Vintage Realistic Minimus 7 speaker review

This is a review of the highly popular Realistic Minimus 7 bookshelf speaker.
I am a long time collector of vintage stereo gear like receivers, speakers, amps, turntables and cassette decks from brands like McIntosh, Sansui, Pioneer, Yamaha, Klipsch, JBL, Marantz and many others. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss future videos.
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[@Slonge92]

I bought a pair in 1989 and hung them under the eaves facing the swimming pool and back yard. I would dust them off once a year but never took them down until last summer, August 2022. They worked fine but I had new hidden speakers installed around the yard, so I retired them to the garage. They still sound great.

[@orangehat9057]

Younger guy here, I have a pair. I think for the size and price these are some of the best sounding small bookshelf speakers.

[@stereoniche]

Welcome aboard the vintage audio train. The Min7 are great, let us know if you find other vintage gear to add to your system.

[@MrRonnmaui]

I really forgot about those. I bought a pair and used them "on top" of a pair of tower speakers. Then, moved them outside by my wood hot tub. Damn, those were fun times!

[@stereoniche]

They are so flexible!

[@leowetzel2497]

My pair is mounted on the wall in the next room wired to my main system, but i bought them for my pickup truck long ago. I remember that they were $49.99 each because a friend asked me how much they cost, and I said $50, and he asked per pair, and I said no, EACH. Mine are decades old and still get used today. Great sounding little speaker and good quality too!

[@wmalden]

I’ve had a pair of black Minimus 7’s in my kitchen since 1986..They still sound great today!

[@stereoniche]

Just can't kill these little guys.

[@peterwinstonaldredge6927]

I bought a pair of Minimus 7W's in the late 70's/early 80's to put in my car, sat them face up on the back seat of my brother's '71 Impala (which I was driving until I got my first car of my own) and could install a more proper car stereo system. I still have them.

[@stereoniche]

We may need to setup a club for those of us that had Min7's in our cars. :-)

[@andygee8716]

This speaker's design owes a lot to the legendary Visonik David mini studio monitors

[@robertwathey1957]

Good review Scott, I remember these well. You are right they were pretty much indestructible and I even remember people using these for small outdoor events, picnics and such. I'll bet just about everybody has some memories of these. Thx! Robert

[@stereoniche]

I've seen folks make small arrays from them too. Just a FUN speaker to have in your kit.

[@billdepalma161]

Love the Advent speakers too my favorite floor speakers of all time that 83 walnut 7 is beautiful

[@michaelschneider-]

+1 .. Great speaker topic; A 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo .... Fond memories, Memory Lane ... Followed a similar path with my 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle, Sun Bug actually.. Subscribed. .. Cheers, Vail, Colorado P.S. ,, Yes, enjoyed a pair of Advent Large speakers for years.. Believe it or not, the Advents were replaced with big studio monitors. .. Enter the JBL Professional 4343 monitor which was actively XO with Crown's VFX-2A.. Amplification was a handful of Crown D-150A in mono and pair of Crown DC300 in mono for the bottom end. ... Those were the days.. My employer CBS Television Network NY, NY owned all the studio gear ....

[@stereoniche]

It was a fantastic time. I was young, carefree and in summers out of college, worked hard and played hard. I'll never forget those swivel bucket seats in the Monte Carlo. On CBS, I bought a lot of recording studio gear many years ago from a former engineer in NYC. When he retired, they let him take literally everything.

[@luhertell]

Found a pair of white ones at a goodwill for a few bucks a while back! They felt durable and so I bought them for my desk and yeah wow they are pretty good little speakers especially at the price I paid! Just now looking up reviews because I was curious about them lol I feel even better about my purchase after watching this

[@richkurtz6053]

I was a Radio Shack store manager back then. The date code on the black speaker indicates it was made in April of 1982. Withe the number of these that we cranked through the stores I would guess you bought them in the summer of '82.

[@stereoniche]

Sounds about right. It was just after H.S. graduation.

[@mikecampbell5856]

I really enjoy your videos. I bought my first Hi-Fi gear in 1975 when I was in the Navy and had my first spending money. Sadly I could only listen to it when I was home on leave. Your collection is awesome and it brings back a lot of great memories.

[@stereoniche]

Thanks Mike! The nostalgia is a big part of what drives my collecting. Spending time with these Min7's very much brought back long ago memories I hadn't recalled for some time. Fun stuff.

[@stuart4819]

Mike,ihave a pair o f optimus 77 pros, and can not find the correct size surrounds for them, can any one tell me what size the woofers are on them,?, thanks,great speakers all of them!!!!!!!.....stu

[@mikecampbell5856]

@@stuart4819 audiokarma and hifiengine have some information on those speakers that might help. I looked and one site said your speakers had a 4.5 inch woofer and one said 5.25 inch. The audiokarma site had a link to parts express that had replacement woofers.

[@martyjewell5683]

I first read about the Realistic Minimus line in my 1979 Complete Buyers Guide to Stereo/Hifi Equipment. Both the Minimus 7 and 11 had half page reviews that impressed me. Even so far as to compare them (sound-wise) to the lofty Rogers LS3/5A. Needing only a good sub woofer for a complete full range system. The Realistic T-70 (labyrinth) was even more stunning.

[@stereoniche]

The little speaker that could! :-)

[@TheVintageNewbie]

Awesome, thanks for the link! I just bought a pair of these for $15 at a local thrift store and I’m rocking them this very minute. So glad I finally found a pair.

[@stereoniche]

Welcome! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss more reviews. The Min7 is my bookshelf baseline, so other bookshelf speakers will be compared to it. As well, all sorts of other vintage gear are reviewed, so you won't be the "Vintage Newbie" for long! 🙂

[@TheVintageNewbie]

@@stereoniche thanks! Haha yeah I thought I was already subscribed, the old memory ain’t what it used to be!

[@afgcinc7206]

I have a pair of 1st gen Silvers with an STA-111 receiver (the last of the low profile solid receivers but has a digital tuner) and it's astonishing how good these little heavy speakers sound, especially with the receiver(s) they were bundled with. I noticed you have a black "C" model, and I've read that the early ones (screw terminal models, and "A" models) had better tweeters and that made a big difference.

[@chriscutress1702]

I still have a pair of the black metal as well as a pair of the wood grain versions that I used as confidence speakers in my music studio.

[@petertate5741]

I have a pair if Gennexa sxo7 aluminium speakers.(purchased at Tandy in the UK in 1985) still absolutely brilliant. Paints chipped, battered and bruised but as good as my Mordaunt Shorts and my Magnat Monitor 220. Providing excellent clear vibrant sound.😁

[@jimcoope7194]

I have a black and a white pair. They benefit greatly from a capacitor upgrade (tweeter) with a good polypropylene substitution (same value). Also, applying a light coat of diluted PVA glue (Elmer's) to the woofer reaps benefits in the bass. Only a light coat, though, and not on the dust cap or the surround - just the paper of the woofer cone. They rock!

[@stereoniche]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[@haqitman]

I'm a fan of the ebay crossover mod kit, a very worthwhile upgrade and easy to DIY.

[@hds181]

Love these! Especially the rubber surrounds. It killed me when Radio Shack switched to the cheap foam surrounds on their speakers, specifically on their bookshelves with the Linaeum tweeters. But the Minimus 7s are the ever- reliable go-to when you need good sound at a great price. I'm using 2 of mine as surrounds out in my shop along with Polk towers for mains, a Polk center with 6-inch mid-woofers and a Polk PSW 650 sub with dual 10-inch drivers. The Minimus 7 dome tweeters are a surprisingly close match for the Polks. These days I bargain shop all of my speakers on eBay and haven't been burned too much. I did buy a pair of the Radio Shack towers with the Linaeum tweeters and dual bass drivers that at least have rubber surrounds. I hardly ever use them because i don't want the tweeters to fail. Anyway, nice channel! I like the look you chose for your setup and lighting. Your camera work is very smooth, too. I subscribed and will check out more of your reviews as time allows. I like the format of your reviewing system as well. Good stuff.

[@stereoniche]

Yeah, a horrible cost cutting measure. Thanks for the feedback and stay tuned for more reviews!

[@SMccrate01]

I have a pair of the RCA 40-5002 variant that are in excellent shape. I need to fire them up again. In our last house that had a finished basement, there was a built-in recessed cupboard with book shelves and cabinets for kids games and toys and I had these up on the bookshelf. The shelf was a simple white-painted 1x10 board and the resonance that gave the speakers was impressive. If you lifted them off, they sounded thinner, especially in the bass. But sitting on the shelf which acted as a passive resonator the bass and mid just bloomed. Add to that the shelves were inset into a wood paneled alcove in the wall and I think it gave these little things space and dimension.

[@haqitman]

I'm listening to this on a pair of modded Minimus 7Ws. They're the little engine that could.

[@stereoniche]

Indeed they are, thanks for commenting!

[@bikdav]

I have a pair of both the black ones and silver ones (garage sale finds). I’m very surprised that no speaker maker picked up where Radio Shack left off when Radio Shack went out of business. The white ones came later under the ‘Optimus’ name and they were shielded for early home theater use when we still had CRT TV sets.

[@WalterDavidRiffmon]

I enjoy viewing vintage equipment reviews. I own another version of these. They are Power Drive SM-200 Recoton Corporation made in Japan. I got them for free in an empty apartment. They were abandoned by the previous owner. I also got a nice set of Panasonic Technics SB-400! - these are three way speakers

[@stereoniche]

Well, you came to the right place! Have yet to own any Recoton or Technics speakers.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

I have them in black, I use them in the garage and they sound great for what they are

[@stereoniche]

One of my sets is setup for the workshop, indestructible!

[@JD-lk7im]

I have the first generation screw terminals Minimus 7, they came in yellow boxes...they have an aluminium front cover and no holes in the back for the brackets...I also have a pair of the C type with the plastic face tweeters and steel grills.

[@1toufic1]

Great speakers. All in such line of Realistic Minimus 7 and Optimus Pro 7 and few similar, but from my experience the best sounding are early made in Japan with lower serial numbers. I have few pairs and lowest has serial numbers around 900

[@johnsradios484]

I got a pair and they sound really good for the size and what I paid.

[@stereoniche]

They are the speaker that could, for sure.

[@jemsmay2167]

We obviously came of “audio age” at the same time. My minimus 7’s are in our library on a bookshelf hooked up to a ChiFi amp and a streamer. Bought mine from a radio shack in Rochester NY in 1979. Sound good for low level near field, but I do think your scores are a bit high compared to the scores you gave for the Advent and Klipsch. The 7’s actually like power, for a while back in the day I had them hooked up in tandem with the Advents and that combo produced a very nice/full sound. Try it if you have not already, just be sure to put plenty of juice into it.

[@stereoniche]

They were tested with a 250w amp, so they certainly had more than sufficient power. All good, definitely a subjective review, of course, but that is the baseline for small speakers. Others will be setup the same way, so will be interesting to see how they fair. I used to have them setup with my Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble and they paired quite well. Given the Ensembles sound so similar to the Advents, not a surprise really.

[@kellyanderson7115]

I have a pair of Kanto YU2's plugged straight into USB on a desktop PC. The YU2's have an amazing sound for their size, just like the Mini7's in their day. It'd be interesting to see how the Mini7's stack up against the YU2's.

[@billdepalma161]

Went on sale every July for 29.95 each and yes 1978 first year minimus 7w 1983 one of my favorites your 7w in 1983 only year with finished baffle.

[@bobk3840]

I bought mine ( white) in 78 for 50 bucks. Still have them in a garage system. Still sound good. I’ve never tweaked them.

[@stereoniche]

Rock on!

[@todstiles4326]

Those are the earliest models, original cat. no. 40-2030, appearing only in '78 and '79 before replaced by 40-2030A in the 1980 catalog. They have the unique screw terminals in a round cup on back. I have a pair with original boxes. Quite special as Minimus-7s go. But did you paint yours? White Minimus-7, -- cat. no. 40-2045 -- debuted in the 1990 catalog. They first appeared on the shelves for purchase in fall of 1989.

[@stereoniche]

@@todstiles4326 No, I've not painted any of mine and the don't appear to have been painted from what I can tell. I don't have a white pair, only a silver pair. Also, I have another set I am using in my workshop, that must be the pair I bought around '83.

[@kellyanderson7115]

When I worked for RS the Mini7's were an easy sale, sure beat selling a couple of packs of fuses or resistors.

[@kellyanderson7115]

Back in the day I preferred the sound of the metal version over the wooden speakers. We probably sold metal over wood ten to one.

[@stereoniche]

They were such a great value, either cabinet, so I am sure it made your day when someone came in looking for a pair.

[@brunolagace1135]

The sensitivity is 84db. I have a set of those which I bought in the late 70´s

[@TheOritek]

Score adds up to 68, I think... They look cool and you convinced me to give them a try in the computer setup if i can find a decent pair nearby.

[@stereoniche]

Yeap, my graphic skills are not the best, I'll correct that score on the next review, but you won't be sorry on giving them a try. As well, keep a lookout for Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speakers. They were paired originally with a sub, but they often get separated and only the sats are being sold for cheap. I found a set for $10 at a thrift.

[@TheOritek]

@@stereoniche I found a pair of Infinity Reference 2000.2 bookshelf speakers in decent shape for $10. They are larger and probably have much deeper bass. Then I looked for pictures of the crossover of the Minimus 7W vs the Infinity. Both utilize iron core inductors and the cheapest bipolar caps but the Infinity is more elaborate. I'm not impressed with the sound which is not a "reference" level by any stretch of imagination... but I've heard worse... Have you ever compared the two?

[@TheOritek]

I got my hands on a TEAC LS-X7, an exact clone of the Minimus 7, except that the drivers are made in Japan, sort of an upscale version I'd say. I changed the 4.7uF bi-polar to Nichicon and MTM metalized caps to clean up the tweeter sound. Tone is great and bass extension seems to be in line with the Minimus 7 spec of 50Hz. It was baffling why TEAC rated them at only 100Hz. These gems are pretty loud driven by a single-ended EL84 in a smallish living room at half power, about 2W. They are really loud at max volume. The only caution is regarding the 40 or 50 watts spec. The woofer/mid is rated 5W and the tweeter 10W, hmmm...

[@gregsz1ful]

Had a pair in 70s not loud enough in car with 15 watts. i just read USENET comments made in 1993 speaking of the Speaker Builder Mag mod in 1988.

[@stereoniche]

If you try the mod, let us know how it goes.

[@davidj.7779]

I used to have to drive from Boston to NYC 10 times a month in a rattily Chevy van. My Realistic 7s mounted close to the roof, 5 feet back of the front seat powered by a Kenwood 15 watt receiver pushed more than enough volume to drown out most road noise at highway speeds and just listen to whatever music I was in the mood for. I eventually had 4 pair: the van, my car, my darkroom and my office.

[@hhvictor2462]

I understand Minimus 7 were inspired by A/D/S, which produced the first "little speaker with the big sound" sold mainly in mid/high end stereo salon types. my first intro with those type units were Norman Laboratories.... Btw you could have added a fourth speaker to that line up, the blackface 7w.

[@stereoniche]

I am not sure, but I think the inspiration may have been Braun speakers (aka ADS).

[@thefreestylefrEaK]

I must of had a dozen pairs of these at one point. Black, white, silver, aluminum, wood. A, B,C denominations. Then I realized why am I listening to these when there are so many BETTER sounding speakers in my possession (i.e AR M.5, Paradigm Atom, JBL N28, Advent 3) so I sold off all my Minimus 7's. No regret. My ears thank me.

[@fredfungalspore]

They were sold in Australia under the Tandy brand name they cost around $60 a pair great speakers for the money... Sadly companies such as Radio Shack or Tandy in Australia do not exist any more Steel speaker cabinets were unheard of back in the 80s The profit margin must have been minimal because the drivers and cabinets and crossovers were good quality I have a pair in mint condition in black..

[@stereoniche]

Yes, the sad transition from the brick and mortar stores we grew up with and knew so well are long gone.

[@RadioShack-vo2sn]

I SOLD MANY OF THESE IN MY 27 YEAR CAREER AT RADIO SHACK. THE METAL CASE MADE THEM NOT ONLY A GREAT SOUNDING ROCK HARD SPEAKER, BUT THEY COULD BE GREAT FOR SELF-DEFENSE. I REMEMBER SELLING THESE BETWEEN 19.99 TO 29.99 A PIECE DEPENDING IF ON SALE OR NOT. I THINK THE SENSITIVITY WAS IN THE 85 TO 88 DB RANGE DEPENDING IF WOOD OR METAL CASE.

[@stereoniche]

Thank you for the confirmation! I would think they would certainly put a dent in your head if thrown with any force and the speaker would still look and play just fine. :-)

[@RadioShack-vo2sn]

@@joanfrederick9176 I DO TOO, NOT SO MUCH SOME OF MY EMPLOYEES, BUT I MISS MANY OF MY CUSTOMERS.

[@stereoniche]

@Alex Alex 😄

[@cjmarsh504]

I miss radio Shack

[@davidj.7779]

@@stereoniche Mounted near the roof of my Chevy van, they did more than a few times put a dent into my hard head when I was loading stuff and not paying attention...Ouch!! The stock Radio shack brackets weren't sturdy enough for road use, they would oscillate like crazy on bumpy roads. I had to reinforce them with wood block dampers.

[@marcparsons1726]

I got seven pairs of those from Radio Shack's garbage dumpster. (defective grills) They tossed out some good stuff back then.

[@stereoniche]

Amazing what can be found in a good dumpster dive. Great that you saved them!

[@johnbasile810]

I have a pair of Minimus 7s and also another pair of speakers that looks identical but has the RCA badge. Did Radio Shack allow the speakers to be marketed under another name?

[@stereoniche]

Radio Shack sourced their gear from other manufacturers, so most likely, it was someone else's model with an RS badge. They did create their own specs and would have other manufacturers bid on building them.

[@enriqueism]

I hope You could help me decide, for very similar price I have tree options this Minimus 7, the Mini Advent and BIC America V52. Im planing use it with a vintage reciver maybe Marantz, Pionneer or Kenwood. Thanks for your time.

[@stereoniche]

The best solution is for you to hear each and decide yourself which sound best. I have not heard the BIC model, but from what I have read, the tweeters can be problematic. While I like the Min7, if you can only setup just the speakers and no small subwoofer, I probably go with the Mini Advent as they will go a little deeper with their slightly larger cabinet. I actually have a set, but have not yet done a direct comparison.

[@enriqueism]

@@stereoniche Thanks a lot, It's impossible to me hear them before buy it. I'm gonna buy the Advent's first and later a pair of Min7. Is a good idea put them together with an A+B amp?

[@stereoniche]

@@enriqueism If you plan to play them together, typically, it is best to have them all be the same, but there is nothing to prevent playing them all together, of course. If you had them in two separate rooms, that is fine. Let us know how they work out for you and thanks for commenting!

[@andygee8716]

Sensitivity for those speakers is said to be, "shockingly low" @ 82dB.

[@marcstull4203]

Need your advice; what speakers would you pair with an SX 1000 Pioneer receiver? I'm a fan of suspension speakers ftr.

[@stereoniche]

I am not too familiar with the various SX-1000 models. I would consider a Kloss model, like an Advent or KLH.

[@marcstull4203]

@@stereoniche Thank you

[@SuperMcgenius]

Get a pair of ADS 200 witch are better, but cost double at the time . I still have a pair of ADS 200 that I use for desk top speakers.

[@vinylcabasse]

hey, another LT30 owner!

[@stereoniche]

Yes!

[@ENGLISHISBEST]

Curious, would you spend £500 on new with 6 year guarantee like my Marantz had with latest hi tech connections or £500 on antique no guarantee.

[@stereoniche]

Well, given I am a vintage collector, I would spend £500 on vintage that probably had an initial cost of £2500 and have a much better overall quality being it was more TOTL. Of course, if you are heavily invested in newer tech, than that will not work, but with me being all analog, I can do that. I think it is an easier decision on speakers more than anything else. There are some VERY nice, high end speakers out there that sell for pennies on the dollar (or pound). 🙂

[@lani6558]

I got a pair of it at a garage sale!

[@lani6558]

And it sounds much more over than our expectation

[@stereoniche]

Excellent!

[@juanleonardocamachomedina6014]

Bien

[@northhankspin]

Would the Koss M series be a notch above these?

[@stereoniche]

Perhaps. I've not heard them, but they look a bit more substantial which may bring up the bottom end a bit.

[@chrisharper2658]

Minumus 7 - setting the bar pretty low. Bought a pair back in the day and they never sounded very good. Sensitivity: what sensitivity? Very low sensitivity in order to equalize output for some amount of base. Woofer uses a fairly stiff vinyl like surround which make them very temperature sensitive. In a cold car or garage, there is no bass at all. The idea was good but very poorly executed, at least in the aluminum enclosure. I wonder if quality varied from batch to batch? RS also sold the 4" woofers and I bought four to make a set of MTM style speakers, currently in my garage and they are very temperature sensitive.

[@andyevans2336]

I may have to disagree with your assessment as I have 8 black minimus 7 spkrs as surround spkrs (on posts) around my large patio as surrounds for my outdoor theater. I am driving them with a Denon AVR 4800 rcvr. Yes, they do love lots of power. Crossed over of 100 hz Snap AV 12” buried sub hitting the low end. Have them outside year-round in central Washington with no failures for over 18 years. Oh, yeah, using the larger Minimus 11 s as front. Durable little suckers. Still amaze my guest with the sound quality, I suspect you grabbed a bad batch, sorry.

[@ThresholdZhor]

Those sounds like a vitrola compared to the Canton Plus S

[@stereoniche]

Well, hopefully I will find a set and get to hear them myself.

[@TriAmpHiFi]

Minimus 7's were a direct copy of the ADS L200C's. 🔈🔉🔊

[@stereoniche]

Thanks for the comment!

[@cliff4693]

Braun a German company a very similar speaker to the ADS.

[@mikebrogan6998]

@@cliff4693 I also have a set of the Braun speakers from a Nordstrom store. They sound a bit better than my Min 7s

[@jannegustavsson4177]

Really good! Can you just lower your microphone gain in your recordings a bit? I Hate digital distortion Or is it Google/KZbin doing this? Du har en bra kanal!

[@stereoniche]

Tack för att du tittade och för feedbacken. Jag håller fortfarande på att lära mig, men ska se om jag sänker förstärkningen eftersom det förmodligen inte är KZbin. Thanks again for watching!

[@jannegustavsson4177]

@@stereoniche Det är precis samma här! Vi kanske kan bli ett team?

[@jannegustavsson4177]

@@stereoniche I wiill stay tuned for real! Small aluminium speakers and also Canton. Also perfekt in a truck

[@jannegustavsson4177]

@@stereoniche Love it!

[@stereoniche]

@@jannegustavsson4177 Tja, inte säker på hur vi skulle kunna gå ihop, jag har så mycket mer innehåll att skapa, det kommer att ta mig år. Har du nyligen startat din egen KZbin-kanal?

[@ArthurJS123]

These speakers are terrible. They have no bass or resonance. Yes, I know about subwoofers, and crossover mods. I’m talking the speakers themselves, on their own merits. Terrible.

[@stereoniche]

What speakers can you recommend with good bass?

[@5argetech56]

I own a pair of the black metal Minimus 7's. They are the satellites for my surround sound system. I have replaced the woofers, but the soft dome tweeters are still going strong. Purchased in 1980.

[@stereoniche]

I also used them for that purpose for many years.