1956

Fisher Radio Corporation secured a place in transistor history in mid-1956 when they introduced a milestone device which was described in the owners manual as "the first of its kind in the high fidelity field". It was a small single channel (monophonic) three transistor audio preamplifier. Like the the more famous Regency TR-1 radio, the Fisher product was also given the designation TR-1... presumably with the TR referring to TRansistor and 1 being the first model to include the use of such devices.

The earliest reference I have found for the Fisher TR-1 was in the March, 1956 issue of High Fidelity magazine. It was virtually identical to the April, 1956 announcement above except no price was quoted. Although intially listed in April for $24.95, the ads in May had been increased to $27.50.

The Fisher TR-1 belonged to the first generation of consumer products to use transistors and followed closely on the heels of hearing aids and portable AM radios. Above is the new product announcement which appeared in the May, 1956 issue of Audio magazine.

In the fall of 1956 the Fisher TR-1 was offered for sale on page 28 of the new 1957 Allied Radio catalog as shown above. The 1958 Radio Shack catalog has a similar ad with the same price. Obviously the TR-1 was not an insignificant expense for the audio enthusiast. Comparable vacuum tube preamps cost only $10 to $12 at the time. Thank goodness that stereophonic (two channel) equipment was not yet commonly in use!

Below is a Fisher advertising handout for the TR-1. Notice that the same publicity photo is used in all the early promotional literature. It seems to show a prototype TR-1 because the volume control is absent and the component layout is different than those seen in production units.

The TR-1 design utilized three RCA 2N109 PNP germanium alloy junction audio transistors. The 2N109, which was introduced in 1955, had quickly achieved commercial popularity and was commonly used in the output stages of many first generation transistor radios. In particular, the hybrid Emerson 838's and 843's used the 2N109.

The Hi-Fi press soon took notice of this new transistorized competitior which dared to challenge the venerable vacuum tube. The following item appeared in the September, 1956 issue of Audio magazine.

Click here to read a review of the Fisher TR-1 which appeared in the December, 1956 issue of High Fidelity magazine.

I was able to acquire a very nice example of the Fisher TR-1 for my collection of historic transistor related memorabilia. Included with the preamp itself was the original shipping carton, owners manual, and volume control backing plate. Even the manufacturers inspection tag is still attached to the case. Although this TR-1 has seen some use, it is generally in like new condition with minimal wear and no corrosion.

Below left is a photo of the nice looking label on the box. Below right is the top cover of the preamp which is easily detached by simply popping it off from a couple of small raised projections.

The case itself is metal which is painted with a beautiful bronze colored hammertone finish. The inspection tag does not contain any readily identifiable information regarding the date of manufacture. The volume control backing plate appears to have been used since the paint is scratched where a retaining nut was tightened, however the original adhesive on the reverse side is still covered by its protective sheet of paper.

The TR-1 preamp was designed with a very well organized layout and built using a printed circuit board with sockets for the transistors. Date codes which are present include the RCA 2N109's which are all dated 6D or April, 1956. There is also one Pyramid electrolytic capactior (RETMA 472626) and a Clarostat volume control (RETMA 140627), both indicating mid-1956 manufacturing dates. These numbers lead me to conclude that this unit is probably among the first TR-1's to be produced. The serial number of this unit is 122781, but I don't know where the sequence began. It seems unlikely to me that Fisher would have sold over 100,000 of these devices in the first few months so I would guess that the numbering began at 100,001.

Unfortunately Fisher made extensive use of Nashville capacitors which, as noted elsewhere on my web pages, are notoriously prone to failure over the years. Because of this I have not tried to test the preamp. For me it is more important to maintain the originality of this historic piece of technological history. Note the unusual (by today's standards) three prong battery/power supply plug. The supply voltage was also a non-standard 13.5 volts.

Above is the schematic diagram which was included in the very detailed owners manual. A separate parts list also appeared. Interestingly, a single Howard Sam's photofact sheet was also published for the Fisher TR-1 in March, 1958 in set 391, folder 9.

Above is a view of the rear panel of the TR-1. Many input impedance combinations are possible through the use of various jacks and switches.

In conclusion, the Fisher TR-1 Hi-Fi preamplifier certainly marked a big step forward in the semiconductor revolution that began in the early 1950's. In fact it was a revolution that has never ended. Surviving examples of this historic artifact certainly deserve to be preserved for future generations to examine and enjoy.

Return to main homepage