tubeboob
Super Member
Well, after having it and running it for over a year, I finally decided to give it an overhaul.
What, you ask?
Well my first vintage piece, a Fisher 400 receiver.
Here's the scoop:
Picked it up for $15.00 at an Estate Sale. The asking price was $20.00 but we settled on $15.00.
Took me serious hours just to clean it up, but then it looked so good.
Then a poor mans variac over the course of hours, and yes, the amplifier section sounded great, but the tuner did not.
Once running, it sounded, for want of a better word, splendid.
Always worried about the selenium rectifier, but it sounded so good, it must be ok.
Picked up aftermarket brass covers for the knobs, $20.00.
Picked up a wooden case, $110.00.
Decided on a service, especially for the selenium rectifier, $220.00.
Grand total, $365.00, and this is a piece of audio I will keep for many more years to come.
The listening, after rebuild/updating, is great.
Voices are clearer now, no veiling at all. Highs are cleaner, and imaging has definitely improved. Bass is a bit tighter, that is just as forceful, just now with better control.
I have read that these vintage Fisher pieces are "old" technology, but that characterization couldn't be further from the truth. With a decent CD player and decent speakers, the music is, well, musical. Audiophile for sure. Clean, crisp and well defined.
I will do an in depth review of this 400 later, I need to absorb some more of it yet.
New tube pieces, like small output amps, are no match for the sheer musicality of an updated Fisher amplifier.
Was it worth the time and expense? Absolutely!:thmbsp:
Just for the record, I have a Cayin A-100T integrated (the best that I have so far), another Fisher 400, two Fisher X-202b's, a Lafayette LA224 integrated, a Scott 299A and various other tube pieces. I'm hooked.
I look forward to my time with my music.
Cheers
What, you ask?
Well my first vintage piece, a Fisher 400 receiver.
Here's the scoop:
Picked it up for $15.00 at an Estate Sale. The asking price was $20.00 but we settled on $15.00.
Took me serious hours just to clean it up, but then it looked so good.
Then a poor mans variac over the course of hours, and yes, the amplifier section sounded great, but the tuner did not.
Once running, it sounded, for want of a better word, splendid.
Always worried about the selenium rectifier, but it sounded so good, it must be ok.
Picked up aftermarket brass covers for the knobs, $20.00.
Picked up a wooden case, $110.00.
Decided on a service, especially for the selenium rectifier, $220.00.
Grand total, $365.00, and this is a piece of audio I will keep for many more years to come.
The listening, after rebuild/updating, is great.
Voices are clearer now, no veiling at all. Highs are cleaner, and imaging has definitely improved. Bass is a bit tighter, that is just as forceful, just now with better control.
I have read that these vintage Fisher pieces are "old" technology, but that characterization couldn't be further from the truth. With a decent CD player and decent speakers, the music is, well, musical. Audiophile for sure. Clean, crisp and well defined.
I will do an in depth review of this 400 later, I need to absorb some more of it yet.
New tube pieces, like small output amps, are no match for the sheer musicality of an updated Fisher amplifier.
Was it worth the time and expense? Absolutely!:thmbsp:
Just for the record, I have a Cayin A-100T integrated (the best that I have so far), another Fisher 400, two Fisher X-202b's, a Lafayette LA224 integrated, a Scott 299A and various other tube pieces. I'm hooked.
I look forward to my time with my music.
Cheers
