Fisher XP-10 (1965)

Floor-standing Consolette speaker introduced as Fisher's flagship in 1965. It debuted the soft dome tweeter invented by William Hecht.

Overview

Fisher Radio Corporation introduced the XP-10 Consolette Speaker in 1965 as the top of the XP-Series. It stayed the flagship even after the 1966 introduction of new models like the XP-6, XP-7, and XP-9. It launched alongside the XP-5, which added new high and low-end offerings to the series. The XP-10 is a high-fidelity floor speaker with a sealed enclosure. The Consolette-style cabinet is finished in walnut veneer, with three vertical walnut stripes on the front. The system was praised for its smoothness, transient response, and musical quality. AUDIO magazine called out its clean, precise handling of a wide range of instruments.

Specifications

Frequency Response	28 Hz to 28 kHz
Recommended Amplifier Power	10–60 watts
Woofer	15" diameter, 18–19 Hz free air resonance, 2" voice coil, 6 lb magnet
Midrange	8" diameter, 1.5" voice coil, 5.5 lb magnet
Tweeter	2" soft dome, 2" voice coil, 5.5 lb magnet, 120° dispersion
Crossover Frequencies	200 Hz and 2,500 Hz
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms
Dimensions	30 1/2" H, 24 3/8" W, 14 3/4" D
Weight	80 lb each
Enclosure Type	Sealed enclosure, Consolette design
Crossover Type	2nd order, 3-way, Butterworth
Driver Complement	15" woofer, 8" mid driver, tweeter
Grille	Original fabric
Driver Loading	Drivers loaded from the back

Design

The XP-10 was the first speaker to use the soft dome tweeter invented by William Hecht. It went on the XP-10 in 1965 - one year before the tweeter showed up in the XP-7. The original tweeter has a non-rigid mock dome coated in rubber. It's described as having a large metal body and an orange dome, and it weighs about 6 lbs. The drivers are rear-loaded into the cabinet, which is built with walnut veneer and has three vertical walnut stripes on the front baffle.

Context

The XP-10 was the flagship of Fisher's XP speaker series, which included the XP-1, XP-2, XP-4, XP-5, XP-6, XP-7, XP-9, and XP-10. The series was known for good sound in furniture-grade cabinets, which suited 1960s audiophiles who cared about both performance and looks.

Market

The XP-10 was priced at $249.50 in 1965. Today it commonly goes for around $150, and $250 is considered acceptable depending on condition. The usual problems are deteriorated foam surrounds and dried-out original tweeters that no longer work. Refurbishment typically means a refoaming kit (~$30), which takes 1-2 hours to install, plus possible upgrades to the crossovers and tweeters.