Realistic Minimus 4 - What to do?

[caxton1476]

So, I brought home a very charming pair of Realistic Minimus 4 speakers. Cabinets are in good shape - no beverage rings, a minor miracle - and drivers appear sound. I haven't pulled the drivers out to assess the insides, though.

I notice that the driver surrounds are pleated, fibrous paper, and the paper is slightly glossy - a slight sheen. The cones move in without any issues, and their don't appear to be any cracks or crazing in the pleats.

I haven't tested these yet, but I'm already thinking, "what do I do with these guys?" Is there something I should do to prep the surrounds so they're more durable or something? Is that totally unnecessary? Do I wait until they fail and then deal with them?

As for other, more invasive thoughts...whether they fail or not, my mind immediately went to, "maybe there's a modern full range driver I can pop into this tidy little cabinet? What would that entail?one

Anyways, as a determined tinkerer, but one without a ton of practical experience and knowledge in this sort of thing, I'm seeking advice. It's just about the lowest-stakes, back-burner project I have laying about.

Your thoughts?

 

[baeron]

So, I brought home a very charming pair of Realistic Minimus 4 speakers. Cabinets are in good shape - no beverage rings, a minor miracle - and drivers appear sound. I haven't pulled the drivers out to assess the insides, though.

I notice that the driver surrounds are pleated, fibrous paper, and the paper is slightly glossy - a slight sheen. The cones move in without any issues, and their don't appear to be any cracks or crazing in the pleats.

I haven't tested these yet, but I'm already thinking, "what do I do with these guys?" Is there something I should do to prep the surrounds so they're more durable or something? Is that totally unnecessary? Do I wait until they fail and then deal with them?

As for other, more invasive thoughts...whether they fail or not, my mind immediately went to, "maybe there's a modern full range driver I can pop into this tidy little cabinet? What would that entail?one

Anyways, as a determined tinkerer, but one without a ton of practical experience and knowledge in this sort of thing, I'm seeking advice. It's just about the lowest-stakes, back-burner project I have laying about.

Your thoughts?

Can you post a picture or two?

 

[Hajidub]

Can you post a picture or two?

Just looked them up, they're a bookshelf (larger size) single driver whizzer cone. Many say Foster made, but I'm not sure.

 

[caxton1476]

Here's one of the drivers. Looking at it again, I think I'll just leave it as is.

Still haven't listened to them. Waiting to get my Realistic STA-18 back from repairs - that seems the right sort of match for these - and set them up in my office at work.

In any case, if there's anything that ought to be done with such a driver or its surround, I'm all ears.

 

[caxton1476]

Okay, so, i finally got these connected to my main system - Sansui AU-555a and Dual 1264, with a perfectly serviceable Sony dvd player as the cd source and an echo dot to stream services like Spotify.

And...I'm so glad i spent the $5.99 and the elbow grease on these. They are truly enjoyable little speakers, played at sane volumes. I cannot wait to get my STA*18 back and put this setup to daily use in my office.

The first thing I played was Bang on a Can's version of Eno's Music for Airports on CD. It was not harsh, not edgy, and what it lacked in bass extension and upper smoothness, it gave back in modest, warm mids. This is a perfect match to my office listening - acoustic guitar, midcentury jazz, chill ambient. Yes, the lower registers will be lacking, and yes, when pushed, the whizzer cone will be grain-forward in the trebles. But it will be perfect for what I listen for in that setting: relaxed middle-range presentation that doesn't cheat the music, despite its limitations.

And, I'll tell you what, it's altogether a fair fight between these and the Dayton Classic B40A units currently in the super-casual living room. Those are fine, and the virtues of dispensing with a separate amp are more than compensation for their shortcomings.

But these Minimus 4 units? Total keepers.