Fisher XP-4a find/questions.

Wolverine

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I picked up what appear to be a fairly rare pair of Fisher XP-4a's today as a consolation prize after missing out by about 10 minutes on a score of a lifetime by another AK member. Hopefully he will post on his find.

In any case I bought these XP-4a for no other reason than they are in mint condition and it appeared they were made during the high mark of Fisher's audio legacy.

To this point all I know is that they appear to have only been made between 1963-64 and would have run you about $200 each for the Walnut finish. They are a 8 ohm 3-way but I don't know how efficient they may be.

Early listening with Marantz SR- 7500/ Denon 2910 combo is positive. They are getting better as I put time on them. Any additional info you can share on them is appreciated.
 

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Probably will sound stellar paired with a tube amp, especially after a recap.

I only have a little 3wpc mini tube amp which probably is not big enough to power these. They sound great but a recap probably could not hurt, problem is that the construction of these speakers makes a recap almost impossible.
 
I only have a little 3wpc mini tube amp which probably is not big enough to power these. They sound great but a recap probably could not hurt, problem is that the construction of these speakers makes a recap almost impossible.

Hi Wolverine. This is Chuck from the estate sale, I am the member who got the score of a lifetime. I picked up the console cabinet today and it appears to have been a a custom made unit for the 800c. It was nice meeting you and the other AK member at the sale.
 
Hi Wolverine. This is Chuck from the estate sale, I am the member who got the score of a lifetime. I picked up the console cabinet today and it appears to have been a a custom made unit for the 800c. It was nice meeting you and the other AK member at the sale.

Hey Chuck!

I was hoping to hear from you or see your post about your amazing luck/find! It was great talking with you as well about our shared hobby.

I went back there today and picked up the Electro-Voice microphone for a X-mas gift for someone who has been looking for one. I don't know if they were there yesterday but someone today bought a bunch of Fisher tubes for a $1 each.

Have you had a chance to check out all your gear yet? I know you said you are pretty thorough in your rehabs so do you think this one is going to take awhile? If the speakers were any indication it looks like he took pretty good care of everything so hopefully you won't run into anything major.
 
Hey Chuck!

I was hoping to hear from you or see your post about your amazing luck/find! It was great talking with you as well about our shared hobby.

I went back there today and picked up the Electro-Voice microphone for a X-mas gift for someone who has been looking for one. I don't know if they were there yesterday but someone today bought a bunch of Fisher tubes for a $1 each.

Have you had a chance to check out all your gear yet? I know you said you are pretty thorough in your rehabs so do you think this one is going to take awhile? If the speakers were any indication it looks like he took pretty good care of everything so hopefully you won't run into anything major.
I discovered a blown fuse on the Fisher and luckily there was a pack of the correct 3.2 amp slow blow fuses sitting in the cabinet. Transformer continuity was checked and seems to be ok. I will need to find or make a pair of jumpers for the reverb jacks and then proceed with caution. Most likely the first order of business is to replace the selenium rectifier. The Thorens platter spins freely (not powered) and the Grado arm seems to be ok. Looking at a complete rebuild of the Thorens..motor bushings, idler wheel, mushrooms, everything. It deserves to be done right with the best replacement parts available...will take time.
 
I discovered a blown fuse on the Fisher and luckily there was a pack of the correct 3.2 amp slow blow fuses sitting in the cabinet. Transformer continuity was checked and seems to be ok. I will need to find or make a pair of jumpers for the reverb jacks and then proceed with caution. Most likely the first order of business is to replace the selenium rectifier. The Thorens platter spins freely (not powered) and the Grado arm seems to be ok. Looking at a complete rebuild of the Thorens..motor bushings, idler wheel, mushrooms, everything. It deserves to be done right with the best replacement parts available...will take time.

Clearly you possess skills way beyond my abilities. I'm pretty much all thumbs when it comes to repairs and can't do much beyond replacing a blown fuse and a couple of squirts of DeOxit.

You seem to know what you are doing but if you have any questions there are plenty of knowledgeable people here who can help you. I just don't happen to be one of them...... :D
 
.....They sound great but a recap probably could not hurt, problem is that the construction of these speakers makes a recap almost impossible.

I suspect that the cab is built like the 5A. The grill is held to the cab by small brads. If you carefully pry the corners and then around the edges, the grill will lift. The woofer is screwed on. Once you remove the driver you'll see the guts.

And yes, a recap brings the speaker back to life!
 
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I picked up what appear to be a fairly rare pair of Fisher XP-4a's today as a consolation prize after missing out by about 10 minutes on a score of a lifetime by another AK member. Hopefully he will post on his find.

In any case I bought these XP-4a for no other reason than they are in mint condition and it appeared they were made during the high mark of Fisher's audio legacy.

To this point all I know is that they appear to have only been made between 1963-64 and would have run you about $200 each for the Walnut finish. They are a 8 ohm 3-way but I don't know how efficient they may be.

Early listening with Marantz SR- 7500/ Denon 2910 combo is positive. They are getting better as I put time on them. Any additional info you can share on them is appreciated.

I happen to really enjoy Fisher speakers of this era. I had xp4a's and I loved them. To do crossovers, you go in through the woofer hole. Just reseal it when you put it back. I am pretty sure they are Jensens in there...IIRC.

@jqp ; we need pics of your score ! 800c , TD-124?
Come on, details!
 
I suspect that the cab is built like the 5A. And yes, a recap brings the speaker back to life!

I'm not familiar enough with Fisher speakers to know if your comparison is apt. The bits of information I have leads me to believe that the design of these speakers was fairly unique which might explain why they were not in production for very long despite the glowing reviews by people like Julian Hirsch.

I like their sound a lot but can tell there is just a little more potential there that I think a recap will bring out. Coupled with the fact I have no room for them in my current system means some decisions will have to be made......
 
I happen to really enjoy Fisher speakers of this era. I had xp4a's and I loved them.
@jqp ; we need pics of your score ! 800c , TD-124?
Come on, details!

Thanks for the info. Out of curiosity what speakers pushed you into getting rid of the XP-4's? I'm currently running Von Schweikert VR2's, Polk RTA 12's and BBC Monitors (LS3/6's). I'm wondering where the recapped XP's would compare with any of those.

As for pics JQP is a new member so give him some time. I can verify it is a AMAZING score and would have taken pics as it all sat at the Estate Sale but my phone was dead.......
 
Thanks for the info. Out of curiosity what speakers pushed you into getting rid of the XP-4's? I'm currently running Von Schweikert VR2's, Polk RTA 12's and BBC Monitors (LS3/6's). I'm wondering where the recapped XP's would compare with any of those.

As for pics JQP is a new member so give him some time. I can verify it is a AMAZING score and would have taken pics as it all sat at the Estate Sale but my phone was dead.......

Oh gosh, that was100 speakers ago, I really don't remember. Fisher speakers, in '63were middle of the road... and compared to your modern speakers like your VR2... well, umm, would be like comparing a '63 corvair to a 2010 corvette. The xp4 will do great with 20 watts of 7591 power, playing Blossom Dearie. Your polks, with 50 watts of ss power will run laps around them.
The xp4s are good period pieces, a fun fixture of MCM display, and fun to listen to... but as far as full spectrum, discrimination in listening, you also will probably pass them on.
But who knows, maybe to your ears, they are the ambrosia and nectar that oozes from Diana Krall's lips.
We all have differing tastes.
 
Oh gosh, that was100 speakers ago, I really don't remember. Fisher speakers, in '63were middle of the road... and compared to your modern speakers like your VR2... well, umm, would be like comparing a '63 corvair to a 2010 corvette. The xp4 will do great with 20 watts of 7591 power, playing Blossom Dearie. Your polks, with 50 watts of ss power will run laps around them.
The xp4s are good period pieces, a fun fixture of MCM display, and fun to listen to... but as far as full spectrum, discrimination in listening, you also will probably pass them on.
But who knows, maybe to your ears, they are the ambrosia and nectar that oozes from Diana Krall's lips.
We all have differing tastes.

Your comments are confirming what my ears already know but my eyes love the look of those pristine Fishers sitting next to my BBC Monitors.

For me that is the dilemma with vintage gear. Much (not all of it - so everyone put the stones back in your pockets) of it has been surpassed by more modern gear.

Thanks again for your input you probably just saved the Polks ....... :D
 
Your comments are confirming what my ears already know but my eyes love the look of those pristine Fishers sitting next to my BBC Monitors.

For me that is the dilemma with vintage gear. Much (not all of it - so everyone put the stones back in your pockets) of it has been surpassed by more modern gear.

Thanks again for your input you probably just saved the Polks ....... :D
I am secure enough with my own audio opinions to confess that 75% of my love affair with vintage speakers is how they LOOK. Then I measure them within their own era... their is a lot to appreciate about your Fishers, but even the totl fisher speakers from the 60s can't compare to other manufacturers. Fisher wasn't a speaker company, they were a home audio amplifier, receiver, console manufacturer.

Now, about that same time in 1963-64, there were some very fine speakers available that can trounce on many modern speakers.
Tannoy , Altec, JBL, klipsch, EV... their totl choices would make mincemeat of your VR2s...

I usually find something I love about any quality speaker... that leads me to a basement with over 70 pair of speakers that run the gamut of old and new, big and small, efficient and power-hogs.
They're all fun!
 
I happen to really enjoy Fisher speakers of this era. I had xp4a's and I loved them. To do crossovers, you go in through the woofer hole. Just reseal it when you put it back. I am pretty sure they are Jensens in there...IIRC.

@jqp ; we need pics of your score ! 800c , TD-124?
Come on, details!
Here are the pictures of the recent score. The minute I opened the cabinet and saw the Thorens I grabbed an estate sale worker and asked for a sold sign. I began checking out the cabinet and slid open the left hand panel which revealed the Fisher 800c which I did't even know was there when I bought the cabinet!
Lot of other goodies like the space-expander reverb unit, all manuals, schematics for the 800c, spare Empire 880 cartridge plus many other goodies from the early 1960's. Also bought a bag of 40 12au7's from ge and rca most of which are marked USAF...military grade tubes. Some fine space age records in near mint condition came home with me as well. Tubes in the 800c are all USA made Realistic with a lifetime warranty.IMG_20181025_120345.jpg IMG_20181025_194012.jpg IMG_20181027_190641.jpg
 
Here are the pictures of the recent score. The minute I opened the cabinet and saw the Thorens I grabbed an estate sale worker and asked for a sold sign. I began checking out the cabinet and slid open the left hand panel which revealed the Fisher 800c which I did't even know was there when I bought the cabinet!
Lot of other goodies like the space-expander reverb unit, all manuals, schematics for the 800c, spare Empire 880 cartridge plus many other goodies from the early 1960's. Also bought a bag of 40 12au7's from ge and rca most of which are marked USAF...military grade tubes. Some fine space age records in near mint condition came home with me as well. Tubes in the 800c are all USA made Realistic with a lifetime warranty.View attachment 1323490 View attachment 1323491 View attachment 1323493

Very cool! And what a nice price! Such a beautiful cabinet!
 
Well I thought I would revisit this thread since I recently took the Fisher's out of storage and paired them up with the Adcom 555/565 combo.
Not sure if it's synergy, the power or that I have put enough hours on them to wake them up after they sat unused for so long. As was mentioned earlier these are not going to replace my RTA's or the BBC Monitors but they do make for a nice change of pace and a nice addition to my vintage speaker collection.
 
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