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RE: Fisher 500-C vs. Mcintosh 1500 receiver

Posted by Marantzguy (P) on March 8, 2010 at 11:30:09

In Reply to: Fisher 500-C vs. Mcintosh 1500 receiver posted by geezerrocket on March 8, 2010 at 11:03:29:

Hi, geezerrocket:

I think that the 500-C might be a better choice than say, the McIntosh 1500. Doesn't the 1500 have a solid-state front-end? The 500-C is well known for its great FM stereo sound and is just a great piece of gear. I have never owned a 1500 to restore, but I might be interested to know just how easy it is to perform these various tasks on, all things considered.

If you were here in the SF / Bay Area, I would have you over to see some of my Fisher receivers, now under restoration or completed. Normally, I change out the majority of the caps, both coupling and electrolytic and update the power supply, appropriately. However, lately, some of these old sets seem to revert to MONAURAL FM operation after my restoration work is done. Such a situation is quite new to me, since I have previously worked upon over twenty such sets over the years and this is the first time they turn into monaural receivers. It is probably caused by a combination of lots of weak front end tubes and need of a proper FM alignment. In any event, I just changed out two more caps inside the FM Stereo Multiplex sub-chassis on one 500-C, and let me tell you one thing: the difference between the way that FM section sounded before and after is quite astonishing. One was a .047 mf cap at about 400 volts and the other one was a .0047 at about 250 rated volts or so.

BIG DIFFERENCE, not to mention changing out the 1 mf electrolytic in that sectiion. Not to do so is a mistake in my opinion.

I now own two 500-B's, two 500-C'S and two 800-C's.

So, as much as I love Mac gear, I also am quite fond with the Fisher tube receivers and love their sound, once the parts are upgraded. To use one in unrestored condition is not the way to enjoy them at all, particularly when considering that the parts in them would be at least 45 years old by now and on the average, the bias voltages in a set with an original bias capacitor (2 x 1000 mf @ 35 vdc) and an original selenium full-wave rectifier, will normally yield a very low negative bias voltage of only about -14.0 volts dc, when about -21.5 vdc is optimal these days.


Richard Links
Berkeley, CA

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