Realistic STA-120B
- Thread starter archie2
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BruceRPA
Addicted Member
The STA-120B is one of my favorite receivers from Radio Shack. The tuner is excellent. I have one that I bought about a year ago and it works great! I don't know what the power rating is but if it is 24 WPC it makes some beautiful music with every one of them. If you can get it at a reasonable price, grab it. You may be very surprised when you get it home. It's a real sleeper. :thmbsp:
If it is in very good shape and you don't want it but would be willing to ship it to me (all at my expense of course), please send me a PM with the details. I wouldn't mind having another one.
The Radio Shack catalog page and a picture of the STA-120B are on post #13 of this thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=100794
If it is in very good shape and you don't want it but would be willing to ship it to me (all at my expense of course), please send me a PM with the details. I wouldn't mind having another one.
The Radio Shack catalog page and a picture of the STA-120B are on post #13 of this thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=100794
archie2
Addicted Member
Your catalog flyer on the STA-120B says 150 watts. I'm confused. At any rate I'll take another look at it, it is a handsome receiver in excellent cosmetic shape.
BalancedXLR
Well-Known Member
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archie2
Addicted Member
80 wpc is good enough. Be nice if it were 150 wpc though. It would seem that it has a decent wpc because of all the bells and whistles on it. Tested it with a set of phones, brings in a lot of FM stations just using me as an antenna, no static, all lights working and good volume (on the phones at least). Anyway I bought it cheap with a written receipt for a money back 7 day return. The seller said it came from an elderly women who is liquidating her estate because she is "remarrying late in life". Looks like it's a keeper.
Ultra-Hog, you mentioned a loudness contour circuit that kept the receiver from over compensating at moderate and above volume levels. There is a loudness off/on switch on mine. Is the control circuit user adjustable as in many Yamaha receivers? Or does it kick in automatically? What role does the loudness switch play in the circuit? Thanks.
Ultra-Hog, you mentioned a loudness contour circuit that kept the receiver from over compensating at moderate and above volume levels. There is a loudness off/on switch on mine. Is the control circuit user adjustable as in many Yamaha receivers? Or does it kick in automatically? What role does the loudness switch play in the circuit? Thanks.
archie2
Addicted Member
There seems to be a wide variance in the wpc for the STA-120B. Do you have a reference please?
BruceRPA
Addicted Member
The variations in the power ratings that you are seeing are due to the different methods of rating power output at the time that the receiver was made. RMS per channel, with both channels being driven, under a stated load (as in 8 ohms), at a stated distortion level is now the standard. Back when the STA-120B was made, there were no mandatory standards. It was common practice for manufacturers to use methods that produced large numbers as a marketing advantage. Things like "peak power" and IHF were frequently used, and were deceptive. Peak power was similar to dropping a 3-pound brick on to a scale from a height of six feet and seeing what the scale would read. By golly that thing weighs 60 pounds! Wow, what a brick! The next company would drop theirs from 10 feet, and so on. IHF would provide a power rating by similarly deceptive methods. Only one channel being driven at a time (easier on the power supply) at an unstated distortion level (like 50% - yikes!) driving an abnormally low load (like 2 ohms, which could destroy the amplifier if it were sustained for more than a few seconds). Nearly every manufacturer was caught up in the power war marketing frenzy. Finally the FTC stepped in and set standards that everyone had to use. That leveled the playing field and gave consumers a basis for comparison. I still don't understand how some of these plastic boom boxes can get away with the numbers that we all see on them. Perhaps the FTC standards don't apply to portable equipment. I really don't know.
As to the Loudness contour on the STA-120B, it is not user adjustable. It uses a clever circuit that decreases the amount of influence that the Loudness circuit has as the volume is increased in order to keep you from over compensating and over driving the amplifier, your speakers, and your ears. It works perfectly, at least in my opinion. It keeps you from having to adjust the loudness setting manually or turn it on and off as you adjust the volume. I like the way Radio Shack's loudness contour works. Naturally there is an off switch if you prefer not to use it at all.
As to the Loudness contour on the STA-120B, it is not user adjustable. It uses a clever circuit that decreases the amount of influence that the Loudness circuit has as the volume is increased in order to keep you from over compensating and over driving the amplifier, your speakers, and your ears. It works perfectly, at least in my opinion. It keeps you from having to adjust the loudness setting manually or turn it on and off as you adjust the volume. I like the way Radio Shack's loudness contour works. Naturally there is an off switch if you prefer not to use it at all.
BalancedXLR
Well-Known Member
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d-ray657
Ain't this boogie a mess
I know that this is an old thread, but I hooked up my old STA 120B last night, and I can guarantee you that it is not 80 WPC. I think the 24 WPC stated earlier is much more accurate. I put it temporarily in my main system, and it is nowhere near as powerful of the 50 WPC Pioneer SX-9000 that was in there before. The little Realistic does have a nice sound, but I think it will be a much better fit in a bedroom system.
Regards,
D-Ray
Regards,
D-Ray
