I think there is some confusion- we are not recomending the $10,000 cables shown in the video when i say "you DO NOT need to spend a fortune." The cables we suggested are $26 amzn.to/3Jlm4RV
Agreed on this point. Well made cables are not super expensive. It just needs to be well made and use good materials. It's also nice, if you have something that's visible when people in your space, to have something that looks nice enough that you don't have to go through big efforts hide them.
Another point about cables is that used cables can be a great alternative. For a fraction of the cost of new or the current line of high end ($$$$) cables one can pick up outstanding speaker cables and interconnects. After all what can really go wrong with well made cables in very good condition? And with regard to subwoofers, I live by this rule: If you can hear your subwoofer, it's too loud. It's there to augment your speakers, not replace them.
Yeah... $10K cables ARE snake oil, but a good cable from Blue Jeans or Triangle or make your own using Belden. IF you do decide to make your own cables, you will see that $30 for a nice pair of phono cables is a pretty good value.
@@thecarman3693 If you can't hear the sub then it is pointless. Good augment for narrow tower speakers that can't hold a 15'' woofer. Primarily for home theatre games and dance stuff which isn't real music anyway.
The first and second receivers I purchased in the 70's were Realistic. As a teenager in the 70's, that is what I could afford. Plus, there was a Radio Shack a block away. Realistic got me into stereo equipment. I still own the first receiver I bought, and 48 years later, it still works.
I bought a STA-2000 IN 1978, along with a pair of Mach One speakers, and a turntable and a cassette deck....I just recently sold my Mach 1s after all these years. I'm shopping for another STA-2000 or 2001.
I bought my REALISTIC STA 2000 from your store 5,6 years ago , and with the Advent's from your store im completely happy with the sound quality and being retired i play music 40 hrs a week at least really enjoy your weekly videos keep up the good work Kevin
Absolutely agree with everything you said in this video. I’m a “HiFi Hoarder” I have a large collection of high quality vintage components going back to the 1970’s, but I also own a surround sound system that was state of the art in the mid 2000’s. These days I’ve been acquiring all sorts of Chinese made separates (DAC’s, Monoblocks, etc.) The Audiophile hobby is full of snobbery and unsubstantiated opinion, I feel like “Audiophiles” would be more appropriately be named “Audio Connoisseurs.” The point is, I’ve enjoyed acquiring, setting up and listening to every imaginable type of audio gear for more than 50 years. Everything from cheap Radio Shack to professional studio digital recording equipment. I throughly enjoy your channel, and hope to visit the Skylab Store in person eventually. Keep up the good work!
I always wanted a Realistic receiver back in the 70s. I recently found one sitting next to a dumpster. It's a STA-2600, and after a good cleaning, worked like new. At 100 wts/channel, no reason to crank it up more than 1/3 the way. Great sound and great tuner.
100% agree about the subwoofer. Once you hook one up and listen, you can't go back. Everything just sound thin and lifeless without. Even with my bass heavy floor speakers, the subwoofer just tit those extra deep frequencies that vibrate in your chest. Can't live without it.
I had high quality expensive speakers back in the day. ESS AMT 3b Studio Monitor Towers. The were flat down to 30 Hz and I dad cracked widows to show for it. Their bottom end contained 2 12 inch woofers/1 active and one passive. The shipping weight was 103 lbs each and they were solid a a rock. If the bass was there it would faithly reproduce it and if the bass was not there they would not bump it up. Was looking for a reconditioned pair and zero. Although their little brother is somewhat around - the 1b pyramid shaped ones. I agree that if one's speakers can only go down to about 50 or so Hz a good Sub would make good sense
Really does depend on your room acoustics and the speaker as well. I have a set of infinity Kappa nines that will go down to 29 Hz. They have double 12 inch woofers in each cabinet and the cabinets are 5 feet tall. And they will certainly more than make you feel it at the right volume lol. Nothing wrong with having a subwoofer and in most cases you will get better results.
Agree. I Had the same experience with my towers with 3 eight inch woofers each. Added one sub. It was better. Added a second sub and it was better still. Like you, I can’t unhear it and I’m hooked for life. Good for you having an open mind. You let your ears and experiences lead to your conclusions which can change over time. I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken.
@@ethimself5064 Best speakers ever made..although you was corrected by a guy saying , you said they had 2 12 in speakers,you did say, one was a passive . I have a pair hooked up to a Technics SA-1000 with 330 watts per channel and there is no need for a sub..
I'm rocking a Realistic 2080 that I bought from Sally Anne some years back for $25. Pots were filthy but once cleaned up it sounded great. The thing has balls! It has a ton of power, weighs a ton as well.
I'm an engineer now but when I was a teenager I worked for the local Radio Shack. I LOVED some of that gear and still do. Minimus 7s? I was also friends with the son of the owner of the electronic repair shop all the audio shops in town went to for their repairs. The trick I learned back then that I continue to use for companies like Monoprice is by looking at the safety certification numbers on the unit. In most cases that number will be the same for the "off brand" model as it is for the "big name" version. There is a database online you can access in the US and in Canada and check the number. It will show you the devices that are certified as safe under that number from the other companies selling it. Used to be easy to buy what sold as high end audio on the super cheap by getting the Realistic or Optimus (not Prime) versions. Marantz, Pioneer, Sanyo and Kenwood were all manufacturers that were sold as Realistic. Love these kinds of videos with the actual work side of the gear finally being shown to folks. Thanks Kevin.
Some like the STA-2080, STA-2000, STA-2100 were excellent receivers. Likely built by Foster Electronics. Their Minimus 7 and Mach One speakers have a following too. I have a few Realistic SPA-100 power amplifiers that are robust with the entire sides being external heat sinks for the output transistors. SPA-100 is a kind of unusual amplifier with only a single (stereo) input source, but with dual 7 band equalizers and volume / balance controls. Don't believe SPA-100 was sold by Radio Shack in the US.
A lot of good stuff in there. I'm a older guy and back in high school i spent more money on audio than my friends spent on cars. My senior high school year i had almost $2000 tied up in audio equipment and I built my own speaker systems. I was going to do it for a career but life got in the way. I got my first subwoofer for my computer around 1997. I spent a good chunk of change on it and ever since then I've been a fan of them. Back then I had the neighbor call the cops on me for listening to my computer too loudly. It was when mp3 first got popular and I was testing them out. I'm now a subscriber and I hope you reach your goal.
We are so aligned on vintage and new equipment opinions it’s scary. I managed a stereo shop between 1975 and 1980. THE golden years in my humble opinion. You are spot on when it comes to turntables. One of the greatest things about a turntable is the visual and physical connection to the whole experience of analog. I always enjoyed tweaking and fussing over the setup of a turntable. I’ve owned a Dual 1219, Dual 1229, H/K ST-7, Luxman PD-277, Rega P6 and my current Rega P8. The P8 is the best I’ve owned and definitely my last. I love watching your videos because it takes me back to some very special times. Keep it up buddy!
I'm an certified electronic technician and in the hobby since the lates 80s, and I always learn something with your videos. I appreciate your calm demeanor and the fact that you always respect each others tastes. BTW, I have very, very early sansui equipment, SM-32, from 1962, and their tube gear is really good. They started as a transformer company, so it make sense. It would be interesting to have an historic of each major brand. That would make a good serie.
I want to add to your comment on subwoofers. Over the years, being poor and unable to buy higher quality floor or bookshelf speakers, I relied on a subwoofer to help my cheap speakers bloom. When I finally reached a financial level where buying properly high end speakers didn't seem frivolous, I found that my sub was needed less, but still brought something to the table. I found that lowering the filter to below 50hz and reducing the volume, it really enhances the subtle low frequency sound. It makes high end book shelf speakers sound huge and wonderful. A must have in my opinion.
I have A LOT of vintage stereo. My Realistic SA-1001/TM-1001 come as close to anything anyone may claim to be 'high end'! Flawless performance with a cool retro look. Cheap too!
All good points. The biggest one I agree with is the subwoofer. My whole life I felt like it was unnecessary and that my tower speakers were doing the job just fine. One day I was at a pawn shop, and I saw an expensive sub for only $125. Coincidentally I had $125 to spend. I decided what the hell, and picked it up. I figured at the very least if I did t like it on my stereo, it was better than the one that I had on my entertainment center for movies and I could just put it there. But that never happened, and I was blown away how much better music that I had been listening to for 40+ years sounded. It was like listening to those albums for the first time to me. Now I can’t see a setup without one.
Kevin, I must admit that my heart sank a little when you brought up Sansui. I still have my 1977 AU-517 amp and TU-717 tuner. Both look and sound as good today as the day I bought them when I was in college. No scratches and they also have the mounting rack brackets. They don't really get much use these days as my stereo needs have changed over the years. In my previous home I had a dedicated home theater room set up consisting of an Integra amp and DVD player, 4 Boston Acoustic speakers and an M&K subwoofer. Loved it. Have since downsized and now pretty much listen to anything I tell Alexa to play. Sacrilegious I know. My audiophile desires haven't changed but my priorities have (my special needs children). Love your channel.
Back over 45 years ago I was the Service and Parts manager for a large commercial, industrial, professional, and retail company in BC Canada where we sold and serviced only quality high end equipment in the retail field like Macintosh, Nakamichi, Boston Acoustics, NAD, Teac, and many others. Recently I hauled my Akai AA-2020 out of the garage with a handful of the 1000 vinyl albums that make my collection, to listen on a my Technics SL-1200 mk ii with a Ruby cartridge, through a pair of Mission M72 bookshelf speakers. Good professional wiring is a must. I now experience daily pleasing stereo reproduction. My ears thank me. I actually hear a depth to the stereo separation that provides a 3dness I cannot explain. I don’t have seven channels or even five, and I no longer need my Yamaha powered subwoofer. Everything sounds magical. Yay for hearing my music back in analog. I forgot how it supposed to sound.
Another great video! Regarding Realistic, my father worked at Allied Radio in Chicago in the 1960’s. They made hifi stereo receivers and radio kits. They were bought out by Tandy Corp. circa 1970. Allied was a highly regarded company, their store on Washington and Western carried other brands of hifi equipment. They also had listening booths.
Allied. That sure brings up fond memories. I always was excited when my Allied Electronics catalog would show up. I remember buying all of my parts from Allied, for my electronics projects for 4-H. A couple of years ago -- I'm almost 70 now. And t there was Heathkit. Still own a bunch of my Heathkit stuff, up to and including my 25" Color TV, somewhere in my garage. What we grew up with, we are now buying again, and calling it "Vintage".....
@@ripjones5294 Fond memories... I'm 70, and used to drool through the Allied Radio, Heathkit and Lafayette catalogs when I was a teen... like what the Spiegel or Sears Christmas toy catalogs were for kids. I also have a couple of the Heathkit's I assembled... a tube tester, and an engine "analyzer" Oscilloscope.
A Yugo getting you from point A to point B was very rare. The most popular option was the rear window defroster, turn it on and keep your hands warm while pushing it in the cold :)
The Monster Cable "turbine" style RCAs destroyed lots of RCA inputs....mine included. Gave away hundreds of dollars worth of Monster. P.S. Don't give them to people you like!
i have a friend who bought the cheapest towers from B&W and he broke the terminals to fit a huge cable, and his cheap system sounds bad ,he even destroys cars that could work for almost 20 years in 3 to 5 years as the rpm counter doesnt have red line ,so diesel engine and 4 cylinder in line engine blown or the only produced by the thousands cars that only because he bought them are more rotative than the top car model released by Ferrari
Your comments on vintage stereo equipment have made me want to get my Luxman amp/tuner finally fixed. I have other amps but I would like to hear this one again. Thanks for the push. Great channel!
I have always loved Realistic. My firs and second stereo were Realistic. First a SA1001 and then STA2700. I never stopped using it. I just love the sound. It has so far been going 37 years. Loved it so much, I bought a second one. Also, have DADS Pioneer SX-626
It’s nice to be able to admit when you have surmised something to be correct and then find out that it’s not! I myself have fallen victim to this, but I can tell you that on my vintage gear. I finally spent some money on some great speaker cables and the company that I chose was called transparent audio out of Maine! They sent me a pair of $250 wires, but the connects weren’t the same for my vintage Klipsch Cornwalls so I had to send them back to them, showing them the receiver I was using them on as well as the connect on the back of the Cornwalls! They custom made a pair for me and sent them back and wow, what a difference!
Nice job Kevin on explaining some of your thoughts and how over time your opinion has changed. Very good hearing the reasoning as well. Thanks also for the cabling suggestions.
I’m brand new to the vintage audio world, having recently inherited a PL-530 from my late step-dad. I’m so glad I found your channel while diving for info on my turntable; I really love your videos man. I’ve seriously watched no less than 100 of them in the past 2 weeks. Your laid back approach to delivering such useful information, and the way you make it accessible for even the likes of a novice like me, are greatly appreciated. Thank you for what you do. Hopefully one day I’ll find myself in Iowa with the time to stop by and check out the shop and pick your brain.
I added a small under-seat powered subwoofer to the stereo in my truck back in 2017, and I am amazed by how much better my music and radio sounds. After watching your recent "how to hook up a subwoofer' video, I added a compact 10" sub to my vintage Marantz / JBL system. My music of choice sounds great, but I'm not sure I have the sub dialed in correctly just yet.
Hi Kevin thanks again for finding that cable problem. It was driving me crazy and now my system sounds awesome. It was well worth the trip and I do agree on your cable thoughts. You guys are the best!!!
Kevin - You definitely made me laugh with this one. Your candor is hilarious. Some times we just simply take this "fun" hobby too seriously. I knew when you reviewed the Wiim something was up. Keep it going baby.......
"Things I Had Completely Wrong !" -- Very glad you qualified that. Subwoofers -- In my Sport-Trac, with a factory subwoofer, when you turn the engine off, the radio still plays but without the sub. Music is still "there", but you do notice the difference. Enjoyable installment as always. Headphones arrived, but had to snag an 1/8" adapter for my tablet and laptop. Enjoyed the personal note as well.
I interviewed for a job at Radio Shack back in the early '80s. My mistake was thinking they would want someone who knows electronics. The interviewer told me "People buy Realistic stereos for one reason - easy monthly payments. You will think you sold five systems over the weekend and three deals will flunk the credit check". Happily, I wasn't hired.
Wish you shipped vintage gear, I saw a couple marantz turntables, something I had 45 years ago, I would love to buy. I’m a marantz guy but I do appreciate Sansui. My Buddy had an integrated amp and tuner with outstanding record quality on his tape players. A noticeable difference from mine. Enjoy your videos very much.
I grew up with Dad's Realistic Mach One speakers with a Pioneer SX 780 providing power. The sound was phenomenal. I still own Dad's original set, and have purchased and rebuilt 2 other pairs. Radio Shack for sure sold SOME good products. I stand by that Mach One line.
My new Sunday morning routine! Thanks again. I’ve got a sub sitting on a shelf that I’ll have to hook up to my vintage McIntosh system and stacked Advents. Gonna give it a listen.
I started with 4 polk s55 signature series monitors and had a lot of base but after purchasing a Polk PSW 10 sub and also realized how much better the lows sounded ..thanks for your time Kevin as always a another great video
I was in Bergen in Norway, just mooching about in the old town when I happened upon an audio store/ workshop. The owner was generous with his time and showed me around and invited me to listen to some speaker cables he’d developed and shown off at a Berlin audio fair. They were liquid cables he explained and a pair of 10 foot lengths would cost me about $8000, moreover, when he tested them despite having wonderful turntables, he streamed the music from a digital source: sounded brilliant, and I guess supports what you’re saying. And, having three Sansuis, a Harmon Kardon Citation and a Marantz currently set up - with a Pioneer shelved in the basement, I guess I entirely agree with your observations about vintage receivers too. Cheers.
I have a current era Marantz Cinema 50 in 7.3.4 format (2 front subs, 1 rear). Dolby Atmos. My preferred format is DSD/SACD. Signing up for Tidal. I am in the midst of setting up Amazon Music Ultra High Definition streaming subscription. My vintage system includes a Marantz model 140 amp with a model 3200 preamp and Klipsch SB3 speakers (not exactly vintage lol). Using a mediocre Yamaha P-530 turntable and an inexpensive Sony CD player. I really enjoy having the vintage system in the same Soundstage as the modern one. Some vintage Wharfdale 12" floor speakers on the way... Cheers and thanks for contributing so much to our relatively small community. I've been an audio nut since I was 5 or 6. 66 now. Still an addict!
Bought a 1971 Kenwood kr 6160. Works fantastic. The hidden surprise was the mono rca jack used for karaoke speaker output. But I use it to support a subwoofer output. Go figure. Beautiful model and nice looking too.
Quality cable yes! Good contact, good shielding, no signal alteration. But no need for ultra high end anaconda thick silver with a built in filter nonsense. Sansui mid 80's mass-fi went to crap. I was never impressed by kenwood, except in relative terms of 70's receivers. 80's kenwood was disposable junk. I've heard poor, mediocre and great versions of analog and digital. There is no general statement to be made. There is a misconception that subs ADD bass where it's not supposed to be. A properly set subwoofer does NOTHING unless low frequency content is there. It's meant to augment the missing or weak bottom end, not ADD to the midbass. A modern table like Rega p3, U-turn, Pro-ject debut will be a WHOLE LOT less of a headache.
Yeah, Radio Shack. Realistic really was for the consumer who just wanted to go buy something that made sound without having to go down the hifi "rabbit hole." And thats perfectly okay. Sometimes Radio Shack did get it right. Sometimes they knocked out a good quaity component which was a suprise. However the context of surprise sums up the hifi ecosystem of Radio Shack. It was an environment of low to midland hifi that occassionally contained a quality speaker, turntable or receiver. But on the average it didn't. A Realistic/Optomus equalizer I once had got tossed way before its time because it stopped working. Thanks for the video. I always enjoy tuning you in and hearing your opinion. Keep up the good work!
Kevin, absolutely agree with your suggestions very useful information. LOL. I was the hate subwoofer guy until I heard a friends system. Very happy owner of a REL sub. And my wife was exactly the same!
You are so correct about subs! I’ve listened to LedZep for decades and thought I knew the music very well, but I’d been missing those lower frequencies my whole life!…what a great difference it made.
The thing I remember most about Realistic, was an interview with Henry Kloss, about how they were working on a pair of Advent speakers. After getting them 'just right', out of curiosity, they hooked up a pair of Realistic speakers with a 10 band equalizer; and they were able to make the Realistic speakers sound just as good as the very expensive Advents. That ended my fascination with high end stereo equipment. Likely saved me many thousands of dollars, not buying overpriced components. My ears are simply not that good, that I can differentiate between them all.
Mid-eighties I bought a Realistic receiver. I don't recall the model number but it came with a "stereo expander" function that opened up the sound to the point I thought there were speakers surrounding me instead of just the 2 in front of me. Great receiver. I still have a pair of there tower speakers that I listen to every day and still greatly enjoy.
I'm glad you ultimately showed what you meant when you were talking about good cables. Before you did my ears perked, the hair on my neck stood up and my fingers were straining towards the keyboard.
Good Cables don't have to be some of the expensive as heck Audiophool crap. Parts express and Monoprice and even Amazon have great RCA Cables, Speaker Wire, High Speed HDMI and no gimmicky power cables. KnuKonceptz Kord Kable 12 Gauge Copper (OFC) Speaker Wire - 50 Feet $29 and if you want 14g, it is cheaper. Heavy Duty RCA longer that 12' can be had for even less! Monoprice 3ft Premium 2 RCA Plug/2 RCA Plug M/M 22AWG. Spending more than $20 you're more than likely getting ripped the hell off for microscopic gains.
Good job Kevin. You’ve talked subs with me before when I had my 901s hooked up. Now I have large Advents and never thought about a sub. Maybe I should. Thanks again.
My dad had a Realistic STA-2000 and some Nova speakers growing up (he got them new, it wasn't vintage then) and that turntable was pretty much always spinning, it got USED and I can only remember it breaking once. Those speakers got blown several times though, but apparently they had a lifetime warranty. So yeah, there is some nostalgia there.
I recently added an NHT Sub 1 from the early 90's. Had the guys at NHT rework the amp and controller. It's been an amazing addition. I have Vandersteen Model 3's and they have great bass, but it's so very helpful to be able to place the sub in a more idea spot and not have to push the Vandy's so hard to get some low end. And orchestra on vinyl? Holy cow; it's amazing.
That was one of the best level headed videos ive seen. You've made me rethink the whole subwoofer subject. Poor Kenwood, lol. You have a awesome channel.
Amen...After enough time, we all go thru some epiphanies regarding our gear and how it's set up. You find yourself making changes in thinking that you wish you had done before. One thing I've learned as I get older....never say never. Just when you dig in your heels and resist is when you're liable to get the biggest surprise. One recommendation here for DIY types...I've had excellent luck using Canare products to build my own cables. 2 conductor mic cable for interconnects and they make some excellent OFC speaker cable that's reasonably priced. Good solid stuff with good value.
Realistic thing - I knew a guy that had the last franchise in Canada and just for the heck of it, almost on a a bet he lent me a 10 Watt receiver about 81 to see if it would drive my ESS AMT 3b Tower Monitors to my likening = Hard and deep base. It literally shocked me as it literally performed like my 130 Watt Toshiba receiver as mentioned. It must have has a great deal of amperage going for it. The only thing that I did was to keep it at stupid high levels as not to crack more windows as I had done with the Toshiba. That little thing just rocked. And ya before that up north we would mock one dude that had Radio Shack equipment
Where that was? The last franchise? It's a store that I surely miss. It was easy to go there and get parts for an electronic project. There were no Mouser or digi-key back then. I discovered I like electronic because of the games they sold in which you could build small electronic circuits. It was nice.
I'm 100% a fan of both analog AND digital. At home I prefer to listen to vinyl, but I'm on the road for work everyday and there's nothing better than having high quality FLAC files loaded onto a phone that has a great built-in DAC!
I have a couple Realistic recievers, I picked up really cheap early on in my collecting adventure. Turns out the first one, an STA-120b was made by Hitachi and is a fine piece of equipment with 35wpc. Still works, and still sounds great! Totally worth the $10 I paid!
I had a soft spot for Realistic when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. I just found a fantastic Realistic STA-2000 (made in Japan) receiver on Facebook Marketplace which I purchased for some old Polk bookshelf speakers and a little bit of cash. I am loving the look, the heft of the unit, the sound, and all of the inputs. I love the amber glow and all of the substantial dials and buttons. Thanks for rekindling my love of vintage stereo equipment. Now I just ordered the same Akai cassette deck I had in college, the GX-F31. It was so good, so I'm excited to receive it.
You need a sub especially when playing at low volumes to fill in where the main speakers are lacking at such volumes. I have a sub and think it is a must have, perfectly blended into systen. Great video, thanks.
I've been in audio since the mid-'70s and have had LS3-5As, the 320lb each Electro-Voice Patrician 700s ($11,999 currently on eBay) and most things in-between but I was truly blown away a few days ago by my old Concept 3.5 Receiver, an Adcom GCD-575 CD player, and a set of the later red-line inverted dome EPi-100 8" 2-way bookshelf speakers. Sounds like just a basic old minimalist low-mid-fi system, right? Assemble that exact system, speakers were 13' apart and 10' from me for a perfect triangle, and it was crazy awesome imaging! I first played Joan Armatrading "Love & Affection" and I just had to laugh with amazement. The ONLY thing I've done to that 1976 Concept 3.5 was clean the pots & switches, every capacitor is 48+ years old! If you do take on this challenge for the best sounding CD playing vintage system for sub-$1K then please don't fudge and use some other CD player, stick to the truly excellent sounding Adcom GCD-575 and I'd sure like to hear your opinion on it if you do. Oh, and By-The-Way, I set it up outside on the back yard lawn and used a short-legged folding chair so my ears were at tweeter level. It's been 48 years and I'm still impressed by that old Concept 3.5 receiver. Really enjoyed the video 👍🤠
My first receiver was a realistic I purchased when I was 14 from my paper route money. I'm 57 now and still have it as the garage setup, still works great.
Holy cow. You nailed every single point. And I agree with you on every one even down to the nuances. I discovered them all quite a while ago except for the vinyl vs digital since digital wasn't around back then. And sober is were pretty rare back then as well. But I sold high five back in the 70s and early 80s and this is some stuff that I believed even back then. The first truly incredible system I heard by the way, was it a stereo store in burien Washington where I heard the song Frankenstein amplified buffets linear 700 through a pair of cerwin Vega bookshelf speakers about the size of JBL L100's coupled with a coffee table sized downward firing subwoofer. It was all an oiled White oak. It was quite loud and the band was in the room I want to get those low synth sounds as well as the kick drum it was just awe inspiring. This was around 1975. I remember it like it was yesterday. That's why I ended up with a 500 watt per channel bi-amplified system driving ESS amt 1B monitor speakers. Here now I'm running three pairs of small garage sale bookshelf speakers, the coupled with a decent subwoofer. Only one pair has its original drivers, though
I have vintage Kenwood 700m amp and 700c preamp. Still sounding great. Did have a major service on both……but they sound great through my Luxman PD 272 table and Blusound NodeX. Way fun and I use them in my office. Interestingly I had some Nordost cables left over from other systems and plugged them in. Whoa….more dynamic and better resolution for sure. Thanks for these great reviews and discussions……I do appreciate your confessions from time to time. lol. Keep em coming.
I just put together a vintage system. Due to lack of space, I got Infinity bookshelf speakers which sound amazing on their own. I hooked up a small subwoofer to it and it completely changed the listening experience! Do not rule out a subwoofer!!!
The first subwoofer I had was an Optimus 10" passive unit that I bought at Radio Shack that I hooked up to my Minimus (I think 7) speakers and a ninety's Kenwood Receiver that was heavily discounted. I was really happy with it for a few years.
1) You forgot the Mama of Marantz, which was of course Superscope, and its R-3xx series receivers of the mid 70s. RARE beasties, but when I stumbled over one for 10 bucks many years ago, not knowing what it was, I took it home. Imagine my surprise, when I heard THE Marantz sound! I fell in love! Much lighter chassis, that was actually better, because it was not so heavy as to make you groan and drop it, but was still sturdy enough. The lower weight also meant, in case of a drop, it was unlikely to self-destruct! Smaller amps, meant detuned and cooler running with the same or similar spec transistors, thus longer lasting amps! The switches and pots were NOT on the motherboard and connected to the faceplate by rods, like Kenwood, Akai, and some Pioneer gear, but mounted in the faceplate and connected by wires, the way it should be! I still have 3 of them now in active status! 2) After a long journey, I arrived at modern gear. I love my DIY kit-preamps with remote control, my Dayton Audio amps (3 of them, a DTA-100a now out of production, an APA102BT, and an APA150), several different speakers (Dayton, Jamo, Tang Band DIY mods) with cones and rims that are not turning brittle, a modern Pro-Ject turntable, good cables (PartsExpres has good ones), and a collection of cartridges in headshells for my (the ONLY thing vintage now for me, aside from the Superscope receivers) Dual belt drive turntables. YES, belt it is! The old rim drives are way overrated, and are total trouble makers in the long run. There is no comparison between a 50 year old Dual belter and a rimmer, as far as ease of maintenance and reliability is concerned.
Cables are Audiophile 101. I remember sitting at a friend’s house in the ‘70s listening to some jams through his system that was wired with crappy cables and hearing a guy on a CB radio as plain as if we had a CB radio. Crappy cables can be the weak link to any nice system. Spend all that money for an creme de la creme system and put cheap cables on it doesn’t make a bit of sense. Great video! (Except for the Kenwood part) ;7)
I'm currently watching your video on my desktop computer with 2.1 speakers. Subwoofers are a game changer. My TV has a subwoofer too... I have an expensive TV (>$7K) and it sounded anemic before I got the soundbar/subwoofer system. Now, I have a movie theater experience when I turn up the volume.
Excellent work. Of course that's because I agree with you. Perhaps you already have a video that explains WHY vintage gear often sounds better than new equipment, or rather sounds better than _some_ new equipment. Carbon resistors, long-baked-in transformers, seasoned capacitors, and even excessive crosstalk can bring sweeter tones. On the other hand, well-designed new, burned-in parts can be better in every sonic respect. Cheers!
When my daughter was two we had a house with a "sun room." We also had a bunch of random, old stereo components from various sources, including an old turntable, so I decided to dust it all off and hook it up. I can't tell you how many dozens of hours we spent in the sun room as a family listening to The Wizard of Oz, Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins VINYL that year. And let's just say the vinyl wasn't in the BEST condition! Those were amazing times.
Found a Realistic soundbox at a church fair. Cleaned it up and it lights up when my speakers are bumping. Loved the 70s. Realistic memories. By the way, what’s wrong with being a bass head? 😊
I picked up a Realistic STA-2000 a couple of years ago. I like that it has 2 aux inputs instead of 2 phono inputs unlike the other Realistic monster receivers.
I noticed a very similar appearance between Optimus/Realistic and low end Pioneer products back in 90's. The Radio Shack in our town, they tried to sell both retail with little results. My friends and I found a trip to any of the LR or Fort Smith audio stores easily proved our suspicions. Save your money and buy what you need/want, not what you can afford. So now I hit the goodwill here in OCC without disappointment.
A friend of mine was over to listen to my Celestion Ditton 551s, and he kept asking me to turn the sub off and later back on again, and kept commenting about how low the volume of the subwoofer was relative to what a big difference it made in how the room loaded bass. I have also come around to thinking that a sub is the best room treatment you can get.
I think there is some confusion- we are not recomending the $10,000 cables shown in the video when i say "you DO NOT need to spend a fortune."
The cables we suggested are $26 amzn.to/3Jlm4RV
Agreed on this point. Well made cables are not super expensive. It just needs to be well made and use good materials. It's also nice, if you have something that's visible when people in your space, to have something that looks nice enough that you don't have to go through big efforts hide them.
Another point about cables is that used cables can be a great alternative. For a fraction of the cost of new or the current line of high end ($$$$) cables one can pick up outstanding speaker cables and interconnects. After all what can really go wrong with well made cables in very good condition?
And with regard to subwoofers, I live by this rule: If you can hear your subwoofer, it's too loud. It's there to augment your speakers, not replace them.
Yeah... $10K cables ARE snake oil, but a good cable from Blue Jeans or Triangle or make your own using Belden. IF you do decide to make your own cables, you will see that $30 for a nice pair of phono cables is a pretty good value.
@@thecarman3693 If you can't hear the sub then it is pointless. Good augment for narrow tower speakers that can't hold a 15'' woofer. Primarily for home theatre games and dance stuff which isn't real music anyway.
I agree on this point. you need good cables but they don't have to bankrupt you.
The first and second receivers I purchased in the 70's were Realistic. As a teenager in the 70's, that is what I could afford. Plus, there was a Radio Shack a block away. Realistic got me into stereo equipment. I still own the first receiver I bought, and 48 years later, it still works.
Amen! We still use my dad's mint STA-95 in our shop and I have an STA-2100 I'll probably keep forever and hand down to my son.
I bought a STA-2000 IN 1978, along with a pair of Mach One speakers, and a turntable and a cassette deck....I just recently sold my Mach 1s after all these years. I'm shopping for another STA-2000 or 2001.
I bought my REALISTIC STA 2000 from your store 5,6 years ago , and with the Advent's from your store im completely happy with the sound quality and being retired i play music 40 hrs a week at least really enjoy your weekly videos keep up the good work Kevin
Great to hear!
Absolutely agree with everything you said in this video. I’m a “HiFi Hoarder” I have a large collection of high quality vintage components going back to the 1970’s, but I also own a surround sound system that was state of the art in the mid 2000’s. These days I’ve been acquiring all sorts of Chinese made separates (DAC’s, Monoblocks, etc.) The Audiophile hobby is full of snobbery and unsubstantiated opinion, I feel like “Audiophiles” would be more appropriately be named “Audio Connoisseurs.” The point is, I’ve enjoyed acquiring, setting up and listening to every imaginable type of audio gear for more than 50 years. Everything from cheap Radio Shack to professional studio digital recording equipment. I throughly enjoy your channel, and hope to visit the Skylab Store in person eventually. Keep up the good work!
I'm wrkg on it, 9 rcvrs, 4 pr spkrs 4 Eqs 1 Tt...a wicked great hobby. . .
hi my name is David and I'm also a "hifi hoarder".
I always wanted a Realistic receiver back in the 70s. I recently found one sitting next to a dumpster. It's a STA-2600, and after a good cleaning, worked like new. At 100 wts/channel, no reason to crank it up more than 1/3 the way. Great sound and great tuner.
Thanks for taking the time to create insightful, honest, and concise weekly videos!!
Glad you like them!
Glad you mentioned realistic. I recently set up a vintage realistic system for very little money and it sounds great!
100% agree about the subwoofer. Once you hook one up and listen, you can't go back. Everything just sound thin and lifeless without. Even with my bass heavy floor speakers, the subwoofer just tit those extra deep frequencies that vibrate in your chest. Can't live without it.
I had high quality expensive speakers back in the day. ESS AMT 3b Studio Monitor Towers. The were flat down to 30 Hz and I dad cracked widows to show for it. Their bottom end contained 2 12 inch woofers/1 active and one passive. The shipping weight was 103 lbs each and they were solid a a rock. If the bass was there it would faithly reproduce it and if the bass was not there they would not bump it up. Was looking for a reconditioned pair and zero. Although their little brother is somewhat around - the 1b pyramid shaped ones. I agree that if one's speakers can only go down to about 50 or so Hz a good Sub would make good sense
Yep, I keep mine turned down just enough
Really does depend on your room acoustics and the speaker as well. I have a set of infinity Kappa nines that will go down to 29 Hz. They have double 12 inch woofers in each cabinet and the cabinets are 5 feet tall. And they will certainly more than make you feel it at the right volume lol.
Nothing wrong with having a subwoofer and in most cases you will get better results.
Agree. I Had the same experience with my towers with 3 eight inch woofers each. Added one sub. It was better. Added a second sub and it was better still. Like you, I can’t unhear it and I’m hooked for life. Good for you having an open mind. You let your ears and experiences lead to your conclusions which can change over time. I thought I was wrong once but I was mistaken.
@@ethimself5064 Best speakers ever made..although you was corrected by a guy saying , you said they had 2 12 in speakers,you did say, one was a passive . I have a pair hooked up to a Technics SA-1000 with 330 watts per channel and there is no need for a sub..
I'm rocking a Realistic 2080 that I bought from Sally Anne some years back for $25. Pots were filthy but once cleaned up it sounded great. The thing has balls! It has a ton of power, weighs a ton as well.
One of the best and a big favorite of rat shack officianados.
I'm an engineer now but when I was a teenager I worked for the local Radio Shack. I LOVED some of that gear and still do. Minimus 7s?
I was also friends with the son of the owner of the electronic repair shop all the audio shops in town went to for their repairs.
The trick I learned back then that I continue to use for companies like Monoprice is by looking at the safety certification numbers on the unit. In most cases that number will be the same for the "off brand" model as it is for the "big name" version.
There is a database online you can access in the US and in Canada and check the number. It will show you the devices that are certified as safe under that number from the other companies selling it.
Used to be easy to buy what sold as high end audio on the super cheap by getting the Realistic or Optimus (not Prime) versions.
Marantz, Pioneer, Sanyo and Kenwood were all manufacturers that were sold as Realistic.
Love these kinds of videos with the actual work side of the gear finally being shown to folks. Thanks Kevin.
Some like the STA-2080, STA-2000, STA-2100 were excellent receivers. Likely built by Foster Electronics. Their Minimus 7 and Mach One speakers have a following too. I have a few Realistic SPA-100 power amplifiers that are robust with the entire sides being external heat sinks for the output transistors. SPA-100 is a kind of unusual amplifier with only a single (stereo) input source, but with dual 7 band equalizers and volume / balance controls. Don't believe SPA-100 was sold by Radio Shack in the US.
Do you know if Luxman made the Realistic SA 1500?
The SA-1500 was made by Tandy Electronics.
Marantz and Pioneer made no Realistic audio.
All the super power receivers (STA-2000, 2000D, 2100, 2100D, 2300, 2080, 2290) were made by Tandy Electronics.
A lot of good stuff in there. I'm a older guy and back in high school i spent more money on audio than my friends spent on cars. My senior high school year i had almost $2000 tied up in audio equipment and I built my own speaker systems. I was going to do it for a career but life got in the way. I got my first subwoofer for my computer around 1997. I spent a good chunk of change on it and ever since then I've been a fan of them. Back then I had the neighbor call the cops on me for listening to my computer too loudly. It was when mp3 first got popular and I was testing them out.
I'm now a subscriber and I hope you reach your goal.
That was an excellent assessment of Realistic.
I am looking at a vintaged Realistic circa 1980 STA-100 AM/FM Stereo Receiver! Anyone familiar with this unit?
We are so aligned on vintage and new equipment opinions it’s scary. I managed a stereo shop between 1975 and 1980. THE golden years in my humble opinion. You are spot on when it comes to turntables. One of the greatest things about a turntable is the visual and physical connection to the whole experience of analog. I always enjoyed tweaking and fussing over the setup of a turntable. I’ve owned a Dual 1219, Dual 1229, H/K ST-7, Luxman PD-277, Rega P6 and my current Rega P8. The P8 is the best I’ve owned and definitely my last. I love watching your videos because it takes me back to some very special times. Keep it up buddy!
I'm an certified electronic technician and in the hobby since the lates 80s, and I always learn something with your videos.
I appreciate your calm demeanor and the fact that you always respect each others tastes.
BTW, I have very, very early sansui equipment, SM-32, from 1962, and their tube gear is really good. They started as a transformer company, so it make sense.
It would be interesting to have an historic of each major brand. That would make a good serie.
I want to add to your comment on subwoofers. Over the years, being poor and unable to buy higher quality floor or bookshelf speakers, I relied on a subwoofer to help my cheap speakers bloom. When I finally reached a financial level where buying properly high end speakers didn't seem frivolous, I found that my sub was needed less, but still brought something to the table. I found that lowering the filter to below 50hz and reducing the volume, it really enhances the subtle low frequency sound. It makes high end book shelf speakers sound huge and wonderful. A must have in my opinion.
I have A LOT of vintage stereo. My Realistic SA-1001/TM-1001 come as close to anything anyone may claim to be 'high end'! Flawless performance with a cool retro look. Cheap too!
All good points. The biggest one I agree with is the subwoofer. My whole life I felt like it was unnecessary and that my tower speakers were doing the job just fine. One day I was at a pawn shop, and I saw an expensive sub for only $125. Coincidentally I had $125 to spend. I decided what the hell, and picked it up. I figured at the very least if I did t like it on my stereo, it was better than the one that I had on my entertainment center for movies and I could just put it there. But that never happened, and I was blown away how much better music that I had been listening to for 40+ years sounded. It was like listening to those albums for the first time to me. Now I can’t see a setup without one.
Kevin, I must admit that my heart sank a little when you brought up Sansui. I still have my 1977 AU-517 amp and TU-717 tuner. Both look and sound as good today as the day I bought them when I was in college. No scratches and they also have the mounting rack brackets. They don't really get much use these days as my stereo needs have changed over the years. In my previous home I had a dedicated home theater room set up consisting of an Integra amp and DVD player, 4 Boston Acoustic speakers and an M&K subwoofer. Loved it. Have since downsized and now pretty much listen to anything I tell Alexa to play. Sacrilegious I know. My audiophile desires haven't changed but my priorities have (my special needs children). Love your channel.
Back over 45 years ago I was the Service and Parts manager for a large commercial, industrial, professional, and retail company in BC Canada where we sold and serviced only quality high end equipment in the retail field like Macintosh, Nakamichi, Boston Acoustics, NAD, Teac, and many others. Recently I hauled my Akai AA-2020 out of the garage with a handful of the 1000 vinyl albums that make my collection, to listen on a my Technics SL-1200 mk ii with a Ruby cartridge, through a pair of Mission M72 bookshelf speakers. Good professional wiring is a must.
I now experience daily pleasing stereo reproduction. My ears thank me. I actually hear a depth to the stereo separation that provides a 3dness I cannot explain.
I don’t have seven channels or even five, and I no longer need my Yamaha powered subwoofer. Everything sounds magical.
Yay for hearing my music back in analog. I forgot how it supposed to sound.
When God starts to create ppl with 5 or more ears,surround sound might cut the musical mustard, till then it's stereo 2 channel.
Another great video! Regarding Realistic, my father worked at Allied Radio in Chicago in the 1960’s. They made hifi stereo receivers and radio kits. They were bought out by Tandy Corp. circa 1970. Allied was a highly regarded company, their store on Washington and Western carried other brands of hifi equipment. They also had listening booths.
Allied. That sure brings up fond memories. I always was excited when my Allied Electronics catalog would show up. I remember buying all of my parts from Allied, for my electronics projects for 4-H. A couple of years ago -- I'm almost 70 now. And t there was Heathkit. Still own a bunch of my Heathkit stuff, up to and including my 25" Color TV, somewhere in my garage. What we grew up with, we are now buying again, and calling it "Vintage".....
@@ripjones5294 Fond memories... I'm 70, and used to drool through the Allied Radio, Heathkit and Lafayette catalogs when I was a teen... like what the Spiegel or Sears Christmas toy catalogs were for kids. I also have a couple of the Heathkit's I assembled... a tube tester, and an engine "analyzer" Oscilloscope.
A Yugo getting you from point A to point B was very rare. The most popular option was the rear window defroster, turn it on and keep your hands warm while pushing it in the cold :)
Many of these "exotic phono cables" attach so tightly that removing and re-inserting them can literally destroy the equipment jacks and housing.
Correct - it is getting harder and harder to find good quality cables that wont screw up your vintage hifi
I've done that - pulled the plugs at back of subwoofer to pieces. I'm completely happy with the quality of ' one step up ' ie original. Monster c.
The Monster Cable "turbine" style RCAs destroyed lots of RCA inputs....mine included. Gave away hundreds of dollars worth of Monster. P.S. Don't give them to people you like!
The problem is that the RCA inputs are not attached to the case but to the circuit board. Break Break.
i have a friend who bought the cheapest towers from B&W and he broke the terminals to fit a huge cable, and his cheap system sounds bad ,he even destroys cars that could work for almost 20 years in 3 to 5 years as the rpm counter doesnt have red line ,so diesel engine and 4 cylinder in line engine blown or the only produced by the thousands cars that only because he bought them are more rotative than the top car model released by Ferrari
Your comments on vintage stereo equipment have made me want to get my Luxman amp/tuner finally fixed. I have other amps but I would like to hear this one again. Thanks for the push. Great channel!
“I have friends for that.” I love it 😂
I have always loved Realistic. My firs and second stereo were Realistic. First a SA1001 and then STA2700. I never stopped using it. I just love the sound. It has so far been going 37 years. Loved it so much, I bought a second one. Also, have DADS Pioneer SX-626
I've been told by every vintage audio repair shop that Sansui is the most difficult to repair.
Top line Realistic were fantastic receivers.
How are the caps in Realistic receivers?
It’s nice to be able to admit when you have surmised something to be correct and then find out that it’s not! I myself have fallen victim to this, but I can tell you that on my vintage gear. I finally spent some money on some great speaker cables and the company that I chose was called transparent audio out of Maine! They sent me a pair of $250 wires, but the connects weren’t the same for my vintage Klipsch Cornwalls so I had to send them back to them, showing them the receiver I was using them on as well as the connect on the back of the Cornwalls! They custom made a pair for me and sent them back and wow, what a difference!
Nice job Kevin on explaining some of your thoughts and how over time your opinion has changed. Very good hearing the reasoning as well. Thanks also for the cabling suggestions.
I’m brand new to the vintage audio world, having recently inherited a PL-530 from my late step-dad. I’m so glad I found your channel while diving for info on my turntable; I really love your videos man. I’ve seriously watched no less than 100 of them in the past 2 weeks. Your laid back approach to delivering such useful information, and the way you make it accessible for even the likes of a novice like me, are greatly appreciated. Thank you for what you do. Hopefully one day I’ll find myself in Iowa with the time to stop by and check out the shop and pick your brain.
Thank you so much! Glad you are enjoying them :)
Agree 100%. Realistic offered some good stuff.
Some of Radio shack was better than SounDesign, I was surprised that Tech HiFi had a SounDesign all in 1 job.
I added a small under-seat powered subwoofer to the stereo in my truck back in 2017, and I am amazed by how much better my music and radio sounds. After watching your recent "how to hook up a subwoofer' video, I added a compact 10" sub to my vintage Marantz / JBL system. My music of choice sounds great, but I'm not sure I have the sub dialed in correctly just yet.
This is why we love your channel and you! So honest! Your Sansui AU-20000 is one of the greatest amplifiers ever made!
Hi Kevin thanks again for finding that cable problem. It was driving me crazy and now my system sounds awesome. It was well worth the trip and I do agree on your cable thoughts. You guys are the best!!!
Great to hear!
I've changed my mind on 8-track tapes as well...my old Kraco hooked up to Magicos is pure bliss
Don't forget the matchbook wedge to get the wow & flutter tamed down! Lol the good ol days!
Kevin - You definitely made me laugh with this one. Your candor is hilarious. Some times we just simply take this "fun" hobby too seriously. I knew when you reviewed the Wiim something was up. Keep it going baby.......
"Things I Had Completely Wrong !" -- Very glad you qualified that. Subwoofers -- In my Sport-Trac, with a factory subwoofer, when you turn the engine off, the radio still plays but without the sub. Music is still "there", but you do notice the difference. Enjoyable installment as always. Headphones arrived, but had to snag an 1/8" adapter for my tablet and laptop. Enjoyed the personal note as well.
I interviewed for a job at Radio Shack back in the early '80s. My mistake was thinking they would want someone who knows electronics. The interviewer told me "People buy Realistic stereos for one reason - easy monthly payments. You will think you sold five systems over the weekend and three deals will flunk the credit check". Happily, I wasn't hired.
Wish you shipped vintage gear, I saw a couple marantz turntables, something I had 45 years ago, I would love to buy. I’m a marantz guy but I do appreciate Sansui. My Buddy had an integrated amp and tuner with outstanding record quality on his tape players. A noticeable difference from mine. Enjoy your videos very much.
I grew up with Dad's Realistic Mach One speakers with a Pioneer SX 780 providing power. The sound was phenomenal. I still own Dad's original set, and have purchased and rebuilt 2 other pairs. Radio Shack for sure sold SOME good products. I stand by that Mach One line.
My new Sunday morning routine! Thanks again. I’ve got a sub sitting on a shelf that I’ll have to hook up to my vintage McIntosh system and stacked Advents. Gonna give it a listen.
I started with 4 polk s55 signature series monitors and had a lot of base but after purchasing a Polk PSW 10 sub and also realized how much better the lows sounded ..thanks for your time Kevin as always a another great video
Great topic & great video, Kevin.
You covered all the bases well.
I was in Bergen in Norway, just mooching about in the old town when I happened upon an audio store/ workshop. The owner was generous with his time and showed me around and invited me to listen to some speaker cables he’d developed and shown off at a Berlin audio fair. They were liquid cables he explained and a pair of 10 foot lengths would cost me about $8000, moreover, when he tested them despite having wonderful turntables, he streamed the music from a digital source: sounded brilliant, and I guess supports what you’re saying. And, having three Sansuis, a Harmon Kardon Citation and a Marantz currently set up - with a Pioneer shelved in the basement, I guess I entirely agree with your observations about vintage receivers too. Cheers.
I learn something great from you in every video. I love your honesty.
Excellent points, as usual, Kevin, I really enjoyed this episode, keep on rockin’ 😊
I've got a realistic sta-2100d stereo and I love it. its paired with a lab-420 turntable and mach 1 speakers. but i'm a bit of a radio shack nut 😄
I had the sta 2150 and the mach2s wow!! Lol I still have and use the mach2s rebuilt them!!
I have a current era Marantz Cinema 50 in 7.3.4 format (2 front subs, 1 rear). Dolby Atmos. My preferred format is DSD/SACD. Signing up for Tidal. I am in the midst of setting up Amazon Music Ultra High Definition streaming subscription. My vintage system includes a Marantz model 140 amp with a model 3200 preamp and Klipsch SB3 speakers (not exactly vintage lol). Using a mediocre Yamaha P-530 turntable and an inexpensive Sony CD player. I really enjoy having the vintage system in the same Soundstage as the modern one. Some vintage Wharfdale 12" floor speakers on the way... Cheers and thanks for contributing so much to our relatively small community. I've been an audio nut since I was 5 or 6. 66 now. Still an addict!
Great honesty and advice from many years of experience. Turntable advice makes perfect sense .
Musicians have known the cable issue for a long time. 🎸
Ive got a realistic sta 95 and sta 240 both are fantastic!
always liked your style and honesty. more so now appreciating your humble evolution.
I appreciate that!
Bought a 1971 Kenwood kr 6160. Works fantastic. The hidden surprise was the mono rca jack used for karaoke speaker output. But I use it to support a subwoofer output. Go figure. Beautiful model and nice looking too.
Quality cable yes! Good contact, good shielding, no signal alteration. But no need for ultra high end anaconda thick silver with a built in filter nonsense. Sansui mid 80's mass-fi went to crap. I was never impressed by kenwood, except in relative terms of 70's receivers. 80's kenwood was disposable junk. I've heard poor, mediocre and great versions of analog and digital. There is no general statement to be made. There is a misconception that subs ADD bass where it's not supposed to be. A properly set subwoofer does NOTHING unless low frequency content is there. It's meant to augment the missing or weak bottom end, not ADD to the midbass.
A modern table like Rega p3, U-turn, Pro-ject debut will be a WHOLE LOT less of a headache.
Yeah, Radio Shack. Realistic really was for the consumer who just wanted to go buy something that made sound without having to go down the hifi "rabbit hole." And thats perfectly okay. Sometimes Radio Shack did get it right. Sometimes they knocked out a good quaity component which was a suprise. However the context of surprise sums up the hifi ecosystem of Radio Shack. It was an environment of low to midland hifi that occassionally contained a quality speaker, turntable or receiver. But on the average it didn't. A Realistic/Optomus equalizer I once had got tossed way before its time because it stopped working. Thanks for the video. I always enjoy tuning you in and hearing your opinion. Keep up the good work!
Ok, ok… I guess it’s time to upgrade my speaker cables from good old zip-cord to something better. Keep up the good work Kevin & crew!
I own a mint Realistic Lab 400 Turntable. Heavy and very well made !!!!
Excellent, straight-ahead info (as usual)…and definitely fun!
Kevin, absolutely agree with your suggestions very useful information.
LOL. I was the hate subwoofer guy until I heard a friends system. Very happy owner of a REL sub. And my wife was exactly the same!
You are so correct about subs! I’ve listened to LedZep for decades and thought I knew the music very well, but I’d been missing those lower frequencies my whole life!…what a great difference it made.
The thing I remember most about Realistic, was an interview with Henry Kloss, about how they were working on a pair of Advent speakers. After getting them 'just right', out of curiosity, they hooked up a pair of Realistic speakers with a 10 band equalizer; and they were able to make the Realistic speakers sound just as good as the very expensive Advents. That ended my fascination with high end stereo equipment. Likely saved me many thousands of dollars, not buying overpriced components. My ears are simply not that good, that I can differentiate between them all.
Mid-eighties I bought a Realistic receiver. I don't recall the model number but it came with a "stereo expander" function that opened up the sound to the point I thought there were speakers surrounding me instead of just the 2 in front of me. Great receiver. I still have a pair of there tower speakers that I listen to every day and still greatly enjoy.
I'm glad you ultimately showed what you meant when you were talking about good cables. Before you did my ears perked, the hair on my neck stood up and my fingers were straining towards the keyboard.
Good Cables don't have to be some of the expensive as heck Audiophool crap. Parts express and Monoprice and even Amazon have great RCA Cables, Speaker Wire, High Speed HDMI and no gimmicky power cables. KnuKonceptz Kord Kable 12 Gauge Copper (OFC) Speaker Wire - 50 Feet $29 and if you want 14g, it is cheaper. Heavy Duty RCA longer that 12' can be had for even less! Monoprice 3ft Premium 2 RCA Plug/2 RCA Plug M/M 22AWG. Spending more than $20 you're more than likely getting ripped the hell off for microscopic gains.
@@dnate697 Completely agree 100%.
Good job Kevin. You’ve talked subs with me before when I had my 901s hooked up. Now I have large Advents and never thought about a sub. Maybe I should. Thanks again.
Go for it! Take the first three octaves out of the mains.
Great video Kevin. It is important that we keep an open mind about the hobby. I wish I could edit as good as Eric. Thanks.
Agree- learning and trying new things is at least 90% of the enjoyment I get out of this hobby.
My dad had a Realistic STA-2000 and some Nova speakers growing up (he got them new, it wasn't vintage then) and that turntable was pretty much always spinning, it got USED and I can only remember it breaking once. Those speakers got blown several times though, but apparently they had a lifetime warranty. So yeah, there is some nostalgia there.
I recently added an NHT Sub 1 from the early 90's. Had the guys at NHT rework the amp and controller. It's been an amazing addition. I have Vandersteen Model 3's and they have great bass, but it's so very helpful to be able to place the sub in a more idea spot and not have to push the Vandy's so hard to get some low end. And orchestra on vinyl? Holy cow; it's amazing.
That was one of the best level headed videos ive seen. You've made me rethink the whole subwoofer subject. Poor Kenwood, lol. You have a awesome channel.
Definitely gonna be a fun one
Amen...After enough time, we all go thru some epiphanies regarding our gear and how it's set up. You find yourself making changes in thinking that you wish you had done before. One thing I've learned as I get older....never say never. Just when you dig in your heels and resist is when you're liable to get the biggest surprise. One recommendation here for DIY types...I've had excellent luck using Canare products to build my own cables. 2 conductor mic cable for interconnects and they make some excellent OFC speaker cable that's reasonably priced. Good solid stuff with good value.
Realistic thing - I knew a guy that had the last franchise in Canada and just for the heck of it, almost on a a bet he lent me a 10 Watt receiver about 81 to see if it would drive my ESS AMT 3b Tower Monitors to my likening = Hard and deep base. It literally shocked me as it literally performed like my 130 Watt Toshiba receiver as mentioned. It must have has a great deal of amperage going for it. The only thing that I did was to keep it at stupid high levels as not to crack more windows as I had done with the Toshiba. That little thing just rocked. And ya before that up north we would mock one dude that had Radio Shack equipment
Where that was? The last franchise? It's a store that I surely miss. It was easy to go there and get parts for an electronic project. There were no Mouser or digi-key back then. I discovered I like electronic because of the games they sold in which you could build small electronic circuits. It was nice.
@@SurnaturalM Salmon Arm, BC Canada. He sold about 90 and it ended up as a franchise.
I'm 100% a fan of both analog AND digital. At home I prefer to listen to vinyl, but I'm on the road for work everyday and there's nothing better than having high quality FLAC files loaded onto a phone that has a great built-in DAC!
I have a couple Realistic recievers, I picked up really cheap early on in my collecting adventure. Turns out the first one, an STA-120b was made by Hitachi and is a fine piece of equipment with 35wpc. Still works, and still sounds great! Totally worth the $10 I paid!
I had a soft spot for Realistic when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. I just found a fantastic Realistic STA-2000 (made in Japan) receiver on Facebook Marketplace which I purchased for some old Polk bookshelf speakers and a little bit of cash. I am loving the look, the heft of the unit, the sound, and all of the inputs. I love the amber glow and all of the substantial dials and buttons. Thanks for rekindling my love of vintage stereo equipment. Now I just ordered the same Akai cassette deck I had in college, the GX-F31. It was so good, so I'm excited to receive it.
You need a sub especially when playing at low volumes to fill in where the main speakers are lacking at such volumes. I have a sub and think it is a must have, perfectly blended into systen. Great video, thanks.
Good point!
I've been in audio since the mid-'70s and have had LS3-5As, the 320lb each Electro-Voice Patrician 700s ($11,999 currently on eBay) and most things in-between but I was truly blown away a few days ago by my old Concept 3.5 Receiver, an Adcom GCD-575 CD player, and a set of the later red-line inverted dome EPi-100 8" 2-way bookshelf speakers.
Sounds like just a basic old minimalist low-mid-fi system, right?
Assemble that exact system, speakers were 13' apart and 10' from me for a perfect triangle, and it was crazy awesome imaging!
I first played Joan Armatrading "Love & Affection" and I just had to laugh with amazement.
The ONLY thing I've done to that 1976 Concept 3.5 was clean the pots & switches, every capacitor is 48+ years old!
If you do take on this challenge for the best sounding CD playing vintage system for sub-$1K then please don't fudge and use some other CD player, stick to the truly excellent sounding Adcom GCD-575 and I'd sure like to hear your opinion on it if you do.
Oh, and By-The-Way, I set it up outside on the back yard lawn and used a short-legged folding chair so my ears were at tweeter level.
It's been 48 years and I'm still impressed by that old Concept 3.5 receiver.
Really enjoyed the video 👍🤠
My first receiver was a realistic I purchased when I was 14 from my paper route money. I'm 57 now and still have it as the garage setup, still works great.
I discovered true linear volume control when I acquired my first true audiophile preamp, an Aragon 24k. It’s simply a thing of beauty.
Holy cow. You nailed every single point. And I agree with you on every one even down to the nuances. I discovered them all quite a while ago except for the vinyl vs digital since digital wasn't around back then. And sober is were pretty rare back then as well. But I sold high five back in the 70s and early 80s and this is some stuff that I believed even back then.
The first truly incredible system I heard by the way, was it a stereo store in burien Washington where I heard the song Frankenstein amplified buffets linear 700 through a pair of cerwin Vega bookshelf speakers about the size of JBL L100's coupled with a coffee table sized downward firing subwoofer. It was all an oiled White oak. It was quite loud and the band was in the room I want to get those low synth sounds as well as the kick drum it was just awe inspiring.
This was around 1975.
I remember it like it was yesterday. That's why I ended up with a 500 watt per channel bi-amplified system driving ESS amt 1B monitor speakers.
Here now I'm running three pairs of small garage sale bookshelf speakers, the coupled with a decent subwoofer. Only one pair has its original drivers, though
LOL, I apply the exact same audio test with my wife as well!
Works every time 🤘🏽
I have vintage Kenwood 700m amp and 700c preamp. Still sounding great. Did have a major service on both……but they sound great through my Luxman PD 272 table and Blusound NodeX. Way fun and I use them in my office. Interestingly I had some Nordost cables left over from other systems and plugged them in. Whoa….more dynamic and better resolution for sure. Thanks for these great reviews and discussions……I do appreciate your confessions from time to time. lol. Keep em coming.
Another Amazing informative video that will help me with putting proper RCA cables on my vintage Pioneer SX 950. Thankyou Kevin!!
Great to hear!
I just put together a vintage system. Due to lack of space, I got Infinity bookshelf speakers which sound amazing on their own. I hooked up a small subwoofer to it and it completely changed the listening experience! Do not rule out a subwoofer!!!
The first subwoofer I had was an Optimus 10" passive unit that I bought at Radio Shack that I hooked up to my Minimus (I think 7) speakers and a ninety's Kenwood Receiver that was heavily discounted. I was really happy with it for a few years.
1) You forgot the Mama of Marantz, which was of course Superscope, and its R-3xx series receivers of the mid 70s. RARE beasties, but when I stumbled over one for 10 bucks many years ago, not knowing what it was, I took it home. Imagine my surprise, when I heard THE Marantz sound! I fell in love! Much lighter chassis, that was actually better, because it was not so heavy as to make you groan and drop it, but was still sturdy enough. The lower weight also meant, in case of a drop, it was unlikely to self-destruct! Smaller amps, meant detuned and cooler running with the same or similar spec transistors, thus longer lasting amps! The switches and pots were NOT on the motherboard and connected to the faceplate by rods, like Kenwood, Akai, and some Pioneer gear, but mounted in the faceplate and connected by wires, the way it should be! I still have 3 of them now in active status!
2) After a long journey, I arrived at modern gear. I love my DIY kit-preamps with remote control, my Dayton Audio amps (3 of them, a DTA-100a now out of production, an APA102BT, and an APA150), several different speakers (Dayton, Jamo, Tang Band DIY mods) with cones and rims that are not turning brittle, a modern Pro-Ject turntable, good cables (PartsExpres has good ones), and a collection of cartridges in headshells for my (the ONLY thing vintage now for me, aside from the Superscope receivers) Dual belt drive turntables. YES, belt it is! The old rim drives are way overrated, and are total trouble makers in the long run. There is no comparison between a 50 year old Dual belter and a rimmer, as far as ease of maintenance and reliability is concerned.
I remember the Yugo that blew over the rail on the Mackinac bridge in Michigan. Talking about a letdown😊.
Thanks for showing my Thorens TD-160 ... which I love ! 🎵❤
I've been happy with my Optimus bookshelf speakers and Polk Audio subwoofer for many years!
Cables are Audiophile 101. I remember sitting at a friend’s house in the ‘70s listening to some jams through his system that was wired with crappy cables and hearing a guy on a CB radio as plain as if we had a CB radio. Crappy cables can be the weak link to any nice system. Spend all that money for an creme de la creme system and put cheap cables on it doesn’t make a bit of sense. Great video! (Except for the Kenwood part) ;7)
I'm currently watching your video on my desktop computer with 2.1 speakers. Subwoofers are a game changer. My TV has a subwoofer too... I have an expensive TV (>$7K) and it sounded anemic before I got the soundbar/subwoofer system. Now, I have a movie theater experience when I turn up the volume.
Excellent work. Of course that's because I agree with you. Perhaps you already have a video that explains WHY vintage gear often sounds better than new equipment, or rather sounds better than _some_ new equipment. Carbon resistors, long-baked-in transformers, seasoned capacitors, and even excessive crosstalk can bring sweeter tones. On the other hand, well-designed new, burned-in parts can be better in every sonic respect. Cheers!
When my daughter was two we had a house with a "sun room." We also had a bunch of random, old stereo components from various sources, including an old turntable, so I decided to dust it all off and hook it up. I can't tell you how many dozens of hours we spent in the sun room as a family listening to The Wizard of Oz, Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins VINYL that year. And let's just say the vinyl wasn't in the BEST condition! Those were amazing times.
Found a Realistic soundbox at a church fair. Cleaned it up and it lights up when my speakers are bumping. Loved the 70s. Realistic memories. By the way, what’s wrong with being a bass head? 😊
Great video, as always, Kevin. Harrumph to the point about quality cables!
Love all of these! I want to pair a subwoofer with my Polk RTA-12Bs so bad! Excited to have something new to try!
I bought Monster Cable patches years ago and still use them in my system to this day.
In the early 80s a brother of a friend of mine had a Mini-stereo system and I was blown away at the sound (to the positive)
I picked up a Realistic STA-2000 a couple of years ago. I like that it has 2 aux inputs instead of 2 phono inputs unlike the other Realistic monster receivers.
I noticed a very similar appearance between Optimus/Realistic and low end Pioneer products back in 90's. The Radio Shack in our town, they tried to sell both retail with little results. My friends and I found a trip to any of the LR or Fort Smith audio stores easily proved our suspicions.
Save your money and buy what you need/want, not what you can afford.
So now I hit the goodwill here in OCC without disappointment.
"Yugo, gets you from point A to point B" and then blows off the Mackinaw Bridge 🤣🤣🤣
lol
Q. Why did Yugos have rear window defrosters? A. To keep your hands warm while you pushed them
A friend of mine was over to listen to my Celestion Ditton 551s, and he kept asking me to turn the sub off and later back on again, and kept commenting about how low the volume of the subwoofer was relative to what a big difference it made in how the room loaded bass. I have also come around to thinking that a sub is the best room treatment you can get.