Any notable fisher speakers?

Dirk Willims

Active Member
was roaming a shop yesterday and literally kicked the base of a set of speakers. The base on them was a molded base, much like an old clock. They looked well built, and externally appeared to be in decent shape.

Not knowing anything about Fisher " except for a couple pieces of kit". Did Fisher ever make speakers that were considered outstanding?

Dirk Williams
 
The older,bigger Vintage XP series are beautiful cabinets but I doubt the drivers are up current standards but they would perform best with the Fisher tube gear they were designed for.

IF the cabs are at the right price I'd buy them regardless of the drivers and load them up with carefully chosen drivers for the Cabinet design and your HIFI setup. Research impedance issues when choosing drivers for Solidstate -vs- Tube amps.
 

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image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg Thank you RD, I'll have to have a better look at these speakers. a great idea, my problem is I'm speaker poor. I'm running out of room for speakers. Got four systems going, all with large vintage speakers. Here's a pic of my living room setup.

Running right now is the Quicksilver, unit. The bottom units a David Berning HZ270 amp, a David Berning TF-10 pre amp and a HHScott tuner. The CD player for this units not here, nor is the Yamaha 800 TT. Several options for,speakers, most likely the DQ-10s, or maybe the Warfdale W70s, or W90s.

The set to the left needs no intro, the tried and true Dynaco70 PAS3 and FM-3. No idea what speakers this old friends going to end up with. Perhaps Hearesys, or a single set of Cornwalls.

I also picked up a set of a really nice speakers I think their ultra Linear ST550s. I've never listened to.

Dirk
 
The XP series are great speakers but the highs get rolled of because, depending on who you believe, the rubber dome on the tweeter has hardened over time, or, Avery Fisher designed them to sound that way. Either way, the larger models produce amazing lows and mids with tube amps, but a lot of owners, myself included, pair them with a second set of speakers with better treble response.
 
Thank you,Rey, happen to be over reviewing the Magenpen MGII section and saw this.

Rey, do you recall if them XP series has the fancy base? I can't tell in the pics I've found.

Dirk
 
The XP series are great speakers but the highs get rolled of because, depending on who you believe, the rubber dome on the tweeter has hardened over time, or, Avery Fisher designed them to sound that way. Either way, the larger models produce amazing lows and mids with tube amps, but a lot of owners, myself included, pair them with a second set of speakers with better treble response.

When my XP-9 speakers were still relatively new, I visited someone with AR-3A speakers. Returned home and turned the treble all the way up. A few years later, I was able to buy some AR-3A speakers in excellent condition at a good price. The owner was upgrading to some stratospherically priced electrostatics.
 
Always found it strange that a great audio company like fisher didn't also make the greatest speakers. One reason I prefer consoles is that the speakers were selected for them.

I've been looking at A3S but they're too much money for me. Also not impressed by the way they look from the mounting board. Like they were slapped together and somebody sprayed undercoat between the mid and tweeter... bet they sound great, though.

I'm looking at a set of Bozak's tomorrow.
 
Hello! I tested last week a pair of Fisher Studio Standard STE 863 150w and I liked a lot... I didn't purchase there because some Fisher material, at least in Spain, is considered Low-End... But I recognise that sounds nice! I regret not having bought them....
 
Dirk, I'm not sure what you mean by a fancy base. I have a pair of XP-10s The cabinets are fantastic.

Walyfd, concerning why Fisher didn't make great speakers, my opinion is that they did. First, all of the big Fishers speakers are made specifically for tube amps. They are very efficient and resonant.I don't think Avery intended rolled off highs I think the rubber dome has hardened and we are not hearing the intended acoustic effect. I"m pairing my XP 10s with a Fisher 400 and, believe me, if the tweeter was just a tad better, these speakers would just blow your socks off. No one has really looked into ways to repair/recondition the tweeters on these.
 
I'll agree there. Age, humidity, crossover cap age and condition all work to ruin a speaker. Always seems that the same speakers are mentioned as being "the best" and Fisher never seems to be one of them. Rarely do I hear Bozak or even JBL unless it's a Paragon... need a whole other house and a mortgage to buy one of those. I'd hope it sounds better than it looks.
 
Dirk;
For longest life, it is best not to put the preamp and tuner above the power amplifier (Dynaco). The FM-3 gets quite hot in operation and needs a cooling fan. The Stereo 70 amp needs to be able to breathe freely and stay as cool as possible. Placing anything above it is not a good idea - just saying. I had a Rotron fan behind my FM-3 from its first hour of operation. My Stereo 70 amp has nothing above it and does well. Those output tubes and the 5AR4 rectifier produce lots of heat.
Joe
 
I do not know whether this is the case for every Fisher XP speaker, but many were built for Fisher by United Speaker Systems, first in New Jersey, later on Jacksonville, FL. William Hecht was the owner of United -- he was an audio engineer who held the patent for the soft dome tweeter. Mr. Hecht was a childhood friend of my father from their old neighborhood on the east side of Milwaukee. We always had Fisher speakers in our home. I remember Mr. Hecht and our visits to his home and factory. The company still exists, now run by his son, Ken, and is the source of Phase Technology (PhaseTech) speakers.
 
HI. i just got fisher xp-9c . when I test them found that 15" woofers dont work good under 200hz so I need to open cabinet but I dont know how. any budy can help me?
 
See my answerto your post in the other thread. Multiple posting for the same problem is somewhat discouraged. How about putting a location in your profile. We have members around the world and understanding that different time-zones work differently for most people is a definate PLUS. Also you might find some one close to you that mightbe able to physically help if needed.
 
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