Speakers, subwoofer...

Rob Thomas

Active Member
Hello guys, I'm new to this forum and really appreciate the combined knowledge of this group. I have a Fisher T/A 800 that was gifted to me by my father who has 3 or 4 units. I grew up with an old tube Zenith in my bedroom and so coming back to the tube sound is nostalgic as well as a huge step up in quality to what I have been using. My questions are with speakers. I currently have some cheap RCA 3 way speakers that I picked up at RadioShack in the late 90's. They sound OK but I really would like opinions on a good set to compliment the Fisher. I'm also on a budget within several hundred dollars (being I'm married) which I know greatly limits me. Also any advice on a subwoofer and where I would go about connecting it. Thanks so much guys!
 
Hmm, tell us where you're located, and do you have a Craigslist locally?

So many things to decide when buying speakers. Probably with tubes you'll want something fairly efficient so look at speakers with relatively high sensitivity - at least 90 or 92 db/w.

Is size important?

As for a sub, you can get an inexpensive inline low pass filter and split out the bass and direct it to a powered sub.

What I would do is go over to the Speakers forum and do some reading!
 
Thanks for your input! I've played around a bit on the speakers forum and it can be intimidating for someone who only knows the basics, but I'll check it out again, even post a thread. Size isn't too important but smaller than an end-table for example. I'm located in the mountains of NC so there isn't much available locally. As far as your feedback on hooking up a sub, you'll have to dumb it down to me a bit more. Thanks again,
 
I've gotten pointed in the right direction. My main issue appears to be that efficient speaker options may be less plentiful and that my 800 will need to power efficient speakers. Can anyone touch on this? I don't even know what output my 800 is rated at...
 
The TA-800 is optimistically rated for 35Watts IHF (peak watts). RMS watts is 22-25watts per channel. 90-92 db speakers is minimum for the 800. Higher is better, lower and you'll be chasing 11 on the volume eventually to get any sound from it. 90 - 92 is a good compromise. Best buy has some Klipsch that are in the 90-92 db range. Personally I don't care for the thin upright speakers they are selling today, but they work.

A low pass filter is one that lets only the bass tones pass thru for use on the subwoofer. IIRC the TA800 has a center out jack. You can put the Low pass filter on that then run into a powered subwoofer. A used Bose H/T subwoofer is powered, plus has outputs for your speakers. You connect the subwoofer to the speaker out's (L&R), then your speakers to the subwoofer, not the 800. They aren't bad, and they are small enough to fit under an endtable. and with the Bose sub, you won't need a low pass filter.
 
The TA-800 is optimistically rated for 35Watts IHF (peak watts). RMS watts is 22-25watts per channel. 90-92 db speakers is minimum for the 800. Higher is better, lower and you'll be chasing 11 on the volume eventually to get any sound from it. 90 - 92 is a good compromise. Best buy has some Klipsch that are in the 90-92 db range. Personally I don't care for the thin upright speakers they are selling today, but they work.

A low pass filter is one that lets only the bass tones pass thru for use on the subwoofer. IIRC the TA800 has a center out jack. You can put the Low pass filter on that then run into a powered subwoofer. A used Bose H/T subwoofer is powered, plus has outputs for your speakers. You connect the subwoofer to the speaker out's (L&R), then your speakers to the subwoofer, not the 800. They aren't bad, and they are small enough to fit under an endtable. and with the Bose sub, you won't need a low pass filter.
Thanks Larry. That's a great tip about how to wire up the sub. When you say 35 watts, I assume that's per channel? How does my TA800 compare to the more plentiful 400 & 500s? Another question...routing the speakers through the powered sub-woofer won't take away any of the "character" of the Fisher will it? Again, I am very new at this.
 
It's earlier by a generation than the 800b. And 2 than the 800c. The 400 is the same generation of the 800c. I have a TA-600 but not a 800. The guy to ask for TA-800 sound quality is RS Steve. If the TA-600 is any indication it should sound very good. You do know the FM Stereo is the old FM-AM simulcast type and not the modern Multiplex. For Multiplex you'd need a MPX-100 multiplex Decoder. Actually any brand Multiplex decoder will work as long as it has been aligned to original spec. But if you aren't listening to FM, then it's a moot point.

On the Bose subwoofer, only the low bass (<90hz or so) is run thru the bose preamp, with the higher bass, mids and highs going thru a bypass direct to the speakers. So it shouldn't affect the FISHER's sound.
 
It's earlier by a generation than the 800b. And 2 than the 800c. The 400 is the same generation of the 800c. I have a TA-600 but not a 800. The guy to ask for TA-800 sound quality is RS Steve. If the TA-600 is any indication it should sound very good. You do know the FM Stereo is the old FM-AM simulcast type and not the modern Multiplex. For Multiplex you'd need a MPX-100 multiplex Decoder. Actually any brand Multiplex decoder will work as long as it has been aligned to original spec. But if you aren't listening to FM, then it's a moot point.

On the Bose subwoofer, only the low bass (<90hz or so) is run thru the bose preamp, with the higher bass, mids and highs going thru a bypass direct to the speakers. So it shouldn't affect the FISHER's sound.
Thanks Larry, do the later tube fishers give more wattage? I know about needing a multiplex decoder for FM stereo although I don't listen to FM often enough to warrant the cost. However, your recommendation of the Klipsch speakers was very good. The reviews are solid and as you said are very efficient at 93db. May have a winner here. I appreciate the help.
 
Good point about not needing a low pass filter with a powered sub. Easy peasy.

There is a ton of material on AK. One thing you can do to narrow it down is use the search box at the top right. Go into the Speaker forum and search using 'tube' or 'tubes', or "tube amp" (use the quotes on that last one or you will get every post containing either word).

Klipsch speakers are traditionally sensitive. I have a pair of kg4.2's from '91, those and the kg4 are both said to be good with tubes. There are lots more out there.
 
Actually no. They are all rated btwn 22-25wpc. The 400 is slightly less than the 500c/800c but it's not really noticable. 93db speakers would be ideal for ANY tube FISHER. But if you like a good amount of low bass a sub woofer is a good idea. Most old speakers won't go below 60-100Hz without noticable drop-off. Even today a lot of speakers are made without good low band (<100Hz) performance due to the advent of the subwoofer. So check the klipsch for low band performance.
 
Actually no. They are all rated btwn 22-25wpc. The 400 is slightly less than the 500c/800c but it's not really noticable. 93db speakers would be ideal for ANY tube FISHER. But if you like a good amount of low bass a sub woofer is a good idea. Most old speakers won't go below 60-100Hz without noticable drop-off. Even today a lot of speakers are made without good low band (<100Hz) performance due to the advent of the subwoofer. So check the klipsch for low band performance.
Will do. Thanks for all of your feedback Larry!
 
FWIW, my Sansui SP-50s speakers seem to be incredibly efficient, it is my understanding most Sansuis are. Plus they have a build-quality that is outstanding.
 
The SP-50's are IIRC btwn 94 and 95db efficient. I DO know the SP-200's are 98db and the SP-2500's are 96db. Plenty efficient for even a 5 watt unit.
 
The TA-800 is optimistically rated for 35Watts IHF (peak watts). RMS watts is 22-25watts per channel. 90-92 db speakers is minimum for the 800. Higher is better, lower and you'll be chasing 11 on the volume eventually to get any sound from it. 90 - 92 is a good compromise. Best buy has some Klipsch that are in the 90-92 db range. Personally I don't care for the thin upright speakers they are selling today, but they work.

A low pass filter is one that lets only the bass tones pass thru for use on the subwoofer. IIRC the TA800 has a center out jack. You can put the Low pass filter on that then run into a powered subwoofer. A used Bose H/T subwoofer is powered, plus has outputs for your speakers. You connect the subwoofer to the speaker out's (L&R), then your speakers to the subwoofer, not the 800. They aren't bad, and they are small enough to fit under an endtable. and with the Bose sub, you won't need a low pass filter.
Larry, you win the prize. I think I'm leaning towards Klipsch from BestBuy. Great price, great stats (now that I know what to look for) and Klipsch is a name that keeps coming up.
 
There is a pair of 4.5's on the Boone Craigslist right now for $265. Not a steal but not outrageous either. You might give them a listen.

Which Klipsch do they have at Best Buy?
 
There is a pair of 4.5's on the Boone Craigslist right now for $265. Not a steal but not outrageous either. You might give them a listen.

Which Klipsch do they have at Best Buy?
Hey Tox, they have a pair of Klipsch RP-150m that are rated at 300 watts, have a 48hz-25khz frequency response and have 93db sensitivity. I would pair them with a powered subwoofer. They look pretty good to me...
 
There is a pair of 4.5's on the Boone Craigslist right now for $265. Not a steal but not outrageous either. You might give them a listen.

Which Klipsch do they have at Best Buy?
Hello Tox, these are still available. Do you think they would match a tube fisher well?
 
Yes I do. At least in terms of sensitivity, the Kg series is plenty sensitive. I and many others like the sound of them. You might or you might not. Some people aren't fond of the horns.

If they've been sitting for sale that long, you might be able to get them for less...
 
Yes I do. At least in terms of sensitivity, the Kg series is plenty sensitive. I and many others like the sound of them. You might or you might not. Some people aren't fond of the horns.

If they've been sitting for sale that long, you might be able to get them for less...
My thoughts exactly! The guy responded immediately so Im sure he's ready to make a deal. As for the sound, I've heard some of the higher end Klipsch models and love them. The specs look very good on these. Gonna take a gamble on them.
 
Rob,

The Oppo universal players have "bass management" - i.e., a built-in crossover, and an RCA line-level connection for a powered subwoofer. With Oppo's bass management, the low frequencies are off-loaded from the main amp and speakers, which differs from a "double bass" implementation of a subwoofer (which is common) wherein low frequencies are sent to both the main speakers and the sub. The low frequencies eat up a lot of power. With the Oppo's implementation, the main amp and speakers are less likely to overload (and sound congested or distorted) during fff passages of music. The last 4 generations of Oppo players have bass management (the newer models have adjustments for the crossover): UDP-205, BDP-105, BDP-95, and DV-980H. If you’re on a limited budget, the DV-980H plays SACD, CD, and DVD, and have been selling for $50 - $100 on eBay. The newer models play downloaded FLAC files, Blu-ray (audio and video), and the newest model plays UHD discs.

I've chosen the high-end Oppo products because they are "universal players", and have a high-quality DAC built-in. I have all of the Oppo units listed above installed in different stereo hi-fi systems. The Oppo units listed above all have variable output (i.e., volume control on remote) enabling them to be connected directly to a tube power amp (i.e., no pre-amp) – assuming good system synergy. And, for a vintage integrated amp, they add the convenience of remote volume control.

If you don’t currently have the ability to play SACDs or downloaded hi-res (24bit/96kHz) FLAC recordings, you might consider this in your quest for high quality reproduced sound. Your hi-fi system will never sound better than the quality of the recordings.

I’m a big fan of tube amps (I own more than 2 dozen, including several Fisher). And good quality Kilpsch speakers are capable of excellent sound when mated with the right amp. FWIW, I’m a fan of Klipsch RF-7 II. (You'd have to find used RF-7 to get close to your budget, but you'd have a life-time investment.) With RF-7 (I or II) and >20 wpc tube amp, you won’t really need a subwoofer (saving that cost), unless you listen to pipe organ music, or you want to feel the impact of a bass drum. With an Oppo player, you have the option of adding a sub later, just by changing the software settings in the Oppo. (I can provide the settings to implement 2.1 for each model.)

Hope this helps.
 
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