Fisher 50 (ca. 1965)
Not much is documented about the Fisher 50 in standard equipment directories or service literature. What survives comes almost entirely from Fisher's own 1965 advertising campaign. The ads pitched it as a compact portable stereo phonograph with unexpectedly large sound.
An ad in High Fidelity (September 1965, p.2) called the Fisher 50 "a portable stereo phonograph" and noted a price drop from $229.50 to $199.50. The same campaign promised "30 watts of window-rattling power" - a lot of output for a self-contained portable of the era. HiFI-Stereo (June 1965, p.23) ran a parallel ad calling it "a revolution in portable phonographs" and stressed that listeners got carried away with its sound. The implication throughout was that Fisher, best known for separates and receivers, had squeezed something close to big-system performance into a single portable chassis.
Beyond those advertising claims, almost nothing concrete is recorded. No service manual, schematic or detailed specifications have turned up in the usual archival channels. The unit appears to have been a console-style portable with a built-in turntable, amplifier and speakers - a complete stereo system in one box, aimed at the listener who wanted Fisher quality in a space-saving, movable package. No production years are confirmed, but the 1965 ad campaign puts its market presence in the mid-1960s.
Known facts (all drawn from period advertising):
- Product type: portable stereo phonograph (all-in-one turntable/amplifier/speakers)
- Original price: $229.50, later reduced to $199.50
- Rated power: "30 watts" (advertising claim; measurement context unknown)
- Active promotion: 1965
If you own a Fisher 50 or have documentation - a schematic, an owner's manual, a review - the Archive would welcome a contribution.
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