Vintage Fisher Tube stuff . . . audiophile or not?

[Poultrygeist]

Without mentioning it explictely it the Nelson Pass article explains why there are at times heated disussions of how much power is needed to drive certain speakers. I recently saw an thread on another website about a guy who blew up not once but twice some expensive Lowther full range drivers with his esoteric Kenwood KA-9X amplifier. I suspect he wanted to get more bass.

On Pearl's HiFi website is a trove of interesting articles (no affiliation, just a customer using some of his tube coolers) and one of them has to do with damping factors writen by D.J. Tomcik, Chief Electronic Engineer, Electro Voice, Inc. (Attached).

A short side step (not on tube coolers to extend life): the military did extensive studies and discovered that repeatedly removing tubes from their sockets and testing resulted in a shorter life span. Recommendation was to test in situ.

The military also discovered that if equipment is run in a controlled environment tube life can be twice as long.

The mains these days flutuates a lot and neither is it nicely sinusoidal due to all the switched power supplies, speed controllers and what have you.

I am piggybacking my tube amplifiers on a 1.8 kW UPS that I use to convert our 50 Hz mains to 60 Hz for some other equipment. This UPS has a stable voltage and pure sinus output reducing the stress on the tubes.

AM

Lowthers are fairly robust for an HE speaker and can handle 100 watts with ease. But no sane person would want to be in the same room with them at that level.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I have a 1966 console. Tube where it's necessary. Italian Provincial. Fine furniture. Dual 1010 changer. Pickering magnetic cartridge.

 

[Bill Ferris]

A short side step (not on tube coolers to extend life): the military did extensive studies and discovered that repeatedly removing tubes from their sockets and testing resulted in a shorter life span. Recommendation was to test in situ.

The military also discovered that if equipment is run in a controlled environment tube life can be twice as long.

The mains these days flutuates a lot and neither is it nicely sinusoidal due to all the switched power supplies, speed controllers and what have you.

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[egellings]

If it tickles your nun handles, you're in!

 

[Aerobat]

My console pull Fisher 440 with original Amperex output tubes is very satisfying, and competes well with the Pass F5 at low to moderate volumes.

 

[peterp1]

I think Fisher, as a brand, is very difficult to categorize because the quality varied hugely based upon time period. In the early days, Fisher equipment was very high end. In much later days, Fisher was below average in quality. Anybody's first-hand experience with Fisher is going to vary hugely based upon which era and model of Fisher equipment they owned.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Fisher is one of very few brands I have never owned -- so (to say the least) I am not an expert on the brand. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong -- but the above is my impression from afar.

 

[larryderouin]

Have any of your EH or tung-sol 7591 worn out yet?

Nope. Got them all from Jim McShane. I think 1 quad had a total spread of 2mv on bias with the pots centered by a meter. The rest were 1mv or less spread.

 

[AmadeusMozart]

I think Fisher, as a brand, is very difficult to categorize because the quality varied hugely based upon time period. In the early days, Fisher equipment was very high end. In much later days, Fisher was below average in quality. Anybody's first-hand experience with Fisher is going to vary hugely based upon which era and model of Fisher equipment they owned.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Fisher is one of very few brands I have never owned -- so (to say the least) I am not an expert on the brand. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong -- but the above is my impression from afar.

A similar story with Sansui - their early tube gear 1950 - 1958 was top notch, afterwards it was all downhill.

 

[tonyg88]

A similar story with Sansui - their early tube gear 1950 - 1958 was top notch, afterwards it was all downhill.

The sansui 1000 came out during 1963-4 and that was no joke of a receiver... Used 7591 tubes like the fisher and the transformers look just as beefy.

I think their 70s speakers are also pretty good.

 

[Pio1980]

The sansui 1000 came out during 1963-4 and that was no joke of a receiver... Used 7591 tubes like the fisher and the transformers look just as beefy.

I think their 70s speakers are also pretty good.

That was the 1000A, the 1000 used 25E5 TV sweep tubes like the SM-80. I have those here. There were at least two versions of the 1000, early and late, before the 1000A.

 

[mazur]

Just my two cents. At the end of the day it all depends on the speakers. The output impedance of tube gear is high which makes them more of a current source and matches extremely well with old high compliance speakers, meaning speakers that are well damped so they don’t flop too much at resonance. So I’m listening now to my X-202-B on a pair of old Jensens SS-100 and they sound wonderful. I tried them with several great solid state amps including my Audire Parlando class A solid state and, as Nelson Pass said in his write up about output impedance, sounded like transistor radio. There is no magic, tubes sound great on old speakers and new speakers if they are well damped because they are more of a current source. Solid state will fail in those cases. However speakers there are low damped and will resonate more at the resonance frequency will sound great on solid-state equipment which are generally voltage sources.