Bonzo

You can file this under the “what was I thinking” file. The Fisher is no longer available!

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the props! I will say, I'm having second thoughts.

Under the hood. Beautiful restoration IMHO!

Thanks, I hate to sell it but I’ve gone with more modern tube separates by Modwright and Quicksilver. It is too nice to be a “Shelf Queen!”

I have other pictures but they are too “huge” to post?

Topside!

I have a very, very nice Fisher 500c tube receiver for sale. It was restored by William Hardy of Vintage Amplifier Restoration in Hattiesburg, MS a few years ago. It was used very sparingly since then. All tubes are various vintage US brands. The output tubes are a nice quad of vintage Sylvania 7591a’s. It comes with the original wood case which is very nice with just a couple minor blemishes. Caps are mostly Auricaps, Mallory and Sprague. It works great and sounds awesome! I am willing to ship the amp and case separately, packed and shipped via FedEx ground. Pickup or a meet within a reasonable distance of Redding California is encouraged. I’m asking $750 plus packing/shipping and PayPal fees if applicable. Happy to answer any questions, thanks!

I have read that one opinion and, again, wonder if there was a direct comparison of the various versions? I think not. I have had version 1’s and now version 3’s separated by a few moths. I would not begin to pretend I could tell you which speaker sounds better/worse. My audio memory, memory in general for that matter, isn’t very good. I didn’t get a chance to listen much today unfortunately, hopefully tomorrow.

Found a pretty nice, one owner pair, of CF-3’s in dark cherry at a yard sale today. I have had the version 1’s before, great sounding speakers. One of the reasons I sold them was the very poor condition of the cabinets, grills etc. The pair I picked up today have a few veneer issues, nothing major, and nice grills but one badge is missing. Haven’t had a chance to do much listening today so far but, what I’ve heard has been great. One immediate improvement in the sound was bi-wiring with my Yamaha A-S701. It really cleaned up the highs and the low end. I have read most all the opinions on the version 1 vs 2 vs 3........Curious if anyone had the opportunity to A/B/C the various versions in the same room with the same equipment at the same time? I will be doing that with my Forte II’s which will be fun. Kind of wish I would have kept the version 1’s now. Oh, when a yard sale is advertised in the newspaper and lists Klipsch speakers, chances are the people having the sale are not kids and likely not little computer speakers. Just sayin’.....

Thank you all for the spirited and insightful discussion, I appreciate it. Sadly, the W4S ship has sailed. The owner has decided to keep them. The search continues.

I know someone that is selling a pair of Quicksilver tube mini monoblocks. I have heard them but that was before I had the Forte II’s. There was a bit of distortion when using my old Marantz 1060 as the preamp. Might try to revisit them with the Sansui and the F II’s?

Thanks, the “overkill” factor does concern me as does how a 1974 amp/preamp will play with 21st century electronics. I’m wondering if the money would be better spent on other upgrades? If I spring for the amps, the toy fund will be greatly depleted.

Anyone use Class D power amps with their Klipsch speakers? A friend of has a line on a pair of Wyred4Sound SX-1000 monoblock amps for a very good price. Doubtful I would be able to audition them first with my Forte II’s. Also, initially I would have to use my vintage Sansui AU-5500 integrated as the preamp. Any input, experience and information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

A vintage Magical Mystery Tour purchased by my uncle back in the day. Plays very good.

I have had both a 9090 and 9090db in the past. Both great receivers but I had issues with the step attenuators. It seemed like one or maybe two clicks was too quiet, the third click was too loud for my taste. There was no way to get them dialed in. I was having the same problem with the Kenwood which I swapped for the Sansui +.

Here’s a picture of the Sansui. It has treble, bass, and midrange tone controls. It also has pre-out/main-in capability with the flip of a switch. 32 watts per channel seems to be plenty for the F-II’s.

Thank for the posts guys, I do appreciate the input. Wha else helps is the correct component(s). My friend, who is a very good tech, has a restored Sansui AU-5500 integrated. I have tried this amp with less efficient speakers and wasn’t thrilled with it. In the back of my brain I remember that many aficionados recommend vintage Sansui gear with Klipsch speakers. Well, guess what’s going to be driving the Forte II’s. I was surprised how much more musical it is vs the Marantz 1060, the Kenwood KR-9400. Much more futzing around to do with them but I’m getting close.

I would first make sure your speakers are in phase. Sounds simple but many of us have accidentally wired our speakers out of phase. In other words, + from the receiver to the + on each speaker and - to the -. If one is reversed, it will wash out the low end. This goes for the individual drivers as well. I would also make sure the drivers and passive radiators have good seal to the cabinet. Good luck tracking down the issue. Oh, the SX-1250 should be able to drive them to concert levels however I don’t recommend that. Is it possible there is an issue with the receiver? Most 1250’s need some work nowadays.

I may rethink my amplifier/receiver choice. I did quite a bit of listening with the big Kenny’ KR-9400. It has also been completely restored and has one of the best tuners of any vintage receiver I have had, up to and including the Pioneer SX-1250. I rarely listen to local radio as most of the stations suck with couple of exceptions. Those exceptions were kind of hard to bring in mainly due to the radiant heat shields in the attic. With a modest antenna, the Kenny’ locks on them very well. Also, I am liking the phono section a bit better than the Marantz 1060. With 120 watts per channel vs 30, well the headroom and low end thump is definitely noticeable. A bit of a conundrum as I love the 1060. It’s too nice to become a “shelf queen.” Any words of wisdom would be appreciated, thanks.

Thank you all for your comments. I really liked the Cornwall II's but they just took up too much real estate in my one car garage man room. I sold them to a friend of mine who absolutely loves them and has a nice big room where they can breath. Listening to them at his place vs mine, there was no comparison to the openness and the depth and width of the soundstage! Cosmetically, the Forte's are very nice with just a few veneer issues. The finish looks better now, darkened them up just a bit and covered a few flaws. The Forte's will be anchored to the floor. I have some two inch floor spikes that I may use. Going to try them stock first however. Right now they are at a perfect triangle with the Lazy Boy, 7' x 7' x 7', 14" from the back wall. Sounstage is good, vocals dead center, provided the song was recorded that way. Not as deep a stage as I would like but that's a room issue I'm sure. Hey John, love your avatar with "The Great One!" " Hold up on that car wash gentlemen....................." classic! Sad to see The Bandit go! RIP Burt..........

Here’s a pic of the 1060 nestled in the rack bellow the Yammy’ A-S700.

The furniture dolly’s are temporary until I find the right placement. So far the best overall sound is from the Marantz 1060, not a surprise. I think the cap-coupled 1060 gets pretty close to that “tube like” sound. This one has been completely gone through by a competent tech. The big caps are Nichicon Golds with Wima and Cornell Dubiliner caps and components throughout. Fresh thermal paste on the outputs, complete Deoxit gig and cleaned inside and out. It’s an early one with engraved silver faceplate, internal bracing and original wood case.

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it. Here’s a picture of my modest system. I had plans to ad some Quicksilver mini-mite amps but there were issues that ended that deal. They were a bit faded so I used some dark walnut Howards with OOOO steel wool and orange oil that cleaned them up nicely. They are 14” from the back wall and roughly 7.5’ apart, currently sitting on some floor dolly’s to give them a 4” lift. Much easier to move them around to get the placement right. Not my first go round with this speaker but it’s been awhile. As a rule, I’m not a big fan of subs, especially in this room. However, the little Boston works quite well. Oh, the bookshelf speakers are the awesome sounding Boston VR-M60’s which match well with the sub nicely. Going to do more dialing in today.

I have been looking for some more room friendly speakers to “replace” my Cornwall II’s. Found a one owner pair of Forte II’s on CL. It was a two hour round trip but worth it. Oiled oak finish, not my favorite but better than black. They sound great with my Kenwood KR-9400 and Marantz 1060, both restored. I was a bit surprised on how good they sound with the modern Yamaha A-S701 integrated amp. The Boston Acoustics PV-1000 sub adds some nice low end thump. I will live with Forte II’s for awhile before I think about doing any “upgrades.”

Hit a snag in my system so I an going to have to keep this for awhile.