So I needed another vintage console HiFi, right?

[firedome]

S-C made some great stuff in nearby Rochester,

...we were doing research for a feature article on S-C when the magazine folded. We've had a couple of their nice ASR433 amps. In a somewhat misguided attempt at cost saving, S-C made a rather oddball stereo amp that used a PP circuit with only one tube per channel !! Note in the picture 2 output xfrmers, but only 2 output tubes! It used the very unusual 6DY7 DOUBLE beam tetrode!

 

[lordkenmore]

Hard to believe, but once upon a time, Fisher really did build good equipment. If all you know is their trash after the early '70s, you'd never believe it. Then again, who ever thought Zenith would become LGs low-end brand and Magnavox Philips' el Cheapo division?

 

 

I know Fisher was a good company once. Some products from that era interest modern audiophile types. The fall is really sad. My first experience with Fisher was with the Fisher of 1980s. Their stuff might have even been bad by the standards of the mass market electronics industry of the era, let alone quality electronics. But maybe I'm cynical because of personal experience...


 

Q. What is the difference between 1980s Fisher and Fisher-Price?

A. You get better audio equipment from Fisher-Price.

 

I gather the name is no longer in use, and I've even seen ads for Fisher stuff on Craigslist that make note of that: You can't buy this new! But you can buy this used from me for only $____.

 

But I guess they weren't alone. There is Zenith, as mentioned above, except I think they had probably declined considerably even before the LG takeover. Maybe I'm cynical, but I doubt that they were putting the quality in before they put their name on the last electronics they made vs. earlier decades.

 

One sad fall and then rise again was Marantz, which was yet another rack system maker in the US during the 1980s. Marantz elsewhere had different ownership. (Phillips owned the name outside the US for years IIRC.) I don't know what the quality was like, but they did make some good audio equipment that got good reviews. Eventually, we got that Marantz. Not sure what happened to the US Marantz--haven't heard of that level of product in years.

 

[panthera]

Yes, I've read of that one

I suppose you'd have a lower phase shift...but wouldn't the crosstalk be higher?
My knowledge of vacuum tubes stems from having chosen a 12ax7 op-amp as a graduate seminar topic, not any profound knowledge such as many here have.

 

[lordkenmore]

I do rather wish people would stop saying that a push-pull 50c5 amp using the very high efficiency speakers of that era can't put out more than 'background' sound levels.

 

I think one problem is that we are so conditioned to tons of power, and massive watt ratings on modern equipment. Problem is, of course, that power ratings (at best) really don't tell the whole story. A low power amp with efficient speakers might easily play louder than a higher power amp with hugely inefficient speakers. And it's also possible for a low power amp that is well designed to have more usable power than a higher power amp that isn't so well designed. I've heard it claimed that some designs are specifically engineered to do well on power tests, but fall down considerably when dealing with an actual music signal.


 

I recall NAD having a struggle in the 1980s because their power ratings were modest compared to similarly priced products. For a while, NAD tried to fight back by stating the official power, and saying short term burst power was much greater. I'm not sure how successful they were--in the US, I have to think they probably still had problems competing with dreadful sounding 200 watt monsters with more flashing lights than a Christmas tree.

 

Past this, there may be times when something that can't play loud may actually be a better product in some ways. I had a chance to hear a pair of Quad ESL-57 speakers a year or so back. These speakers can't play loud, and I'm sure that would immediately rule them out as a possible choice for many people. But within their limits, they are really, really good speakers...and as I listened to them, I frankly didn't care that they couldn't be cranked up. My take is not unique: those speakers are ancient technology (released in the 50s!)...and yet they remain desirable. Many people have them and would not trade them in. Also they have had huge influence on quality audio--they are probably one of the most influential designs ever.

 

[firedome]

Quads...

like all electrostats, and planar ribbon speakers like Magnepans, are very inefficient, but still after 60 years superb and highly venerated speakers. We had some Acoustats that needed at least 200-300 real watts to work and sound right, while a super-efficient speaker like the original folded-horn Klipschorn with Stephens or EV comnponents, at around 104 db/1 watt/1 meter, can literaly blow your ears out with a flea power single ended triode tube amp.

 

[firedome]

back to Paul's RCA....

(sorry Paul!)... here's the tabletop version of the RCA mentioned above... cute!
I'd love to find one to play my old 45s on!

 

[tolivac]

WOW the discussion from 50C5 amps went to Fisher,Scott,McIntosh-very interesting.It would be fun to connect the little 50C5 amp to a Klipschorn system Another high efficiency speaker system was the Altec Lansing Voice Of The Theater.Knew a projectionist that would play a transistor radio thru an Altec Lansing VOTT during the theater off hours-that would give him music and such that would fill the auditorium while he worked.Never got to listen to it-would have liked too.A pocket transistor radio may be good for quarter-or half watt at best.Remember the classic Scott and Fisher tubed gear in Hi-Fi repair shops-would have loved those treasures!My mother had a feind of hers that collected music boxes-Regina,and she also had a Klipsch corner horn system in her basement.One time while my Mom was visiting her friend she let me listen to the system.Had a Dynaco St 70,Pas 3 preamp,Thorens TT-had a great time listening to recordings of the music boxes thru that system-sounded like they were right there-and played the music boxes,too.To this day would like a system like that!Some theaters used commercial versions of the Klipsch LaScala systems-IMAX used them for awhile.