Nova 8b Vintage Speaker Review

[@MichaelLivingston-me]

In answer to your question, the Realistic STA-2100 receiver was made by Foster Electronics. It was a powerhouse with 120 watts per channel. The STA-2100 used a torroidal power transformer. The 2100D didn't use a torroidal transformer, rather it used a conventional rectangular core. The grill on these is a lattice grill. A honeycomb grill is what can be used to describe the JBL L-100 speakers. In order to bring these up to snuff, you need to make some modifications. Use a better polyfill stuffing or the thick acoustic ground denim, attached to the walls. The tweeters on these aren't as good as the fried egg tweeter found in the Advent. The crossover really lets these Nova 8 speakers down. The older Nova speakers had a woofer that could go lower with a better foundation. These tended to just boom. They're amplifier finicky, and can sound better with a good tube match. The woofer needs an air coil choke along with a poly cap crossover point at or below 1000 Hz. All 3 tweeters can work together to go that low, then the two bottom tweeters should crossover at about 4500 Hz with the top one being the only speaker working above that frequency at a minimum 12 dB roll off rate for the others.

[@johnbeckham1483]

Who made the Realistic STA-2150?

[@johnolson4977]

Thanks for the Radio Shack memories , 1972 and being 12 years old it was a cool store and catalog .

[@stereoniche]

Yes it was. I recall all the cool holiday stuff, remote control cars, Tandy computers, electronic chess sets, etc. and then the audio wall of speakers and receivers.

[@martyjewell5683]

As a Brooklyn teen in mid 1960's there was an Acoustic Research Sound Room tucked away in NYC's Grand Central Station. I spent many summer days hangin' around there listening to their components, honing my audio knowledge and there was that hifi smell that was so seductive to a rock-n-roll kid. I recall several later 1970's RS speakers that were well received. The T-70 floor standing system and those Minimus 7 and 11 mini speakers that worked well in a satellite/subwoofer system. RS got a bad rap in those days and was much better than the, then new, Samsung brand. Swell video.

[@stereoniche]

YES, the smell of audio gear is hard to relay to those that have not experienced it.

[@martyjewell5683]

Yes, hard to describe but a swell fragrance to a hifi nut like me.@@stereoniche

[@marcusjones1082]

I remember the first time I heard a pair of Novas I was blown away at their crisp, detailed and separated soundstage. Hopefully the recap works.

[@stereoniche]

Hopefully so! Thanks for watching.

[@skelecaster]

I call those grills lattice style. Enjoy your vids!

[@stereoniche]

Yes, I do use that term as well, on occasion. Thanks for watching!

[@jagzilla5049]

Thank you so much for this review. I especially love your commentary about Radio Shack at the beginning. I like that you showed them beside the Advents, as I had to choose between the 8bs and that same bullnose Advent, when I bought my 8bs a few months ago (for about the same price of $120). I like the look of the Advent a lot better than the lattice on the Novas, so I plan to build new grills with linen cloth, similar to the Advents. You spoke of recapping them. There is also a very popular DIY crossover modification called the VL (Video Lady) Mod. If you want to learn more about it, there's a good thread about it on Audio Karma.

[@stereoniche]

I recall having read about it years ago on AK after reading up on a prior set of Nova 8b's that I owned. Will review it again.

[@sidesup8286]

At one time, going back before the era of these speakers, Radio Shack made some decent equipment. At one time a lot of their stuff was made in Germany. In the 1970s, if you had Radio Shack equipment, you wouldn't be ashamed of it. Their seperate components were better than having an all in one compact stereo. It was good enough equip. that I was impressed a few times when I walked in and heard something playing. In the 1990s they teamed up with Linaeum, which most thought was only a tweeter manufacturer. Their tweeter was their most innovative driver, but Linaeum made speakers with woofers and midrange drivers in them also. I am the only person I know who owns a pair of Linnaeum brand speakers. They often used Peerless mid/woofer drivers. Linaeum might be one of the main companies you'd want back, if you could resurrect some out of business speaker companies.. They were very innovative. The short lived audio review magazine Fi (one of the best), called one of the Optimus speakers of the mid 1990s, using the Linaeum tweeter, "the speaker bargain of the century "

[@stereoniche]

I keep an eye out for those Linaeum speakers, I believe they were under the Optimus line. I also recall there were some small RCA bookshelf using the tweeter that were fairly popular.

[@sidesup8286]

They made different versions of that tweeter that varied greatly. The ones that were cylindrical shaped that dispersed the sound 360 degrees are the lesser sounding more common ones, used in the Optimus line. The flat ones that fit flush to the front of the cabinet, that disperse the sound to the front only, they seem to be the better proposition. That's the version of the tweeter that the speaker reviewed in the Fi magazine had. The tweeter is very clean and clear, one of the most natural; but best used with something a little bright in the highs, or something with a treble boost control. It can sound too soft otherwise. Linaeum's 360 degree radiating tweeters that they used in some of their own speakers, might be a different animal than the ones Radio Shack used in their Optimus line, and could be better by a good deal.

[@fredcalderon4280]

Had both ,still have the same Advents you have in your video in my bedroom totally agree with you thanks for sharing .

[@stereoniche]

Thanks for watching and adding a comment!

[@nicevmax]

I would definitely pick up a pair of these if I found them for cheap. Picked up a pair of Realistic solo 3 B's at a garage sale, I think this was a line below the Nova's not sure, heavy box real wood veneer, 8-inch woofer 3in cone tweeter. I recapped them, removed the four cubes of fiberglass like material, put in some proper fiberfill acoustic material, resealed the airtight cup over the Tweeter inside the box, then used some foam window insulation tape to seal the woofer to the baffle board. No lattice on the grill but dark brown grill cloth does date them a little. After hooking them up these little speakers are really surprising and I would say they sound better than when they were new. After a lot of lemon oil and gluing down some of the wood veneer they look really good. No they do not sound like my Advent's or my AR2ax's but something about the way these speakers sound I really like. So you may be surprised after you recap the Nova's. Enjoy your reviews. Cheers.

[@stereoniche]

It will be an interesting little project.

[@tedjones112]

I like the Honeycomb grill look.....takes me back to my childhood

[@casesimmons2645]

I have a pair of Optimus Radio Shack mach three just reformed them still going

[@tomlindalewis2146]

I love the look and the sound is decent for their age. They look great with other equipment of the time. I have a pair hooked up to a JVC JR-S400. I enjoy your videos.

[@stereoniche]

Thanks Tom!

[@fb6performance271]

I know you reviewed the Nova.8....I just recently scored 3 near mint Nova 10's from a local fella who put them on Craiglist dirt cheap...I bought them one hour after his post went live. They look exactly like your Nova 8's with the grills on. I bought them to pair with a Realistic 2080 a friend gave me after he pulled it out of a recycling drop off. It is my first restoration..and it turned out amazing. The speakers and receiver look like what would have been on display in a local Radio shack in the day. I am impressed how the Realistic combo sounds...since I grew up as an early teen with a Fisher CA800 amp. I currently own two..my garage unit is a CA800...EQ276 driving JBL LX 44"s and Cerwin Vega sub.That being said..I am now a vintage realistic fan..Love your videos :)

[@stereoniche]

Well done and congrats! Finding and restoring vintage gear is so rewarding. Welcome to the Realistic fan club! :-)

[@danedewaard8215]

I have the original Nova 8s. The mids and tweeters look the same but the 12" woofers have an aluminium basket with cloth surrounds (covered with a viscous fluid). I am always amazed by the bass response of mine. I also have a set of Dynaco A25s. These are truly in a class by themselves having a frequency response that much flatter than the 8s. The A25s also had a smaller woofer which is 10". My brother has the original Larger Advents and I think the A25s sound more similar to the Advents than the Nova 8s. Thanks for your review.

[@sabrowenie]

Had a pair of 7b’s in almost new condition. Sounded very good. Needed to downsize the collection so gave them the shop that does my repair work if it’s beyond my capabilities. What was surprising was the very simple x-over. It seemed that the woofer was allowed to run free.

[@ReasonablySane]

Back in 1974 i bought a pair of Optimus 7 and powered them with a Dynaco 400. I liked them, but when i heard ADS L810's two years later i bought 'em. No comparison. I actually worked at radio shack for a year while I went to computer school in 1982. I considered their stuff to be a good buy for the money. Way underrated. As I'm typing this we just fixed my friend's STA-90 receiver. That sucker is still going strong and sounds great plugged into a fluelance 85 and ESS AMT 1D's.👍

[@dustinrilcof2504]

I really like your ❤channel. In particular your speaker reviews. I like how you compare everything to the Advents. It is great to have a baseline to measure everything to. I wish you did something like this with your receiver reviews as well. What would be a receiver you could compare and evaluate everything else to? What is your current favourite? I want to know more about your personal opinions especially when you put your own biases on the table. You’ve owned them all. Your opinion is important to people like me. So don’t hold back. Things I would like to know more about receivers… who has the most treble extension and if the loudness boosts just the lows or the highs as well. Maybe some tier lists? Thanks for all of your insights and stories !

[@stereoniche]

Hey Dustin! Thanks for watching. I'll probably do a "Favorites" review at some point, but to be honest, I very much like them all. I do tend to lean toward Sansui's, like the 9090, a bit as it has "grunt" and smoothness that is hard to beat.

[@dustinrilcof2504]

@@stereoniche Thanks for the reply. I find that very insightful. It’s funny I recently sold a 9090 because I was having some issues with it and I didn’t need the power. But it sure sounded good with Large Advents. I might try a 7070 and see if that could get that sound back. I agree I am fans of them all but I tend to favour Sansui especially my AU 7700. I like the Sansui hi and low boost. Very lush.

[@JayRCela]

Thanks for the review, these were quite popular amongst many people I knew while growing up in the 1970's, perhaps not the same model. I am referring to Radio Shack speakers in general. The grills were always the dead giveaway they were from RS. By the way, I actually like the grills. Haaa ha :_)

[@stereoniche]

It is a "love it or hate it" kind of thing, I think, with regard to the grills. :-)

[@scottbennett3119]

Nice review. There were so many speakers back then using multiple tweeters or mid drivers. Speaker manufacturers have learned a lot since then, thankfully. I never heard these, but the tweeters look similar to those of the Nova 15s, which I bought at Radio Shack during a half-price sale in 1986, I think? They were pretty good overall. They got surprisingly loud, which mattered a lot to me then. About 10 years ago, I found a pair of Nova 15s at Goodwill; judging them by my standards today, they are a little sharp in the upper midrange, and imaging is blurred. It's not that great overall, similar to how you described the Nova 8s.

[@festersuncle6298]

Realistic- Texas Instruments rings a bell.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks always been interested how the (Tandy here in the UK) , (Radio Shack in the USA) Realistic speakers sounded, while these dont seem they sound very good . I have read that some models are quite good, while a lot not so good. I am always on the lookout out for any pair to listen to.

[@marvinmurakami8828]

The first generation Mach One speakers are excellent according to owners and reviews I've seen on them.

[@JohnAngelos-h5q]

Hi Scott, Thanks for the reviews. I have a pair of 8b's and I decided to do the full crossover upgrades listed on audio karma. They have worked out very well. Speakers still have issues but much improved from before the upgrade. It would be great if you did the full crossover and let us know your thoughts. When I did the recaps it did not help much with the separation nor the bass. Now they play very deep and tight. For me the weak spot is they are a little harsh on the top end and I have not found a way on my Pioneer sx-950 settings to get them any better. Also imaging is not much improved in my opinion. How about some HPM 100's you have a pair you will be reviewing?

[@VINTAGEO]

Hi Scott, another great review and I agree with all you said. Instead of just recapping them, I urge you to check out the VL.Mod on Audio Karma for these. I bought a set of recapped Optimus 5b's which are the same speaker as these except for the grills over the Advents, believe it or not, they sounded better. After I did the mod, they sounded light years better still! The separation you say is missing, not anymore! This mod completely transformed them!

[@stereoniche]

I will check it out!

[@roguesquatch1]

Are your Advents recapped? I may have missed if you already said that. I have had the Nova 8s and I had nearly the same listening experience, never recapped them though. Love your channel!

[@stereoniche]

The Advents have not been recapped. They sound great, so planning to leave them alone.

[@72vespa]

I have a pair of Optimus 5B, which are the same as these with a less fancy/plain grill. I believe they will sound a whole lot better after you replace the 48 year old caps in the crossover.

[@stereoniche]

I think so as well. If I would stop buying more gear, I could get them going! :-)

[@72vespa]

a tip off for me was the fact that they sounded little bit better now (from years ago) with the "mid-Hi" switches in the "high" position @@stereoniche

[@ronaldrice2936]

I knew my Advent's was gonna Win this One 🔈🔉🔊🔊💯👍✌️

[@stereoniche]

LOL, they came through in a commanding way too!

[@garybrown5929]

I have the sister Optimus 5b’s. The midrange drivers are 4ohm and about 3.5 ounces heavier than the 8ohm tweeters. I replaced the original caps with film caps and it definitely improved the sound. I power them with the Realistic Sta-90 receiver with a recapped power board. This system has a big, warm, non-fatiguing sound that I prefer for classic 70s music. The super enhanced detail and separation of many modern speakers seems overdone to me and sounds tinier and annoying to my ears.

[@jeffcline7689]

No hurry on a response. Ended up buying an HK 550 Vsi. From 1989 or 1990. Looks perfect. I had an HK 590i with some baby Advents (should have kept) and it worked well. Checked out the Realistic silver faced models as recommended and anything considerable was very high as well. Now the turd in the punch bowl is that it is almost 18 inches wide. The Onkyo TX-8511 is 17 inches wide and the Harman-Kardon will not fit in my stereo rack.Guess it will be a bedroom receiver. In performance side by side which one do you think would sound best with Polk R15 speakers? Thanks in forward and no hurry for an answer

[@inexses23]

I wonder why they didnt center the tweeter???

[@TheVintageNewbie]

Did you ever do a re-cap video for these?

[@stereoniche]

I have not, but it is still on my list.

[@deadnuts4166]

Great speaker . Tweeter is different from the mids

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

I had these few years ago, they are alright, they did not do it for me

[@jb5731]

Very good video thank you. Do you know where I can get replacement fabric for my nova 8 speakers? Thank you for your time.

[@stereoniche]

I've actually not ever tried to find this type of fabric. There are some resellers of fabric for KLH, Advent, etc. on eBay, you might see if they stock anything for the Nova series.

[@jb5731]

@@stereoniche thank you for your reply 🙏

[@chuckmcgillis8160]

I think they sound fine

[@luckytech7186]

I love the look of the grills. when you have vintage gear, you want the vintage look...not modern looks.

[@stereoniche]

I know, it does appeal to some and when you WANT that vintage look, these certainly SCREAM it! :-)

[@vmaxmadness66]

I still rock my Mach 1s matched with my nova 9s powered by my sta2080

[@LindaJohnson-lp9tg]

Had a pair of these new in 1976. Loved them until I bought Klipsch and Martin Logan.

[@tskolits]

Thanks for this!

[@stereoniche]

My pleasure!

[@MRMunnerlyn]

The STA-2100D was manufactured by Foster Electronics. I’ve got one and it’s a monster of a unit!!!

[@stereoniche]

Thanks! It is certainly a hefty beast.

[@MRMunnerlyn]

@@stereoniche Love your reviews! Would love to see you review the Realistic STA-2100D in the near future!!!

[@stereoniche]

@@MRMunnerlyn I wish I still had mine as it was in GREAT shape. I'll have to wait until I run across another one though.

[@TheShackGuy]

The STA-2100/2100D/2000/2000D were all made by Tandy Electronics. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1laZVTI-3JgO9iTXwHc7I0mEpfSqb8O0bREcGWk10oiM/edit?usp=drivesdk

[@chuckmaddison2924]

My only complaint is the 2 mid range. They must create some cancellation.

[@Pinball-Audio]

its was my store.... of all the audio gear I could never afford back then....

[@stereoniche]

I certainly spent more time in RS than any other store because they were on every corner it seemed. Xmas was fun because they always had every type of RC toy ever made.

[@madmad8582]

yip Foster of Japan made a lot of drivers for a lot of speaker manufactures like Sears , Sansui , Realistic, AMX sound and AGS , the best Realistic speakers where made in the good old USA and some where sold as kits , witch was a big thing back in the day with the Pros like Electrovoice to me Electrovoice made the best speakers ever, and still do to this day but they come with a huge price tag , for my self as the Speaker Doctor , I enjoy the creative efforts of Paul Klipsch , I hand crafted a pair of Aristocrat's and a pair of Sentry 2 witch use the EV 12 TRXB 16 OHM speaker , one of the best drivers ever made on this planet called Earth , I do have some Realistic speakers made in the USA I collect many speaker's .

[@stephenpowers5653]

89 db sensitivity

[@madmad8582]

Advent are crap , same with AR ,I worked on a lot of Advent and AR acoustic Research mostly to replace the surrounds with new ones . other speakers i repair Bose , JBL, Boston, just to name a few .

[@jb5731]

The grills are not modern looking because they are not modern.

[@stereoniche]

I think they were dated at the time they were being sold. :-)

[@jb5731]

@@stereoniche now understood. Thanks

[@JAllen-db2kv]

Seriously... I waited through this entire video because I wanted to see the back of these.

[@stereoniche]

Yeap, seems I did not show the backside. If you want to send me an email to [e-mail] I will send you a picture for reference.

[@robertthomas7644]

KLH five copies older ones are better sounding

[@hifijohn]

Sorry but their stereo stuff was terrible, i would go there only to buy solder and electronic parts.

[@johndough8115]

Im surprised that you own any Radio Shack speakers. They have only ever sold hot garbage, with one partial exception... which was a somewhat interesting Di-Pole tweeter bookshelf mini-speaker pair, very late in their years. You can tell from looking at the basic paper tweeters / mids... that its a low fidelity, 1$ driver. Replacing the CAPs is not going to turn a Kazoo into a Trumpet. Personally, I like the Cabinet (Its the only think I like about it). The lattice work is very Classy, and Artistic. Where as most modern speakers are "Generic" looking. The same thing can be said about Modern Cars and Buildings. In the past... they spent a lot more effort on crafting wonderful shapes and details into their works... but today, almost every car and buildings interiors... look virtually the same. Generic and Boring AF. IMO, it will be a waste of time and money, on Audiophile caps for these.. but you do you. Until you realize that the speakers sounds are relative to the Technology differences in the actual drivers... rather than the Box shapes... you will have this kind of delusional thinking. At best, you will make them sound "Less bad". Not "Good" nor "Great". With cheap drivers, that have low magnet strengths, heavy and or flexing cones, other bad material choices... you can only ever get low quality, highly distorting, sound output. Radio Shack speakers intentionally used the cheapest drivers possible, made by the lowest bidders, to make maximum profits.. on utter Garbage... from the largely ignorant masses. Masses that just counted drivers, and or liked the Look.. or were impressed with the Size of the boxes.

[@stereoniche]

Hey John. I tend to think that engineers tried to make the best they could with the parameters they were given. Those parameters include a specific price point they are trying to achieve. Sometimes they hit a home run when not expected, most times they don't, but I try not to assume in advance. While I may not like the looks, I am fine giving them their best shot as it is a minimal cost.

[@johndough8115]

​@@stereonicheTrying to be an Optimist, does not mean that you are "Correct" in your "Optimal Assumptions". There have been many companies that choose to produce poor quality goods... and using deceptive processes to try to maximize profits. This isnt anything new... its been happening all throughout the ages. If you hand an Engineer the worst quality drivers... they may build the best box within the Budgeted cost range for them... but no matter how good that box is... its never going to make those speakers sound good / great. In fact, with the box itself.. the worst thing you can do, is have too little of air-volume, for the woofer. That, or using incorrect port tuning. The rest of the box design, only really effects very high end drivers... such as using thinner boxes with different angles, to reduce issues with high frequencies. Or using a special fiber-fill material, to dampen any internal cabinet resonance issues. Ive even seem the use of Lead paneling inside a speaker, to take it to the next level of performance. Obviously, Crossover designs, and the best components used for them.. can also effect the "Signal Clarity". But again... if the Drivers themselves are such low fidelity... then the best crossovers in the world, are not going to matter. And if the woofers are both low fidelity, highly distorting, and short travel / low power handling.. you are going to have both poor dynamic range, as well as musical distortions. So again, the box shapes, and the components, will not make a very notable difference. I once tried to replace a high quality 6.5" driver in a Phillips Woox speaker... with a driver from a Sony boombox speaker. The sound quality with the sony driver installed, was AWFUL, and unbearable, compared to the Original foam rotting drivers (I tried many other drivers too). I did some research into the original woofers that Phillips used for these woox speakers... and it turned out that they used a very High-End Taiwanese company, rather than some ultra cheap low quality Chinese garbage. Additionally, these High Quality drivers were specifically Engineered to have greater overall "Travel" / Excursion... to prevent them from distorting from loud, low, Bass... and of course, being able to deal with Phillips special "long-excursion" passive radiators. In the End, I had to get the original drivers re-foamed... as none of the other +10 boom box drivers that had, could even come close. Anyway... Id guarantee, that RS "Engineers" didnt make any of those drivers. That they were the cheapest drivers that they could find, from some overseas mfg., or from some seedy sweat-shop full of "Illegal" workers. And like most Cheaply made drivers... they likely had Zero engineering in their design. Just some dudes trying to Replicate some other Drivers that they had seen... and using the cheapest materials, and the most cost effective mfg. Anything to shave money, and time... without any real understanding of the Original materials used, and the originals drivers special assembly details. Basically... just dumb luck from trial and error... if they got a decent sound at all out of them.