The Fisher
The Fisher was the brand name for high-end, high quality hi-fi electronic equipment manufactured in New York by The Fisher Radio Corp. during the "golden age" of the vacuum tube, which was named after the company founder, Avery Fisher.[9][10]
During this period, similar brands were H.H. Scott, Marantz, Harman Kardon, and McIntosh. Some of the early 1960s models were also available as kits. Fisher tube equipment is considered quite collectible today.
Fisher's first receiver was the model 500, a mono AM/FM receiver using two EL37 output tubes. It had a brass-plated face panel and an optional mahogany or "blonde" wooden case. This early mono receiver should not be confused with the later stereo tube receiver models, the 500B and 500C. These later receivers made in the early 1960s were stereo using push-pull 7591 output tubes. They were also sold with optional wood cabinets and had aluminum faceplates instead of the brass on the earlier 500 receiver.
Well-known models include (but are not limited to):
The Fisher was also used on Fisher's early US made solid-state equipment, such as the model 210 receiver.
Fisher FM tuners and receivers often used similar designs and components thus allowing parts to be swapped between various models. A good example is the FM stereo multiplex decoder module.[12]
Fisher was the first to introduce stereo receivers with four channels. These innovations were brief and occurred in the mid-1970s which some consider The Second Golden Age of High Fidelity. Like many new concepts of the time such as Beta Format and VHS, there were a number of competing four channel formats. One was CD-4 (by JVC) and the others were SQ, QS and UD-4. None were particularly successful due to higher hardware costs, incompatibilities between formats and that some purists thought that "four channel" was a fad, which it proved to be.
At the time the concept of a sub-woofer was in its infancy. Now, it is common to see 5+1 systems which had their heritage in the "confrontation" of four-channel and stereo high fidelity coupled with a sub woofer.
- FM-1000/FMR-1 Broadcast Monitor Tuner, considered one of the best tube tuners, collectible[11]
- FM-200-B Tuner – similar to FM-1000 above, but for home use
- FM-100-B Tuner
- 800 Series Receiver A, B, C, AM/FM, 7591A outputs
- 500 Series Receiver A, B, C, FM only, 7591A outputs
- 400 Series Receiver, FM only, 7868 outputs, similar to model 500, but with fewer features
- X-1000 Series Integrated Amplifier
- X-200 Series Integrated Amplifier
- X-100 Series Integrated Amplifier
Other consumer products
Under Sanyo ownership, Fisher also commercialized a range of consumer products[13] including
In particular, the air conditioning business of Sanyo and Fisher brands was unified in 2000 under the Sanyo Electric Air Conditioning Co. Ltd. scheme,[14] to end up eventually in 2011 with the buyout from Panasonic.
- television sets, HiFi VHS recorders, projectors and DVD players, digicams and surveillance equipment
- audio systems and dictation machines, mobile devices and phones
- household machinery and air conditioners
