Fisher XP-10 refurb
Fisher XP-10 Refurb
Project Category:
Loudspeakers/Cabinets
Project Level:
Intermediate
Project Time:
8-20 Hours
Project Cost:
$100 – $500
Project Description:
Bringing a pair of Fisher XP-10 speakers dated 1967 back to life with an exterior refinishing, new crossovers, new Morel Tweeters, wiring, and insulation.
Design Goals:
Excellent sound while maintaining an original appearance.
Driver Selection:
Vintage HH Scott 15″ ALNICO woofer, original 8″ mid driver, Morel CAT308 tweeter
Enclosure Design:
Original XP-10 sealed enclosure
Enclosure Assembly:
Consolette type, walnut, with original fabric
Crossover Design:
2nd order, 3-Way, Butterworth
Crossover points: 300 hZ and 2500 hZ
Conclusion:
Although probably not optimum due to me simply building a crossover from a calculator to be similar to the original crossover points, these speakers still sound great! I am really happy with how they turned out. The Morel tweeters really woke the highs back up without being overpowering.
About the Designer:
A regular guy that likes vintage hi-fi equipment and bringing it back to life. My system consists of a McIntosh C11 pre-amp, a pair of MC-30 mono block amps that I rebuilt, an MR-71 tuner, and a Dual 721 turntable in a base that I hand made. I rotate between a pair of Boston VR-975 speakers, a pair of vintage ElectroVoice Marquis that I rebuilt with Crites crossovers and rear firing bass port, and now these great sounding Fisher XP-10s.
I also have my first McIntosh piece that I rebuilt as well. An MA-5100 integrated amp.
Project Parts List:
|
Part # |
Description |
Qty |
|
027-948 |
Jantzen Audio 47uF 400V Crosscap Capacitor |
1 |
|
027-782 |
Jantzen Audio 5.6uF 800V Z-Silver Capacitor |
1 |
|
255-286 |
Jantzen Audio 6.0mH 18 AWG Air Core Inductor Crossover Coil |
1 |
|
255-416 |
Jantzen Audio 0.75mH 15 AWG Air Core Inductor Crossover Coil |
1 |
|
090-850 |
Barrier Strip 10 Pole Double Row 20 Amp |
1 |
|
080-512 |
Cable Wire Tie Screw Mount 120 lb Tensile 10 Pcs. Made in USA |
1 |
|
080-847 |
Cable Wire Tie 8″ 50 lb Tensile Black with Mounting Head 100 Pcs. Made in USA |
1 |
|
095-673 |
Gold Spade Lug Crimp Terminal 16-14 AWG #8 2 Pair |
1 |
Beautiful job! Was the FIsher XP-10 originally just a speaker or a complete system? Where did you find that H.H. Scott woofer!? Thanks for sharing;makes me want to finish my project even more.
Thanks Pete! I purchased the XP-10’s as a pair of stand alone speakers. I discovered the HH Scott woofers when I pulled the speakers apart. One of the previous owners must have put them in there at one time. They were in great condition so I decided to keep them in there. The original tweeters were dried out and no longer working properly (very common with these) thus the Morel replacements. The original mids were in great shape. I love the vintage “end table” type speakers!! What speaker project are you working on?
Thank you,Matt…you must check this about as often as I do. hehehe. I have at least three speaker projects but I’ll just bore people with the biggest, a pair of Realistic Mach Ones that the woofers foam surrounds have rotted on. I purchased replacement woofers from PE a while back but other things keep getting in the way of finishing them. Here’s the PE description: Radio Shack produced the Realistic Mach One speaker for almost ten years, beginning in the 1970s. The Mach One 15″ 3-way system is considered one of the finest loudspeakers offered by Radio Shack. Over time, many Mach Ones have been lost due to foam rot and old age. We’ve produced a 15″ driver that features the same warm, thundering sound characteristics as the original, but thanks to contemporary materials and technology will last far longer. Now you can resurrect your set of Realistic Mach One speakers with completely new woofers, giving them a fresh lease on life!
Getting ready to start on my own XP-10s. It sounds as if mine are in about the same shape yours were when you started. Why did you pick the morel tweeters? Mine are fried as well and I was thinking about an appropriate replacement. I’m not so much interested in making them better than they were (although I am going to rebuild the crossovers), more like putting them back to where they were…
Hi Michael. My apologies for the delay in reply. I have note been back to visit this page in quite some time. I chose the Morel after looking at the sensitivity of the other drivers and that of the Morel. I thought it would work well as they were similar. I called Parts Express tech support to discuss and the gentleman there agreed that it would be a good fit. I am happy with how it turned out and the quality of the Morels is high.
Those are beautiful Matt! great job! Was the original tweeter in these the T 200 ? the reason I ask is because I have a pair of XP-15’s that my dad purchased new in 67 and the tweeter in one of them is buzzing or kinda vibrating electrically. I am currently debating on what to replace them with although I want to keep them as original as possible. Its great timing that I came across your project. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Robert, I am not sure what the model of the original tweeter is but it has a large metal body, orange dome and weighs about 6 lbs. Much reading about the XP10’s taught me that it is very common for the original tweeter to dry up and stop functioning properly. This was the case with mine. I selected the Morel CAT308 because its sensitivity was similar to the other drivers and it is an 8ohm tweeter. I contacted Parts Express tech support and the gentleman there agreed that the Morel wold be a good fit for the application. It is a very nice tweeter and I am happy with how it is performing. I often cycle the XP10’s around with my JBL 4311B, Boston VR975 and EV Marquis speakers. The XP10 still have a big warm sound to them when compared to the others. Good luck on you project!
Matt…
Were you able to remove the front grill cloth when you refinished the slats/cabinets? I’m picking up a pair of these later today and was curious if it came apart, since the drivers are loaded from the back.
I have a Pair of the XP-15B’s with the Original Speakers in it. Unfortunately someone tried to redo the Crossover with cheap caps, etc. in it….and they used slightly different uf Caps in each speaker…..so, not confident about replicating what is in there.
For the life of me, I CAN NOT find any specs on these Crossovers ;(
If anyone can assist, it would be greatly appreciated!