Isn't this a GORGEOUS Fisher 800B??

I am SO tempted. I wish I was rich. This amp is just absolutely beautiful:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50596&item=5719262786&rd=1

 

Yes, it is beautiful. I wish I was rich too.

 

When I was in college in the early 1970's, I had a Dynaco Stereo 80 solid atate amp with Dynaco tube preamp. One day I hooked up my parents Fisher tube receiver (I do not remember the model) to my speakers and I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than my Dyanco amp. I wish that they still had the Fisher.

 

I agree. On one hand it is too much money because of the non-original power tubes and the repro knob buttons, but on the other hand....is it really too much money? We know what it costs to restore a vintage tube amp, so it may be worth it if this amp truly is plug and play...hassle free, which of course they rarely are. I still think this is just beautiful. Ever since you told us that President Kennedy had one of these in the White House, I've been drooling over them. I think that is so cool. And I also think you are correct....this thing is going to sit there with no bids for the duration of the auction.

 

Yes and no. It will probably go for around $250, I would think. For the person who is technically minded and able to work on their own gear, it's a better deal. For someone like me who doesn't even know how to solder, the restored amp would be better. For this amp, the guy doesn't say if all the tubes are good, he doesn't say if the amp is biased or the AC balance set, and he doesn't say if critical parts...such as the selenium rectifier....have been replaced to stabilize the amp so it doesn't blow up. Considering what most techs would charge to make these adjustments and the possibility of having some bad tubes, it's a toss up....IMO....as to which amp would be the better choice, I think. One thing is for sure, though....DANG these suckers are gorgeous, aren't they Steve?!

 

The man had class. Good taste in women as well.

It's interesting, Steve. This thread brings to mind a subject that you and I have touched on before: the idea of restoring vintage amps. On one hand there is an appeal of having a unit that is more or less flawless mechanically....but I have experienced instances where a complete restoration has altered the sound of a piece so drastically...that it has become a negative thing. I believe in the past, you've spoken against these full restorations and lately I am starting to see this point of view. What I feel....and please tell me if this is what you were saying......is that all of those original components have a certain sonic character and that is part of what creates the magical vintage sound. Much the same way that you're not going to get the same tone out of reissue '65 Twin or AC30 as you are out of the real deal. There is no comparison.

Thus, I've made the decision and informed my techs that all I want is for my personal amps to be stabilized, adjusted, and running well. For example my latest toy that my friend Stephens just brought me tonight....the Fisher X-100-C (with original paperwork, manual, hang tag, and receipt from The Fisher Stereo Salon in Biloxi, Miss.!!!!)....this amp will only have the bare minimum done to it. I will only do what is necessary to make it safe and running well. It's funny, because at the same time many of my customers are frightened by vintage audio. The concept of something being old or unreliable scares them(and me too) and they order these full restorations. Are these jobs going too far I wonder? Should these amps for the most part be left alone? What do you guys think?

Also, Steve...I am curious....what has been done to your tube amps? Has Grover restored them? Do you work on them? Are they mostly original? Any mods? Okay, end of rant. Here I've gone and crapped my own thread again. Gorts...any chance we could move this back over to hardware?

 

PS....I wonder what kind of speakers JFK had in the White House? JBL or Altec, probably.

 

Probably 3-ways.

 

Yeah, Macs & Marantz don't have all those crappy knobs and pots that NOTORIOUSLY fail.

Steve, I wish you could hear my Sargent Rayment SA 5100. My tech and I were doing some A/B listening tests with his Marantz 8b and this ugly obscure amp from Oakland, California was actually giving the 8b a run for it's money. Have you ever heard vintage S.R. gear? It's pretty strange stuff....very industrial looking....but this piece(which I understand is EXTREMELY rare) sounds wonderful.

BTW, where are you getting all this information on JFK's system? If there is a site somewhere...please post the link. I love that kind of stuff.

 

Better yet, who owns this stuff now?!

 

Good question! Probably the CIA.

 

Wow!!! You met Avery Fisher?? Any pics?? That's super cool. Please tell me more. I'm eating this stuff up. Soon I'm going to start a thread about my new Fisher amp. You'll freak when you see all that original literature and receipt. It's awesome.

When you and your family ever find your way up to the Mendocino coast or to wine country, you're more than welcome to stop by the museum here and you'll then here Sargent Rayment. Basically, Sargent Rayment was a small company in Oakland, California that made tube amps in the late '50s and early '60s. Then they vanished. Their stuff isn't particularly collectible, it's just rare. The transformers are top notch and the sound is divine. Very impressive....definitely sleeper stuff. Apparently the new VTV mag has a blurb on SR, but I've yet to read it. Some info here as well:

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/people/wolf/beginnings.htm

 

Steve,

My Sargent Rayment looks completely different from the one in those photos. It's a straight power amp, with a very simple, industrial, ugly look to it.....sort of like the Eico stuff. They look more like they were made for military use than home audio. Anyway, I'd still love to find one of those spaceship-looking SR preamps to go with my power amp!

I'm glad you posted about your Scott 299C. I had been meaning to ask you for a while about this based on an early conversation you and I had on the forum about tube amps wherein you were giving me some pointers. I had asked you which integrateds you considered to have the "magic" and you said "Scott 299, Fisher 500, Fisher 800". Ever since then I've been wondering which 299(there are four), but kept forgetting to inquire. I've got a Scott 299C sitting in my place now. I've not yet heard it or fired it up, but now I'm really excited to hear it. When I was speaking with Robert P. about those Tannoys, he was talking about how gorgeous the midrange was on some 299C he had heard....I wonder if he was talking about your old unit.

Anyway, Steve....I appreciate your posts in this thread. I also appreciate what you've done for me and many other forum members. As I was saying to Dave in a PM the other night....when I came to this place, I was a total novice listening to modern solid state audiophile gear. It was you who turned me on to vintage Scott and Fisher tube audio and old Tannoys and once again brought me closer to the music that I love. The first stereo system I put together based on your advice, is the only system I've ever had that I've been completely happy with and I've never enjoyed listening to music more on anything else. I know for a fact that there are many folks over here who are looking to put together vintage systems for "fun" listening and I think these sort of threads are really important to point folks in the right direction.

 

Blame you for what, their obessive tendencies?? Don't worry, Steve. If it wasn't vintage tube audio, it would be something else! I do find this a little less overwhelming than my previous obsession with collecting rare Beatles sessions, however.

Wish I could have heard your 299C, bro. Whoever ended up with that amp was one lucky dude! Got any pics you'd like to share?? (not of the new owner of the amp...of the amp itself, that is )

 

I knew what you meant, Steve. I was just meaning to absolve you of the blame as I've definitely gone crazy. Speaking of which, I heard a MAGIC combination tonight at a friend's house. The Marantz 8 with an early Scott 130 preamp. This is HANDS DOWN the BEST sounding vintage tube rig I've ever heard. The highs were just unbelievable. I can't fathom how smooth, natural, and sibilance free the information was. It wasn't colored or rolled off....just perfect....like nothing I've ever witnessed before.