Fisher KM-60 (c. 1962–1964)

The Fisher KM-60 was an FM-stereo-multiplex wide-band tuner sold as a kit. It belonged to Fisher's short-lived "StrataKit" line, which aimed to make high-end component building accessible to the non-specialist. High Fidelity (September 1964, p.31) noted that the kit's advertisments boasted "Anyone (including your wife) can make just as fine a tuner as Fisher." The front-end and multiplex stages came fully assembled and prealigned, so the builder only had to wire the remaining stages.

Fisher claimed some impressive figures for the KM-60: IHF sensitivity of 2.5 µV and a signal-to-noise ratio of 70 dB. It credited a "Golden Cascode" RF stage plus four IF stages and two limiters (Audio, January 1962, p.11). The list price was $169.50. HiFI/Stereo (July 1964, p.25) described it as "very close to the finest FM tuner you can buy and by far the finest you can build."

Beyond those magazine references, specifications and production details are thin. No service manual or schematic has turned up in the archive. The exact years of manufacture aren't firmly pinned - the ads ran from at least January 1962 through late 1964. The KM-60 was a deliberate attempt to marry Fisher's reputation for high-performance tuners with the growing DIY kit market, before solid-state designs overtook tube-based models later in the decade.

Known specs (from period ads):