Another thread about Realistic Nova 7B

[Arekusu881]

Hi, long time viewer, first time member. Ive seen a lot of threads on the Realistic 7B but still left with questions.
I scored a Nova 7B from a guy who bought them, according to him, in 78' when he worked at RadioShack. He claimed to have used them very few times and then retired them somewhere safe, and looking at them, I tend to believe it. I checked the capacitors in them, and to me, they look like they are new, almost as if they were replaced. My question is, are these stock capacitors?
I wonder because if they are, would they need to be replaced anyway, since it's been 40 years?

 

[Lavane]

Yes, those are the originals. They may or may not have dried out by now.
RS used basic general purpose electrolytic caps in the speakers they sold.
The specs are looser than modern caps. Meaning they could have a tolerance of
say, -100%- +50%. You could replace with either new electrolytic caps or some
Polypropylene film caps of your choise.

 

[Arekusu881]

Yes, those are the originals. They may or may not have dried out by now.
RS used basic general purpose electrolytic caps in the speakers they sold.
The specs are looser than modern caps. Meaning they could have a tolerance of
say, -100%- +50%. You could replace with either new electrolytic caps or some
Polypropylene film caps of your choise.

Thank you for your reply. I suppose I will run the necessary tests to figure out if they are not in the best condition then. Do you think new capacitors would really upgrade the sound? They don't sound terrible, but next to my main speakers, it is very evident hey are sonically inferior. I want to see if I can bring the sound quality way up

 

[maxhifi]

Thank you for your reply. I suppose I will run the necessary tests to figure out if they are not in the best condition then. Do you think new capacitors would really upgrade the sound? They don't sound terrible, but next to my main speakers, it is very evident hey are sonically inferior. I want to see if I can bring the sound quality way up

Of all the speakers whose capacitors I have ever replaced, the Nova 7B benefit the most sonically. Mine had those same grey capacitors. They went from having recessed treble with a hole in the mids, to sounding crisp and wonderful. I also at the time took before and after frequency response curves to back this up, and it confirmed what I was hearing.

Now keep in mind the Nova 7B was never an audiophile speaker, but considering the capacitors in mine were totally shot 15 years ago, and my speakers were always kept indoors and in a good environment, I don't have a lot of hope for yours, and I think it makes sense to refresh these capacitors before judging the speakers.

If you test these, make sure to test not just value but also ESR. High ESR will destroy the performance of a speaker, even when the value reads within tolerance.

 

[Lavane]

The Optimus 2B's I've had forever benefited from replacing the caps as well.
They had the same gray caps in them. Theb2B's are the same speaker as the Nova 6. The only difference e is in cosmetics. The Nova's have the lattice grill, the Optimus's didn't. I bought a new pair of Optimus 1B's back when they came out. They also are the same as the Nova 7's.

 

[Arekusu881]

Here's an update on what I've been doing. I decided to buy new caps for them. I've only got around to replacing one and just finished it late tonight. I tested the speaker and it sounds amazing granted I could only play at low volumes due to neighbors. I can't wait to replace the other one tomorrow night when I get home. Here are some pictures attached

 

[maxhifi]

Here's an update on what I've been doing. I decided to buy new caps for them. I've only got around to replacing one and just finished it late tonight. I tested the speaker and it sounds amazing granted I could only play at low volumes due to neighbors. I can't wait to replace the other one tomorrow night when I get home. Here are some pictures attached

Cool!

 

[Bodyblue]

I have had two set of the 7Bs and they are really nice speakers. They benefit from more power and can get amazingly loud without distortion.

They only reason I don't have my 7Bs anymore is that I found a set of 8Bs!

RS speakers from the 70s had good quality drivers with really nice walnut veneer.....but they used cheap caps. Replacing them makes a big difference most of the time.

 

[Bodyblue]

My first set of 7Bs....the finish was trashed but I got them looking decent.

 

[Dan Wells]

My pristine 7Bs. Impeccable condition. First owner died within a year of purchasing them and his wife boxed them up and stored them until last year when I bought them from her. I am really impressed at their construction and sound quality.

 

[Bodyblue]

View attachment 2758289 View attachment 2758290
My pristine 7Bs. Impeccable condition. First owner died within a year of purchasing them and his wife boxed them up and stored them until last year when I bought them from her. I am really impressed at their construction and sound quality.

If you have not done it yet, a recap usually helps them out. Sometimes it is a lot and sometimes only a bit, but it is always a positive.

 

[Dan Wells]

Do the capacitors get bad due to age or the amount the speaker is played? I doubt that there is more than 50-100 hours on these speakers.

 

[Bodyblue]

Do the capacitors get bad due to age or the amount the speaker is played? I doubt that there is more than 50-100 hours on these speakers.

They dry out with age. I am on my third set of 7Bs and all have sounded a bit better when recapped.

 

[made in china]

Based on all of the great feedback about these speakers, I ordered a set.
Just received them today!
FedEx performed a complimentary "assymetrical infinite baffle mod" on one of them for me. Not sure how I feel about it, but the crossover is easy to get to now......



So, for the 1 good speaker, I was able to compare it to a Bose 201. I hooked both up to my recently rebuilt SX-3700.
Ehhh....
I gotta say, the Bose 201 sounds WAY better.

I did check the tweets to be sure they aren't blown, and they're good. I'll need to recap the 7B's and set them up for a more fair comparison, the 7B was on the floor and the 201 was on a shelf.

 

[Bodyblue]

Based on all of the great feedback about these speakers, I ordered a set.
Just received them today!
FedEx performed a complimentary "assymetrical infinite baffle mod" on one of them for me. Not sure how I feel about it, but the crossover is easy to get to now......
View attachment 2761732
View attachment 2761733

So, for the 1 good speaker, I was able to compare it to a Bose 201. I hooked both up to my recently rebuilt SX-3700.
Ehhh....
I gotta say, the Bose 201 sounds WAY better.

I did check the tweets to be sure they aren't blown, and they're good. I'll need to recap the 7B's and set them up for a more fair comparison, the 7B was on the floor and the 201 was on a shelf.

I owned 201s for decades and like them. The 7Bs will blow them away when set right and working properly.

 

[Arekusu881]

They do sound good for sure, especially with the new capacitors. They are now part of my room system, along with my completely pristine realistic sta-47 reciever. I use it for just radio listening

 

[made in china]

A while ago I was able to repair the cabs on my 7B's. Woofers and tweets are in perfect looking condition and check out electrically. I recapped the crossover with new 15uF MPT caps.
My previous observation of my Bose 201's blowing them away stands for the most part..... unless I sit directly in front of my 7B's. Directly in front of them, they do sound good. Smooth and easy to listen too. I need to be +2 or +4 on both my bass and treble adjustments to get them to pop the way I like.
But..... The 7B's seem very "directional". What do all y'all other owners of 7B's think? Mine are on the floor, and I feel like they could seriously benefit from a set of 2' speaker stands, because I have to sit low to get good sound from them. My 201's and HPM's are not so picky about positioning. Yes, they sound better in certain orientations, but they sound "OK" in all orientations. The 7B's sound like the tweeters don't work unless in direct-on position. They sounded that way prior to the recap too.

I'm either going to try and find some 2' walnut stands for them, or give up on them and get different speakers.

Any thoughts to help me decide?