Fisher 201 (1960)

The Fisher 201 is a tube-based stereo receiver from around 1960, though the documentation on it is thin and a bit tangled. What the record shows: it's a superheterodyne design covering two wave bands, built around a pair of 12AX7 tubes, and rated at 12 watts of undistorted output. It came in a wooden case, measured roughly 17.6 × 5.5 × 10.8 inches (plus knobs), and weighed about 22 pounds. It ran on 117V AC.

One wrinkle worth noting: some listings refer to this as the "Fisher 201-B," and it's not entirely clear whether that's a variant or the same unit under a different name. The sources don't resolve it. There's also some ambiguity about whether the 201 is best described as an amplifier or a receiver — most sources treat it as both, with the tuner section built in.

Fisher's own advertising from the period positioned the 201 as part of a push to bring "Fisher quality" below the $200 price point, with engineers working on the design for some time before release. High Fidelity (November 1970, p.3) noted that the 201's tone controls were designed to leave the midrange untouched when adjusting bass or treble, aiming for a more natural sound at higher boost settings.

Beyond that, the record is quiet. No frequency response, distortion, or sensitivity figures have surfaced, and there's no documented original MSRP, production run, or service manual details beyond the tube lineup. If you own one and have more to add, the archive would welcome it.

Known specs: