RS-1060 versus...

[gsoravil]

Hi all. I have a number of TOTL Fishers but have never owned or heard an RS-1060. Would like opinions versus Fishers I do have and love:

RS-Z1
RS-1080
RS-2015
800-C

Any input appreciated. Detail, sound stage, handling of difficult speakers, headroom, looks, listening fatigue, application, etc.

Electrically I know it's somewhat like hacking together the best of a 2015 and a 1080. This alone intrigues me. The 1080 has a very clean front end.

PS - I may have asked this a long time ago but at that time there was not a good overlap of AKers owning a good cross-section of the listed units.

 

[Fisherdude]

Well, I'll be happy to toss in my fwiw comments...

I own an RS-1080, RS-1060, and an 800-C.

The RS-1060 is the baby brother of the RS-1080. Identical cosmetics, identical controls, with an FM Stereo indicator light in place of the multipath meter on the 1080. Main difference is power. The 1080 is 170 w/ch, and the 1060 is around 100, iirc. My memory may be off a bit.

AK member yrly is the guy on those two. He prefers the sound of the 1060 over the 1080. I can go with either. Good tuner section, good phono stage. Gobs of power. Will drive anything.

The RS-2015 was the totl in the next era of model lines. While there's no question that the overall build quality wasn't quite what it was in previous years, this model definitely has a following. I believe it was still in the 100 w/ch class, and won't be lacking in power.

All three are usually valued in the $200-$300 range, give or take, depending on condition, number of bidders, shipping costs, sunspot activity, etc., etc.. Ymmv.

The RS-Z1 was Fisher's attempt to enter the "high end" audio world. It's very highly regarded, very collectible, and very, very rare. In the last five or six years I've only seen two or three. Total. Grumpy used to have one. If a mint, perfectly working example were to come up on eBay, it might have a chance to flirt with $1,000. How long have you had yours? I'd love to hear your comments on it!

The 800-C is really not an apples to apples comparison here, if for no other reason than power. All of the above are high power solid state receivers, and the 800-C is vacuum tube and in the 30 w/ch class. At the time it was being sold, it was Fisher's totl. The sound is spectacular, although, as always, soundstaging, imaging, etc., are very dependent on speakers and room acoustics.

With full disclosure that I'm a tube guy, if I had to live for the rest of my life with one of the above, it would be the 800-C.

 

[Chris Brown]

The RS-1060 is the only receiver I've ever owned other than the Pioneer SX-1050 that could hold a candle to my M-2 and that is saying a LOT.

It has an amazing sound and nearly infinite power.

Mine is half broken also, I use the preamp section of an RS-1050 to drive the amp section of the RS-1060 in my secondary system and it works great.

 

[gsoravil]

AK member yrly is the guy on those two. He prefers the sound of the 1060 over the 1080. I can go with either. Good tuner section, good phono stage. Gobs of power. Will drive anything.

I had noticed his preference for the 1060, which I think is why I really wanted opinions. After I posted this I finally found at least a one line reference to him describing the difference with the 1060 sounding warmer and "more like a Marantz" verusus the 1080 sounding like a clean power amp. I do admit that the 1080 I have does very much match his description. Though I am curious how much warmer a 1060 is. Slight? Or noticable? I wonder if the soundstage seems different.

The RS-2015 was the totl in the next era of model lines. While there's no question that the overall build quality wasn't quite what it was in previous years, this model definitely has a following. I believe it was still in the 100 w/ch class, and won't be lacking in power.

I grew up on my dad's RS-2010 and when I got my own RS-2015 I was impressed. In comparison, the 2015 seems to lack an air of organic sound that the 1080 seems to possess. It's hard for me to admit that because I absolutely love the look of the top RS-2xxx models.

The RS-Z1 was Fisher's attempt to enter the "high end" audio world. It's very highly regarded, very collectible, and very, very rare. In the last five or six years I've only seen two or three. Total. Grumpy used to have one. If a mint, perfectly working example were to come up on eBay, it might have a chance to flirt with $1,000. How long have you had yours? I'd love to hear your comments on it!

Honestly, as proud as I am of my physically beautiful and wonderful sounding Fishers. The 800-c with it's sound stage, the 1080 with it's clean, bottomless power, the 2015 with it's good looks. I grudgingly have to say the Z1's amplification is just clean in a whole other league.

It's the best amp I've personally owned. No weird distortions in the extreme high audible range (I can hear > 22kHz). Excellent linearity. Sources come out pretty much exactly like they went in. Noise floor is very good but nothing unheard of - it does not creep into the source. It is the only receiver or power amp that I have used that keeps signals pristine enough from pre amp through the power amp that I don't sweat between pulling from a source or the Z1's headphone jack when looking for a line level to record from. Bear in mind, like most audiophiles this is normally a huge no-no for me.

If you do ever get one, just avoid its tone controls and filters which are pretty typical performance wise. Use "source direct" mode. Only in that mode do you get to realize the performance of the amp.

If Grumpy sold his than either he is a die hard tube guy or his Z1 was not performing to spec. Personally I am looking for a second as a spare.

 

[gsoravil]

Fisherdude - As an footnote I must say I also have the associated Z1 CD Player, CD Changer, EQ, and cassette deck.

The changer is the best of the four - an excellent CD player which actually has some air with burned old-stock mitsui gold CD-Rs. Not a term I would normally use in a CD player. The single disc unit is a close second and my keep-at-work unit. I am unsure why it doesn't sound as good. Probably a power supply or clock quality quality thing.

The EQ and cassette deck are ok. The EQ has memory, separate adjustability for each channel, clean sound, and a remote control. But it steps in 2db units, which is downright bad for something supposedly high-end. As a result I find it less than useful.

The cassette uses nice heads and has nice features like dbx and source direct. It also uses head pivoting instead of cramming extra heads into the enclosure. However, its specs reveal it does not have the HF response of true top-end decks and I noticed it does not actively run dual capstans. (It contains two capstans but uses one for each direction). None the less, it is still a competent deck and better than many.

 

[audiodon]

I like reading this thread. I wouldn't ever have looked if not for the combined Fisher forum.

 

[gsoravil]

I like reading this thread. I wouldn't ever have looked if not for the combined Fisher forum.

I have to admit I am very happy to see a Fisher dedicated forum. After reading your statement I am thinking perhaps I should post a new thread or two with some of the other Fisher gear I have that normally gets burried in "internet noise". (I wonder if that term has been used before???)

 

[audiodon]

I'm a tube guy but I've got an old Fisher solid state integrated amp that looks just like a tube amp. Same knobs, same faceplate, same logo. It sounds Ok too. No hum.

 

[Fisherdude]

I have pretty close to at least one of every tube receiver Fisher ever made. What's in my main listening post right now? A 500-T. Sgmlaw keeps talking about these first generation ss units from Fisher, and how they're under-appreciated.

He's right.

 

[Fisherdude]

Oh, and glad y'all are enjoying the forum. I'm finding a quite comfortable place to hang out as well.:yes:

 

[gsoravil]

I have pretty close to at least one of every tube receiver Fisher ever made. What's in my main listening post right now? A 500-T. Sgmlaw keeps talking about these first generation ss units from Fisher, and how they're under-appreciated.

He's right.

I guess I was a stupid teen at the time, but I regret not having taken the opportunity to snatch my friend's early Fisher SS that he got from his parents. I am not sure what model it was but I will never forget the "Stereo Beacon".