Price Paid:  $475.00 from Ebay Auction

Summary:
This review is for the wall mount or stand mount Allison Four. I bought these used on ebay because I've a penchant for unusual and orphan speakers. The Allison Four has a single top firing 8-inch combined with twin tweets on either side in a cabinet vaguely remincient of the Bose 901, but all comparisons end there. The Allison Four is an amazing speaker. It's bass is so tight and punchy that you'll be looking for a sub where there is none. They're made to be placed flush with the wall so placement may be a problem but not for me. Amazing speakers for their age and time. If you can score a pair used, do it. you won't be disappointed in Mr. Allison's best. So good are they that when a company began making speakers under the Allison name a few years back... they brought back the Four almost unchanged. Timeless quality, timeless design...

Strengths:
Exquisite woods and cabinetry, outstanding bass far beyond speaker's it's size. Amazing sound and beautiful design. Topnotch speaker. Replacent parts can be had from the company today.

Weaknesses:
Expensive used, even more so new. Heavy, must be place flush to a wall.

Similar Products Used:
Logik Nearfield monitors. Ohm Walsh F's, 4's & 2's. Platinum Audio PT 801's and 303's. Epicure 202, 201, A-14.

Price Paid:  $750.00 from Singapore

Summary:
As an Audiophile listening to Allision gives more life to sound( any music). I have been listening to allision AL130U,almost every day Each i can hear new sound more reasiltic than any other speaker. i would not afford to lose this speakers.If anybody like to share veiws on AL130U please mail me on rampeketi@hotmail.com.I connected to AR pre & power block

Strengths:
tight bass,no colorisation of sound,very lively

Weaknesses:
nothing, not found till now

Similar Products Used:
infinity, jbl,

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Original owner

Summary:
After a couple of months of combing the 'net for a pair, I finally found a pair from the original owner. These are definitely late model Threes. The owner had cared for these like I would have - they were perfect.

These are the perfect speakers for me. The corner placement is incredibly nice - these are big speakers (48" tall), but since they're in the corner you hardly notice they are there. Really. The imaging is great and the sound is very concert hall-like. The bass response is characteristic Allison. Not boomy or showy, of course (e.g., Cerwin-Vegas), but very tight and it goes WAY down. I've heard stuff in my CDs I've never heard before, and it's beautiful.

Strengths:
Solid, tight bass; excellent HF dispersion, imaging and midrange; corner placement means no big boxes hogging wall space

Weaknesses:
none!

Similar Products Used:
Allison CD7; Polk Monitor 10

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Second Hand Electronic Shop

Summary:
I bought this used speaker based on correct review in this homepage. Now I enjoy this speaker and I have to say many thanks for them who have submitted their review. My other speaker JBL-L100 Century since 1976 and Dantax Octava 40 for nearly one year. The Dantax is almost the same with the Allison sound, but for country music the JBL sound is close to its original.Of course the source of sound such as recording quality, the pre and power amp also must be considered.

Strengths:
Dispersion, tonal ballance especially the vocal sound

Weaknesses:
Woofer foam ring

Similar Products Used:
None to my previuos speakers

Summary:
AudioReview.com has a lot of reviews for classic equipment, yet the model years offered go back to only 1995.

I bought my Allison 3 speakers new in 1979. They remain my primary speakers for listening to music. Technically, they replaced a pair of Dynaco A25s, but I still have those as well. My other speakers, all in regular use, are a pair of Boston A40s and a pair of the 25th Anniversary Large Advents.

(I also have a pair of Allison LC-110's, which are very nice. I rotate them with the Dynacos every year or so. This year they're in storage.)

The other review for the Allison 3 isn't for an Allison 3. The 3 is essentially half of an Allison 1. It has a single 10-inch woofer, a single "fried egg" midrange and single convex diaphrahm tweeter.

The other reviewer's reference to an upwards-firing woofer indicates either an Allison 4 or one of the later CD series. The A4 has two tweeters, and he mentions only one.

After more than 20 years, I remain loyal the Allison sound. The first time I heard an Allison speaker, the 4, was the day after I'd heard a live classical music performance that included The Rite of Spring.

I'll always remember that day. As the sales guy played the Telarc LP of The Firebird Suite, I switched between speakers that included the Bose 901, a big 2-way ADS (I forget the model), the New Large Advent, and a big 2-way Yamaha (I forget the model).

None of them were an obvious step-up from the Dynacos (which have terrible dispersion -- nobody ever talks about the A25's lousy dispersion). I asked about the unusual-looking Allison 4s, and the sales guy actually tried to steer me away from them! I insisted nicely on hearing them.

IMMEDIATELY I knew these were the speakers I wanted! They captured the essence of what I'd heard in the concert hall the previous night. THEY SOUNDED LIKE MUSIC, and not a hifi demonstration! And they were within my budget -- only $400/pair.

Another thing I'd like to mention is, as impressed as I was by the Allison sound, the Bose sound really hit me the wrong way. It was hollow, unreal and unappealing. The Allison 4 did a much better of job of "disappearing" in the room.

Truth be told, there was another pair of speakers that appealed to me -- the Snell Type III. My recollection was they were somewhere around $2000/pair, maybe even more.

Ultimately, I splurged and bought the more expensive Allison 3's. As difficult as I thought it would be finding suitable corners for them, the 4's had their own placement challenges. They were, in a way, short AR LSTs.

I've been lucky with my Allison 3's. The foam surrounds on the woofers, which are laquered as was typical of Allison, have never rotted. I replaced the woofers in my Boston A40's due to severe foam rot (fortunately, they're still in business, and have EXACT replacements, although I realize there's an outfit in Kentucky operating under the Allison name and selling replacement drivers).

The Allison sound isn't, as that sales guy said 21 years ago, for everybody. Of course, these days, the only way you can hear it is to know somebody who has them or to find a working pair. To my ears they remain extremely open and accurate. A bit more oomph in the bass would be nice, but Roy Allison did offer The Electronic Subwoofer for those who insisted on a stronger bottom end.

If you have a chance to get a working pair of original Allison speakers on the cheap, get them. They really are worth hearing, even after all these years.

Strengths:
Dispersion, accuracy, durability

Weaknesses:
Deep bass, limited placement

Similar Products Used:
Large Advent