Avery Fisher
Avery Robert Fisher (March 4, 1906 – February 26, 1994) was an amateur violinist, a pioneer in the field of high fidelity sound reproduction, founder of the Philharmonic Radio Company and Fisher Electronics, and a philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to arts organizations and universities.
[4] He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science Engineering (B.Sc.Eng.)
Fisher explained his desire to leave publishing and move into audio design, saying, "That's how I started to make a living when I got out of college.
"[2] Fisher explained the start of his career in high-fidelity audio, saying, "...I was developing my hobby in hi-fi, and a number of friends asked me to make for them the kind of equipment I was constructing for my own home, the sort of thing that was not commercially available, the type of thing found in radio stations or movie theaters.
For critical listeners who want the best possible tone quality regardless of price, the extra cost of this model is justified."
[8] With the invention of FM broadcasting by Edwin Armstrong, Fisher's desire to have a radio and amplifying device that could meet his goal of true high fidelity became a reality.
In one of the earliest comparison tests of six FM receivers, Consumers Union gave the Philharmonic Futura K-1 its highest recommendation, saying "its performance on broadcast was outstanding."
The November 1941 review of the $377.50 (equivalent to $7,830 in 2023) unit also said, "It also used one of the most satisfactory of the record changers tested and was best as to tone quality."
The review also noted the unit was safer than others, saying, "Only radio tested with no shock hazard at record player.
The amplified "Philharmonic Futura" tuner assembly was deemed the "nation's first high-fidelity (audio) receiver".
Part of the SSTR-5 (Strategic Service Transmitter-Receiver) Radio Set developed late in the war was considerably smaller than the SSTR-1 and was carried in a canvas shoulder bag.
[12] Philharmonic Radio also produced airport instrument landing systems for control tower communication with commercial and military airplanes.
In 1943, we didn't have enough money to finance the contract work we were able to get, so the company was sold to American Type Founders, who needed an electronic division.
I stayed on as president until 1945, but when the war was over, I resigned and, taking certain key people with me, started Fisher Radio".
Starting with the 500c (which debuted in the mid $300, a hefty sum in 1964) and, paradoxically, ending with the 400, tens of thousands of these units were produced.
These have become collector's items, beloved for their sound, build quality, FM tuner and phono stages, and beautiful appearance.
Hi-fi enthusiasts did not highly regard early transistor receivers, so manufacturers such as Fisher began using them only gradually.
In the 1960s, Fisher made two trend-setting breakthroughs, marketing the first all-transistor (solid-state) amplifier and the first receiver-phonograph combination, the forerunner of the compact stereo and integrated component system.
But the Avery Fisher Prize is a special kind of recognition, and what makes it so tremendously gratifying is that it comes from your peers who recommend you for it – who say, 'He plays well, he's done good things, and he's worthy of being an American pianist.'
Fisher explained the reason for his donation to the New York University Division of Libraries, saying, "I was a graduate of N.Y.U.," he said, "and I owe a great deal to them because I was there on a working scholarship.
TV series, stage and concert performances, documentaries, and art films are included in the library collection.
One of the world's largest academic media centers, it features over 100 audio and video viewing carrels and three media-enhanced classrooms.
[20] Fisher was known for having donated $10.5 million (U.S.) (equivalent to $72,067,466 in 2023) to renovate the Philharmonic Hall auditorium in the Lincoln Center cultural complex in upper Manhattan.
John Mazzola, the general manager of Lincoln Center, had to persuade Fisher to permit the renaming.
In 2014, Lincoln Center officials announced their plan to remove his name from the Hall in favor of a new donor.
On November 13, 2014, they laid out a timetable for naming rights to be sold to the highest bidder in a drive to raise a total of $500 million toward renovation set to commence in 2019.
Said Lincoln Center chairwoman Katherine Farley, "It will be an opportunity for a major name on a great New York jewel.
[23] After three months of negotiation, Fisher's children agreed to end the perpetual agreement that their father had established.
As an enthusiastic driver, he said, "I began in 1932 with the purchase of an Aston Martin, and since that time, I've owned nothing but foreign cars.
He imported aftermarket foreign auto parts and sold items such as high-performance Abarth exhaust systems for Fiats and Volkswagens in the early 1950s.
