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realistic sta 180

booted

booted

donna
Hello all. Got the realistic sta 180 out here in the living room.Swapped out my sta 2080 for now.This receiver seems to have more power than the 2080. And the dial lights only light when fm or am are selected. All 3 bulbs where blown on the selector switches.So they now have led's in them now.this receiver is from 1972. http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1972-a/ page 14
 

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booted said:
Hello all. Got the realistic sta 180 out here in the living room.Swapped out my sta 2080 for now.This receiver seems to have more power than the 2080. And the dial lights only light when fm or am are selected. All 3 bulbs where blown on the selector switches.So they now have led's in them now.this receiver is from 1972. http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1972-a/ page 14
Click to expand...
According to the catalog this is, roughly, 60wpc (RMS) where the 2080 is 80wpc.

http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1983/h017.html

I believe it was around mid 70's that Audio equipment had to have RMS ratings as opposed to the old IPP (Instantaneous Peak Power) ratings (which were far more generous).

However, what you might be experiencing is a better "match" to your speakers. I recently swapped out a STA-2500 (100wpc) for a SA-2001 (60wpc) and my Bose 601 II speakers have never sounded better. I had a Pioneer SX-680 before the STA-2500.

Nice looking receiver.
 
Hi Copa ,i knew the 2080 was 80 wpc. The 2080 isnt boomy (less bass) the 180 seems to drive my mach ones better. a lot more bass.I would say the 180 sounds about the same as my 2000.
 
booted said:
Hi Copa ,i knew the 2080 was 80 wpc. The 2080 isnt boomy (less bass) the 180 seems to drive my mach ones better. a lot more bass.I would say the 180 sounds about the same as my 2000.
Click to expand...
Driving Mach One/Two speakers can be very dependent on source. That's why many of us will suggest the same "vintage" or "era" equipment for best performance. My Mach Two sounded best with my STA-2500. Same with the Mach One.

Going from era to era there are different approaches to audio, and then HT (home theater) which has it's own fun characteristics.
 
I have a STA-180 also. It is one kick ass receiver and sounds great no matter what it's hooked to. TOL in 1972 and seriously built like a tank. Build quality is as good as I've seen for that vintage. Not sure if Hitachi or Foster made this one. I'm thinking Hitachi, but it's a guess. One interesting feature is the FMss function. Mutes everything except FM stereo signals.

Mine had issues with predriver transistors heating up and frying (one board actually had a hole burned through, under the transistor) and had blown outputs on one channel. Easy to fix and recapped the amps boards for good measure. Has worked fine ever since. The predriver boards are modular and can be easily pulled out. You may want to check yours.
 
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That 180 is an interesting looking receiver, never seen that one before. The 2080 is a seriously good looking one too!
 
this is my 3rd realistic receiver. Looking at getting led lamps for the 2080 for the top 4 gauges.The 180 sounds good for it age.
 
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