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Fisher’s 1960s vacuum-tube 400 receiver
The incredible advances in video technology probably won’t leave you pining for your boxy old cabinet TV. What’s cool about audio, on the other hand, is it can be a different beast—one that continues breathing for years and years.
Just look at the recent resurgence of vinyl. I got to take a nostalgic audio trip last weekend while visiting my parents. They’ve been married for 40 years. They’ve had the same hi-fi console for 40 years.
Aside from adding a Sony CD changer to the cabinet, the main listening my Sinatra-loving dad indulges in is through the main Fisher 400 receiver, along with the original turntable and speakers.
I always appreciated the system but never gave it’s history much thought until becoming more immersed in the A/V industry. After we turned on the system and plated a jazz record, letting some very old Louis Armstrong flow into the room, I was thrilled to hear that the Fisher still grooves with warm and peppy tones after 40-plus years.
It led me to do a little digging this week (does the Internet ever disappoint?), where I managed to pin down the receiver as the Fisher 400 by searching the photos on a Fisher Radio Corporation restoration site that I landed on via Wikipedia. There was another good graphic of the luminous “Stereo Beam” I can remember so vividly as it captured a strong FM signal. The web surfing led me to some other relevant pages as well, including one that mentioned the unit in high regard.
My dad’s by no means an audiophile, but he still has boxes of vinyl and prefers the old-school turntable listening to the CD changer. I told him not to let mom throw the cool vacuum-tube Fisher receiver into any garage sale. I’ll be happy to carry on the torch someday.
We’ve had other tales of vintage equipment being cherished, such as this DIYer’s affinity for his 1972 speakers. Tell us your hi-fi stories in the comments below!
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As a kid growing up in the 70’s I had a nieghbor who had a very cool Marantz 22 series receiver. I would come over to his place and he would let me play his records and blast that Marantz. Something about that Marantz and the gyro tuning wheel on it never left me. I now own a Rotel amp and klipsch and Paradigm speakers. Well there I was at a garage sale and here sits a Marantz 2220b for sale. 3 bucks!they want for it ! The lady at the sale claims it was her mothers and she passed away recently. Claims it works great. So I buy it, take home and spend 2 hours cleaning it up. Disconnect my Rotel and plug this baby in and WOW! I could’nt believe it! Not only was it mint cosmetics wise but it sounded much warmer then my Rotel ever sounded. Alls it needs is one light replaced in the tuner scale and thats it. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.