I had the Nova 8B 12" woofer 2 midranges and another acting as a tweeter. The Optimus 5 has the same configuration but I never had the pleasure of listening to them, but they are highly regarded.
the main difference between the nova 8b & the optimus 5 besides furniture appointments, was the crossover
the Nova 8 crossed over lower from woofer to mid speakers, and the Optimus 5 had a higher crossover point, making it a little dryer .
The rock crowd seemed to go for the Optimus while the easy listening and classical crowd seem to flock to the Nova
Other than that they are identical .
Rob
As someone else mentioned, I can't comment on their gear as much as their prices. Comparing watt for watt they were always more expensive than typical Pioneer, Kenwood, Technics, etc.
Their product lines were MOTL or lower. They did have a few higher end products.
I loved their catalogs. If something was ON SALE it was comparable other manufacturers offerings in price.
Could not find many reviews on their gear either.
I owned some Minimus 7s, and they were a great low price compact speaker. They served in a Ground Round kitchen for 6 years.
What about the minimus-1? Anyone ever own a set? I haven't been able to find out much about the 1's although I have read that the audio review magazines of the day seemed to favor them. I picked them up last week along with the Ohm's and the Realistic 20 watt amp at my local Goodwill 1/2 off sale. They need a little TLC but they work and sound pretty damn good. A re-cap and re-fin and I think they will be keepers.
I have a pair of Realistic Mach 5000 speakers. They aren't branded Optimus. I have a feeling these speakers may have been a Canadian only speaker as they were made in Canada.
Realistic Mach 5000:
2 X Bullet Tweeters
1 X 5" Cone Midrange
1 X 15" Polypropylene Cone Woofer, Foam Surrounds
Cat Number: 40-8032
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Power Handling: 100 Watt RMS/160 Watt Peak
Efficiency: 91dB 1Watt/1Meter
Digital Ready, Auto Reset Breaker
Rear ported bass reflex design. Removable face grill. No controls for any drivers.
Pictures:
Nameplate on the front:
Compared to my Mach 1 (40-4024A)
Can you provide examples of this? MSRP to MSRP, because that wasn't my experience.
Same could be said for Pioneer, Kenwood, Technics, etc.
Again, I'd say the reverse.
Consumer Reports tested RS gear all the time, and liked it. Stereo and Hi-Fi didn't often test Realistic gear for the same reason they didn't test McIntosh... the manufacturer didn't play that game.
The Minimus 7s were a great mini-speaker at a great price (low). My dealer's claims to the contrary, they were identical to the Audiosource LS-1s I bought for 3X as much as the Minimus 7s in 1982. The XO in the LS-1 was slightly different (but similar in design and quality), but other than that, they were clearly made by the same manufacturer.
Can you provide examples of this? MSRP to MSRP, because that wasn't my experience.
Same could be said for Pioneer, Kenwood, Technics, etc.
Again, I'd say the reverse.
Consumer Reports tested RS gear all the time, and liked it. Stereo and Hi-Fi didn't often test Realistic gear for the same reason they didn't test McIntosh... the manufacturer didn't play that game.
The Minimus 7s were a great mini-speaker at a great price (low). My dealer's claims to the contrary, they were identical to the Audiosource LS-1s I bought for 3X as much as the Minimus 7s in 1982. The XO in the LS-1 was slightly different (but similar in design and quality), but other than that, they were clearly made by the same manufacturer.
Your analysis is correct. "The good old days of Radio Shack" had expired by 1980. Not much has changed for the better since. :sigh:I worked at the Shack during in the late 80's early 90's. I've gotta admit, with the exception of the Minimus 7's I thought most of the audio equipment was crap. Maybe I missed the Shack's audio heyday?
-Dave