why are the old fisher speakers worthless?

fisherlover

Active Member
seems no one bidding or buying these much
i wanted an old pair (60's) to match my fisher 400 receiver
are they bad sounding ?
anyone using these with fisher tube receivers ?
 
Ive gotten several pairs of Fisher speakers from the 60's given to me,and Ive yet to find a pair I enjoyed listening to.I know theres one from that time thats supposed to be good(X-1 or something like that).
Some companies are good at electronics,some are good at speakers.There are very few that are good at both,IMHO.
Jimmy
 
Well, there's more than a simple answer here.

First, there are basically three different eras of Fisher speakers.

Third and last, anything from the end of the Fisher brand run, during the 1980's Sanyo era, has no collector value whatsoever. This includes any speakers that start with ST or STV.

Prior to this period, there are some very high-quality speakers, and some very ordinary speakers. The various model numbers don't always tell you everything you need to know, so you can usually rely on the old standard tests: If it's heavy, and it has real walnut veneer, it's worth a try.

The bookshelf sized ones pretty much follow the above guidelines. The floor model "Consolette" line are all very good speakers. This would include any speaker from the XP-10 to the XP-18.

Here may be one of the main reasons vintage Fisher speakers are not sought after, especially if you compare the sound to current speakers. The legend is that Avery Fisher insisted on personally "voicing" all of the speakers. Apparently his personal preference was a very warm sound, one that today would be considered to have very rolled off highs. At the time it drove his engineers nuts. So, if you're willing to swap out the tweeters for something more current, ideally with a silk dome tweeter to at least stay faithful to the era, you might find a very lovely sound. And, at a very low price!
 
OK, I'm also curious about a very early set of speakers I have from Fisher. Fisher KS-1 model.

Fairly flat boxes, blondish wood, So I’m guessing late 50’s early 60’s I have a pair of them, and the grill covers have that rattan sort of look.

I doubt they were earlier, as there were two, so I'm assuming the stereo ere at least.

The mids were placed in a cardboard can, with a tin cap on it, and the box had insulation in it.


Any info on this model?
 

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I've always found the Fisher XP models to be very nice. I had a pair of XP-55Bs that were a good-sounding 2-way with 8" woofer, and I'm currently running XP-7B's, a three-way, five-speaker system. The highs are a bit rolled off, but that doesn't bother me too much as the mids and lows a re extremely pleasing. depends on the sound you want to hear. I'm about to recap the XP-7B's and will report back on whether it changed the sound.

Very well-made speakers, good construction.
 
I too have a pair of XP-55B and XP-55 as well as XP-9C and find them all to be pleasing to the ear and very well made. And I agree that they do have a warm sound.
 
XP18, so cool!

I love the Fisher XP18, sooo cool:smoke: , I would kill to get my hot little hands on a pair!:D
 
I quite like my pair of XP-56 bookshelves. Highs are rolled off a bit, midrange was also a little prominent when I got 'em, but that was fixed with a new crossover cap. Good bass response, complements nicely with the Paradigm Atoms I keep stacked on top of 'em.
 
Funny, I saw a pair of very very heavy (solid?) wood Fisher speakers with unremoveable wood lattice grills for $20 yestrerday. There was no way to test them. They appeared to be in nice shape. Did I mention that they were very heavy?

I've always stayed away from Fisher speakers 'cause I heard they're crap.

I can't recall what model they were but they were abou the same size and weight as the AR-3a
 
Fisherdude said:
The floor model "Consolette" line are all very good speakers. This would include any speaker from the XP-10 to the XP-18.

I have a pair of the XP-9s... would you say these were close but no cigar?

Scott
 
Fisherdude said:
Well, there's more than a simple answer here.

First, there are basically three different eras of Fisher speakers.

Third and last, anything from the end of the Fisher brand run, during the 1980's Sanyo era, has no collector value whatsoever. This includes any speakers that start with ST or STV.

Prior to this period, there are some very high-quality speakers, and some very ordinary speakers. The various model numbers don't always tell you everything you need to know, so you can usually rely on the old standard tests: If it's heavy, and it has real walnut veneer, it's worth a try.

The bookshelf sized ones pretty much follow the above guidelines. The floor model "Consolette" line are all very good speakers. This would include any speaker from the XP-10 to the XP-18.

Here may be one of the main reasons vintage Fisher speakers are not sought after, especially if you compare the sound to current speakers. The legend is that Avery Fisher insisted on personally "voicing" all of the speakers. Apparently his personal preference was a very warm sound, one that today would be considered to have very rolled off highs. At the time it drove his engineers nuts. So, if you're willing to swap out the tweeters for something more current, ideally with a silk dome tweeter to at least stay faithful to the era, you might find a very lovely sound. And, at a very low price!

That's a really interesting slant. I ditched a pair of small Fishers for that exact same reason. Think they were 100's. I was left completely unimpressed.

And, based on your info, this would make a highly interesting experiment.....
 
I found the specs on the KS-1. I've got to run off to a meeting, but I'll be back later tonight.

ciao!
 
XP-10's

I have been using a Pair of XP-10's as my main speakers for about six months. The "rolled off" highs are very pleasing and smooth in a hard room, but they can scream in a pair of 47 year old ears. Bass goes without question with a 15 inch woofer running off a 200 Hz cross over point with an 8 inch mid range. I put them up off the floor about 10 inches and wow ! 82 pounds of solid, walnut veneer, separate box for the mid range, it and the tweeter are on a second baffle set back about an inch to protect the large 2" dome tweeter. Dated 1965, all original. Using a SX-950 to run them. Full fidelity at a whisper, will shake the couch if desired. Best part, I gave $40 for the pair.
 
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I picked up a pair of XP-66B's this noon, gave them a quicky listen and first impression :scratch2: not too bad!

Heavy suckers and pretty walnut cabs :thmbsp:

Are the grills glued on?
 
I will chime in with my appreciation for the XP 55s bookshelf - a good looking entry level two way system. Plus, with my sansui 7010 I could get a very good sound from them. My daughter just put them on the sidewalk the other day, seems one of the speakers didn't work any longer. Ah youth. Next!
 
Damage said:
I'm glad they come with wheels. I had to let the 1969 air out of one to fix a terminal. I tried to find replacement air but was unable to find any.


How about from the original spare tire from a 1969 car or truck? :scratch2:

:D
 
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