The 500-C is the last installment of the “500” line of vacuum tubes receivers that started with the mono all-in-one TA-500. The 500-C is the celebrity of the Fisher family. It does everything well and has the vintage purposeful look that designers today only seem to be able to achieve cheap facsimiles of. When you first learn about Fishers it’s the one you want. The joke would be that the 500-C is the gateway drug I guess.
The 500-C does not appear in the large format 1963 Fisher Handbook, but does appear in the small format 1963 Stereo Components guide. It is first listed for sale in the 1964 Allied Radio catalog. Production began with serial number 10001, and continued through several minor changes to around 82000. It is not clear if there is a 20001 – 29999 series.
The first version had a chassis similar to an 800-C -probably based on the same base part, with an angled cut-out near the tuning wheel. This cut-out would have been a price adder in the metal chassis fabrication, and Fisher appears to have made the decision to remove it from the 500-C. The author has an early unit with serial number 13087D, pictured here.
A minor iterative change is the “Big Number” dial glass version. Most of these appear to have been made in the 40001-49999 serial range. It is interesting to note, that although this is an uncommon version of the 500-C, it appears in brochure images many times -no doubt from reusing older advertising images, rather than making new ones every year.
The final version has a Nuvistor-GOLDEN SYNCHRODE front end. Pricing for the 500-C was: $389.50 in 1964, $331.08 in 1965 and $297.08 in 1966. It doesn’t appear in the 1967 Allied catalog. It is unclear when production ended, but 1968 is a frequently stated year, giving Fisher time to wind down production and probably routing these late examples where this model sold well. The author has serial number 81180AM pictured here, sold new in the Northern California market.
From the 1967 edition of the Fisher handbook: “Among music devotees, hi-fi enthusiasts, audio engineers and newcomers to stereo high fidelity, the Fisher 500-C is the all-time leader in the history of the industry. More 500-C’s have been sold than all other hi-fi components combined. Its record for superb performance and absolute reliability will remain unchallenged.
The 500-C ranks among the finest of receivers. It was the first instrument to utilize the principles of ‘human engineering’ and thus achieve maximum performance capability even for newcomers to the high fidelity hobby. An engineer can admire it; a child can run it.”
500-C chassis features from 1963 Fisher Handbook
“It employs the Fisher Nuvistor-GOLDEN SYNCHRODE front end, a circuit that affords far higher sensitivity, wider overload margin, and better rejection of spurious and image signals than one normally expects. Its low-noise nuvistor triodes, used for both mixer and oscillator, provide a higher degree of mechanical and electrical stability, and better signal-to-noise ratio than many of the most advanced all-transistor components. This is followed by four IF stages, three limiters and a wide-band ratio detector, thus assuring a maximum degree of freedom from noise and interference.
A newly developed electronic switch in the STEREO BEACON, utilizing silicon diodes to eliminate clicks and pops from loudspeakers during switching, routes the detected audio signal to the multiplex converter. STEREO BEACON is a Fisher trademark that signifies the 500-C has the exclusive convenience feature that automatically switches to the stereo mode, signals the presence of the stereo broadcast, and automatically switches back to mono again -according to the type of program being received.
The controls and switches are arranged in such logical and convenient groupings as to be instantly understandable and useful. They serve every purpose possible. The seven-position Selector (Tape Head, Phono Mono, Phono Stereo, FM Automatic, FM Stereo, FM Mono, Aux-Tape) combines the mode and program functions into one, simple-to-operate source. Separate friction-lock bass and treble controls, a high and low sharp cut off filter, and a front panel headphone jack are among other features of the preamplifier section. The four-position Speaker Selector permits one to use both the main set of speakers as well as one or more remote speaker installations.
The 500-C has 75 watts of music power (IHF). At normal listening levels, distortion is, for all practical purposes, so minute as to be unmeasureable. It is inaudible at all levels. A derived, ‘third’ power output is provided in addition to the left and right speaker connections, for center channel use, or for an extension speaker. This all-time best-selling favorite continues to attract thousands of new owners. It has everything one requires for the complete enjoyment of the stereo program, plus a wealth of conveniences. There is no better choice for the discriminating music lover, for it will perform to Fisher standards for unnumbered years to come.”
Field guide notes: When looking to buy a 500-C, there are things you need to check for that should be considered deal breakers, and things that seem like a big deal but aren’t.
Cosmetics: Do you care how it looks? Whether you do or not at the outset of the odyssey of searching for one, be aware that if a unit you are considering has cosmetic issues that are difficult or impossible to fix, it will probably cost more overall to buy a less expensive one and replace these items, than to just buy a nice one from the start.
Faceplate: These suffer from scratches, lettering loss and bending or smashed corners from being dropped. None of these will stop it from working, but all of them are effectively irreparable. .