The Fisher 400 Tube Receiver: The Budget Audiophiler
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Jereny, I own a fisher 400 complete with the wood case.. at some point in the past, i sent it off to have tubes replaced. I know it works because i hooked it up to a pair of original series 1 bose 901’s and it sounded phenomenal. Where would you suggest i send it off to be fully restored?
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This is my 5th Fisher 400 and I plan on keeping this one forever, it is the cleanest one of the 5 I have had and so it will stay around with all my other holy grail pieces. Just a quick note, I also got a Fisher The President from the Vice President of Fisher a number of years ago with all documentation with it.
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You realize changing the tubes takes a cpl min you can save a lot by doing it yourself.
I learned to change tubes as a young boy and it is so simple i never understood ppl sending them out.
You can purchase ANY tube you need online just type in your tube # and many choices will come up.
1 source is “The Tube Store”
Be careful tubes can run from $15 and as high as $400.
Use your head and moderate i dont believe in the higher priced 1’s delivering better sound.
I own over14 tube amps and have worked with HUNDREDS over the yrs.
Use your head and moderate.-
Anthony,
I agree 100%.
I once owned an amplifier that used the Western Electric 300B. They both died rather early. The replacement cost was so high that I switched over to some much cheaper Russian and Chinese tubes. The differences were not huge.
NOS tubes are way overpriced.
Ian White
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Bought one in 1974 at a Phoenix flea market. Hosed it down. Bought new tubes. Electronics shoppe but it on occiliscope and it outperformed transistor amps!
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oh NO!! its so easy you cannot mess it up its got pins on the bottom of the tube there is a space simply line it up correctly hover thtube over the socket to eye the actual fit when the pins key match just lightly yet firmly push down if by some dumb reason you run into too much resistance when pushing them down then you MUST stop and find out why sometimes a pin got loose and stayed in the socket but this is an extremely rare event its no harder than plugging a lamp in a wall socket only diff is that there are more tangs on a tube..it took me longer to write that than it takes to install a complete set of power tubes (the ones in the back of the fisher 400 unit..dont blow money having to unplug disturb the unit when its so easy any child could do it
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I have owned a Fisher 400 receiver for 3 years now. I found a guy on CL, who refurbished it. I took a chance not knowing what the sound would be like. Anyway, in my opinion, it has beat out amps/receivers that cost 2 or 3 times more. Very nice warm sound that pair perfectly with my Epos Epic 2 speakers! I now enjoy listening to the radio. An incredible work of art!!
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I too took the path to the Fisher 400 18 months ago and can say the experience is overwhelming, The depth and clarity are outstanding. I have them paired up with Legacy 1 speakers and it gives me chills. Enjoy for a long time!
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I have used a restored Fisher 400 for a long time in a secondary system. All caps were replaced, selenium rectifier replaced with a diode bridge, resistors and wiring replaced as needed, additional touch up work as needed. Tubes are a selected set of NOS. 65 Watts is misleading…that is dynamic power for both channels. Real world power is a bit over 25wpc from about 50hz to 20khz, but falling off slightly in deep bass. Within its limits it is a fantastic sounding unit. Key to finding affordable vintage tube equipment is to find a local tech that you can trust. Then and only then, start looking for pieces that DO NOT WORK, but are otherwise intact. I have purchased several Mac and other vintage components that way- price goes down considerably because “collectors”/speculators only want pristine working condition units. Then take it to your tech, and tell them what you want and how far to go. For example a non working and dirty Fisher 400 should cost about $300 +/-. Full restoration should cost about $500-600. So for less than $1k you have a restored unit, that can later be resold for your total cost, or more. If you are interested in learning more about Fisher- look for an extensive review in the archives of 6 Moons, authored by Steve Marsh, and a detailed company history in the back issues of Vacuum Tube Valley. I believe issues of the later can be downloaded from the World Radio History magazine archive.
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I have recently obtained one of these units from my father in law who is the original owner. I am having the whole thing restored for my son so he hopefully pass this on to his children one day. It still has all the original fisher tubes and are all in great working condition. Can’t wait to have it back and like new. Anyone near NYC area should seek out a Instagram user restro Diggs. He works with a amazing rebuilder .
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Steve Marsh is doing well and I am lucky to have had him work on an X202-B that was mint but needed new Hamfest caps. Great guy and a real super technician.
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Jeremy, I bought a “serviced” or maybe “restored” Fisher 400 from a guy who had a business in the suburban Chicago area maybe 15 years ago, and I absolutely loved it. He has since gone out of business and my Fisher 400 no longer works. I’m having a hell of a time finding someone to work on it and am contemplating giving up. Can you share your tech contact info? I am in south central Wisconsin and would prefer to deliver and pick up my Fisher 400 than risk USPS or UPS or FEDEX handling, but am realistic that my preference may not be possible.
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Check out Stereo Rehab in Chicago. He focuses on repair and ground up restorations of quality vintage equipment. He’s straightforward and no bs.
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I have an 800c with a pair of la scalas. I’m convinced that there is better sound available, but I don’t find it necessary to spend more and seek it out. 9 o clock on the volume knob is certainly impressive while 12 o clock is majestic!
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That is a sweet looking unit
For those that are looking for refurb or purchase I highly recommend AEA out of Florida. I purchased a 500c from them 2016 and it has been rock solid reliable and wonderful sounding. They test your actual unit and provide a report on it with the manual.
A great company that does excellent work and the 500c and a set of modified LaScala’s can rock the house with wonderful tube magic music.
If you can post sites here I provided the link. No affiliation other than a very satisfied customer.
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Earlier this year I purchased a Fisher 500C from AEA. It was a disaster. I gave up on AEA and sent the unit to a well-known restorer in the Atlanta area. Upon examination, AEA’s work was described as amateurish. I had the gentleman restore the 500C correctly, which involved removing ALL of ARA’s work and starting over. Clearly, I failed in my due diligence when I bought the unit. All of these old Fishers are special and require someone with very specialized skills and knowledge to have a good performing, safe unit. As they say, “buyer beware.”
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Sorry if it is allowed here is the link for the Fisher site.
They do great work and are responsive and it was a great buying experience for my purchase.
Fisher fans-check it out
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I actually own a Fisher 400 that I purchased brand-spaking-new in the 1960s. (I’m 71 now, fyi.) I never bothered buying the wooden case b3cause I figured the tubes and other components would have a longer life. Paired with a Garrad turntable, it worked admirably for many years. Then, about 25 years ago, it developer a background hum on the right channel. By then we had growing kids, and no time or money to deal with it, so I just disconnected it and bought a cheap Radio Shack receiver to use. Now the kids are grown and we’re retired, and I’d really like to get the Fisher restored. Any reputable repair people in or near New York? (I live upstate.) My Fisher has literally never been out of my possession, and I’m slightly leery of sending it out, even by FedEx.
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I know a great tube tech in East Aurora, NY. Not sure how close you are, but I agree with you about not shipping tube equipment. It can be done, but its a gamble.
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Hey Bob,
I am now in upstate NY as well (near Saratoga Springs) and can recommend Dalbec audio (great guys – father and son and talk nice to the father as he is mostly retired but a great tech). They are in Troy NY.
I can also recommend Moddjobbs out of Dalton Mass. He is a youngster but competent and honest and fixed a tube tester and looked at a conrad johnson premier 12 for me.
Both outfits I have had very positive experiences with.
Good luck. -
The Fisher Console website has FREE downloads (no registration required) of owner and service manuals for most Fisher tube audio equipment. The website address is http://www.fisherconsoles.com.
This comment has the correct spelling of the website address.
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I know exactly what you mean. I have been collecting Fisher gear for the last 15 years and I would stand them up to anything on the market, even to McIntosh. I really like their tube preamps of which I own more than a dozen. Collecting and trading, oh what fun it is to own a Fisher.
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Great article, I own a Fisher 400 that I fully restored in 2015 and it is truly one of my prized possessions. I made an African mahogany case for it, the only gear my wife likes lol. These amps truly “sing” with a low watt period speaker like a klipsch heresy from the time period. May I recommend the fisher k100, it uses the same tubes as the 400 , 25 watts, sounds just as sweet and is easy to work on. Cheaper than the 400 too. Tubes are fun and 60’s Fishers rule. You can spend more for McIntosh, dynacos, Scott’s etc but Fishers are still the best value.
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I am an audiophile novice and just got my first tube Fisher 400 receiver in pristine condition. It works fine even though it has never been serviced. The tubes have the words Fisher so I assume they are original. It has no rust but there’s a bit of dust. The sound is phenomenal!
My concern/question is should I get it serviced while it seems to work fine? -
Dana
June 25, 2021 at 7:18 pm
It’s not the cult following that sets they’re price it’s the quality. 50 year old plus equipment running as it should speaks volumes.