coming off. Any idea where I can get them refoamed?

Let me say that this is a great web site. Who would have thought there would be a place all about my speakers. Fantastic.

Thanks

Bart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Bart

And did you know about the Yahoo Allison forum?

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/allison-speakers/

Regarding the foam: It is not difficult to do it yourself. I get my kits from MSound:

http://www.citlink.net/~msound/

Check his site for step-by-step instructions. I refoamed a couple of pair of Allison: Fours with his kits.

If you REALLY don't want to do it yourself, check the Home page here, then click on Links. You will see a number of resources. One--Carl's Custom Loudspeakers--does refoaming. Carl is a frequent contributor here.

About those tweeters. That's a tough one. Allison tweeters had excellent dispersion that is unmatched by replacements. You may be able to find used ones on ebay--they do pop up from time to time.

I'm not sure if the Three used the same tweeter as the Four, but I bought these for my Fours:

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_i...roducts_id=1109

They were recommended by Howard Ferstler, an Allison enthusiast and prolific writer on all things audio. But I never used them because I found a used one on ebay (whatever you do, make sure the tweeters match). If you also post your question on the Yahoo forum, you may get advice from Howard (and on rare occaisions Roy himself writes in!!)

Take a look at the Allison brochure in the library--it seems to say the Three and Four (in fact all the "Series One" speakers) used the same 1" (2.5 cm) convex diaphragm tweeter.

Good luck

Kent

post-101828-1233897188.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Kent.

I've read some of your older posts. In one of them you were refering to how you couldn't repair your tweeters. I got the impression that it had something to do with the wire leads? What happened? I ask because one of my tweeter wires has broken off from the spring clamping post and was wondering if it can be soldered to a longer wire to reach the spring post? Was that your problem or was it different?

Thanks for your tips and links.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Kent.

I've read some of your older posts. In one of them you were refering to how you couldn't repair your tweeters. I got the impression that it had something to do with the wire leads? What happened? I ask because one of my tweeter wires has broken off from the spring clamping post and was wondering if it can be soldered to a longer wire to reach the spring post? Was that your problem or was it different?

Thanks for your tips and links.

Hi Bart

I just did a quick search on the Yahoo site and found this info from Alan Schwab, another Allison expert:

All of the Allison acoustics-Massachusetts 1 inch diameter

Convex Diaphragm Boston, USA manufactured Tweeters were of two

different electro/acoustic designs. The first model of these tweeters

designed for the Allison One, Two and Three was designed to be used in

all of these 3-way systems with a tweeter low end crossover frequency

of 3,750 Hz. All of these 3-way tweeters used a silicone

damping/cooling fluid in the tweeter voice coil gap. The Allison Four

Tweeters' were the first of a number of later Allison Acoustics models

that used the Allison 1 inch Convex Diaphragm Tweeter in slightly

modified form that was designed for use in 2-way loudspeaker systems

with a low end tweeter crossover frequency of 2,000 Hz. This 2-way

Allison Tweeter was identical in design with the 3-way Allison Tweeter

except that the damping/cooling fluid used in the voice coil gap was

ferrofluid and not the silicone fluid used in the 3-way Allison

Tweeter design. The frequency response plots of both the Allison

3-way and 2-way Tweeters were published in Allison Acoustic's

literature and are both superb. However, the 3-way designed Allison

Tweeter model has advantages in its smoothness and off-axis

performance over the 2-way design as displayed in Allison's

literature. I should point out that even the Allison 2-way Tweeter's

published frequency performance easily exceeds, particularly in

off-axis radiation performance, that of the published frequency

response performance of any other production tweeter whose published

specifications I have ever reviewed.

So you need a One Two or Three tweeter. Or the Audax may work.

As far as the tweeter leads: They are VERY thin--like hair. A skilled technician COULD solder an extension, but my clumsy fingers just made matters worse. When I replaced the Allison: Four tweets I used Allison: Fives, which were idendical except they were back wired. Much better for me :)

btw--looking over some old Yahoo posts, I see that it was Alan Schwab who gave a LOT of good advice. It may have been Howard who suggested the Audax in the first place but I forget. Bear in mind that if you replace the tweeters with Audax or any other tweet it will most likely require crossover modifications.

Now that I think about it, RoyC has written very favorably in the AR section about HiVi Q1R tweeters as replacements for AR3a and 2ax tweets. I "think" there are some similarities between the AR tweets and the Allisons in terms of dispersion, crossover point (2 kHz for the Allison: Fours) and physical size. Maybe some HiVi enthusiasts will offer advice.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I'm afraid me and my clumsy fingers did the same thing. The wire was broken, but I broke even more if it off. I'm going to try soldering the wire to see if that is what the tweeters problem is. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

If that doesn't work then maybe I'll be camping out on eBay for a while for some replacements.......

So how hard is it to replace the woofer foam?

Bart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So how hard is it to replace the woofer foam?

Not hard at all but it does require patience. Look at that MSound site for the instructions and also check this thread for info on the correct "fillet" style foam:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Boar...?showtopic=4158

You might be able to send the tweeters to Millersound:

http://www.millersound.net/about.htm

If anyone can fix them, Bill LeGall can.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OOPS-- made a mistake on that Audax tweet. It's this one:

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_i...products_id=374

You need 4 ohms for Allisons. I forget--are the Allison tweeters about 4" diameter, like the ARs? If so this Audax is the correct physical size and impedance.

This is the HiVi, but they are 6 ohms

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.c...tnumber=297-417

Don't know how much difference that makes or if the impedance can be "fixed" somehow--I'm not a xover engineer :)

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Not hard at all but it does require patience. Look at that MSound site for the instructions and also check this thread for info on the correct "fillet" style foam:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Boar...?showtopic=4158

You might be able to send the tweeters to Millersound:

http://www.millersound.net/about.htm

If anyone can fix them, Bill LeGall can.

Kent

Bill told me personally that repairing the tweeters is impossible for him. The mids he actually "fixed" better than original and I am hand delivering my remaining 3 since they have the domes pushed in.

Yank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill told me personally that repairing the tweeters is impossible for him. The mids he actually "fixed" better than original and I am hand delivering my remaining 3 since they have the domes pushed in.

Yank

Hey Yank.

Wow. I guess if he can't fix them they are truly unfixable. Glad he did so well on the mids. How did he improve them?

So Bart, you are back to watching ebay, or you may want to try those Audax tweets.

I'm willing to sell mine--send me a PM if interested. Or for just a little more you can get them from Madisound.

Good luck.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Yank.

Wow. I guess if he can't fix them they are truly unfixable. Glad he did so well on the mids. How did he improve them?

So you are back to watching ebay, or if you may want to try those Audax tweets.

I'm willing to sell mine--send me a PM if interested. Or for just alittle more you can get them from Madisound.

Good luck.

Kent

I didn't have a before pic on this but the lead was pulled out by one of my cats and the dome was pushed in as well:

http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u60/big...del_One_Mid.jpg

Bill, whom I have met on a couple of occasions is truly a stand up guy.

Yank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Yank

That's cool. Never met Bill but he is reputed to be the best.

The rest of my message re buying tweets was intended for Bart. I see you have a couple for sale so maybe Bart should contact you. Or go the Audax route.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't have a before pic on this but the lead was pulled out by one of my cats and the dome was pushed in as well:

http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u60/big...del_One_Mid.jpg

Bill, whom I have met on a couple of occasions is truly a stand up guy.

Yank

What I failed to mention in the previous post is that he opens up the mid, softens/reforms the dome and in my case carefully unwinds one turn of the voice coil to reattach to the tinsel lead. He then repainted (correct term?) the dome with what looks like original coating (doesn't show up in the pic well) and had all of this done in under a week. He also stated to me that he can recone the woofers if needed (mine do not need to be).

Yank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Yank.

Wow. I guess if he can't fix them they are truly unfixable. Glad he did so well on the mids. How did he improve them?

So Bart, you are back to watching ebay, or you may want to try those Audax tweets.

I'm willing to sell mine--send me a PM if interested. Or for just a little more you can get them from Madisound.

Good luck.

Kent

PM sent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest BartJY

Kent, I did it.

After setting up an area with good light and a hot soldering tool and with assorted paraphernalia to grasp and hold the very small diameter tweeter wire against a new almost as small wire I was successful at making a good solder joint. Now that the wire has been lengthened and can once again reach the speaker box binding post, the best part is....................... the tweeter works! Yeah!

Now it's probably just a matter of time before the other tweeter needs the same type of repair. When it does, I'll know what to do.

Bart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest BartJY
What speaker refoaming companies are recommended. I simply don't have the time to do it myself.

Thanks

Bart

Never mind, I saw your reference to Carl's Custom Loudspeakers.

Seems like a good guy, I'll be sending my Allison Three woofers up his way in the next week or two.

Bart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
Guest BartJY

Sent the sub woofers to Carl for refoaming, got them back within ten days. Good work and reasonably priced. Carl's a professional and easy to work with. I'd recommend him to anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never suggested the Audax, but it might work if all else fails.

Howard Ferstler

My apologies Howard and Bart. Someone on the Yahoo forum suggested the Audax. It may have been Alan Schwab as I mentioned in Post #4, but I'm not sure. I bought a pair but subsequently found some original Allisons. Good luck with your project Bart.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...