FISHER all-tube receivers from 1961-66 are cheap and sound wonderful!

I can't believe people are putting out this this kind of money for 40+ year old receivers that have not had any restoration. Silly and naive.

 

I'm looking to buy one myself as I owned an 800C as a teenager. I sold it to to a old girlfiend in 1969 and bought a Mac 1700 which I still own today.

The prices have bloomed both from praise here and from buyers in the orient. On Ebay they have gone from $550 to $850 in 6 weeks. I'll play the waiting game for the right time and place. I'm willing to spent the $$$ for the Tube Bliss I once had as a kid.

 

Anyone think that $200 is worth it to get a Fisher 500-B (that was given to me for free) repaired?

 

And the price of Fishers go up $300...

 

Wow, glad I read this thread here; it reminded me that my folks' 400 from '63 is still in my attic awaiting re-capping and resistor checking (it was retired because of distortion in all modes, FM and tape and phono). It is on its second on/off switch, the first one being replaced in the early 70s, but it needs replacing again. I'd done what "paul cbc" suggested, i.e. use a power strip to turn it on or off, but the volume pot is scratchy so it should be replaced anyway.

I've looked at those "rebuild kits" on eBay, but none of them include replacement slider switches (those dark red ones) which are dirty and don't make reliable contact anymore. Some of these types of switches can be opened up and cleaned, but only once, since those tabs holding the back to the body of the switch get crystallized and break off if they get bent more than a few times. Anyone know where those can be found in the right color?

Sure it needs work, but definitely worth fixing up seems to me.

 

Over the last week the family has acquired a kitten, a new laptop, and this:



A restored 500C

 

Congratulations on a very nice-looking 500c!

(We also need the Audiokarma "drool" smilie for pics like these )

 

Are there any issues in connecting turntables with MC cartridges. I have VPI Scout with AT OC-9 and a Cambridge phono amp. Thanks.

 

Would it be the same to plug the phono stage into the tape input? I have my SACD player hooked into the AUX.

 

Another record high ending auction on a 500 C

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120582352483&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

Man, I'm glad I picked up my 800B around five years ago, also on ebay. Thanks to Steve who posted good things about the series back then which prompted me to watch for them. I've been a happy camper ever since.

 

And without any restoration

 

Tape input will work fine.

 

By the way a nice piece of advice from the Audiogon forums is that if you are not using the phono section in the Fisher receivers go ahead and take out the tubes(V16 and V17 on the 500C). It will help the receiver to run a lot cooler.

 

Same for the 800-C?

 

Thanks.

 

Great! Thanks.

Here's my 800-C story...wow...6 years already...

 

I have aquired a restored 500 C without a cabinet. Yes I'm Jazzed

Do the 400, 500 and 800 all have the same size faceplate?

Will one size cabinet fit all?

 

Yup, same cabinet.

 

Yeah..when I was 16, I saved up enough money to buy a new Fisher 500c (I couldn't afford the model that also had AM). Many years later, when I got divorced, I kept the new system and the ex took the Fisher, but she only used it a short time before buying some compact system. It originally came with a Garrard turntable and "Sam Goody" speakers (that were probably manufactured by Electro Voice). A few years later, I upgraded the turntable to an AR Turntable and the speakers to AR-4ax speakers. Those were great...gave me another octave on the bottom and more top, but the tweeters kept on getting destroyed and thus...an entirely new system about 14 years after I had bought that Fisher.

Years after that, I noticed it in her garage and I turned it on and it seemed to sound great, but I thought maybe it was just the garage acoustics. About a year ago, I decided I wanted it back. Turns out she gave it away some years ago. I just might pick up one on eBay just to see if it still sounds as good as I think it did. Although I do have this fear that I'll be buying back my own receiver.

 

I have also just picked up a 500C without a cabinet..because the seller claims it has not been turned on in a few years, I ordered a variac. It show hopefully arrive tomorrow..how slowly should I power it up??

 

After reading about them here and owning one as a teenager I was inspired and bought this 500 C that was almost restored. I had some additional stuff done and just got it back a week ago. It will probably out live me now.

The greatest upgrade was finding new vintage Sylvania 7591A tubes. They were still in the yellow box marked $7.00 each. I paid a lot more than that but records sound so sweet, it's tube bliss. It was worth every cent.

Thanks for the tip Steve.