Realistic Collectors?

[Skylab]

In the late 70’s-early 80’s, when I was a young teen lad, going to Radio Shack was a thrill (it was 20 miles away). Would drool over gear there.

I’d still like to find a pair of these:

 

[tj812]

So many memories of Radio Shack going back to the late 70s. And fortunately I still live about 15 minutes from a store (franchise, a mere shell of their glory days, but fully RS-branded/signed). I find it difficult to pass up clean Realistic stuff and I have several in my garage to tinker with, along with some TRS-80 pieces.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I've owned lots of Realistic (and Optimus) gear. When I was growing up, I read the RS catalogs until they fell apart, and spent much time loitering in their stores. When I became interested in putting together a component stereo system, I asked my parents for a stereo receiver from Radio Shack, and got an Optimus STA-300, along with a pair of XTS-23 bookshelf speakers. The receiver lacked a real tape monitor loop (selecting the TAPE button while recording resulted in nasty feedback! ) and it tended to forget its presets on turn-on if you so much as looked at it funny while pressing the power button, but it worked pretty well otherwise. I eventually sold it, along with a turntable and a pair of bookshelf speakers (not the XTS-23s) to someone who needed a first stereo system for playing vinyl.

Since then, I've acquired quite a bit of other Radio Shack gear. Amplifiers, tuners, cassette decks, CD players, speakers, equalizers, switchboxes, and several of the Audio Power Meters, among others. Here are some pictures of a few of what I've acquired over the years:

(not sure if these were assembled from scratch with RS drivers and parts, or if someone modified an existing part of speaker with such)

Hard to see, but the 5AR4/GZ34 in the recitifer socket of my ST-70 is a Realistic/Lifetime tube, complete with "gold" pins. It was installed there when I bought the amp in 2001, and I figured that once it finally failed, I'd be able to take it to a Radio Shack store for the heck of it and see whether or not I could get them to give me a replacement. Unfortunately, the tube has ended up out-living the entire Radio Shack chain, so..........

Anyway, I have numerous other types of products which RS sold back in the day. At least some of them are radios, like the two pictured below:

By far, though, what I probably have the most of from RS are their computers and calculators. I have an example of the very first calculator model they sold, the EC-100, which was priced at $129.95 (equivalent to $758 today) in their 1973 catalog. I also have numerous examples of their computers, from both the TRS-80 and Tandy lines, along with several accessories. Here are photos of a few of them:

 

[tj812]

By far, though, what I probably have the most of from RS are their computers and calculators.

I love it! I, too, have a couple of Model 1s, a Model 4 & 4P, MC-10, Coco, Coco 2, Tandy 1000 TL & SX (?), a 3000, a 100 portable. I grew up on a Model 1, and I love these machines.

for radios, the DX-440 got so much use out of me. And I still have my dad's DX-160 (is that what you have pictured?). Such a beautiful beast.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I love it! I, too, have a couple of Model 1s, a Model 4 & 4P, MC-10, Coco, Coco 2, Tandy 1000 TL & SX (?), a 3000, a 100 portable. I grew up on a Model 1, and I love these machines.

for radios, the DX-440 got so much use out of me. And I still have my dad's DX-160 (is that what you have pictured?). Such a beautiful beast.

Yeah, I've had several of those, plus a few more. My first "TRaSh-80" was a CoCo 2, given to me by the neighbor of a relative. Only peripheral I got with it was a cassette recorder (plus a tape of the text adventure game "Bedlam"), but I had lots of fun programming it in BASIC once I found a reference handbook. I eventually found a Tandy 1000SX, which is quite a capable machine with great graphics and sound for the era; I've since upgraded it with a 'hardcard' pulled from a 1000TL. And as for the 100 and 102, I have several of those as well. Have you ever seen the "Disk/Video Interface" which RS offered for them? I have a feeling they didn't sell too many, and RS themselves put out very little software for the 100/102 in disk form (cassettes and ROM cartridges were more popular). Here are some photos of the contraption:

The DX-440 is a decent receiver, though a bit fragile; the tuning knob on my first one got busted off even though I put it in a duffel bag surrounded by clothes. The one pictured above is a non-working parts unit which I'm hoping can be used to make one good unit out of two not-so-good ones. As for the other pictured receiver, it's a DX-150, which a friend of mine considers to be a better performer than the 160. I also have a DX-150A, which is the same thing but with an added FET stage, as well as a later DX-302 which has a digital display. In addition to those, I have a couple examples of the Allied SX-190, which was designed for Allied Radio, but didn't hit the market until after they merged with Radio Shack. Here is a photo:

 

[Bodyblue]

I am picking up a pair of Optimus 27s tomorrow. AKer @Lavane did some deep dive research on them and it ends up they actually have Peerless tweeters.

 

[Infantry Man]

I just found a pair of Optimus T-100 ,they have a tweeter upgrade very surprised by the sound .

 

[Infantry Man]

Just starting some reading/research on the t-100's . Would something like 'FatMat ' help on the inside ?

 

[Lavane]

I just found a pair of Optimus T-100 ,they have a tweeter upgrade View attachment 1952052 very surprised by the sound .

I had a pair years ago. I used them for some time. I thought they sounded pretty good. They were the only tower speakers I ever owned.

 

[Lavane]

I am picking up a pair of Optimus 27s tomorrow. AKer @Lavane did some deep dive research on them and it ends up they actually have Peerless tweeters.

The Nova's that came out a year later that took the place of the 27's were $20 cheaper, had a smaller cabinet and replaced the soft dome with a paper cone tweeter.

 

[Bodyblue]

The Nova's that came out a year later that took the place of the 27's were $20 cheaper, had a smaller cabinet and replaced the soft dome with a paper cone tweeter.

I am looking forward to hearing them......and I am sure you will hear them soon as well. The Bodyblue-Lavane speaker nexus never stops.

 

[bobins08]

I used to stare at, and study, the Radio Shack catalog. I couldn’t not afford the equipment, and when I finally could I bought other gear. But I always liked the early to mid 70s stuff and I studied theIr catalog for hours.

 

[Lavane]

I've owned lots of Realistic (and Optimus) gear. When I was growing up, I read the RS catalogs until they fell apart, and spent much time loitering in their stores. When I became interested in putting together a component stereo system, I asked my parents for a stereo receiver from Radio Shack, and got an Optimus STA-300, along with a pair of XTS-23 bookshelf speakers. The receiver lacked a real tape monitor loop (selecting the TAPE button while recording resulted in nasty feedback! ) and it tended to forget its presets on turn-on if you so much as looked at it funny while pressing the power button, but it worked pretty well otherwise. I eventually sold it, along with a turntable and a pair of bookshelf speakers (not the XTS-23s) to someone who needed a first stereo system for playing vinyl.

Since then, I've acquired quite a bit of other Radio Shack gear. Amplifiers, tuners, cassette decks, CD players, speakers, equalizers, switchboxes, and several of the Audio Power Meters, among others. Here are some pictures of a few of what I've acquired over the years:

(not sure if these were assembled from scratch with RS drivers and parts, or if someone modified an existing part of speaker with such)

Hard to see, but the 5AR4/GZ34 in the recitifer socket of my ST-70 is a Realistic/Lifetime tube, complete with "gold" pins. It was installed there when I bought the amp in 2001, and I figured that once it finally failed, I'd be able to take it to a Radio Shack store for the heck of it and see whether or not I could get them to give me a replacement. Unfortunately, the tube has ended up out-living the entire Radio Shack chain, so..........

Anyway, I have numerous other types of products which RS sold back in the day. At least some of them are radios, like the two pictured below:

By far, though, what I probably have the most of from RS are their computers and calculators. I have an example of the very first calculator model they sold, the EC-100, which was priced at $129.95 (equivalent to $758 today) in their 1973 catalog. I also have numerous examples of their computers, from both the TRS-80 and Tandy lines, along with several accessories. Here are photos of a few of them:

I've been looking for a LAB 300. Nice decks when working properly.

 

[AdamAnt316]

I've been looking for a LAB 300. Nice decks when working properly.

I've only tested it briefly, but it seems to work fine. The base needs to be glued back together, as it's taken a hit at some point, but seems to be in fairly good shape overall. It's equipped with a Realistic R47XT cartridge (Shure M95?), which has probably been there since the LAB 300 was purchased.
-Adam

 

[Lavane]

I've only tested it briefly, but it seems to work fine. The base needs to be glued back together, as it's taken a hit at some point, but seems to be in fairly good shape overall. It's equipped with a Realistic R47XT cartridge (Shure M95?), which has probably been there since the LAB 300 was purchased.
-Adam

The 300 is a bit of a sleeper. Its pretty simple but tend to sound pretty good. I don't think its a Shure M95 though. It's a slightly earlier cartridge. I had the later LAB-500 that came with the then new M95E in a P mount.
The LAB 400 came with a rebadged M91. I think the M91 is a great rock and roll cartridge. M75 maybe for the LAB 300? I want a 300 as a second deck. The Orbit custom I have as a second deck now is full manual. My main AT Table is full manual also, so I want something with auto stop or return for when I'm feeling lazy.

 

[Gnesen]

I have a LAB 300 that I really like. It's a solid and dependable performer, but I don't recall the cart that's on it right now. The auto shut-off is a nice feature to have, especially if I need to leave the room or don't feel like getting up right away when a side is done.

While I'm here, here's a partial list of my current Realistic/Optimus gear:

Receivers:
STA-2080
STA-64
STA-82 (had two, one was gifted to my brother)
STA-85
STA-20 (Optimus-branded)

Turntable:
LAB 300

Speakers:
Optimus-8B (with VL modification)
Minimus-7 -- a bunch of these, including the original walnut version
Optimus-1B (gifted to my brother)
Minimus-8

Tape decks:
Optimus SCT-86
SCT-19

And this Bluetooth speaker:

 

[Skylab]

I am picking up a pair of Optimus 27s tomorrow. AKer @Lavane did some deep dive research on them and it ends up they actually have Peerless tweeters.

Optimus 27’s were my first “real” speakers back in the early 1980’s. Loved them. Remarkably good sounding. Got them when they were on sale 2-for-1. I still have a pair, but haven’t used them in ages.

 

[Lavane]

Optimus 27’s were my first “real” speakers back in the early 1980’s. Loved them. Remarkably good sounding. Got them when they were on sale 2-for-1. I still have a pair, but haven’t used them in ages.

These were the second from the most expensive speaker they sold that year. I'm thinking most people couldn't get past the shallow cabinet and the 6" woofer. The unconventional look of the day probably caused most to walk right passed them. It would be cool to hear a pair of the Nova 10's that took the place of the 27's the next year. I'm betting they weren't near as good. A different woofer, narrow cabinet, but deeper, and what looks like a midrange/tweeter. There is a rubber or foam surround on it that makes me think it pulled some midrange duty along with the high end also. They probably ran the woofer full range.

 

[Bodyblue]

These were the second from the most expensive speaker they sold that year. I'm thinking most people couldn't get past the shallow cabinet and the 6" woofer. The unconventional look of the day probably caused most to walk right passed them. It would be cool to hear a pair of the Nova 10's that took the place of the 27's the next year. I'm betting they weren't near as good. A different woofer, narrow cabinet, but deeper, and what looks like a midrange/tweeter. There is a rubber or foam surround on it that makes me think it pulled some midrange duty along with the high end also. They probably ran the woofer full range.

I looked up that Nava 10 replacement and I bet you are right. They look like they totally cheaped out on it. Just a paper cone tweeter.

 

[Infantry Man]

So , I started refinishing the T-100 cabinets , look pretty good . I'm not sure if I want to go down the road of improving the sound . They're just 2 woofers in parallel and a tweeter . The only semblance of a crossover is a capacitor at the l-pad . Any suggestions are welcome . Think ' limited budget ' .