Fisher XP-44B speakers?

Jason:

This comes from the Vintage Asylum Section over at Audio Asylum. target=_blank href=http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?
forum=vintage&n=57136&highlight=xp-44b&r=&session=> Fisher XP
thread .

Apparently the XP's were pretty decent ... they were based on a proven
Wharfedale design, had ALNICO magnets (aluminum/nickel/copper ... can
make for a very musical speaker), had rubber speaker surrounds (no foam
rot), and had what was referred to as the New England sound (typically used
to refer to Acoustic Research/Advent/EPI laid back sound from the 60's/70's).
What shape are your XP-44's in?

Coming from your last thread, it seems like you acquired an old Fisher
system. Fortunately, the two components that you have asked about were
pretty good pieces. Once the mid to late 70's hit, Fisher was well past its
days as an industry leader, as the company had been sold at least once
already and ultimately wound up in the hands of the same conglomerate that
made Sanyo and Emerson products (similar to Coby and other cheap knock-
off equivalents of today). Any Fisher related web sites out there are
maintained by old time fans of Fisher.

At some point, it sounds like you will need to decide if you like the "vintage"
sound and are willing to spend the money to have the equipment checked out
and overhauled.

You may wish to check out Audio Asylum ... lots of good vintage information.

Regards, Rich

Rich:

Thanks for your reply. It seems like a there is a fair amount of info regarding the XP line of speakers, but not too much regarding the XP-44B's specifically.

As it turns out, I didn't pick up that Fisher 500-b receiver. I decided that, at this point, it would have been too much money for me to get checked out and fixed up.

These XP-44B speakers, though, I've had them for years. I got them for free at a thrift shop, and I've been using them off and on throughout college and afterwards.

The speakers are in fairly good shape. Several scratches, but in perfect working condition, as far as I can tell. I've posted a few photos here:
http://www.turtleside.com/fischer-XP-44B.html

They have a nice sound to them. With an emphasis on the lower mids, giving them a full, "warm" sound. However, I'm just getting into this game, and I don't have much experience listening to other speakers yet, so I can't accurately comment on how they sound compared to other speakers.

- Jason