Fisher XP-9b Speaker Review, Specs and Price

Fisher Electronics:

Fisher XP-9b Speaker with grills

Fisher Electronics, later (in the 80ies) a subsidiary of Sanyo, developed mostly cheaper low-end speaker systems that have nowadays nearly no value anymore and can be found in thrift stores for around $10. However, during the 60ies and 70ies the XP-Series of Fisher was of impressing quality and could compete with many high-end speaker systems of its time. The XP-Series of Fisher is widely recognized as being one of the few decent Fisher speakers out there. The Fisher XP-9b from the late 60ies is one of those, a heavy and quite big 4-way bookshelf speaker. Actually, it is a little too big to be considered a bookshelf speaker as it weighs about 60 pounds and is 24,5 inches high, 14 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The walnut veneer of the XP-9b makes this speaker really attractive combined with the vintage grill cloth and the metal name plates.
The Fisher XP-9b is special as it differs from many other bookshelf speakers by being designed with four sections, instead of three, splitting the full-frequency. This design aims to decrease possible distortion. With an additional treble balance control at the back of each speaker, this design aimed to improve low- and mid-frequencies. When I had the opportunity to try this feature, I was not able to find a major difference in sound quality, but did not pay too much attention at the XP-9b at the time.
The original price of these speakers in 1967 was $399 and did definitely suit the quality of the XP-9b. Nowadays (2012) they lost most of their value, but you frequently can pick up a pair at garage sales. Be aware that there is also a XP-9 and a XP-9c!