Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

Jaybo, although I sold the Allison:One/Allison:Three pairing I inherited from my father (which I'd helped him choose as a teenager back in '77, winning out over K-horns by a nose for sound and a mile for livability), as well as previously selling my own less minty used pair of Ones (plus two pairs of CD8's), I think you're right however and would've kept them if I was into collecting vintage speakers and had the space. Although the Ones/Threes can't compete in many of the expected ways compared with today's speakers, I still never hear any designs that can charge a whole room with panoramic energy practically even before the needle drops the way that these did, so effective were their room-loading and driver-disperion concepts. I would've liked to have heard the resurrected reinterpretation of the One from a few years ago before they went extinct again -- the cabinets and crossovers must've been vastly improved -- but to my knowledge those didn't carry over drivers with the same unique diaphragm designs of the originals.

I don't know about hanging on to my current Mordaunt-Short Performance 6's for life, but I do regard their physical form factor as being among the best ever -- a unique modern classic that won't seem dated-looking way beyond what the vast majority of designs manage: a virtual Eames chair of 'box' speakers, a pair of Oakleys among Foster-Grants. (Though I appreciate a fine wood finish as much as the next guy, when these metallic-painted, extruded-foam beauties first came into my listening room, their wholistic, curvy elegance instantly made my beloved Thiels look faintly ridiculous, like clumsy dinosaurish contraptions a few millenia past their extinction date. Just make sure you leave the rudimentary grilles in the cartons. And after a very lengthy break-in and a couple small tweaks, the sound quite nearly lives up to their stunning looks and technology -- which, thanks to Chinese manufacture, already far exceeds their price in typical high-end terms.)

Oh well. Two years ago I sold the speakers amp and preamp I posted about on 6/3/06. For the last two plus years I've had a BAT amp and preamp with Hansen Prince speakers. I'm not sure about the BAT gear, but the Hansen's were bought with long term goals in mind. They are the perfect size for the room they are in now. If I eventually down size my home I'm not dealing with 400 pounds of speakers. The Hansen's are the best speakers I've ever heard!

zaikesman...i purchased my last pair of allisons during (what appears to be)their final incarnation. slightly more refined than the late seventies models I owned at the time. it still amazes me that my 3 is my prefered speaker over anything i've heard when it comes to 'putting you in the venue' or 'studio'. the last pair of ones and fours i owned were excellent as well, but like many stereo nuts, i thought moving on was moving up.

For a secondary system, these small speakers are sublime!
Look (glossy black, small and nice proportions) and Sound.
Despite cheap components being used.
The guy who calculated the enclosure and the crossover is a genius.

Yves