Fisher 600A (1967)

The Fisher 600A is an "Award Series" stereo receiver introduced in 1967, originally priced at $349.95. It looks like a transitional design. The record describes it as solid-state, but the tube complement is listed as "8 tubes + silicon diode," which points to a hybrid. That was common as Fisher moved toward fully transistorized designs in the late 1960s. The sources conflict here. Some describe the 600A as fully solid-state, while the original marketing copy mentions tubes alongside silicon diode rectification.

The period copy is clear on one thing: this was sold as a powerful, reliable receiver. The original brochure called it "extremely powerful" at 80 watts per channel RMS, with frequency response rated at 15-30,000 cps. It was also described as "a huge consumer favorite" and "a classic of the 60s," and, notably for the era, "extremely reliable." The front panel offers RF in, tape in/out, aux, and phono inputs, with speaker taps for 4, 8, and 16 ohms. Audio (January 1961, p.66) advertised the Lafayette KT-600A as a professional stereo control center with a frequency response of 5-40,000 cps. That is a different model that shared the 600A suffix.

It's a big unit: 20¼" wide, 5¾" high, 13⅛" deep, and 29 pounds. Past that, the documentation thins out. No THD, signal-to-noise, or sensitivity figures have surfaced, and production years beyond the 1967 introduction aren't recorded. Don't confuse it with the earlier Fisher 600. The "A" suffix is consistent across all sources. Vacuum-Tube-Valley (p.4) notes that the earlier 600 used 22 tubes and a selenium rectifier, which helps tell the two apart.

Product type: "Award Series" stereo receiver
Introduced: 1967
Original price: $349.95
Power output: 80 watts per channel RMS
Frequency response: 15–30,000 cps
Tube complement: 8 tubes + silicon diode (per original brochure)
Semiconductors: 2 transistors, 8 diodes
Inputs: RF in, tape in, tape out, aux, phono
Speaker impedance: 4, 8, 16 ohms
Dimensions: 20¼" W × 5¾" H × 13⅛" D
Weight: 29 lbs

On the used market, the 600A appears infrequently. Recent sales range from $93 to $199 depending on condition, with the higher figure for units described as "excellent working condition" with "low hours."

Vacuum-Tube-Valley (p.4), in its retrospective on Fisher's golden era, noted that the earlier 600 used 22 tubes with a selenium rectifier. Fisher's naming across this period can be confusing, and the 600A's hybrid identity is part of a broader transition in the company's lineup.