Zenith Allegros: Guts and All
- Thread starter sealy
- Start date
Tom Blasing
Super Member
"Allegro" must be a common name for Zenith! I had a universal remote control that was called the same thing...
grateful
Super Member
I have a pair of the 3000s and I have to go against the groupthink here. I find them to be boomy in the bass with horrible honky midrange and no real high end. They sound sort of like jukebox speakers to me. I can't see why anyone would waste their time on them when there are so many superior cheap vintage speakers made by Advent, AR, EPI etc.
sealy
Addicted Member
Interesting. The thing that first struck me is how smooth the top end was. Maybe the cap needs replacing? With regards to the bass, have you experimented with placement?
They shouldn't be boomy as cabinet construction is fairly solid, and there is a big thick piece of folded waffle foam wrapped around the woofer, or at least there should be. The woofer itself is pretty decent. Here's a couple of photos just to refresh your memory.
They shouldn't be boomy as cabinet construction is fairly solid, and there is a big thick piece of folded waffle foam wrapped around the woofer, or at least there should be. The woofer itself is pretty decent. Here's a couple of photos just to refresh your memory.
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jstang
Honey,I can't hear you...
I don't have anything to add technically other then I remember hearing a set of Allegros new and that they sound very nice.....but I was very young.....(I still am)
Zenith wasn't really a cheapo company....I remember their console tube stereos being highly thought....but what did I know I was a kid back then...(I still am)
My Uncle had a Zenith tube console that was nice......
jk
Zenith wasn't really a cheapo company....I remember their console tube stereos being highly thought....but what did I know I was a kid back then...(I still am)
My Uncle had a Zenith tube console that was nice......
jk
Big Tuna
Too Much Power!
wow that's really cool sealy. I used to have a pair of Allegros waaaay back when i was in 7th Grade, I don't know what happened to them
I powered them with a pretty big Panasonic receiver that had a cassette deck built right into it. Gosh I wish I had a picture! Your post here brings back some memories
Charlie:nutz:
I powered them with a pretty big Panasonic receiver that had a cassette deck built right into it. Gosh I wish I had a picture! Your post here brings back some memoriesCharlie:nutz:
sealy
Addicted Member
Here's a picture of the grilles from the 2000's. A sort of pressed, perforated plastic with some cloth adhered over top. Very fragile. Usually pretty crumbly if found nowadays. I was lucky to get these ones. Not a mark on them. Absolutely mint cabinets. Notice the tweeter brilliance switch on the top right just below the port. Not bad for 10 dollars, including the all-in-one receiver/8 track/record player with plastic cover.
A neat retro system.
A neat retro system.
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Big Tuna
Too Much Power!
hey sealy,
if I remember correctly, on my Allegros, you could rotate the allegro badge in the center of the port to be upright no matter how you arranged the speaker, it should be spring loaded. Like if you set the speaker on it's side, you can pull on it gently and rotate it, it's spring loaded. Double check me on this. I'm not 100% sure but that sticks out in my head for some reason. Dam, I wish I still had mine! You are making me jealous
Charlie:nutz:
if I remember correctly, on my Allegros, you could rotate the allegro badge in the center of the port to be upright no matter how you arranged the speaker, it should be spring loaded. Like if you set the speaker on it's side, you can pull on it gently and rotate it, it's spring loaded. Double check me on this. I'm not 100% sure but that sticks out in my head for some reason. Dam, I wish I still had mine! You are making me jealous
Charlie:nutz:
soundmotor
super modified
Well, call me dipped in amazed! Can't recall how many times I've passed on speakers with that rectangular port sticking through the grille just knowing they were crap. Can't believe I didn't pick one up. Heavy is usually a tipping point for me on unknowns. Heavy is good.
Props to the OP!
:thmbsp:
Props to the OP!
:thmbsp:
I bought the pair I had for $25 and only have the drivers left. Maybe someday they'll find there way into a cabinet, but there are so many other speakers out there, and I'm over getting exciting about something that is 'better than you'd think' but still not all that fantastic. But that's just me...I'm running out of room here!
Most folks walk right by em,don't judge em till ya hear em
I kept the components of my beat Zenith 2000's with their odd plastic grilles,and adjustable logo on the port.
My cabs were totally beat when I found them stacked in a corner at Goodwill,really crap boxes,both coming apart at their seams.
The woofer magnet on mine looks like the one in Tinye's pics,same simple crossover & Fostex horn.
My woofs say Zenith and a number 285 stamped on its very heavy magnet cover and I think when I looked it up a few years back it was either a Rola or Carbeneau woofer,can't remember,doesn't matter,they were well worth keeping for me.I think I read a few Harp players used the 12 inch version in their small amps.They're tough,take a beating like JBL's.
Mine have the pleated woofer surrounds with the black gooey stuff just like Magnavox,JBL & Altec surrounds.
I have had JBL's with the pleated surrounds which were I thought were amazingly excellent,plus my cherished Altec 416A's(in my Altec 19's) have pleated surrounds so I bought them mainly on that observation alone,plus their weight factor and what the heck $7.00,tax in,figured I'd take a chance.
I think the glue in the cabs of many started breaking down after many years,and I believe many have ended up as curbside trash because of their cab failure,and with their so-so cosmetics,many folks walk right by them.
After stripping components out of mine and their port,I peeled off the cheesy viny then used them to start a nice Winter fire in my fireplace,later playing around using their components with various same as original & larger volume boxes,front/rear ports,different tweets,and so began my secondary speaker project I called Winter Solstice I.
I have moved on to a large Transmission Line project(Winter Solstice II) and am now looking for a pair of the Zenith 12 inch woofers for them,as I think they are good woofers when used properly.
My 10 inch Zenith woofs finally ended up sitting sideways in a pair of resurrected/repaired JBL L-50's and they worked perfectly as replacement woofers,replacing the damaged beyond repair JBL woofers.
My neighbor,who is a Mathematical Einstein likes their sound so much he finally after a few months talked me into pulling them out last week so he can do some tests on them for his own 10 inch Transmission Line prototype he is designing/playing with on computer/paper.
Don't dismiss these on looks alone,I think these are just one of many of the what I would call "very decent" vintage woofers out there screaming to be tried out in better boxes and for budget D.I.Y projects,garage speakers,especially if their cabs are falling apart.
Like many of us on this site,we are a little rough round the edges but we 'Clean up nice' and still have a few good ones left in us.
Peace & Harmonies Altec Concert Kenny
I kept the components of my beat Zenith 2000's with their odd plastic grilles,and adjustable logo on the port.
My cabs were totally beat when I found them stacked in a corner at Goodwill,really crap boxes,both coming apart at their seams.
The woofer magnet on mine looks like the one in Tinye's pics,same simple crossover & Fostex horn.
My woofs say Zenith and a number 285 stamped on its very heavy magnet cover and I think when I looked it up a few years back it was either a Rola or Carbeneau woofer,can't remember,doesn't matter,they were well worth keeping for me.I think I read a few Harp players used the 12 inch version in their small amps.They're tough,take a beating like JBL's.
Mine have the pleated woofer surrounds with the black gooey stuff just like Magnavox,JBL & Altec surrounds.
I have had JBL's with the pleated surrounds which were I thought were amazingly excellent,plus my cherished Altec 416A's(in my Altec 19's) have pleated surrounds so I bought them mainly on that observation alone,plus their weight factor and what the heck $7.00,tax in,figured I'd take a chance.
I think the glue in the cabs of many started breaking down after many years,and I believe many have ended up as curbside trash because of their cab failure,and with their so-so cosmetics,many folks walk right by them.
After stripping components out of mine and their port,I peeled off the cheesy viny then used them to start a nice Winter fire in my fireplace,later playing around using their components with various same as original & larger volume boxes,front/rear ports,different tweets,and so began my secondary speaker project I called Winter Solstice I.
I have moved on to a large Transmission Line project(Winter Solstice II) and am now looking for a pair of the Zenith 12 inch woofers for them,as I think they are good woofers when used properly.
My 10 inch Zenith woofs finally ended up sitting sideways in a pair of resurrected/repaired JBL L-50's and they worked perfectly as replacement woofers,replacing the damaged beyond repair JBL woofers.
My neighbor,who is a Mathematical Einstein likes their sound so much he finally after a few months talked me into pulling them out last week so he can do some tests on them for his own 10 inch Transmission Line prototype he is designing/playing with on computer/paper.
Don't dismiss these on looks alone,I think these are just one of many of the what I would call "very decent" vintage woofers out there screaming to be tried out in better boxes and for budget D.I.Y projects,garage speakers,especially if their cabs are falling apart.
Like many of us on this site,we are a little rough round the edges but we 'Clean up nice' and still have a few good ones left in us.
Peace & Harmonies Altec Concert Kenny
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Same here. Maybe I'll grab a pair when I see them cheap.
Teradacto58
Super Member
Sealy...I have parted many of these out, and sold the Foster/Fostex tweeters back to Japanese Audiophiles. Your woofer magnet looks a little larger, than I remember! I still have a pair stashed in my shed..I'll have to have another look at the magnets! What model of Allegros were these from? I have used quite a few Zenith woofers as replacements, in other speaker boxes , I have sold off over the years. They sounded very nice!! The 10" woofer from the fronts looked similar to my Rectilinears + JMI/Merciers...both sounding close to Dynaco A25's...but no rubber suspenions!
ssv1761982
New Member
I would like to se some pics of the Allegros that are supposed to sound good. The only pair I ever saw came with an all in one set my brother in law bought around 1973. They sounded bad then and still sound bad with a couple of other really good amps we tried. They are ok for out in the garage but that is about it. They still look great. We never could figure out how to pull the grills of so I don't know what is in there. The sound is muddy and the bass sounds like it is an octave higher than it should be (or something), kind of weird. These are about 2 feet tall, give or take a little.