Oh Allison … His Ears Were True

Roy Allison, 1927-2016

I’m in my second round of physical therapy for a bad ankle, worn out by more than 30 years of running. The place I’m going to happens to be around the corner from 7 Tech Circle, in Natick, MA. This is an address that was familiar to me nearly 30 years ago. It was the original home of Allison Acoustics. 7 Tech Circle is a modest building, as seen in this aerial photo.

I own two pairs of Allison loudpeakers — the Model 3, purchased in 1979, and the LC-110, that I bought in 1988. Both pairs are still working perfectly. Roy Allison isn’t a household name like Amar Bose, but he is a legend in audio circles, especially in the Boston Area.

Before starting his own company, Allison designed speakers for Acoustic Research in Cambridge, MA. Motown Records went through many pairs of AR3 speakers when monitoring and mixing recordings in the 60’s.

Allison speakers sound very open and natural, favoring dispersion over detail, so they aren’t ideal for punchy studio recordings. But their virtues are immediately apparent to anybody who is familiar with live Classical music.

Besides having an excellent ear for neutral sound reproduction, Roy Allison is a true gentleman. He helped a competitor, Andy Kotsatos, start the still-extant company Boston Acoustics. (I also own a pair of Boston Acoustics A40 speakers, purchased in 1983.) Allison was put out of business during the recession of ’89-’95 in Massachusetts, when his bank called in his loans. Those were tough times around here, believe me, while the minicomputer industry was in its death throes, before the Internet boom saved us.

Roy Allison regrouped and formed a new company called RDL Acoustics, but it didn’t last long. Today he’s retired in Florida, but he’s lent his name to a new line of speakers. They sell replacement drivers for the original series, and every so often I tell myself I should buy a pair of woofers — just in case!

14 thoughts on “Oh Allison … His Ears Were True”

  1. Hi, Brian. Thanks for commenting. I envy your collection of speakers! My Allison 3’s kept sounding worse, so I did some driver swapping and determined the tweeters were the problem. I watched eBay until a good pair of tweeters showed up. Paid $100 each for them, but they were worth it. In fact, the improvement is so remarkable I don’t remember the high end sounding so good when the original tweeters were new!

    I still need to refoam the LC-110 woofers, and I’ve been taking my time finding the right replacement kit. Midwest Speaker Repair seems like the best option:

    https://www.midwestspeakerrepair.com/product-category/speaker-repair-kits/specialty-refoam-kits/allison/

    Roy Allison was involved with the Boston Audio Society from its inception in the early 70’s, which was around the time he left Acoustic Research. BAS had a pair of AL-125’s as their reference speakers for many years. I would very much like to find a pair of AL-125’s or 130’s in good condition with original drivers.

  2. This thread intrigued e as I am an Allison fan also. I have the AL 105, AL 110, AL 115, and AL 125. Looking to acquire an set of AL 120s. I also have the LC 110, RDL f-1, RA Labs Mini Reference and the Reference 4A. In addition to these I have what was packaged as the Six-Pak. It’s a surround system consisting of 4 AV 200s, the AV 202 Center Channel and The AV 4 subwoofer. Finally have an NL 1440 which is comparable to an AL 115 with a Laquer finish.

    Love my Allisons

  3. Ron – Thanks very much for your comment. I’m curious about your connection to Roy Allison. I met him once, after his move from Natick to Framingham. He was quiet and understated, yet obviously competent and confident.

    In terms of “bang for the buck,” I think the LC-110 is on par with other classic speakers, such as the Dynaco A25. As long as your speakers have the original drivers, you won’t be disappointed. Typical of Allison designs, after you turn them up you won’t think they’re playing very loudly — until you try talking over them.

    I also need to replace the foam rings on my LC-110 woofers. One of my Allison 3’s has finally developed a problem that I think indicates a failed component in the crossover. Not an easy repair, especially on a 3-way speaker.

    If you didn’t happen to spot my post about Roy’s passing two years ago, it’s here: http://www.dograt.com/2016/03/02/the-master-of-the-east-coast-sound/

    Fun fact: A long time ago I happened to work with one of Michael Dell’s college buddies, and got him to buy a pair of LC-110’s.

  4. I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d add to it anyway. I just picked up a nice pair of Allison LC-110s. The woofers need to be refoamed, and the foam kit is on its way. I cant wait to hear them when they are repaired. I grew up in Natick, Ma, so Allison has a special connection for me, even though I’ve never owned any of their products previously.

  5. I’m pretty sure I have the spec sheet, but I’m not home at the moment. I’ll look for it. I think it’s 6 ohms nominal, 4 minimum. But I’ll check.

  6. I’ve heard the same thing, that somewhere in Kentucky there’s a cache of quality replacement drivers for Allison speakers. The allisonacoustics.com domain name registration doesn’t expire until September 4, 2009, but there’s no web server behind it. I just sent mail to the address I posted above, and it hasn’t been rejected yet.

    (Later) The message bounced:

      Message transaction details:
      11/21 10:33:08
      Domain: allisonacoustics.com
      Server: allisonacoustics.com – IP Address: 209.62.20.192
      No response from mail server
      Could not open to any mail server

    So that’s it. Allison Acoustics has no online presence, except for a domain name that has yet to expire. A woofer can be re-foamed, but if a mid or tweeter blows, we’re stuck.

  7. Somewhere there is a warehouse with a bunch of Allison parts – m,dranges – tweeters. There are lots of owners like myself who need them. Must be some way to connect the two……

  8. Nick — That’s a great find. In the 80’s I followed several UK Hi-Fi magazines, and I remember reading the Allison Six was popular in France and was referred to as “Le Cube “. It was essentially a downsized Allison 4, which also had an upward-firing woofer.

    Yesterday, for free I was given a pair of EPI 100’s, in nearly perfect condition. I haven’t heard this speaker in ages, and I’m looking forward to familiarizing myself with their sound again.

    My Allison 3’s are now 30 years old, and the foam on the woofers is still intact. I assume it’s due to the coats of lacquer.

  9. I found a pair of Allison sixes ( the cubes) in the road near to where I live. The plastic grill covers were shot and the foams were dead but I re-foamed them and they work really very well! I have about ten pairs of speakers and out of all of them the sixes are the ones that present the best imaging. The serial numbers are F11960 and F1196. Its a real shame that the banks can shut down a business that makes great products, when what the world needs are enterprising people with innovative ideas!

  10. I Have TWO EACH OLD ALLISON ACOUSTICS SPEAKERS WITH 7 TECH CIRCLE SPEAKERS. SERIAL NO D13241 AND SERIAL NO D13243 .THAT NEED REPLACING.

  11. Broken in the sense it doesn’t play anymore, or is the foam rotted? If the foam surround, as it’s called, is rotted you can repair it yourself with an inexpensive kit.

    If the woofer itself is shot, you’ll have to replace it. There’s not much left of Allison Acoustics as a business, but replacement parts do exist in a warehouse, and you may have some luck by using this address:

    david@allisonacoustics.com

    Let me know. Thanks.

  12. Hi, I own a pair of Allisons 130 for about 30 years.They look just like the ones in your picture. Now the bottom cone is broken and I am looking all over how to repair this. My friends say buy new but I love my speakers. Can anyone help.Thanks

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