... get a surprising amount of buzz in these forums. It's commonly understood they are lo-fi, entry level audio from a bygone era. Yet there seems to be a pervasive fascination for the little things.
I pondered on this recently while watching my collection grow by a few new additions -- which is alarming enough to conduct a Usage-to-Hoarding ratio check.
My set includes an SA-101, two SA-150's, three SA-155's and four very humble SA-10's, with a smattering of TM-150 and TM-155 tuners. Most of these are either used in some capacity, or staged for a specific planned purpose.
Some examples:
Wifey feeds an SA-150 with audio from the wall mounted bedroom TV. She switches between either headphones or very-near-field speakers for late night sound that won't disturb the household. The amp is left on 24/7. One burned out recently. Took mere seconds to replace since I had a spare at hand.
One mini-amp resides on the workbench as a diagnostic and repair tool.
An SA-155 and TM-155 with some NOS RCA PRO-X33AV mini speakers will become my youngest grandson's first component stereo system when he turns 6 next month.
SA-10's are for a project that may warrant a new thread if successful. And if not, ... never happened.
So I'm not ready to check into a hoarders' rehab center just yet. But the situation is being closely monitored.
I've constructed a simple graphic timeline of Radio Shack's solid state mini stereo amplifiers. Helps me keep track of model chronology. Thought it might be worth sharing.
There are really two concurrent timelines from 1969 through 1994: small, budget-friendly models vs even smaller BOTL models. From 1995 only brand variants of SA-155 remain in the lineup:
Some data still needs to be firmed up. Such as, what year did SA-102 go from discrete transistors to the LA4440 chip amp? And likewise for SA-10's transition to chip amps. Also, exact years SA-155 wore the "Radio Shack" brand is somewhat mysterious as catalogs were no longer published after 2002. At least model chronology is in the correct order for general reference.
So what say you, RS mini-amp aficionados? What's the appeal of these small wonders? Is it performance? Utility? Vintage cuteness? Or, on the flip side, are you filled with disgust and loathing for these wretched little urchins? Does apparent interest that percolates through these forums suggest some consensus? Or are we drawn -- or repulsed -- purely from our own diverse perspectives? I invite your comments.
I pondered on this recently while watching my collection grow by a few new additions -- which is alarming enough to conduct a Usage-to-Hoarding ratio check.
My set includes an SA-101, two SA-150's, three SA-155's and four very humble SA-10's, with a smattering of TM-150 and TM-155 tuners. Most of these are either used in some capacity, or staged for a specific planned purpose.
Some examples:
Wifey feeds an SA-150 with audio from the wall mounted bedroom TV. She switches between either headphones or very-near-field speakers for late night sound that won't disturb the household. The amp is left on 24/7. One burned out recently. Took mere seconds to replace since I had a spare at hand.
One mini-amp resides on the workbench as a diagnostic and repair tool.
An SA-155 and TM-155 with some NOS RCA PRO-X33AV mini speakers will become my youngest grandson's first component stereo system when he turns 6 next month.
SA-10's are for a project that may warrant a new thread if successful. And if not, ... never happened.
So I'm not ready to check into a hoarders' rehab center just yet. But the situation is being closely monitored.
I've constructed a simple graphic timeline of Radio Shack's solid state mini stereo amplifiers. Helps me keep track of model chronology. Thought it might be worth sharing.
There are really two concurrent timelines from 1969 through 1994: small, budget-friendly models vs even smaller BOTL models. From 1995 only brand variants of SA-155 remain in the lineup:
Some data still needs to be firmed up. Such as, what year did SA-102 go from discrete transistors to the LA4440 chip amp? And likewise for SA-10's transition to chip amps. Also, exact years SA-155 wore the "Radio Shack" brand is somewhat mysterious as catalogs were no longer published after 2002. At least model chronology is in the correct order for general reference.
So what say you, RS mini-amp aficionados? What's the appeal of these small wonders? Is it performance? Utility? Vintage cuteness? Or, on the flip side, are you filled with disgust and loathing for these wretched little urchins? Does apparent interest that percolates through these forums suggest some consensus? Or are we drawn -- or repulsed -- purely from our own diverse perspectives? I invite your comments.
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