I had a pair of those Optimus speakers with the top tweeter and I used them as rear speakers in my surround sound system. They were actually really good for that application and performed extremely well, especially watching the NASCAR racing on tv.
I have a pair of the Pro LX5’s, I’m the original owner. A couple of years ago I replaced the woofers with some I bought off of Amazon. I ended up putting them in the closet and bought a pair of Pioneer BS-22-LR’s. Your video inspired me to dust them off and give them another listen. They sound a little more live than the pioneers and more airy. The soundstage is a little smaller, but the tweeter have a 3 dimensional presence, hard to explain. I’m glad I saw your video, it inspired me to rediscover an old friend…cheers!
Just a quick note on the Mission speakers. Had a few pairs over the years, and from the info i've gathered, the England versions are M-5's, and the Malaysian versions are MS-50's. The power handling ratings are different. The Malaysian version is rated 20-50 watts, the England versions are rated at 15-75. The England versions sound a little better, probably due to a different/better tweeter. Woofer drivers are the same. Both sound great!
As a Radio Shack store manager in the 70's I can attest to the popularity of the Minimus-7 speakers. While the retail price on these speakers was $49 each, they did go on sale several times a year for $49 per pair. I still have 6 pairs I use around the house as desktop speakers or surround speakers. The other speaker we sold a lot of when they went on sale were the 15" Mach Ones.
I am really enjoying all your videos. Especially like the way you explain things like a real audio enthusiast. Your videos pertain to all of us low to medium budget people that love the vintage stuff. Your store looks like an awesome place. Keep up the good work and thanks.
I live in South Jersey but I would be in Kevin's store monthly if it was located within fifty miles from my front door. He's the kind of guy who deserves to thrive in small business. I always find his podcasts to be comforting and soothing when I sit back and enjoy my coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.
I worked at Allison Accoustics back in the '80's. Dr. Roy was a great boss. Every component got tested before installing. We go made everything but the cabinets and voice coils. Then two partners sold out to some wiz kids that were ex Accoustic Research. They drove the company into the ground. They wound up in an airplane hangar in Kentucky.
These are my favorite type of videos, the ones that inform us of better than average vintage components that might go unnoticed in the used marketplace. Please expand the series to include receivers, turntables, tape desks, etc. My speaker choice for this video is the Bose 301's. Recently picked up a pair of 301 IV (ugly black) for $10 off a sidewalk sale along with a pair of Bose 101 for $5.00. I've seen these listed from $40 - $200. Like the RS LX-5, these have a little extra something in their sound signature due to their Direct/Reflecting tweeter placement.
Not sure if they're overlooked, but I picked up a pair of Wharfedale E70's. Picked up a pair of MCS 3-ways from a guy on Facebook Marketplace for cheap. Then we got talking and he showed me his pride and joy, the E70's, which he owned since they were new. One had a bad woofer, but he still kept them. I bought them and promised to take care of them. I was able to fix the woofer (the spider was unglued), and later fixed one of the mids. Now they're part of my home system and I couldn't be happier.
One I would throw into the mix, similar to the Sansui's would be the early 70s Dynaco A25's. Great neutral natural sounding mid-range centric speakers . Seas tweeters, butyl surrounds on the 10" drivers never rot out. I'll never get rid of mine.
In a smaller room A25s sound great. The highs are especially clean. I love mine. And, you're right about the surrounds. They're no worry, unlike so many old woofers.
I've had a set of JBL HLS 810's since 1998. They came as the L/R speakers to my first "legitimate" home-theater setup I ever purchased. I still use them in my gameroom setup. There a great little speakers when paired with a comparable subwoofer. They still pack a good enough sound for someone as particular as me!
The Linaeum tweeter is a wonderful tweeter. It's secret superpower is that the tweeter varies its effective width - at lower frequencies the sound radiates out along the curved leaves, so they have a larger radiating area in the lower part of their range. As the frequency goes up, they get narrower, and approach a line source. So they maintain wider dispersion up high. Obviously, being dipoles, they radiate the treble very wide. The earlier LX5 with the metal screen over them, are a model ET-6 and they have a lower sensitivity. The later versions called LX55 or LX550 use an ET-6A tweeter which is higher sensitivity. The cabinet is 5 sides of cast aluminum - but the front baffle is ABS plastic. This front baffle *really* benefits from stiffening/strengthening/damping. I have done several layers of denim cloth and Titebond III glue - like fiberglass essentially. Linaeum made their own speakers, and some used their (better built) version of this tweeter. And others use a 6" high driver for the upper midrange on up to the treble. That driver is called TLS for "true line source" and it was in both a dipole and monopole version; depending on the model.
@@DeepHorizon3773 Right - the inventor is Paul Paddock, and he is a master! The WBLS driver - which stands for wideband line source - is a midrange/tweeter. I have onlt heard this driver briefly, but it is fantastic! Linaeum had a 6" high driver they called TLS (true line source) that can work down into the midrange; but the WBLS has 40+ years of development.
@@NeilBlanchard I have Aurasound speakers from the late 90's which used Linaeum tweeters and they referred to them as their Line Source line. I discovered several weeks ago that that the main developer at RSL these days worked at Aurasound during that time. I still think their LSB-527M bookshelves sound very good and I use them every day in my garage system.
@@hondaphan4172 - yes they are a line source driver; and it was a gentleman named Paul Paddock who invented and developed these drivers. They are available now (40+ years later) as WBLS - wideband line source in speakers by MC Audiotech. I really hope that the current versions of these drivers can be produced and sold for others to use.
I've had experience with both the Radio Shack LX-5 and of course the Minimus 7. I worked at Radio Shack when the Minimus 7 came out, and they have been a hit ever since. There was a Realistic STA-7 mini receiver that matched them, and it made for a nice bookshelf background music system. The LX-5 I recall was after the name change to Optimus, but it was quite a popular speaker during the era when Radio Shack's audio had turned to blah. I had a pair of the LX-5, and recently refoamed a pair that I found for cheap. But my surprise was the Sansui AS series speakers. I bought a pair of the 12" three way version in very poor condition at a thrift store some years ago. They worked fine, but the dope on the woofers has oozed into the grill cloth and the cabinets were beat. I refinished the cabinets, replaced the grill cloth, recapped the crossover and WOW! I did not expect such a smooth, easy to listen to speaker from Sansui. When I sold them, a buyer came from out of state for them.
Mitsubishi SS-1121, three-way floor stander, 36” tall, 14” wide, 9.5” deep(!), 12 inch woofer. 8 ohm, about 87 or 88 db(?). Highly recommended if priced low. My neighbor threw out a pair last fall and I lugged them down the alley to my home, smiling. They sound pretty darn good-nice, easy-listening paper cone mid and tweeter, and physically palpable, impressive bass from that large, paper woofer in the sealed cabinet. I now enjoy them a lot in my garage shop. 😊
I used my Optimus lx-5 as surround speakers for twenty five years. I've paired them with DefTech towers and center for over twenty years. I'm still using the DefTech center with new Wharfedale Diamond 240 fronts. I've recently retired the lx-5s, and replaced them with Klipsch r51 for surround speakers. I also have rp500m's that I occasionally use in other applications.
Hi Kevin! I enjoyed this video . .and you were right . . I didn't expect to see two vintage Radio Shack speakers as part of the conversation! 😮 I have both the Realistic Minumus 7 Silver speakers, and the Optimus Pro LX5 2 1995 version speakers. I replaced the original LX5 woofers with a pair that used rubber instead of foam, as the original foam deteriorated. 😣 The LX5's were part of my prime system before being replaced by a pair of Klipsch RP-600m speakers as my 'A' speaker selection. A pair of Optimus Pro LX4 speakers (1995) are my prime 'B' channel speakers. 😉 The LX5 are now part of a basement system and still sound great. 😎👍🏽My Minumus 7's are part of my Vintage setup which are driven by a Realistic STA-95 45W receiver as 'B' desktop speakers. The 'A' speakers switch between a pair of Emotiva B1+ speakers and vintage DBX Soundfield 3X2 LS speakers. I look forward to part 2 of this review, and I absolutely LOVE the intro tune you use for your videos . . .it's a "Get's stuck in my head" kind of tune!! 🤣🤣😋 Thank You Kevin . . . your work is appreciated! 👍🏽👍🏽
Glad you mentioned KLH in this video. In my opinion the KLH model 6 was and still is one of the best speakers ever made. I have a pair bought by my cousin in the late 50s. I got them when I purchased his component system in the early 60s when he was going to upgrade. Through several system changes I have kept them because I’ve never heard any speakers I liked better. I know they came back in the 90s built by someone else (Boston Acoustic I Think) because there was a demand by consumers for them. Now about 65 years old they still sound great.
Have a pair of L620's. Love them paired with my Marantz amp. Got them as a free porch pick up. Polished cabinets a bit and voila! They have the metal grille too!
I had the Walnut Optimus version of the Minimus, bought in the 90's at local Radio Shack, they were great sounding speakers!! Used to have them hanging in the kitchen, everything sounded really good on them, no matter what type of music. Small but mighty!
I had some LX5's in the late 90's. They were good for classical recordings in particular. They don't go really loud with that sensitivity and small woofer but within their limits they weren't bad at all.
Have to admit that I've walked past more pairs of those Realistic/Optimus/RCAs than I care to remember, and I never paid them any attention. Lesson learned! One small inexpensive speaker that I've always enjoyed that could now be almost considered vintage is the Polk Audio RT25i. I've owned a number of them over the last decade+ and I never cease to be impressed by them. They're such a well rounded, and well built little speaker.
The Optimus AV version of the Minimus 7 is magnetically shielded, a useful feature if placed near a CRT. A pair of them have been my surround sound speakers for 25 years. They're mounted behind the couch on the custom stands that were available for the Minimus product line.
I own a pair of the Mission MS-50s (Made in England). Picked them up at a garage sale for $20 about 5 years ago. Excellent, lovely little units, sound great, and play much larger than you would expect for bookshelf speakers.
Not that they are overlooked, I have found why so many love Large Advent speakers. I now own 3 pairs of these speakers, 1 nice pair of "new" bullnose speakers, 1 nice pair of utility cabinet speakers, & 1 ratty pair of utility cabinet speakers that need a refoam. All in, my total spend was about $200 CDN (approx $150 USD) for these 3 sets of speakers. Which isn't bad for a 4Ω parallel stack of Advents & a spare ratty pair for the garage (once refoamed). I think the Large Advents are possibly the best deal in vintage speakers.
Last comment, I promise: EPI 100 speakers from the early 70’s. Wonderful tone, deep bass, easy to drive, walnut veneer, simple to repair as they will likely need a refoam. Inverted dome tweeter which was rare then. 8” woofer, one capacitor for the tweeter. Look for the earlier models with the paper cone woofer. Later plastic cone models had kind of a quack in the midrange. Also the EPI 90. Same as the 100 but with a vinyl wrap.
I refoamed a pair of Epicure Model 10 for a lady who runs a yarn shop. They sounded way too good to be quietly playing in a yarn shop. She paid me $40 and later that day I found a set of Epi100 on FB that have the rubber surrounds. I really enjoy the sound from those inverted tweeters.
I have a pair of AS100’s. My dad, who knew audio, bought them as part of a new component system for my Christmas gift way back then. Well I’m 65 now. I have them up on the wall, the grill cloth has been replaced due to residual ooze from the woofer surround compound, no harm to the drivers they are functionally normal. Absolutely wonderful sounding speakers. My cabinets are in pristine condition as well. Now I know what I have, thank you for explaining this model.
I love the AS100's too and that sound good - I also have a pair of SP2500's that sound better. The 70's SP's don't get much love on this channel and that's fine (although over done). They are a great speaker if you like your mid's and your music leans toward strings, horns, keys. I also get that some of those models were a mess including the SP1500 with the different sized mids and poor domes that didn't fit what the rest of the speaker was doing.
One of my favorite mini bookshelf speakers is the ADS 510..a very good quality entry speaker with a good dynamic range and a surprisingly good bass response.
I found a pair of Mission Cyrus 781 speakers at goodwill for like 20 bucks. The cabinets are like 5/10 but for a bookshelf speaker I have not come across anything that sounds better
I had the Mission MS-50 speakers. They were really good. They packed a punch for being so small...and they are extremely small compared to other bookshelf speakers.
same! got a pair off craigslist for $50 about 10 years ago, england variant. i used them on my desktop for years, then gave them to a friend a couple of years ago. i hope she's actually using them, i kinda miss 'em, lol
Minimus 7 are fantastic for the size. Stereo imaging for days. Early all metal Japanese versions are the best IMO. TonyB did an upgrade on a pair of these and the optimus speaker.
My neighbor passed, and left me a pair of Sansui SP-100 speakers, which sound real nice! They have a small horn, and 3 sound settings on the back. I always turn the setting on the greater one, in order to compensate for the fact that they probably sound a bit dull after all these decades, and possibly need 're-capping'.
The Realistic Minimus 7 wasn’t the first mini speaker, but certainly the most popular. The earliest mini speaker I’m aware of was a British-made Goodmans model, 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I saw it in my 1965 Lafayette Radio catalog. And don’t forget the Visonic David. They were all the rage in the early 70’s. They were about the same size as the Minimus 7, black cast metal cabinet, inefficient, and expensive for the time. My older brother had a pair he used with a Marantz 2010 receiver. Great little receiver. Surprisingly, its 10 WPC were able to rock the David’s rather well. The best sounding mini speaker I’ve ever heard was a little walnut model, the Sequerra Met7. Yes, Dick Sequerra (the famous FM tuner company) late 80’s maybe. 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I could listen to those all day.
I've had the Malaysian Missions for years and yes they sound fantastic - I will never get rid of them. At some point I'll pick up a pair of the English ones for comparison.
I had never heard the term "Kabuki speaker" until now. However, that describes my first decent pair of speakers in the early 1970s, specifically a pair of Sansui SP-1200. Eventually, after auditioning other speakers, I found them too boomy for my evolving tastes. Circa 1980, I finally replaced them with a pair of used KEF 104ab. Despite auditioning literally dozens of speakers during the ensuing years, I am still enjoying the KEFs.
I believe 99.9% of these Kabuki speakers used a very low excursion woofer in a cabinet far too small for the size woofer. The woofers were almost more of a pro-sound type with accordion surround and relatively thin paper cone. They were generally pretty shallow cabinets. They usually excelled at punchy, loud rock music. Kinda the first "party speakers".
Hands down the most brilliant and technically accurate speakers I’ve ever owned. Very regrettably was forced to sell mine due to money issues but I enjoyed them for the 8 years I had them. When I did sell them I got more than three times what I paid originally paid for them.
Lol I always thought they sounded crap minds are upfront hi end is harsh but very relieving bass rolls of at like 80hz so it can play flat with not much stored energy
I have a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers I picked up at a thrift store for $10. They were sold with the HP-550 stereo. Yeah it was an all in one turntable and radio with speakers. However, the speakers have a 10" woofer and 4" tweeter at 8 ohms and we're made by Onkyo for Sony. They're really rich sounding, but lacking in the low end. I paired them with a Polk PSW10, following your video on adding a sub, and they are amazing! The best part is they have an amazing Danish modern look with wood cabinets, matte aluminum trim and black cloth with gold sparkle. I'm using a Yamaha RX-450 as my source.
Thanks for this video. I picked up a pair of LX5 today at thrift for a ten spot. Just finished a refoam job on them! Excited to listen to them tomorrow when the glue is good and dry. Cheers.
A speaker to consider is the aDs L300/300c, L400. Higher end bookshelf. Had these, sold these, live these. Expensive then and still carry a decent price used. Fabulous sound. Relatively uncolored but fun. Popular choice of engineers because of the great sound and portability. Put them on you list.
I still have a pair of the lx5s. I refoamed them and added fiber fill into the cabinets and they actually sound pretty good! Stuffing a bit of fiber fill into the ports will cure the chuffing issue.
I had the base model of the Optimus version of those they were fantastic speakers and as far as I know the person I sold them to is still enjoying them today. Mine were a horizontal style that had a 4-in Kevlar woofer in them
I had some Optimus 40's when I was in the military in the 80s. A lot of people would ask me about them - even guys who had been overseas and had really high-end equipment. I thought they sounded great and I wish I still had them.
The RCA Cat# 40-5036 are a good buy too. They have those same Linaeum style tweeters and a kevlar cone woofer. They need refoaming but they are similar to the Minimus 7 in the style of a metal cabinet, but are a step up in size. They are rear ported and sound much better than the Minimus 7 to me. They were sold by Rad Shack under different names at times as well.
I spent a number of years stationed in Germany and I put together my dream system, Phase Linear amp. preamp and tuner. I had HPM 100 speakers and was full-on in love with them. Life happened and in 1994, someone offered me an obscene amount of money for that system and I sold it. I've regretted it since. Four years ago, I was perusing a mom and pop thrift shop and ran into a set of hpm 100s for 40 bucks. The cabinets were beat to crap but after pulling the grill facing off, they looked really good. I bought them and took them to my repair guy and he recommended reconing them and possibly refoaming the woofer. I bit the bullet and paid for the work and now have them at home and the sound is remarkable. I no longer have any vintage hardware but my cheap sony receiver is adequate. I;ve owned a lot of speakers in my life, but the HPM 100s just captivate me. I could have probably just bought a set that didn't "seem" to need any work but I learned early, looks are deceiving. These HPMs rock my house.
Another fun installment. Ah, Minimus 7's. I chatted about these little gems in a previous video when you were showing them as "bench speakers". Yep, as a person below states, RS did sell mounting frames for these, and I actually had a pair of black ones, mounted on the rear shelf of my Olds Cutlass, until someone wanted them more than I did. And yes, they do make acceptable surround speakers, and I still have the white pair in my great room. Cambridge Soundworks sold a similar "satellite" setup called the Ensemble II which included a floor mounted "sub" and the two satellites. Truly enjoyed this. Looking forward to the next installment...Rip
I bought a pair of the Realistic Optimus speakers brand new when first available and still have them. I used to subscribe to Audio and Stereo Review which reviewed these speakers. They said they were very good for their price and size. When I downsized from a big house to a small apartment I sold tons of my vintage audio equipment and I still had them after selling around a dozen sets of speakers. jcb
I'm a low brow audiophile BUT, I love my Pioneer HPM 100's the 200 Watt Version. That said my best friend has some small speakers like these mounted on his wall that are connected to his entertainment center. He loves movies with lots of car chases, gun fights and things always blowing up. His tiny speakers rock. His sub woofer handles the explosions and sound good. BUT the tiny speakers are GREAT at making sure you can actually HEAR every word a person is saying. Most speakers make the explosions down out what is said, producing what I call audio MUD! These tiny speakers make it feel as if the people are right in the room with you. The explosions sound real because you hear people's voices layered in, not mixed in the sound.
I bought a pair of tower speakers, with center channel and two front speakers from a company called FLUANCE out of Canada about 7 years ago for $279.00 and man was I blown away. Still have them and man do they sound ultra fantastic. Made of wood cabinet with traditional connectors and also banana plugs. Unbelievable deal for the quality. I found out that at that time they were trying to get noticed in the US market, so they had that special. In all honesty I would have thought the package cost more likely $1000. Never looked back or regretted buying them.
I aquired a set of MCS 8232 for nada. I work the pay booth at the local landfill before stuff gets tossed. So I took them home (along with a MCS reciever and turntable) ... cleaned them up. Plugged them in... wow! I had the woofers refoamed. And they've been in our livingroom since 2019. Great sounding speakers. They even came with a soft dome midrange! Back in the day they retailed for $400.00/pair. Rated @ 10-100 watts rms. Sensitivity (1 watt at 1 meter) 92db. Crossovers at 700hz-8000hz. Frequecy range 30-20,000 hz.
Bought a pair of minimus 7s new from a radio shack in Rochester NY in the 70s. Metal case and grille, indestructible. Had them double wired with a pair of large advents in college powered by a Kenwood receiver. They now provide background BT music in our library powered by a small chifi amp. Still sound great, I even have the original boxes and packing materials!
I have the HLS 620's and HLS-410'S. You are spot on with the sound. I built my 1st home theater around them. Mine are a little worn and looking at replacing the tweeter with a Ceramic infinity tweeter and some Dayton glass fiber speakers.
I'm a vintage audio lover but I have to say, I bought a pair of Triangle BR03s and they are absolutely amazing!! Of course my Dynaco ST70 is driving them...
I had those optimus speakers. Few yrs back. Used them with a Acurian 5.1 surround receiver. 100 watts! From a yard sale! They liked power, till i blew them!
I was fortunate enough to come by a pair of Sansui LM-330s a few years ago. I got both of them for $7 bucks... They are in good shape overall, and they sound really good. One hell of a bargain 😮
If you happen to see a pair of Celestion Model A Compacts for sale, don't let them get away. The construction is absolutely the finest solid wood with first class crossover components and a unique driver system that produces an incredible image and stage. Sure, bass is lacking with only a 4" woofer, but adding even small subwoofers can give you a world class nearfield system. I am still amazed, having been a huge speaker fanatic, the bigger the better mentality, and massive power amp guy for over 50 years, that these speakers have the purest, cleanest, and utterly pleasing sound that I have ever heard. They are 87db and I drive them with 155 wpc, though I only use a fraction of that power. I could go on for pages about these speakers. I was able to find a second pair for $200.00 recently. They were produced just before Celestion stopped being made in England , 1999, and sold for $1,000.00 a pair. Not test bench speakers due to the fact that the drivers are proprietary and scarce as hen's teeth. That being said, having bought the first pair at a garage sale for $50.00, I was using them for just that when I was stunned at the fidelity and imaging. I called my wife over and had her listen to Diana Krall and she actually gasped while exclaiming that they were so unnerving because her voice wasn't coming from the speakers but hovered in the air a several feet in front of her. Later testing proved that they also can produce a sound stage of nearly 180 degrees with certain recordings. They are now my main system speakers for all 2 channel music coupled with a pair of 12" powered subs and easily produce 100db listening levels if the music demands it. I play them in the 80db range +- most times. Loved the video giving attention to smaller speakers. Thanks.
I have a few pairs of the LX5’s that I purchased back when they were new and you are correct that the foam surrounds do deteriorate at the age that they are. I purchased new surrounds kits that were specially made for them from Simply Speakers and did the repair myself on a couple of them and it was not hard at all. (This is my first attempt with surround repairs) and also they’ve got some direct drop in replacements mid range woofers that are really high-quality as well. I did a couple of those too and the speakers sound amazing when placed on a dedicated speaker stand and paired with a subwoofer.
What an amazing video, I love speakers! I definitely put the Missions and and the Optimus LX5 on my radar ! I get sad every time anyone talks about the Minimus 7 as I handed mine to friend Because I found them sitting in a closet after more than a decade lol. At the same time though you reminded me how easy and inexpensive they are to replace! I’m a Sansui speaker fan and those As-100 blew my mind ! I enjoyed this speaker session so much! I’m a speaker collector, vintage and new so this was right up my alley! Thank you !
Great video. The Sansui is interesting. Posting capacitor ratings for the speakers would be helpful for those who might want to change them out. Looking forward to your next!
I stand by vintage speakers. I have a pair of Infinity RS series that are from the mid 1980's and still are on fire, churning out some of the crispest highs I could ever want. What I love most about vintage: Real wood.... solid wood, not laminate. Great-looking cabinets with detailed routed grooves on the sides, not the anonymous black-on-black-on-black boxes with no grilles that are almost all you can get today. If one ever fails, I will rebuild them, whatever the cost. I also used to have some Sansui SP-2500's, but I had to let those go, mostly because they are gigantic and just didn't fit well in the new house. I miss those real wood lattice grilles.
Great video! If you like the Realistic Minimus 7 speakers, you will probably LOVE the Minimus 11's. Distinctly more bass and pretty much the same as the 7's but fuller. Same bombproof metal case and weigh a ton.
I have a pair of minimus-7's which l've upgraded. Fantastic speakers. Based on this video, l hunted down a pair of LX-5's. Hooked to my HK 330B they're pure magic. Thanks for the pointer!!!
I still have four of those little NHT speakers in a closet that I used in a surround sound system back in the '90s. They were okay for that use, but I wouldn't want them for main speakers, even with a sub.
Hey Kevin! You just scratched the surface on this topic! Looking forward to seeing more of these videos. I have a Unicorn alert for the Optimus LX-4. A sexy walnut vaneered bookshelf with the Linaeum tweeter and a very speedy woven Kevlar 4" woofer. Beautiful sound, hard to find!
I live in Japan so what I find when thrifting is very different from what you likely find in the US... but one brand that comes up often here for reasonable prices (depending on model) are DIATONE speakers. I bought a beat up pair of DS 100Z speakers for about 60 bucks just on a whim... paired them with a little aurex amp and was blown away by how smooth and weighty they managed to sound for their size (they are actually quite heavy)... I have been keeping my eyes open for another pair... Another good reasonable speaker you often find here is the Yamaha NS1000... they go for between 500 and 1000 a pair depending on condition. Very good vintage speaker...
Kevin, another great video & topic. I have the OPTIMUS PRO 7AV version of the Minimus Series. Recently, to keep the Wife Factor happy, I pulled these out for one of my setups and added a Bose passive subwoofer all mated to a NAD 7020e receiver. The results... it doesn't suck. It is very listenable for a small setup in a common part of the house. Not everything can be about high-end equipment. Enjoy what you have!
One that gets overlooked that I occasionally see is Realistic T-100's. They're not the end all of hi-fi by any measure, but they have a really nice, non fatiguing sound to them. They're also one of the least picky speakers I've ever owned. They're very flexible in terms of placement and amplifier pairing. If you see a pair going for cheap, don't hesitate.
I had a pair of Minimus 7 in black, my buddy blew the tweeters on his Studio Labs so we used the Minimus 7 's as tweeters , just set them on top and extended the tweeter wire out and up . Looked wierd,but sounded pretty good.
Saw this video then coincidentally got offered Minimus 7s in a trade. They are great. Built like tanks and convenient for taking up no space and bringing them outside.
I still have my pair of Sansui AS100's I bought new around 1971. Still play fine. Surrounds are decent due to the fact they didn't use foam, but some cloth stuff with "tar" coating it all!
I use the Optimus/LX-5 speakers as surrounds in my bedroom system. My supervisor gave them to me. They get the job done. I did replace the woofers, because the foam had disintegrated. I found drop in replacements that have Kevlar cones with butyl rubber surrounds.
I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top.
I swear I had a pair of Minimus 7's in my 1968 Camaro RS Convertible in 1977. I blew up several sets and I'd just take them back to RS and they'd give me a new one. I think I was using a Craig amp? Maybe a Pioneer? Can't remember - I was young and smoking a lot of weed. Man, I'll tell ya that Camaro was a chick magnet. Lincoln High, Des Moines 1979
Great video and info! I picked up a pair of the JBLs a few years ago as the price was right and they just looked like they might be something a little special. Hooked them up to my NAD 7240 and was not impressed. Then tried them with my SX 850 and was somewhat disappointed . I then used them in my surround system with my Yamaha AVR and they were ok, but nothing special. I finally switched them out and decided to use them in my garage with an older Denon AVR and bingo , they really opened up! Not sure why , but The Denon appears to be the perfect match as they really came to life. They definitely taught me that if your equipment isnt matched properly , you could be missing out on some fantastic speakers!
Personal thought, the EPI/Epicure M90 and (more known and popular) M100 is a highly overlooked speaker. Amazing extension for it's size and a fantastic tweeter, my M90's are some of the most pleasant speakers to listen to I have ever heard.
I've missed a few videos, but I like the new look. The Sansui S-57 is an excellent sounding and very robust speaker. One of the few sets I've had that could take the full power of my Realistic STA 2300 and love every minute of it.
I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top. LX5 could make great surrounds I always thought, with that tweeter dispertion.
I was wondering if you had any experience with the DCM Time Windows. Probably the most divisive speakers ever made. I had mine for 34 years and gave them to my nephew a few years ago because I didn't want to sell them to a stranger.
recently picked a pair of BIC America model Venturi medium size two way in near mint condition sold on amazon for $220 free shipping i got this pair at a goodwill nearby for $15... what a find, never heard of the brand they sound excellent great bass response. Ideal for my small studio. I sold my Klipsch KG2 s because they were too big for my new crib. Sold the Kg2s for $200 used them daily for 20 years not bad return since i paid 450 when new in Boston....but again BIC America, what a surprise !!
I've got a pair of Minimus 7's I found years ago on a flea market here in the UK. I paid £18 for them. They're the 7W model with the wooden cabinets. The only fault is that the grille cloths are slightly frayed but other than that they're perfect. I've seen many upgrade kits for these but even completely standard and original like mine, they're suprisingly good for their size. True, they're not bass monsters but they're great for bedroom systems even without a subwoofer. Another one to watch for are the Mission/Denon SCM-51. These are of a similar ilk to the Mission speakers in this vid but smaller. I got some from a secondhand furniture store for £10 including cables and stands! Again, the grilles were a bit frayed but what a huge suprise they turned out to be. They punch well above their weight. Depending how they're placed, you can get away without having to bother with a subwoofer. The bass doesn't sound like hard, forced "psychacoustic" bass as with a lot of small speakers and it goes plenty deep, shockingly so considering they only have a 4" bass unit. They're rear-ported, they look cheap (cabinet finish is on a par with cheap chipboard/MDF furniture) but they sound absolutely incredible. For anyone with experience of Wharfedale Diamonds, they're easily on a par with them and may even be better. I used to have some Diamonds but never did an A-B comparison of the two speakers.
I have two pairs of minimus 7's and love them both. One pair was like $10(Grey metal) and the other like $16(walnut veneer). One I use in the garage and the other as computer speakers. Can't beat em for the price.
I bought a pair of Minimus 7’s in walnut a year ago for $30 and I have been thrilled with the sound. I just saw my first pair in the wild at the thrift the other day, but they were pretty far gone.
Nice to see the Minimus make the list. My office system uses Minimus 7Ws (Walnut cabinet) with upgraded crossovers (highly recommended), powered by a Pioneer SX 3700 and augmented by an old JBL sub to round out the bottom. This is a decent sounding system at lower volumes and very good for near field. IMO, the sound is airy and clear, tending toward warm. I like it. :)
Coincidences abound - I'm running a set of Walnut M7's as my desk speakers and have a 3700 that I put over at my mom's house so that she can listen to her Herb Albert LP's.
I hear you on the Minimus 7. It's a decent little speaker and I have a pair hooked up to my desktop computer at work. Funny you should include the HLS610 in your list. I remember when Corey Greenberg reviewed them in Audio magazine. I ended up buying five of them for my home theater system when Best Buy was closing them out. I noticed they didn't all sound exactly the same. Turns out the crossovers are slightly different in two of the five. Those two just ended up on the rear channels.
Great list, Just picked up a pair of Teac LS-X7s which are rebadged Minimus 7's for $15.. Neat little bench speakers. The Realistic Nova Line as a whole are pretty good!
I found a pair of Polk T15's a $449 JBL center channel speaker and a Velodyne 10" powered sub for $150....and it came with a Harmon Kardon AVR 225 receiver and a Sony Blu Ray and a really nice cabinet ! I was surprised it all worked and it sounds great ! Now i need a pair of tower speakers and I'm set !
Add the Mission 760i to your watch-for list. The originals, the 760, were What HiFi's Bookshelf speaker of the year. Rubber surrounds, front ported for easy positioning. The 760i were a revision that changed the jacks and crossover. But either was amazing. Available dirt cheap these days.
Good choice of speakers... The Realistic Minimus were pioneers in their field.... with regard to sound and clarity. - The JBLs are a good choice as well... I have the Loft50s... purchased used. They are crzy - 6 speakers in each tower... but not too expensive. They take some power to drive, but are good for surround speakers in a Home Theater setup (front speakers I use are a Fisher tower pair).
I agree Kevin with you on the bigger sansui speakers not sounding that great i choose two pairs of polk s55 Signature Series Towers for my mixed sansui system
I was extremely surprised by the Philips FWB C550/17. I didn't expect much from them because they came with a mini system. I have a set connected to a Yamaha RS202 receiver. The speakers were going to be temporary but after hearing them it's my permanent setup.
Mission made some amazing speakers back in the day. My favourite is the Cyrus 781 standmounts from 1989. The 761 from the same year is also very impressive.
The Pioneer R-series, especially the R-300, are a great speaker, and nicely efficient. They paired up wonderfully with a 40 watt Fisher KX-200 tube amp. Too much power will burn them out, however, as I found out after hooking them up to a Carver 400 watt/channel amp!
I had a pair of those Optimus speakers with the top tweeter and I used them as rear speakers in my surround sound system. They were actually really good for that application and performed extremely well, especially watching the NASCAR racing on tv.
I have a pair of the Pro LX5’s, I’m the original owner. A couple of years ago I replaced the woofers with some I bought off of Amazon. I ended up putting them in the closet and bought a pair of Pioneer BS-22-LR’s.
Your video inspired me to dust them off and give them another listen. They sound a little more live than the pioneers and more airy. The soundstage is a little smaller, but the tweeter have a 3 dimensional presence, hard to explain. I’m glad I saw your video, it inspired me to rediscover an old friend…cheers!
very cool!
Just a quick note on the Mission speakers. Had a few pairs over the years, and from the info i've gathered, the England versions are M-5's, and the Malaysian versions are MS-50's. The power handling ratings are different. The Malaysian version is rated 20-50 watts, the England versions are rated at 15-75. The England versions sound a little better, probably due to a different/better tweeter. Woofer drivers are the same. Both sound great!
Boston CR6 and CR7 are also pretty good small bookshelf speakers
As a Radio Shack store manager in the 70's I can attest to the popularity of the Minimus-7 speakers. While the retail price on these speakers was $49 each, they did go on sale several times a year for $49 per pair. I still have 6 pairs I use around the house as desktop speakers or surround speakers. The other speaker we sold a lot of when they went on sale were the 15" Mach Ones.
I am really enjoying all your videos. Especially like the way you explain things like a real audio enthusiast. Your videos pertain to all of us low to medium budget people that love the vintage stuff. Your store looks like an awesome place. Keep up the good work and thanks.
I live in South Jersey but I would be in Kevin's store monthly if it was located within fifty miles from my front door. He's the kind of guy who deserves to thrive in small business. I always find his podcasts to be comforting and soothing when I sit back and enjoy my coffee on a lazy Sunday morning.
I worked at Allison Accoustics back in the '80's. Dr. Roy was a great boss. Every component got tested before installing. We go made everything but the cabinets and voice coils. Then two partners sold out to some wiz kids that were ex Accoustic Research. They drove the company into the ground. They wound up in an airplane hangar in Kentucky.
These are my favorite type of videos, the ones that inform us of better than average vintage components that might go unnoticed in the used marketplace. Please expand the series to include receivers, turntables, tape desks, etc. My speaker choice for this video is the Bose 301's. Recently picked up a pair of 301 IV (ugly black) for $10 off a sidewalk sale along with a pair of Bose 101 for $5.00. I've seen these listed from $40 - $200. Like the RS LX-5, these have a little extra something in their sound signature due to their Direct/Reflecting tweeter placement.
Good find
Not sure if they're overlooked, but I picked up a pair of Wharfedale E70's. Picked up a pair of MCS 3-ways from a guy on Facebook Marketplace for cheap. Then we got talking and he showed me his pride and joy, the E70's, which he owned since they were new. One had a bad woofer, but he still kept them. I bought them and promised to take care of them. I was able to fix the woofer (the spider was unglued), and later fixed one of the mids. Now they're part of my home system and I couldn't be happier.
One I would throw into the mix, similar to the Sansui's would be the early 70s Dynaco A25's. Great neutral natural sounding mid-range centric speakers . Seas tweeters, butyl surrounds on the 10" drivers never rot out. I'll never get rid of mine.
In a smaller room A25s sound great. The highs are especially clean. I love mine. And, you're right about the surrounds. They're no worry, unlike so many old woofers.
I've had a set of JBL HLS 810's since 1998. They came as the L/R speakers to my first "legitimate" home-theater setup I ever purchased. I still use them in my gameroom setup. There a great little speakers when paired with a comparable subwoofer. They still pack a good enough sound for someone as particular as me!
17:17 Holy shīza!! I just recently acquired a pair of Sansui AS 100s. They DO sound incredible!! Thanks, Kevin!
The Linaeum tweeter is a wonderful tweeter. It's secret superpower is that the tweeter varies its effective width - at lower frequencies the sound radiates out along the curved leaves, so they have a larger radiating area in the lower part of their range. As the frequency goes up, they get narrower, and approach a line source. So they maintain wider dispersion up high. Obviously, being dipoles, they radiate the treble very wide. The earlier LX5 with the metal screen over them, are a model ET-6 and they have a lower sensitivity. The later versions called LX55 or LX550 use an ET-6A tweeter which is higher sensitivity.
The cabinet is 5 sides of cast aluminum - but the front baffle is ABS plastic. This front baffle *really* benefits from stiffening/strengthening/damping. I have done several layers of denim cloth and Titebond III glue - like fiberglass essentially.
Linaeum made their own speakers, and some used their (better built) version of this tweeter. And others use a 6" high driver for the upper midrange on up to the treble. That driver is called TLS for "true line source" and it was in both a dipole and monopole version; depending on the model.
@@DeepHorizon3773 Right - the inventor is Paul Paddock, and he is a master! The WBLS driver - which stands for wideband line source - is a midrange/tweeter. I have onlt heard this driver briefly, but it is fantastic!
Linaeum had a 6" high driver they called TLS (true line source) that can work down into the midrange; but the WBLS has 40+ years of development.
@@NeilBlanchard I have Aurasound speakers from the late 90's which used Linaeum tweeters and they referred to them as their Line Source line. I discovered several weeks ago that that the main developer at RSL these days worked at Aurasound during that time. I still think their LSB-527M bookshelves sound very good and I use them every day in my garage system.
@@hondaphan4172 - yes they are a line source driver; and it was a gentleman named Paul Paddock who invented and developed these drivers. They are available now (40+ years later) as WBLS - wideband line source in speakers by MC Audiotech. I really hope that the current versions of these drivers can be produced and sold for others to use.
I've had experience with both the Radio Shack LX-5 and of course the Minimus 7. I worked at Radio Shack when the Minimus 7 came out, and they have been a hit ever since. There was a Realistic STA-7 mini receiver that matched them, and it made for a nice bookshelf background music system. The LX-5 I recall was after the name change to Optimus, but it was quite a popular speaker during the era when Radio Shack's audio had turned to blah. I had a pair of the LX-5, and recently refoamed a pair that I found for cheap. But my surprise was the Sansui AS series speakers. I bought a pair of the 12" three way version in very poor condition at a thrift store some years ago. They worked fine, but the dope on the woofers has oozed into the grill cloth and the cabinets were beat. I refinished the cabinets, replaced the grill cloth, recapped the crossover and WOW! I did not expect such a smooth, easy to listen to speaker from Sansui. When I sold them, a buyer came from out of state for them.
Still have a pair of Minimus 7s with the metal grille. I called them the poor-man's ADS
Mitsubishi SS-1121, three-way floor stander, 36” tall, 14” wide, 9.5” deep(!), 12 inch woofer. 8 ohm, about 87 or 88 db(?). Highly recommended if priced low. My neighbor threw out a pair last fall and I lugged them down the alley to my home, smiling. They sound pretty darn good-nice, easy-listening paper cone mid and tweeter, and physically palpable, impressive bass from that large, paper woofer in the sealed cabinet. I now enjoy them a lot in my garage shop. 😊
I used my Optimus lx-5 as surround speakers for twenty five years. I've paired them with DefTech towers and center for over twenty years. I'm still using the DefTech center with new Wharfedale Diamond 240 fronts. I've recently retired the lx-5s, and replaced them with Klipsch r51 for surround speakers. I also have rp500m's that I occasionally use in other applications.
Hi Kevin! I enjoyed this video . .and you were right . . I didn't expect to see two vintage Radio Shack speakers as part of the conversation! 😮 I have both the Realistic Minumus 7 Silver speakers, and the Optimus Pro LX5 2 1995 version speakers. I replaced the original LX5 woofers with a pair that used rubber instead of foam, as the original foam deteriorated. 😣 The LX5's were part of my prime system before being replaced by a pair of Klipsch RP-600m speakers as my 'A' speaker selection. A pair of Optimus Pro LX4 speakers (1995) are my prime 'B' channel speakers. 😉 The LX5 are now part of a basement system and still sound great. 😎👍🏽My Minumus 7's are part of my Vintage setup which are driven by a Realistic STA-95 45W receiver as 'B' desktop speakers. The 'A' speakers switch between a pair of Emotiva B1+ speakers and vintage DBX Soundfield 3X2 LS speakers. I look forward to part 2 of this review, and I absolutely LOVE the intro tune you use for your videos . . .it's a "Get's stuck in my head" kind of tune!! 🤣🤣😋 Thank You Kevin . . . your work is appreciated! 👍🏽👍🏽
Glad you mentioned KLH in this video. In my opinion the KLH model 6 was and still is one of the best speakers ever made. I have a pair bought by my cousin in the late 50s. I got them when I purchased his component system in the early 60s when he was going to upgrade. Through several system changes I have kept them because I’ve never heard any speakers I liked better. I know they came back in the 90s built by someone else (Boston Acoustic I Think) because there was a demand by consumers for them. Now about 65 years old they still sound great.
Show ADS speakers some love!
Also, the little JVC fullrange speakers that came with the executive systems. Shocking amount of bass.
Love ADS! Have a few pair that will never be for sale =)
Have a pair of L620's. Love them paired with my Marantz amp. Got them as a free porch pick up. Polished cabinets a bit and voila! They have the metal grille too!
I had the Walnut Optimus version of the Minimus, bought in the 90's at local Radio Shack, they were great sounding speakers!! Used to have them hanging in the kitchen, everything sounded really good on them, no matter what type of music. Small but mighty!
I had some LX5's in the late 90's. They were good for classical recordings in particular. They don't go really loud with that sensitivity and small woofer but within their limits they weren't bad at all.
Have to admit that I've walked past more pairs of those Realistic/Optimus/RCAs than I care to remember, and I never paid them any attention. Lesson learned!
One small inexpensive speaker that I've always enjoyed that could now be almost considered vintage is the Polk Audio RT25i. I've owned a number of them over the last decade+ and I never cease to be impressed by them. They're such a well rounded, and well built little speaker.
The Optimus AV version of the Minimus 7 is magnetically shielded, a useful feature if placed near a CRT. A pair of them have been my surround sound speakers for 25 years. They're mounted behind the couch on the custom stands that were available for the Minimus product line.
I own a pair of the Mission MS-50s (Made in England). Picked them up at a garage sale for $20 about 5 years ago. Excellent, lovely little units, sound great, and play much larger than you would expect for bookshelf speakers.
Not that they are overlooked, I have found why so many love Large Advent speakers. I now own 3 pairs of these speakers, 1 nice pair of "new" bullnose speakers, 1 nice pair of utility cabinet speakers, & 1 ratty pair of utility cabinet speakers that need a refoam. All in, my total spend was about $200 CDN (approx $150 USD) for these 3 sets of speakers. Which isn't bad for a 4Ω parallel stack of Advents & a spare ratty pair for the garage (once refoamed). I think the Large Advents are possibly the best deal in vintage speakers.
Advents were my first speakers and I have heard that they are amazing when doubled up, but never got to listen to a double setup.
Last comment, I promise: EPI 100 speakers from the early 70’s. Wonderful tone, deep bass, easy to drive, walnut veneer, simple to repair as they will likely need a refoam. Inverted dome tweeter which was rare then. 8” woofer, one capacitor for the tweeter. Look for the earlier models with the paper cone woofer. Later plastic cone models had kind of a quack in the midrange. Also the EPI 90. Same as the 100 but with a vinyl wrap.
Same for EpI50, super crispy mid and high and nice solid bass. I am happy to own a pair😊
I refoamed a pair of Epicure Model 10 for a lady who runs a yarn shop. They sounded way too good to be quietly playing in a yarn shop. She paid me $40 and later that day I found a set of Epi100 on FB that have the rubber surrounds. I really enjoy the sound from those inverted tweeters.
I have a pair of AS100’s. My dad, who knew audio, bought them as part of a new component system for my Christmas gift way back then. Well I’m 65 now. I have them up on the wall, the grill cloth has been replaced due to residual ooze from the woofer surround compound, no harm to the drivers they are functionally normal. Absolutely wonderful sounding speakers. My cabinets are in pristine condition as well. Now I know what I have, thank you for explaining this model.
I love the AS100's too and that sound good - I also have a pair of SP2500's that sound better. The 70's SP's don't get much love on this channel and that's fine (although over done). They are a great speaker if you like your mid's and your music leans toward strings, horns, keys. I also get that some of those models were a mess including the SP1500 with the different sized mids and poor domes that didn't fit what the rest of the speaker was doing.
One of my favorite mini bookshelf speakers is the ADS 510..a very good quality entry speaker with a good dynamic range and a surprisingly good bass response.
I found a pair of Mission Cyrus 781 speakers at goodwill for like 20 bucks. The cabinets are like 5/10 but for a bookshelf speaker I have not come across anything that sounds better
Cabinets can almost always be fixed 😊
I had the Mission MS-50 speakers. They were really good. They packed a punch for being so small...and they are extremely small compared to other bookshelf speakers.
I bought a pair of MS-50s at a thrift shop. They are impressively good for their size.
I picked up a Denon / Mission package for a bedroom system after glowing reviews in Sensible Sound.
same! got a pair off craigslist for $50 about 10 years ago, england variant. i used them on my desktop for years, then gave them to a friend a couple of years ago. i hope she's actually using them, i kinda miss 'em, lol
Minimus 7 are fantastic for the size. Stereo imaging for days. Early all metal Japanese versions are the best IMO. TonyB did an upgrade on a pair of these and the optimus speaker.
My neighbor passed, and left me a pair of Sansui SP-100 speakers, which sound real nice! They have a small horn, and 3 sound settings on the back. I always turn the setting on the greater one, in order to compensate for the fact that they probably sound a bit dull after all these decades, and possibly need 're-capping'.
The Realistic Minimus 7 wasn’t the first mini speaker, but certainly the most popular. The earliest mini speaker I’m aware of was a British-made Goodmans model, 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I saw it in my 1965 Lafayette Radio catalog. And don’t forget the Visonic David. They were all the rage in the early 70’s. They were about the same size as the Minimus 7, black cast metal cabinet, inefficient, and expensive for the time. My older brother had a pair he used with a Marantz 2010 receiver. Great little receiver. Surprisingly, its 10 WPC were able to rock the David’s rather well. The best sounding mini speaker I’ve ever heard was a little walnut model, the Sequerra Met7. Yes, Dick Sequerra (the famous FM tuner company) late 80’s maybe. 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I could listen to those all day.
I've had the Malaysian Missions for years and yes they sound fantastic - I will never get rid of them. At some point I'll pick up a pair of the English ones for comparison.
I had never heard the term "Kabuki speaker" until now. However, that describes my first decent pair of speakers in the early 1970s, specifically a pair of Sansui SP-1200. Eventually, after auditioning other speakers, I found them too boomy for my evolving tastes. Circa 1980, I finally replaced them with a pair of used KEF 104ab. Despite auditioning literally dozens of speakers during the ensuing years, I am still enjoying the KEFs.
I believe 99.9% of these Kabuki speakers used a very low excursion woofer in a cabinet far too small for the size woofer. The woofers were almost more of a pro-sound type with accordion surround and relatively thin paper cone. They were generally pretty shallow cabinets. They usually excelled at punchy, loud rock music. Kinda the first "party speakers".
There’s one good pair of vintage speakers from Yamaha - NS-1000M, the bass is so natural, highs and mids so transparent.
the reference speaker of the swedish boradcasting company for years.
Hands down the most brilliant and technically accurate speakers I’ve ever owned. Very regrettably was forced to sell mine due to money issues but I enjoyed them for the 8 years I had them. When I did sell them I got more than three times what I paid originally paid for them.
The NS 1000 is an amazing speaker , a stacked pair tweeter to tweeter on a high mass stand around 9 to 12 inches are world beaters .
Lol I always thought they sounded crap minds are upfront hi end is harsh but very relieving bass rolls of at like 80hz so it can play flat with not much stored energy
@@allwayzactive4599Haven't listened to them extensively, but I wasn't impressed either.
I have a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers I picked up at a thrift store for $10. They were sold with the HP-550 stereo. Yeah it was an all in one turntable and radio with speakers. However, the speakers have a 10" woofer and 4" tweeter at 8 ohms and we're made by Onkyo for Sony. They're really rich sounding, but lacking in the low end. I paired them with a Polk PSW10, following your video on adding a sub, and they are amazing!
The best part is they have an amazing Danish modern look with wood cabinets, matte aluminum trim and black cloth with gold sparkle.
I'm using a Yamaha RX-450 as my source.
Thanks for this video. I picked up a pair of LX5 today at thrift for a ten spot. Just finished a refoam job on them! Excited to listen to them tomorrow when the glue is good and dry. Cheers.
KEF Caprice is a fantastic small loudspeaker if you’re into classical music. I’ve enjoyed them since mid eighties.
A speaker to consider is the aDs L300/300c, L400. Higher end bookshelf. Had these, sold these, live these. Expensive then and still carry a decent price used. Fabulous sound. Relatively uncolored but fun. Popular choice of engineers because of the great sound and portability. Put them on you list.
Great speakers. Natural and non fatiguing.
I still have a pair of the lx5s. I refoamed them and added fiber fill into the cabinets and they actually sound pretty good! Stuffing a bit of fiber fill into the ports will cure the chuffing issue.
I had the base model of the Optimus version of those they were fantastic speakers and as far as I know the person I sold them to is still enjoying them today. Mine were a horizontal style that had a 4-in Kevlar woofer in them
I had some Optimus 40's when I was in the military in the 80s. A lot of people would ask me about them - even guys who had been overseas and had really high-end equipment. I thought they sounded great and I wish I still had them.
The RCA Cat# 40-5036 are a good buy too. They have those same Linaeum style tweeters and a kevlar cone woofer. They need refoaming but they are similar to the Minimus 7 in the style of a metal cabinet, but are a step up in size. They are rear ported and sound much better than the Minimus 7 to me. They were sold by Rad Shack under different names at times as well.
I spent a number of years stationed in Germany and I put together my dream system, Phase Linear amp. preamp and tuner. I had HPM 100 speakers and was full-on in love with them. Life happened and in 1994, someone offered me an obscene amount of money for that system and I sold it. I've regretted it since.
Four years ago, I was perusing a mom and pop thrift shop and ran into a set of hpm 100s for 40 bucks. The cabinets were beat to crap but after pulling the grill facing off, they looked really good. I bought them and took them to my repair guy and he recommended reconing them and possibly refoaming the woofer. I bit the bullet and paid for the work and now have them at home and the sound is remarkable. I no longer have any vintage hardware but my cheap sony receiver is adequate. I;ve owned a lot of speakers in my life, but the HPM 100s just captivate me. I could have probably just bought a set that didn't "seem" to need any work but I learned early, looks are deceiving. These HPMs rock my house.
Another fun installment. Ah, Minimus 7's. I chatted about these little gems in a previous video when you were showing them as "bench speakers". Yep, as a person below states, RS did sell mounting frames for these, and I actually had a pair of black ones, mounted on the rear shelf of my Olds Cutlass, until someone wanted them more than I did. And yes, they do make acceptable surround speakers, and I still have the white pair in my great room. Cambridge Soundworks sold a similar "satellite" setup called the Ensemble II which included a floor mounted "sub" and the two satellites. Truly enjoyed this. Looking forward to the next installment...Rip
I bought a pair of the Realistic Optimus speakers brand new when first available and still have them. I used to subscribe to Audio and Stereo Review which reviewed these speakers. They said they were very good for their price and size. When I downsized from a big house to a small apartment I sold tons of my vintage audio equipment and I still had them after selling around a dozen sets of speakers. jcb
I'm a low brow audiophile BUT, I love my Pioneer HPM 100's the 200 Watt Version. That said my best friend has some small speakers like these mounted on his wall that are connected to his entertainment center. He loves movies with lots of car chases, gun fights and things always blowing up. His tiny speakers rock. His sub woofer handles the explosions and sound good. BUT the tiny speakers are GREAT at making sure you can actually HEAR every word a person is saying. Most speakers make the explosions down out what is said, producing what I call audio MUD! These tiny speakers make it feel as if the people are right in the room with you. The explosions sound real because you hear people's voices layered in, not mixed in the sound.
I bought a pair of tower speakers, with center channel and two front speakers from a company called FLUANCE out of Canada about 7 years ago for $279.00 and man was I blown away. Still have them and man do they sound ultra fantastic. Made of wood cabinet with traditional connectors and also banana plugs. Unbelievable deal for the quality. I found out that at that time they were trying to get noticed in the US market, so they had that special. In all honesty I would have thought the package cost more likely $1000. Never looked back or regretted buying them.
OMG that "sip some wine" clip/comment was hilarious. thats some funny shit.
;)
I aquired a set of MCS 8232 for nada. I work the pay booth at the local landfill before stuff gets tossed. So I took them home (along with a MCS reciever and turntable) ... cleaned them up. Plugged them in... wow! I had the woofers refoamed. And they've been in our livingroom since 2019. Great sounding speakers. They even came with a soft dome midrange!
Back in the day they retailed for $400.00/pair. Rated @ 10-100 watts rms. Sensitivity (1 watt at 1 meter) 92db. Crossovers at 700hz-8000hz. Frequecy range 30-20,000 hz.
Bought a pair of minimus 7s new from a radio shack in Rochester NY in the 70s. Metal case and grille, indestructible. Had them double wired with a pair of large advents in college powered by a Kenwood receiver. They now provide background BT music in our library powered by a small chifi amp. Still sound great, I even have the original boxes and packing materials!
I have the HLS 620's and HLS-410'S. You are spot on with the sound. I built my 1st home theater around them. Mine are a little worn and looking at replacing the tweeter with a Ceramic infinity tweeter and some Dayton glass fiber speakers.
I'm a vintage audio lover but I have to say, I bought a pair of Triangle BR03s and they are absolutely amazing!! Of course my Dynaco ST70 is driving them...
I had those optimus speakers. Few yrs back.
Used them with a Acurian 5.1 surround receiver.
100 watts!
From a yard sale!
They liked power, till i blew them!
The LX5 tweeters give s terrific spacial experience. The Kevlar woofers in one version had ferocious ringing problems.
I was fortunate enough to come by a pair of Sansui LM-330s a few years ago. I got both of them for $7 bucks... They are in good shape overall, and they sound really good. One hell of a bargain 😮
If you happen to see a pair of Celestion Model A Compacts for sale, don't let them get away. The construction is absolutely the finest solid wood with first class crossover components and a unique driver system that produces an incredible image and stage. Sure, bass is lacking with only a 4" woofer, but adding even small subwoofers can give you a world class nearfield system. I am still amazed, having been a huge speaker fanatic, the bigger the better mentality, and massive power amp guy for over 50 years, that these speakers have the purest, cleanest, and utterly pleasing sound that I have ever heard. They are 87db and I drive them with 155 wpc, though I only use a fraction of that power. I could go on for pages about these speakers. I was able to find a second pair for $200.00 recently. They were produced just before Celestion stopped being made in England , 1999, and sold for $1,000.00 a pair. Not test bench speakers due to the fact that the drivers are proprietary and scarce as hen's teeth. That being said, having bought the first pair at a garage sale for $50.00, I was using them for just that when I was stunned at the fidelity and imaging. I called my wife over and had her listen to Diana Krall and she actually gasped while exclaiming that they were so unnerving because her voice wasn't coming from the speakers but hovered in the air a several feet in front of her. Later testing proved that they also can produce a sound stage of nearly 180 degrees with certain recordings. They are now my main system speakers for all 2 channel music coupled with a pair of 12" powered subs and easily produce 100db listening levels if the music demands it. I play them in the 80db range +- most times. Loved the video giving attention to smaller speakers. Thanks.
I have a few pairs of the LX5’s that I purchased back when they were new and you are correct that the foam surrounds do deteriorate at the age that they are. I purchased new surrounds kits that were specially made for them from Simply Speakers and did the repair myself on a couple of them and it was not hard at all. (This is my first attempt with surround repairs) and also they’ve got some direct drop in replacements mid range woofers that are really high-quality as well. I did a couple of those too and the speakers sound amazing when placed on a dedicated speaker stand and paired with a subwoofer.
Just acquired a set of Sharp CP 6700 tower speakers for free and hooked them up tp my 1978 NAD 3045 Integrated amp. Lovely sound!
What an amazing video, I love speakers!
I definitely put the Missions and and the Optimus LX5 on my radar !
I get sad every time anyone talks about the Minimus 7 as I handed mine to friend
Because I found them sitting in a closet after more than a decade lol.
At the same time though you reminded me how easy and inexpensive they are to replace!
I’m a Sansui speaker fan and those As-100 blew my mind !
I enjoyed this speaker session so much!
I’m a speaker collector, vintage and new so this was right up my alley!
Thank you !
Great video. The Sansui is interesting. Posting capacitor ratings for the speakers would be helpful for those who might want to change them out. Looking forward to your next!
I stand by vintage speakers. I have a pair of Infinity RS series that are from the mid 1980's and still are on fire, churning out some of the crispest highs I could ever want. What I love most about vintage: Real wood.... solid wood, not laminate. Great-looking cabinets with detailed routed grooves on the sides, not the anonymous black-on-black-on-black boxes with no grilles that are almost all you can get today. If one ever fails, I will rebuild them, whatever the cost.
I also used to have some Sansui SP-2500's, but I had to let those go, mostly because they are gigantic and just didn't fit well in the new house. I miss those real wood lattice grilles.
Great video!
If you like the Realistic Minimus 7 speakers, you will probably LOVE the Minimus 11's. Distinctly more bass and pretty much the same as the 7's but fuller. Same bombproof metal case and weigh a ton.
I have a pair of minimus-7's which l've upgraded. Fantastic speakers. Based on this video, l hunted down a pair of LX-5's. Hooked to my HK 330B they're pure magic. Thanks for the pointer!!!
I still have four of those little NHT speakers in a closet that I used in a surround sound system back in the '90s. They were okay for that use, but I wouldn't want them for main speakers, even with a sub.
Hey Kevin! You just scratched the surface on this topic! Looking forward to seeing more of these videos. I have a Unicorn alert for the Optimus LX-4. A sexy walnut vaneered bookshelf with the Linaeum tweeter and a very speedy woven Kevlar 4" woofer. Beautiful sound, hard to find!
I also have a pair of the LX 4s in the master bed room still. And 4 pair of Min 7s for my patio surround system with a 12” sub and 500 watts .
I live in Japan so what I find when thrifting is very different from what you likely find in the US... but one brand that comes up often here for reasonable prices (depending on model) are DIATONE speakers. I bought a beat up pair of DS 100Z speakers for about 60 bucks just on a whim... paired them with a little aurex amp and was blown away by how smooth and weighty they managed to sound for their size (they are actually quite heavy)... I have been keeping my eyes open for another pair... Another good reasonable speaker you often find here is the Yamaha NS1000... they go for between 500 and 1000 a pair depending on condition. Very good vintage speaker...
Kevin, another great video & topic. I have the OPTIMUS PRO 7AV version of the Minimus Series. Recently, to keep the Wife Factor happy, I pulled these out for one of my setups and added a Bose passive subwoofer all mated to a NAD 7020e receiver. The results... it doesn't suck. It is very listenable for a small setup in a common part of the house. Not everything can be about high-end equipment. Enjoy what you have!
One that gets overlooked that I occasionally see is Realistic T-100's. They're not the end all of hi-fi by any measure, but they have a really nice, non fatiguing sound to them. They're also one of the least picky speakers I've ever owned. They're very flexible in terms of placement and amplifier pairing. If you see a pair going for cheap, don't hesitate.
I had a pair of Minimus 7 in black, my buddy blew the tweeters on his Studio Labs so we used the Minimus 7 's as tweeters , just set them on top and extended the tweeter wire out and up . Looked wierd,but sounded pretty good.
Saw this video then coincidentally got offered Minimus 7s in a trade. They are great. Built like tanks and convenient for taking up no space and bringing them outside.
I still have my pair of Sansui AS100's I bought new around 1971. Still play fine. Surrounds are decent due to the fact they didn't use foam, but some cloth stuff with "tar" coating it all!
I use the Optimus/LX-5 speakers as surrounds in my bedroom system. My supervisor gave them to me. They get the job done. I did replace the woofers, because the foam had disintegrated. I found drop in replacements that have Kevlar cones with butyl rubber surrounds.
I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top.
I swear I had a pair of Minimus 7's in my 1968 Camaro RS Convertible in 1977. I blew up several sets and I'd just take them back to RS and they'd give me a new one. I think I was using a Craig amp? Maybe a Pioneer? Can't remember - I was young and smoking a lot of weed. Man, I'll tell ya that Camaro was a chick magnet. Lincoln High, Des Moines 1979
lol
Great video and info! I picked up a pair of the JBLs a few years ago as the price was right and they just looked like they might be something a little special. Hooked them up to my NAD 7240 and was not impressed. Then tried them with my SX 850 and was somewhat disappointed . I then used them in my surround system with my Yamaha AVR and they were ok, but nothing special. I finally switched them out and decided to use them in my garage with an older Denon AVR and bingo , they really opened up! Not sure why , but The Denon appears to be the perfect match as they really came to life. They definitely taught me that if your equipment isnt matched properly , you could be missing out on some fantastic speakers!
Personal thought, the EPI/Epicure M90 and (more known and popular) M100 is a highly overlooked speaker. Amazing extension for it's size and a fantastic tweeter, my M90's are some of the most pleasant speakers to listen to I have ever heard.
I've missed a few videos, but I like the new look.
The Sansui S-57 is an excellent sounding and very robust speaker. One of the few sets I've had that could take the full power of my Realistic STA 2300 and love every minute of it.
What a coincidence. I picked up a pair of the Mission speakers last week on FB Marketplace for $25!
I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top. LX5 could make great surrounds I always thought, with that tweeter dispertion.
I also have JBL HLS 410's. 4" 2 ways. Not bad! Most Japanese speakers from the 70's sounded like hell! Very few sounded good.
I was wondering if you had any experience with the DCM Time Windows. Probably the most divisive speakers ever made. I had mine for 34 years and gave them to my nephew a few years ago because I didn't want to sell them to a stranger.
recently picked a pair of BIC America model Venturi medium size two way in near mint condition sold on amazon for $220 free shipping i got this pair at a goodwill nearby for $15... what a find, never heard of the brand they sound excellent great bass response. Ideal for my small studio. I sold my Klipsch KG2 s because they were too big for my new crib. Sold the Kg2s for $200 used them daily for 20 years not bad return since i paid 450 when new in Boston....but again BIC America, what a surprise !!
I've got a pair of Minimus 7's I found years ago on a flea market here in the UK. I paid £18 for them. They're the 7W model with the wooden cabinets. The only fault is that the grille cloths are slightly frayed but other than that they're perfect. I've seen many upgrade kits for these but even completely standard and original like mine, they're suprisingly good for their size. True, they're not bass monsters but they're great for bedroom systems even without a subwoofer.
Another one to watch for are the Mission/Denon SCM-51. These are of a similar ilk to the Mission speakers in this vid but smaller. I got some from a secondhand furniture store for £10 including cables and stands! Again, the grilles were a bit frayed but what a huge suprise they turned out to be. They punch well above their weight. Depending how they're placed, you can get away without having to bother with a subwoofer. The bass doesn't sound like hard, forced "psychacoustic" bass as with a lot of small speakers and it goes plenty deep, shockingly so considering they only have a 4" bass unit. They're rear-ported, they look cheap (cabinet finish is on a par with cheap chipboard/MDF furniture) but they sound absolutely incredible. For anyone with experience of Wharfedale Diamonds, they're easily on a par with them and may even be better. I used to have some Diamonds but never did an A-B comparison of the two speakers.
I have two pairs of minimus 7's and love them both. One pair was like $10(Grey metal) and the other like $16(walnut veneer). One I use in the garage and the other as computer speakers. Can't beat em for the price.
I picked up pair of JVC Sk-15A - awesome as they were voicing my Sansui G9700. These speakers moved some air and delivered quite a punch.
I bought a pair of Minimus 7’s in walnut a year ago for $30 and I have been thrilled with the sound. I just saw my first pair in the wild at the thrift the other day, but they were pretty far gone.
Nice to see the Minimus make the list. My office system uses Minimus 7Ws (Walnut cabinet) with upgraded crossovers (highly recommended), powered by a Pioneer SX 3700 and augmented by an old JBL sub to round out the bottom. This is a decent sounding system at lower volumes and very good for near field. IMO, the sound is airy and clear, tending toward warm. I like it. :)
Coincidences abound - I'm running a set of Walnut M7's as my desk speakers and have a 3700 that I put over at my mom's house so that she can listen to her Herb Albert LP's.
I hear you on the Minimus 7. It's a decent little speaker and I have a pair hooked up to my desktop computer at work. Funny you should include the HLS610 in your list. I remember when Corey Greenberg reviewed them in Audio magazine. I ended up buying five of them for my home theater system when Best Buy was closing them out. I noticed they didn't all sound exactly the same. Turns out the crossovers are slightly different in two of the five. Those two just ended up on the rear channels.
Great list, Just picked up a pair of Teac LS-X7s which are rebadged Minimus 7's for $15.. Neat little bench speakers. The Realistic Nova Line as a whole are pretty good!
I found a pair of Polk T15's a $449 JBL center channel speaker and a Velodyne 10" powered sub for $150....and it came with a Harmon Kardon AVR 225 receiver and a Sony Blu Ray and a really nice cabinet ! I was surprised it all worked and it sounds great ! Now i need a pair of tower speakers and I'm set !
My favourite vintage speakers (apart from my 4311s) are the AR18s. I run them with a Hegel H80, it sounds sublime.
Add the Mission 760i to your watch-for list. The originals, the 760, were What HiFi's Bookshelf speaker of the year. Rubber surrounds, front ported for easy positioning. The 760i were a revision that changed the jacks and crossover. But either was amazing. Available dirt cheap these days.
Good choice of speakers... The Realistic Minimus were pioneers in their field.... with regard to sound and clarity.
- The JBLs are a good choice as well... I have the Loft50s... purchased used. They are crzy - 6 speakers in each tower... but not too expensive. They take some power to drive, but are good for surround speakers in a Home Theater setup (front speakers I use are a Fisher tower pair).
I agree Kevin with you on the bigger sansui speakers not sounding that great i choose two pairs of polk s55 Signature Series Towers for my mixed sansui system
Those JBLs though, I really loved that series back in the day. The towers. Like a Klipsch except pleasant to listen to!
I was extremely surprised by the Philips FWB C550/17. I didn't expect much from them because they came with a mini system. I have a set connected to a Yamaha RS202 receiver. The speakers were going to be temporary but after hearing them it's my permanent setup.
Mission made some amazing speakers back in the day. My favourite is the Cyrus 781 standmounts from 1989. The 761 from the same year is also very impressive.
The Pioneer R-series, especially the R-300, are a great speaker, and nicely efficient. They paired up wonderfully with a 40 watt Fisher KX-200 tube amp. Too much power will burn them out, however, as I found out after hooking them up to a Carver 400 watt/channel amp!
Thank you for clueing me in about the Sansui AS100 & AS300.
Get some!