[millerdog]

Not to thread crap, but yes he did. I explained that I had already bought a Fisher and he was gracious enough to give me some time to gather the funds for his 400. He said he has been ill and I believe him given his feedback.
md

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Originally posted by millerdog Pigmode, I think both the fisherdoc and 2baudio quote around $400-500 in complete restoration costs. Restored units are around a grand. md

That sounds reasonable. I wonder what the turnaround is. I thought I saw something like its more than 12 mo.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by pigmode That sounds reasonable. I wonder what the turnaround is. I thought I saw something like its more than 12 mo.

Could part of this be to give him time to find units? Or does he have stock on hand?

 

[pigmode]

Backlog...too much business.

Update: the info was from older posts--the situation may have changed.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by millerdog I gotta wonder though, I was going to get the Mapletree EAR+($400 assembled) until I read about the Fishers. Perhaps they are a better alternative to tubed HP amps. Any thoughts guys? md

I haven't heard the Mapletree. My Fisher had some problems at the start, but I was able to get it working, and have every expectation that it will keep working. I was listening to it with the HP-1 last night, and it's presentation is still absolutely spectacular. I'd rate it as one of the top tubed headphone amps I've heard.

With the R10, I still have to give the nod to the EAR HP4, but it's really close. If I hadn't found a set of Amperex 6SL7GT's for the EAR, the Fisher would be my amp of choice for the R10. It's one of the only amps I've heard that can get the R10 to let go and really rock.

 

[Tuberoller]

Hirsch,

I think a good tube roll through the gain stage on the Fisher(a 5751 or good 12ax7 LPS) and a good interconnect would do your set-up justice.I will admit that my wife strongly prefers the stock Fishers.It is true that the circuit is modifed enough that the true sonic character of the Fisher is altered to the piont that it can no longer by called a Fisher.I think a tube roll is the easiest and best way to tailor the sound of these great receivers.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller Hirsch, I think a good tube roll through the gain stage on the Fisher(a 5751 or good 12ax7 LPS) and a good interconnect would do your set-up justice.I will admit that my wife strongly prefers the stock Fishers.It is true that the circuit is modifed enough that the true sonic character of the Fisher is altered to the piont that it can no longer by called a Fisher.I think a tube roll is the easiest and best way to tailor the sound of these great receivers.

Agreed! I've got several modern amps that I like a lot. I don't need or want to clone them. I do like the presentation of the Fisher as is, and while a little tweaking won't hurt, I want to maintain the overall character of the amp. I've got several sets of 7868's to use, as well as a variety of 12AX7's and 5751's. I've also got some 7025's that are supposed to be 12AX7 types, but I need to know more about them before trying them out.

But first...my next project is cleaning the tube sockets, switches, and pots. That should help a lot.

 

[Budgie]

Not that this helps alot, but-
http://oldtech.net/Fisher.html

This appears to be a dead or nearly dead web site, so I would copy anything usefull that you find there.

 

[millerdog]

My Fisher X100C came in today. It supposedly has the same front end as the 400 sans reciever. It has six 12ax7s.
I know you guys aren't just rolling the tubes arbitrarily right?
Any ideas on where to start? Should I take off the bottom plate and try to trace down the circuits?
md

 

[mkmelt]

Sounds like the integrated amp uses the 12AX7s the same way as in the model 400, less the three tubes in the FM multiplexer circuit.

Two are used in the phono stage, so unless you plan to spin records, these can be any working 12AX7. On the 400, these two 12AX7 tubes have tube shields, whereas the others do not.

The remaining four 12AX7s are used for:

Voltage amplfier
Tone control amplifier
Left channel driver/inverter
Right channel driver inverter

This is where it gets to be fun. You can try changing these tubes until you find some you think enhance the sound. For myself, I have tried the smooth-plate Telefunkens, and some GE made in USA. Both are nice, with the GE being somewhat better focused that the Teles, in my opinion. (I actually like the GEs better in this application than the highly revered smooth plates.)

The tube that will blow you away is the Raytheon 5751 with the windmill shaped getter. There were several types, some with double mica insulators and with or without support rods. If you can try to get any of these for your Fisher and you won't be disappointed.

Also, there is a Sylvania 5751 that is supposed to be fantastic, but very expensive and hard to get. If you have trouble finding the more desirable 5751s, try some of the better received JAN 5751s, as these frequently show up on eBay. The JAN tubes were mil-spec tubes, so they are rugged and have low microphonics, or they would not pass quality checks for these government tube supplier contracts.

If you go to audio asylum - tube asylum, you can read some interesting reviews of both 12AX7s and 5751s.

5751s probably won't work well in the phono section because the gain is only 70% of that of a 12AX7.

Please let us know what you find pleasing.

 

[millerdog]

Check!
I got the two with the shields. Hmmmm only one is glowing?
Out of the last four only two are glowing really bright, the others are just showing color.
I guess I should roll those two?
I took out the generic 12ax7s out and put in some GE 5 stars to start. I gotta feeling this is just starting to get fun and expensive.
md

 

[Tuberoller]

A glowing tube is no real indication of a working tube,this works both ways.Some tubes don't glow at all but work just fine.However,I would change all the tubes anyway.They are an unknown quantity and baseline sonics cannot really be established with such tubes.Just replace them with some new Sovteks to get an idea what the unit sounds like with fresh glass.Roll your tubes from that point and tuberolling will be fun and does not have to be super expensive

 

[Dan H]

The Fisher branded 12AX7's in my rigs are Mullards and Telefunkens. Some of the all time best tubes made. Let us know what you think of the amps headphone out, Millerdog. I think you maybe onto a very good thing.........Dan

 

[millerdog]

I should have mentioned, the unit came with no front end tubes. I had already collected some cheap 12ax7s and such and started it off with them.
To get back on topic, The Fisher makes a really(really really) nice HP amp. Now I know what separation of the instruments means. At first it seems like you're missing something vs SS, but then after comparing, it's like night and freakin day. I didn't think the bass went so low with my Grados. It's almost like I got a sub on my head. The highs are still there; cleaner with a loss of sibilance. It's like some scrubbing bubbles went through my cans and cleaned them up.
Thanks to all you Fisher guys for your reviews. It really made me go in this direction. While I'm not ready to dump all my SS gear in the trash(like I did my cheap headphones), this is certainly leading me in a different direction.
md

 

[mkmelt]

Some 12AX7 type tubes glow brightly, others only a bit. You can see if the tubes are glowing by turning out the lights. This is my preferred way of looking at my 400. With the cover removed and the room lights out, it looks like a miniature city all lit up.

Also, Amperex 12AX7 tubes will flash when you first power them up. This is normal for this tube, so don't freak and think you've blown a tube or worse. Whatever you do don't throw them away.

Tuberoller is right to advise you to only use known good tubes. Just don't throw the others away. Wait until you can have them tested. I have a whole box full of smooth plate Telefunkens that came out of various Fisher units. They usually test strong on one of the two triode sections, but weak on the other. Still, they appear to work fine in the Fisher, so I will hold on to them and use them for things like the phono preamp, something I don't use often.

BTW, what are the power tubes in this integrated amp?

If you don't already have one, you might want to start planning on purchasing a good tube tester.