The Fisher Speaker XP55b
- Thread starter gyusher
- Start date
Ed in SoDak
RadioHead
My guess is you'll find six brads, one in each corner and two at the middle of the sides, set slightly in. I had to pry the grill on mine off.
My single XP-7B no longer had anything other than the woofer and crossover. Still, I liked it enough to pick up two more on ebay for $13.50. Good deal, but shipping was over 50 bucks!
-Ed
My single XP-7B no longer had anything other than the woofer and crossover. Still, I liked it enough to pick up two more on ebay for $13.50. Good deal, but shipping was over 50 bucks!
-Ed
asynchronousman
Super Member
I missed on something incredibly similar earlier this year. I put a silent bid on them and snafu screwed it up so nobody knew I did. Kid got them for FOUR DOLLARS :cry:
On second glance these were made in Chatsworth I guess by Sanyo and were more a small kabuki-like grilled thang.
On second glance these were made in Chatsworth I guess by Sanyo and were more a small kabuki-like grilled thang.
Last edited:
Good Sound
I hooked them to my HK330 and let them play overnight. . . These guys sound great. . . very smooth laid back polite kinda sound similiar to the Bozaks I have. . .
Feeling the grills it feels like these are meant to be placed horizantol and it appears to be two 8in drivers. . . I will get the grill off today as I am concerned about surrounds. . . They sound fine however not like they sound when surrounds are bad.
I hooked them to my HK330 and let them play overnight. . . These guys sound great. . . very smooth laid back polite kinda sound similiar to the Bozaks I have. . .
Feeling the grills it feels like these are meant to be placed horizantol and it appears to be two 8in drivers. . . I will get the grill off today as I am concerned about surrounds. . . They sound fine however not like they sound when surrounds are bad.
8in 2way
Got the grills off and it is a 8in two way. . . drivers look great, no refoaming needed here.
They built these to stay together. . . even have some putty stuff over the screws so it makes it difficult to remove the drivers.
After loosening up over night they now are as good as anything in my house for sound quality. . . Excellent combo with the HK330. . .
Got the grills off and it is a 8in two way. . . drivers look great, no refoaming needed here.
They built these to stay together. . . even have some putty stuff over the screws so it makes it difficult to remove the drivers.
After loosening up over night they now are as good as anything in my house for sound quality. . . Excellent combo with the HK330. . .
Ed in SoDak
RadioHead
Cool, good find!
I was hoping for a small but good 8" system when I found my 7b's but I'm sure not complaining.
I guess because of that lifetime guarantee they built 'em pretty good. Conventional stuff but of good quality and solid.
On mine, I note the crossover has an inductor paralleled with the capacitor feeding the tweets, this chokes any low notes heading that way. I cut one wire to disconnect it, seemed to help give it a bit more impact on the bottom end. I think I'll put a switch on it so I can cut it in and out to A/B the difference and see if my impressions were correct.
I put some pics of the upgrade in the DIY forum.
-Ed
I was hoping for a small but good 8" system when I found my 7b's but I'm sure not complaining.
I guess because of that lifetime guarantee they built 'em pretty good. Conventional stuff but of good quality and solid.
On mine, I note the crossover has an inductor paralleled with the capacitor feeding the tweets, this chokes any low notes heading that way. I cut one wire to disconnect it, seemed to help give it a bit more impact on the bottom end. I think I'll put a switch on it so I can cut it in and out to A/B the difference and see if my impressions were correct.
I put some pics of the upgrade in the DIY forum.
-Ed
Congrats! :thmbsp:
I've been keeping my eyes open for some nice vintage Fisher speakers, but local only. I don't want to pay an arm and half a leg for shipping!
My 1968 catalog lists the XP-55 but not the B. Should be essentially the same:
8" woofer with 3-lb magnet, 12,500 gauss, totally new suspension system utilizing a long-throw, extra wide excursion, inverted half-roll surround. (Whew!). Air-tight enclosure. 2 1/2" wide-dispersion tweeter with low-mass cone and polyurethane foam center. LC xover with low-loss aircore inductors, xover at 1kHz. 37 Hz - 19 kHz. 8 ohms. Recommended 10w-30w.
You mentioned "very smooth laid back polite". Vintage Fisher speakes have a reputation of great midrange and bass, but a little rolled off in the highs. I read an interesting story which may explain that. Apparently Avery Fisher was quite particular (being a musician himself) about the sounds of his speakers, and insisted upon listening to each prototype and "voicing" it to his personal tastes. He liked 'em smooooooth. Drove his engineers nuts! I've got a mint pair of XP-4B's that, to my ears, sound like they're wrapped in blankets.
Might be fun to let GordonW or one of the other speaker gurus take a look at the xover schematics and offer some suggestions about changing some cap values, etc., to open up the highs a bit.
Enjoy your new find!
Clay
I've been keeping my eyes open for some nice vintage Fisher speakers, but local only. I don't want to pay an arm and half a leg for shipping!
My 1968 catalog lists the XP-55 but not the B. Should be essentially the same:
8" woofer with 3-lb magnet, 12,500 gauss, totally new suspension system utilizing a long-throw, extra wide excursion, inverted half-roll surround. (Whew!). Air-tight enclosure. 2 1/2" wide-dispersion tweeter with low-mass cone and polyurethane foam center. LC xover with low-loss aircore inductors, xover at 1kHz. 37 Hz - 19 kHz. 8 ohms. Recommended 10w-30w.
You mentioned "very smooth laid back polite". Vintage Fisher speakes have a reputation of great midrange and bass, but a little rolled off in the highs. I read an interesting story which may explain that. Apparently Avery Fisher was quite particular (being a musician himself) about the sounds of his speakers, and insisted upon listening to each prototype and "voicing" it to his personal tastes. He liked 'em smooooooth. Drove his engineers nuts! I've got a mint pair of XP-4B's that, to my ears, sound like they're wrapped in blankets.
Might be fun to let GordonW or one of the other speaker gurus take a look at the xover schematics and offer some suggestions about changing some cap values, etc., to open up the highs a bit.
Enjoy your new find!
Clay
Fisherdude said:
Dont you dare. .
. I like these guys just like they are. . . Great for long listening sessions or background music, no fatigue period. . . Reminds me of the Bozaks and extraordinary bass from very little power. . . They really sing hooked to the 15wpc HK330. . . They have been running now for over 24 hours and I aint tired of them yet. . ."Grabbed"
Just for the record I did not find these guys at a Thrift Store, eBay or what have you. I bought them from a friend who I work with. He bought them new.
They had a pretty good ride up untill about 10 years ago when he put them away in his garage. At the time he finished his new house and the speakers never made it past the garage. They werent free, shoot they werent even cheap by the standards of "cheap" on this forum. I knew about Fisher's rep pre 70s and since my Bozaks worked out so well I figured they would sound similiar. I dont understand the Vinyl cabinet but may be that the "B" denotes vinyl. . . .
Anyway I find that I like the polite kind of sound from older speakers and I wanted something that might be a good fit for my little HK. . . I think I accomplished that
Now if I still have them this time next week then I will consider them keepers. . .
Just for the record I did not find these guys at a Thrift Store, eBay or what have you. I bought them from a friend who I work with. He bought them new.
They had a pretty good ride up untill about 10 years ago when he put them away in his garage. At the time he finished his new house and the speakers never made it past the garage. They werent free, shoot they werent even cheap by the standards of "cheap" on this forum. I knew about Fisher's rep pre 70s and since my Bozaks worked out so well I figured they would sound similiar. I dont understand the Vinyl cabinet but may be that the "B" denotes vinyl. . . .
Anyway I find that I like the polite kind of sound from older speakers and I wanted something that might be a good fit for my little HK. . . I think I accomplished that
Now if I still have them this time next week then I will consider them keepers. . .
Wigwam Jones
Caesar non supra grammati
Got a pair of The Fisher XP-56's. Not sure how they differ from yours, but the look the same. Mine have wood veneer in good shape on the exterior. Like you, I find the sound to be 'smooth' and 'even' and very pleasant in general. I have them hooked up next to my Klipsh KG-2's and BA's and I switch back and forth. They lack the bass of the KG-2's by a lot, and they lack the very clean highs of the BA's, but they do not tire my ears with extended listening. I really only listen to them at moderate levels, but for that, they seem quite ideal. I got them for $5 at a local Salvation Army - they sat there for over a month while I deliberated - but I'm glad I got them. They remind me of my KLH Model Six's, but a bit less bass.
Sounds like you got a pair of nice ones, congrats!
Best,
Wiggy
Sounds like you got a pair of nice ones, congrats!
Best,
Wiggy
Wigwam Jones said:
With 98% of my listening being FM radio at background levels you cant beat these old timers.
At first after listening to a accurate, crisp speaker like some I have had and still do, they are a little muffled but like the ocean in the background they are comforting to listen to. You dont have to think while they are playing, besides a great way to break the loudness of silence. . . :cry:
asynchronousman
Super Member
Fisherdude said:
Mr. Fisher may have had hearing problems by that point or he wanted to 'tune' them to his receivers. The 15" beasts they run for background music at our Youth Ranch Thrift Store, made by Sanyo, certainly DON'T subscribe to the Fisher school...
Avery Fisher
Fisher consulted for Sanyo. . .More on Avery Fisher??
An amateur violinist, who began a notable career by building radios to improve sound quality for his own enjoyment. His achievements include the first transistorized amplifier and the stereo radio-phonograph combination. He sold his hi-fi components at premium prices, earning them a reputation as the Rolls Royce of sound equipment.
Fisher graduated in 1929 from New York University. He worked for two publishing firms, G. P. Putnam's Sons and Dodd, Mead & Company during which he began his endeavors in audio design. He constructed his radios to obtain better sound than available models delivered. By 1937 he had made significant improvements in the design of amplifiers, tuners and speakers and established his first company, Philharmonic Radio.
In 1945 Fisher sold Philharmonic Radio and started a second audio company, Fisher Radio, which produced high-fidelity components from a factory on the site now occupied by Lincoln Center. His engineering staff was comprised of the brightest audio technicians lured away from European companies.
In 1956 Fisher produced the first transistorized amplifier. Two years later the company developed the first stereo radio and phonograph combination. From 1959 to 1961, the company made important improvements in AM-FM stereo tuner design, and it increased the power and improved the sensitivity of its components.
When the audio market veered toward mass merchandising in 1969, Fisher sold the company to Emerson for $31 million. Emerson later sold it to Sanyo of Japan. Fisher consulted for both Emerson and Sanyo.
As a philanthropist, Fisher was very influential, sitting on the boards of the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Marlboro Festival. Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall was renamed Avery Fisher Hall in 1973 after he donated $10.5 million. Fisher was born in Brooklyn on March 4, 1906 and died in 1994.
asynchronousman said:
Fisher consulted for Sanyo. . .More on Avery Fisher??
An amateur violinist, who began a notable career by building radios to improve sound quality for his own enjoyment. His achievements include the first transistorized amplifier and the stereo radio-phonograph combination. He sold his hi-fi components at premium prices, earning them a reputation as the Rolls Royce of sound equipment.
Fisher graduated in 1929 from New York University. He worked for two publishing firms, G. P. Putnam's Sons and Dodd, Mead & Company during which he began his endeavors in audio design. He constructed his radios to obtain better sound than available models delivered. By 1937 he had made significant improvements in the design of amplifiers, tuners and speakers and established his first company, Philharmonic Radio.
In 1945 Fisher sold Philharmonic Radio and started a second audio company, Fisher Radio, which produced high-fidelity components from a factory on the site now occupied by Lincoln Center. His engineering staff was comprised of the brightest audio technicians lured away from European companies.
In 1956 Fisher produced the first transistorized amplifier. Two years later the company developed the first stereo radio and phonograph combination. From 1959 to 1961, the company made important improvements in AM-FM stereo tuner design, and it increased the power and improved the sensitivity of its components.
When the audio market veered toward mass merchandising in 1969, Fisher sold the company to Emerson for $31 million. Emerson later sold it to Sanyo of Japan. Fisher consulted for both Emerson and Sanyo.
As a philanthropist, Fisher was very influential, sitting on the boards of the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Marlboro Festival. Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall was renamed Avery Fisher Hall in 1973 after he donated $10.5 million. Fisher was born in Brooklyn on March 4, 1906 and died in 1994.
F
foetusized
Guest
XP-7S, not B
I got a pair of XP-7S at a thrift, thrown in with a receiver I bought. These look to be more recent than the "B" series, and I cannot find any information on mine on the 'net. The front panels are two different colours(one brown & one gray), the mids are different drivers (suspect one is a replacement from the shape), and the burlap over plastic grills are in very bad shape. The foam surrounds on the 12" woofers are completely rotten away; time to order some cheap surrounds from MAT. They also have spring clips instead of screws on the back.
I brought them into the house today, and the wife already wants them gone (we don't have much space). I'll snap some pix if anyone one wants a look -- Foe
I got a pair of XP-7S at a thrift, thrown in with a receiver I bought. These look to be more recent than the "B" series, and I cannot find any information on mine on the 'net. The front panels are two different colours(one brown & one gray), the mids are different drivers (suspect one is a replacement from the shape), and the burlap over plastic grills are in very bad shape. The foam surrounds on the 12" woofers are completely rotten away; time to order some cheap surrounds from MAT. They also have spring clips instead of screws on the back.
I brought them into the house today, and the wife already wants them gone (we don't have much space). I'll snap some pix if anyone one wants a look -- Foe
asynchronousman
Super Member
gyusher said:
Does this have anything to do with the Scott Philharmonics?
BTW Please return my PM about a tuner for a price reminder?
In Place Now
Well this afternoon after I heard enough from these guys on the little HK and not placed in just the right spot I moved them into my computer room/office in the Bozaks place.
For smallish speakers now over 35 years old. . . change that to any speaker placed near field they sound superb on my AU-9500. They are so similiar to the Bozaks that it is scarrey. . . You might think they were related. Although they do not get quite as low as the Bozaks they get plenty low enough for my use in here.
These guys literaly dissapear into the background. . . I think you can listen for hours without any fatigue. . . Of course they are a long way from the Holy Grail but for the money and for my purposes they are extraordinary. Actually they sound a bit better placed horizantolly which is great because that is how I have them in here.
Listening near field the lack of high frequency kinda dissapears and I do get the tinkles that you might expect plus listening near field bass response is superb as well.
All in all a winner from the only Fisher speaker I have heard that was not crap. Now true they are the only Fishers from this period I have heard. You can bet I will keep my eyes open for more in the future.
Well this afternoon after I heard enough from these guys on the little HK and not placed in just the right spot I moved them into my computer room/office in the Bozaks place.
For smallish speakers now over 35 years old. . . change that to any speaker placed near field they sound superb on my AU-9500. They are so similiar to the Bozaks that it is scarrey. . . You might think they were related. Although they do not get quite as low as the Bozaks they get plenty low enough for my use in here.
These guys literaly dissapear into the background. . . I think you can listen for hours without any fatigue. . . Of course they are a long way from the Holy Grail but for the money and for my purposes they are extraordinary. Actually they sound a bit better placed horizantolly which is great because that is how I have them in here.
Listening near field the lack of high frequency kinda dissapears and I do get the tinkles that you might expect plus listening near field bass response is superb as well.
All in all a winner from the only Fisher speaker I have heard that was not crap. Now true they are the only Fishers from this period I have heard. You can bet I will keep my eyes open for more in the future.
