Vintage Fisher, What's best 500C/B or 800B?

Make sure the filter capacitors in the power supply are replaced before running the unit! Power transformers for those receivers are not all that easy to find; that is what is at risk if the caps are not serviced out.

Buy both and sell the 800 to pay for upgrades to the 500?

Thank you for your responses...it helps. I think I'm opting for the 500C based on the larger transformers and a few reviews I've seen since posting this question.

According to a copy I have of a Fisher ad from that period, the 800C and the 500C were identical except that the 800C included an AM tuner section and the 500C did not. Perhaps the 800B and 500B differed similarly, except for the "B" versions being a little earlier.

According to an old bluebook I have, original list prices (not necessarily in the same years) were:

500B: $370
500C: $390
800B: $370
800C: $450

The 500C and 800C are indicated in the ad as having "a new Nuvistor-Golden Synchrode front end (for FM) affording far higher sensitivity, a wider overload margin, and a better rejection of spurious and imaging signals." Based on that, if you aren't particularly interested in having AM included my instinct would be to go with a 500C rather than an 800B, if that is the choice you have.

Regards,
-- Al

Can't help you with which one of those is better, but I recently had an X-100-B restored by Paul Grzybek of Tube Audio Design and I can highly recommend him. He did a great job and the amp sounds incredible.