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Realistic Minimus 7 ID Thread

Grainger49

Grainger49

Old Fart
Subscriber
I tweaked my (0riginal pair of [?]) Minimus 7s last week. I found that this pair was pretty early (I'm guessing). One of the serial numbers on this pair was 17,324, catalog number 40-2030A. Below that it said 7 AO and the drivers were both made in Japan. These have white woofers with rubber surrounds. The cabinets are black stuffed with fiberglass (I replaced it with as much fiberfill as I could stuff in). This pair was bought in the mid to late 70s. Both my black and silver have metal grills.

Anyone with others can join in and we can trace the changes. Well, if enough of us join in.

Grainger's...........................Black....40-2030A.....17,324...............Japan Drivers
Grainger's...........................Silver...40-2034....... 3,489................Japan Drivers
AnalogDigit's........................Black?..40-2030B.....18,587...............Japan Drivers
AnalogDigit's........................Black?..40-2030C..... 0393...............?
 
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my oldest pair is cat no. 40-2030B with the white woofers. Serial # 19601 7AO and 19587 7AO. Made in Japan.

newest pair is cat no. 40-2030C Serial # 0395 7AO and 0393 7AO.

then I got a mismatch pair. I bought these on eBay. One is cat no. 40-2030B Serial # 10292 7AO. No white woofer.
the other pair is a 40-2030C with no serial number. Just 7AO.
 
Those rear ports were much later than the release of Minimus 7s. I had 3 pair that were sealed.

Just checking here, the ones you had with rear ports, were they Minimus 7s? My brother has another model number that looks like Minimus 7s that has a rear port and another model number.

I'll check the stock numbers of my black and silver pair.
 
I also have 40-2030C with serial #'s bought in the late 80's early 90's. Tweeter has the plastic faceplate with the round grooves around the dome. The dome looks identical to the dome used in the older metal faceplate tweeter (40-2030B i think) mso i assume they only updated the plate to plastic to save money. They are also sealed and have dark grey paper cones with rubber surround. On the back it says "custom made in Japan for Tandy electronics" or something like that.
 
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Grainger49 said:
Those rear ports were much later than the release of Minimus 7s. I had 3 pair that were sealed.

Just checking here, the ones you had with rear ports, were they Minimus 7s? My brother has another model number that looks like Minimus 7s that has a rear port and another model number.

I'll check the stock numbers of my black and silver pair.
Click to expand...

Yup, I can get the catalog number and s/n tonight. I bought 'em new (albeit on close-out) in the 1990s.

R/S made the Minimus-7 (as such) for a long time; check www.radioshackcatalogs.com

Minimus-7 "New for 78" http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1978/

Silver version in 1981 catalog http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1981/

Looks like the 7W debuted in 1985 http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1985/ (not in the 1984 catalog)

Still in the 1992 catalog http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1992/ (white version, too)

hmm... the 1994 catalog calls it Optimus PRO7 and features the ported encl. Gonna have to look tonight...
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1994/
 
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My Silver pair are C/N 40-2034, S/N 3489 with 9A4 below the S/N. These are still die cast. I don't know what that number below the S/N is for, anyone?

Both the Black and Silver say, "Custom Mfd. In Japan For Radio Shack/A Division Of Tandy Corporation."
 
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MHardy,

Great information! I'll cruise the site!

AnalogDigit said:
my oldest pair is cat no. 40-2030B with the white woofers. Serial # 19601 7AO and 19587 7AO. Made in Japan.

newest pair is cat no. 40-2030C Serial # 0395 7AO and 0393 7AO.

then I got a mismatch pair. I bought these on eBay. One is cat no. 40-2030B Serial # 10292 7AO. No white woofer.
the other pair is a 40-2030C with no serial number. Just 7AO.
Click to expand...

Ok, between my first pair and yours they changed from an A to B in the C/N but the white woofer/rubber surround stayed. I wonder what changed.

On your second pair with a B and C C/N do the drivers look the same?
 
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I have an older single Minimus 7 that i think is the A or B version...the only difference i can see is the faceplate material changed from metal to plastic. Same woofers in both. Are your woofers bright white or just badly faded?
 
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I also have the cat no. 40-2030B black minimus 7s with white woofers made in Japan. The serial numbers are 05920 A2 and 07442 A3.
EDIT: oh, and mine have the metal faceplate as well.
 
I believe my woofers started life as white, they are a little yellowed today, but were bright white at one time. Post your S/Ns! I'm trying to get a handle on the changes.

My buddy Doug had a pair here 3 weekends ago with a T-Amp. We upgraded his caps and were very pleased. His had 3X more glue on the crossover, black woofers, rubber surrounds and plastic plates around the tweeters. I will ask his S/N and post.
 
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Grainger49 said:
My woofers started life as white, they are a little yellowed, but were bright white. Post your S/Ns! I'm trying to get a handle on the changes.
Click to expand...

so yours are 40-2030A with white cones....and AnalogDigit has 40-2030B also with white cones. Makes me think that they just got a small batch of white cones from time to time early on and just used them as they got them. :scratch2: I have never seen a white cone minimus 7 before and seen pics of all versions. I bet yours are very rare.


I just saw a 40-2030A with a ser # 16575 on Ebay. don't think the numbering system is consistent.
 
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The speakers with the rear port are the OPTIMUS PRO-X44AV (40-2080) and are otherwise identical to the 40-2030C with the plastic tweeter plates and made in Malaysia.
 
mikeybc said:
The speakers with the rear port are the OPTIMUS PRO-X44AV (40-2080) and are otherwise identical to the 40-2030C with the plastic tweeter plates and made in Malaysia.
Click to expand...

Three models are ported, none bearing the "Minimus" or "Realistic" badges:

Optimus Pro-7: 40-2065(blk), 40-2066(wht)
Optimus Pro-X44AV: 40-2080(blk), 40-2081(wht)
RCA Pro-X44AV: 40-5001(blk), 40-5002(wht)

Don't confuse Pro-7 with Pro-7AV. The latter differs by being magnetically shielded and not ported. Also don't confuse it with Pro-X7, a differently styled, bastard cousin of the Minimus 7 family.

The very first Minimus 7's introduced in '78 (though actually available Sept. '77) have round terminal cups on back with screw terminals rather than spring clips.
 
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Stuart Pedaso said:
Three models are ported, none bearing the "Minimus" badge:

Optimus Pro-7: 40-2065(blk), 40-2066(wht)
Optimus Pro-X44AV: 40-2080(blk), 40-2081(wht)
RCA Pro-X44AV: 40-5001(blk), 40-5002(wht)

Don't confuse Pro-7 with Pro-7AV. The latter differs by being magnetically shielded and not ported. Also don't confuse it with Pro-X7, a differently styled, bastard cousin of the Minimus 7 family.

The very first Minimus 7's introduced in '78 (though actually available Sept. '77) have round terminal cups on back with screw terminals rather than spring clips.
Click to expand...


Yes your correct, I just listed 1 model out of total and sheer laziness...I believe the non-ported Pro-7AV also differs from other models in that it has the fatter bulgier grill, they stick out farther.

The Pro-X7 "bastard cousin" woofer is a little different also...It doesn't have the bumped back plate on the magnet assembly and the voice coil lead in wires are hidden under the dust cap...the cabinets are ugly IMO.
 
Stuart Pedaso said:
. . . The very first Minimus 7's introduced in '78 (though actually available Sept. '77) have round terminal cups on back with screw terminals rather than spring clips.
Click to expand...

I see now. I might have seen a pair, but none were mine. Mine all had the spring-clip speaker terminals.
 
mikeybc said:
Yes your correct, I just listed 1 model out of total and sheer laziness...I believe the non-ported Pro-7AV also differs from other models in that it has the fatter bulgier grill, they stick out farther.

The Pro-X7 "bastard cousin" woofer is a little different also...It doesn't have the bumped back plate on the magnet assembly and the voice coil lead in wires are hidden under the dust cap...the cabinets are ugly IMO.
Click to expand...
you would be correct about the pro 7AV speakers. I have a pair (in white).
 
Stuart Pedaso said:
. . . The very first Minimus 7's introduced in '78 (though actually available Sept. '77) have round terminal cups on back with screw terminals rather than spring clips.
Click to expand...

A second thought on this. Tandy might not have estimated how well a $50 mini-speaker might sell back in 1977 when this design was presented. They might have upgraded to spring clips and might have changed manufacturers when they found they would sell like flapjacks.

Anyone out there have driver information on the screw terminal Minimus 7s?
 
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