umbepm Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 Hello, I found this site by looking for information on vintage floor speakers--Allison 9s. I am the original owner of a pair of walnut Allison 9 speakers. Can you please guide me on the cost of restoring my speakers? I think I would need to replace the two mid-range speakers, one tweeter, and re-foam the two woofers-just from my reading on some websites? I am also open to selling them, if I could buy speakers that are equal in value--here you can see I am a complete novice in speakers--as I saw a website selling floor speakers up to 10,000 for a pair......wow! My Allison 9s retailed for about 1,000. for the pair when I bought them around 1984? If I were to replace these speakers, what would it cost to replace them for a pair of speakers that are "equal" in value? I could swear that when I listen to these Allison's, I hear notes that other speakers don't produce? Am I completely biased, or I am a correct? Thanks for your replies...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 Figure roughly 100 per driver that need work/replacement as a guideline. Equal value, in my opinion is measured in terms of the sound you are looking for. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 Welcome umbepm Wow--that's a lot of repair. So the only "good" driver is one tweet? Are you sure? I'd suggest contacting Bill LeGall at Millersound. He can definitely refoam the woofers (and for less than Bill's estimate). As far as the mids and tweets I don't believe he repairs those but he may have some for sale. Unfortunately, Allison drivers are a little hard to come by. A quick google found a pair of 9s on US Audio Mart for $349 but those may be CD-9s and I'm not sure how much the 9 and CD-9 differed. As for replacing them, that's like "what car should I buy?" Guys here like classic (old) speakers and those will give the most bang for the buck. If you go the classic route maybe let us know where you are and perhaps a member in your area would have something for sale. Floor speakers can sometimes be had for bargain prices because (a) they are impossible to ship, so the seller is limited to local pickup only and (b) wives often hate big speakers in their living rooms. I hate to generalize like that but there is a phrased "waf" for "wife acceptance factor" and big ol' speakers tend to have a low waf no matter how good they sound. Good luck. -Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 2 hours ago, JKent said: Welcome umbepm Wow--that's a lot of repair. So the only "good" driver is one tweet? Are you sure? I'd suggest contacting Bill LeGall at Millersound. He can definitely refoam the woofers (and for less than Bill's estimate). As far as the mids and tweets I don't believe he repairs those but he may have some for sale. Unfortunately, Allison drivers are a little hard to come by. A quick google found a pair of 9s on US Audio Mart for $349 but those may be CD-9s and I'm not sure how much the 9 and CD-9 differed. As for replacing them, that's like "what car should I buy?" Guys here like classic (old) speakers and those will give the most bang for the buck. If you go the classic route maybe let us know where you are and perhaps a member in your area would have something for sale. Floor speakers can sometimes be had for bargain prices because (a) they are impossible to ship, so the seller is limited to local pickup only and (b) wives often hate big speakers in their living rooms. I hate to generalize like that but there is a phrased "waf" for "wife acceptance factor" and big ol' speakers tend to have a low waf no matter how good they sound. Good luck. -Kent When I put a Velodyne HGS 18 subwoofer in my living room, it was sitting there for a year before my wife even asked what it was. All spouses are different for sure (I’m very lucky ?) Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Hello Bill, I am a novice--a driver is the same as a speaker--such as tweeter, a mid-range, and a woofer? Maybe the best plan would be for me to find a local person / business who could test my speakers and tell me how my Allison 9's fair? I live in Bryan/College Station, TX. In between Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Do you have any suggestions of a person who could "test" my Allison 9's to see what needs repair? Or how I would go about finding someone? Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 5 hours ago, newandold said: All spouses are different for sure (I’m very lucky ?) Yup. Me too. My wife actually suggested I put my VMPS Original Subwoofer in our (small) living room, but she does like to tell our friends "I let my husband put 15 speakers in our living room!" In my own defense, I maintain you can't count the speakers built into the TV, or the one that isn't even hooked up--I'm just trying to find the best placement for the "wide" surround speakers. My position is there are only an even dozen speakers in the surround sound system 1 hour ago, umbepm said: a driver is the same as a speaker--such as tweeter, a mid-range, and a woofer? yup 1 hour ago, umbepm said: how I would go about finding someone? Maybe start a new thread with the subject something like "Looking for an Allison expert in Bryan/College Station TX". There's also an active Allison group on Yahoo. You may get some good leads there https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/allison-speakers/info -Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 10 hours ago, umbepm said: Hello Bill, I am a novice--a driver is the same as a speaker--such as tweeter, a mid-range, and a woofer? Maybe the best plan would be for me to find a local person / business who could test my speakers and tell me how my Allison 9's fair? I live in Bryan/College Station, TX. In between Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Do you have any suggestions of a person who could "test" my Allison 9's to see what needs repair? Or how I would go about finding someone? Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your help. Can you take pictures of the front (grille’s off) and a rear shot clearly showing the terminals. Picture worth a thousand words towards helping out. The 9 came in two versions and a rear shot would clarify. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Sure; the pics are attached of my walnut allison 9's. The mid-range of one of the speakers is clearly torn, yet stills "plays." This speaker is the worst one...https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNtH3GaWsrKgxPmQxt1Y8sP_RegBaVe_QiiFU-r http://AF1QipOwHr41Xmhl87NzCtj30cuP1l7yJpUiOhUoVdqI https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPk4qbKa2ZRtmJH3gWi3o0E-dd465_ydnh4_jlY Next speaker...this speaker is the best one... https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOwcNrdPLG642KJhHSzWpDclKPblX0WD8C2MF5b http://AF1QipMAl6_id7qitGN9XugIZ2cVPJBwJiG9cJJq1ifv https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMDhAn-DjPW0lCh2NuSMZVunYWTsERl4B_1Wn2n Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Sorry...no google account can you attach directly on site? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 To attach photos resize them so they are about 100MB or so then just drag and drop to the light gray area under your response, marked with a paper clip. Your links go to: 404. That’s an error. The requested URL was not found on this server. That’s all we know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Speaker J-1459--the worst of the two--this one needs the mid-range and the woofer, and I think the tweeter repaired, though they do play "music"--not near the original quality, of course, but I still use them and enjoy listening. and Speaker J-1461-the best of the two--this one still plays music well. Walnut Allison 9's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 That was great that you were able to get the pictures to show.....they show what a typical Allison of that vintage looks like. Pushed in domes typical. Based on how you described your knowledge and ability in the “hands on department” I would advise walking away. EBay is where I would list them, and I would not expect to get much or maybe give them away, then find something pleasurable to you based on what you want to spend. Best of luck, whatever you decide! Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hello, What would you say today is equal to an Allison? Is the Bose speaker even close? Based on your review, would you believe that these still play music? Listening to some albums, still sound better than "typical" speakers..... Thanks for your brief reply.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 9 hours ago, umbepm said: Hello, What would you say today is equal to an Allison? Is the Bose speaker even close? Based on your review, would you believe that these still play music? Listening to some albums, still sound better than "typical" speakers..... Thanks for your brief reply.... The Allison is a totally unique loudspeaker and those midrange and tweeters have never been duplicated. That’s why answering your question is a tough one. Best thing to do, since listening is a highly subjective experience....is to get out there and audition as many new speakers as you can because at the end of the day, how you hear ? it is all that matters. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks for your information. It is good to know that the Allison Speakers are unique--especially the mid-range and the tweeters. I appreciate your time and your willingness to share your knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bboylesjc Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 There happens to be NOS 2 three-way tweeters ($100 ea.) and midranges ($175 ea.) on eBay if you're interested. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 On 1/21/2018 at 4:25 PM, bboylesjc said: There happens to be NOS 2 three-way tweeters ($100 ea.) and midranges ($175 ea.) on eBay if you're interested. Brian Yes! Been listed for a month or so....Those could mutate a pair of 9’s into something extraordinary. Perfect drop ins for my IC-20’s. A few years ago I would have jumped on them but already covered my spare parts since then. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbepm Posted January 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 Hello, Would either or both of these work on the Allison Nine speakers? If so, are they easy to install, or would I need to take them to an audio shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newandold Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 A nice pair of Allison 9 listed this week before Thanksgiving (2018) EBay Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.