Realistic STA-2290 and Optimus 5B score...

foghead

Active Member
Not the cheapest deal I've ever stumbled upon ($100 for all), but WOW is this setup in tip-top shape. The receiver is ultra clean and the speakers (while having mismatched grill emblems) are fantastic looking.

Might anyone have alignment specs for the amp and receiver sections of this unit? The FM stereo section just doesn't lock in to stations and the amplifier heat sink gets pretty hot just poweed on and sitting without any signal being fed to the speakers. I'm thinking a simple alignment should get her back up and rockin'... :music:

The 5B's have some need for a cap refresh; no big deal there...

I now have a vintage Rat Shack system to play with! :banana:





 
Note that there is an extensive thread on AK about replacing the crossover on the 5B - yielding impressive results (accordiogn to those who have done it)

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=307141

Note that the Nova 8B and the 5B are identical - except for the grill

I was wading through all 319 posts (so far) of that monster thread... any specific post # that just has a general summary of the exact parts and schematics? I'll do it... seems like these things have great potential!!

BTW... the tuner was working when I picked it up, so it's likely something that got jiggled a little in transport...
 
The 5B's are a nice speaker by any standard. Yours look great, still has the sheen on the fabric.
 
Crossover parts have arrived and are being assembled over the course of the coming week. Can't wait to see what these sound like after the work is done!! The graphs in that thread sure look nice!!

Just got an old pair of my EARLY Advents back too... I think I'll be replacing the caps in those when I have a few minutes to kill... those are some seriously nice speakers too...
 
Nice find - please keep us posted on your results of the crossover mod!.

Crossover parts have arrived and are being assembled over the course of the coming week. Can't wait to see what these sound like after the work is done!! The graphs in that thread sure look nice!!

Just got an old pair of my EARLY Advents back too... I think I'll be replacing the caps in those when I have a few minutes to kill... those are some seriously nice speakers too...
 
Incredible, phenomenal, OMG!!!

Been a while since I last posted/visited, but life goes on...

These speakers are flat out INCREDIBLE with the crossover mod!!! I have many pairs of speakers (and have listened to MANY others in stores, etc) and these have the best response of anything I've ever heard. Seeing a graph is one thing; living it is completely different.

Sound is warm and almost invisible - kinda like an electrostatic in some ways as they are now capable of playing audio tricks on you (whawazzat??? where did THAT sound come from!?!!?!?) with a really natural character.

Response on these, as described in the rebuild post, is almost dead on flat across the boards. The loudness button does a world of good here... now I also am able to hear deficiencies in my other components, most notably, my amp. I need me a small Mac for these gems!!! A clean 100wpc is really all I've used on them so far and it seems to be fine...

NEVER did I think that Radio Shack(!?!?!?!?) speakers could sound brilliant... if anyone ever finds a pair, grab them at all costs!!!!! Absolutely 100% worth the effort/cost. :yes: :music: :banana:
 
Well... I'm still around! Still rockin' the 2290 and the 5b's which are now in use as the master bedroom system! Truly great stuff...

(Also acquired an STA-2080 which pairs better with the 5b's, but is just too damn heavy for the furniture that it has to be perched upon.)

As an added note here, the 2290's notoriously run HOT and mine did as well. HUGELY HOT. My tech looked it over though, and discovered the amp biasing to be miles out of spec. Miles being 5 volts where it was supposed to be 5 MILLIvolts or some similar number. Essentially, the amp section was running in straight up class A mode instead of the AB that it was designed to be.

He was impressed that the unit hadn't cooked itself in all the years it was running like that and stated that it showed that the Shack used to make genuinely quality pieces.

Anyway, after re-biasing, the 2290 only heats up slightly when being pushed hard and runs cool as an ice cube at idle or at normal listening levels. Sound also cleaned up a LOT with the adjustments! Long live the vintage RS gear!! :banana:

 
I've got an sta-2500 that I have had for about 25 years that I can't remember how I even got it or paid what for it. Besides the on/off switch being broke she has never let me down:D
 
Well... I'm still around! Still rockin' the 2290 and the 5b's which are now in use as the master bedroom system! Truly great stuff...

(Also acquired an STA-2080 which pairs better with the 5b's, but is just too damn heavy for the furniture that it has to be perched upon.)

As an added note here, the 2290's notoriously run HOT and mine did as well. HUGELY HOT. My tech looked it over though, and discovered the amp biasing to be miles out of spec. Miles being 5 volts where it was supposed to be 5 MILLIvolts or some similar number. Essentially, the amp section was running in straight up class A mode instead of the AB that it was designed to be.

He was impressed that the unit hadn't cooked itself in all the years it was running like that and stated that it showed that the Shack used to make genuinely quality pieces.

Anyway, after re-biasing, the 2290 only heats up slightly when being pushed hard and runs cool as an ice cube at idle or at normal listening levels. Sound also cleaned up a LOT with the adjustments! Long live the vintage RS gear!! :banana:


Just got a 2290 myself. I've been trying to score one for some time. It's in really nice shape, appearance-wise, and I really like the look of it. It's BIGGER than I remember them being; closing in on monster territory. It's within an inch as wide and only 2 inches less deep than the 2100D it's currently sitting on! They don't look nearly as big in pictures (they an almost slimline appearance in pics), but they're big! :D

It has by far my favorite Realistic digital readout; large, bright, and very crisp. They look even better in person than they do in sale ads. :yes:

It doesn't run nearly as hot as I was expecting, either. I have two 2080's, and those suckers are frying pan hot. Don't trust them at all. They have a classy look, definite heft (built like tanks), and very clean and transparent sound, but I'm not impressed with them at all, reliability-wise. They drop a channel as often as a referee drops a puck. :thumbsdn:

I've got a bunch of big Realistics (2000, 2 x 2080, 2100D, 2 x 2270, 2300, 2500, SCR-4500), and this thing could very well become my favorite. Very happy with it. :thmbsp:
 
Just got a 2290 myself. I've been trying to score one for some time. It's in really nice shape, appearance-wise, and I really like the look of it. It's BIGGER than I remember them being; closing in on monster territory. It's within an inch as wide and only 2 inches less deep than the 2100D it's currently sitting on! They don't look nearly as big in pictures (they an almost slimline appearance in pics), but they're big! :D

It has by far my favorite Realistic digital readout; large, bright, and very crisp. They look even better in person than they do in sale ads. :yes:

It doesn't run nearly as hot as I was expecting, either. I have two 2080's, and those suckers are frying pan hot. Don't trust them at all. They have a classy look, definite heft (built like tanks), and very clean and transparent sound, but I'm not impressed with them at all, reliability-wise. They drop a channel as often as a referee drops a puck. :thumbsdn:

I've got a bunch of big Realistics (2000, 2 x 2080, 2100D, 2 x 2270, 2300, 2500, SCR-4500), and this thing could very well become my favorite. Very happy with it. :thmbsp:

you're making me want to break mine out for a listen, it's been a while since i last had my 2290 hooked up, but it worked great then, and should still work great now................:smoke:
 
you're making me want to break mine out for a listen, it's been a while since i last had my 2290 hooked up, but it worked great then, and should still work great now................:smoke:

Er... given your handle, I hope I didn't offend when I made my remarks about my 2080's. :eek:

The 2290 is a great crossover between the silver face monsters and the digital age. :D

Sorry for the crappy pics.

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Er... given your handle, I hope I didn't offend when I made my remarks about my 2080's. :eek:

The 2290 is a great crossover between the silver face monsters and the digital age. :D

Sorry for the crappy pics.

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picture.php

nope, not offended at all, i rarely use the 2080, but they sure have the cool look factor, i can still remember seeing these at the shack when new, it was hard to walk away from it and the other beasts available at that time, including the 2290!, it took a long time for right deal to come along on a 2080, but like i said, it rarely gets used, BTW, awesome looking set up you have..............:thmbsp:
 
Er... given your handle, I hope I didn't offend when I made my remarks about my 2080's. :eek:

The 2290 is a great crossover between the silver face monsters and the digital age. :D

Sorry for the crappy pics.

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picture.php
Old thread, I know, but a 2290 popped up nearby for well under $100. Based on reviews here sounds like a good deal. I two 2000's, a 2500 (intermittent display) and volume pot that needs replacing (again), SA-2001/TM-1001 combo. So adding a 2290 would be nice, though I'd really like to get my paws on a 2300.

Looks like Mach Heaven there. I believe I see T-200 (have a pair myself), but no Mach Two's.
 
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