Realistic Minimus-5 speaker pair head-on, wood-grain cabinets with a black horn tweeter above a round perforated woofer grille and Realistic script badge

Realistic Minimus-5 speakers at an angle on a lace-covered table, showing the wood-grain side panels, horn tweeters and round woofer grilles

Realistic

Realistic Minimus-5 Speakers, Pair – Vintage, Real Wood Veneer

Name: Realistic Minimus-5 Speakers, Pair – Vintage, Real Wood Veneer
Brand: Realistic
SKU: 19857
Price: 145.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

$145.00

A vintage pair of Realistic Minimus-5 two-way bookshelf speakers from Radio Shack, in a warm brown real wood veneer, with horn tweeters, fully tested on our bench and in very good condition.

✔️ Very good condition — free of significant marks
✔️ Real wood veneer, with rigid grilles over the woofers
✔️ Two ways in: small binding posts and an RCA-type speaker-level jack
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Expertly packed for safe shipping

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Description

A vintage pair of Realistic Minimus-5 two-way bookshelf speakers from Radio Shack, in a warm brown real wood veneer, with horn tweeters, fully tested on our bench and in very good condition.

What it is

Realistic was Radio Shack’s house brand, and the Minimus name ran through some of its best-loved small speakers, from the early wooden Minimus-1 to the die-cast Minimus-7 that still has a following today. The Minimus-5 was new in Radio Shack’s catalog for 1977: a two-way bookshelf speaker in a real wood cabinet, with a horn tweeter set above a woofer behind a round perforated grille, and the Realistic script badge on the front. At 8 ohms, the pair is an easy load for a vintage receiver or a modest amplifier. This is the first pair of Minimus-5s to come through our doors, and real wood, vintage and very good condition together is a rare combination for them.

The woofers sit behind rigid perforated plastic grilles, a real plus in a home with pets or toddlers: they keep curious paws and small fingers away from the drivers.

Each speaker gives you two ways in. Small binding posts take bare wire or small spade connectors, and our Custom Speaker Cable Builder now offers a small spade termination made for exactly these posts, so we can make you a pair to length, ready to connect. Beside them is a rarer RCA-type jack. It is a speaker-level input: it needs equipment with the matching type of speaker-level output, and it is not compatible with the standard RCA pre-outs found on the vast majority of equipment. For most systems the binding posts are the way in, and having both makes the Minimus-5 handy with older gear that uses the RCA-type speaker connection.

The service it has had

Fully tested on our bench before listing.

Condition

Very Good, and free of significant marks. The warm brown wood veneer presents well.

A warm-toned piece of Radio Shack history, with two ways to hook it up.

Available for pickup in Kanata, or shipped across Canada and internationally — we have sent equipment to fifteen countries in the past year, each piece packed in-house in 275 lb test double-wall boxes. Live shipping rates for your address are calculated at checkout. Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Available for audition by appointment in Kanata.

Realistic Minimus-5 Specifications

Type: two-way bookshelf speakers, sold as a pair
Service: fully tested on our bench
Drivers: horn tweeter; woofer behind a round perforated grille
Grilles: rigid perforated plastic, over the woofers
Impedance: 8 ohms
Connections: small binding posts (bare wire or small spade connectors) plus an RCA-type speaker-level jack on each speaker
Cabinet: real wood veneer in a warm brown, hardboard back
Catalog number: 40-255A
Introduced: 1977
Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 9 x 12.25 x 6.5 inches (229 x 311 x 165 mm), each
Weight: approx. 6.6 lbs (3.0 kg) each

🔌 Speaker Cable, Built on Our Own Bench

We hand-build speaker cable here in any length you need — pick the gauge and the terminations on our Custom Speaker Cable Builder. We also make our own gold-plated banana plugs, spades and pin connectors if you would rather terminate cable you already have. 👉

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

$145.00

Additional information

Weight	15.2 lbs
Dimensions	19 × 13 × 16.25 in
Impedance	8 Ω

About brand

Realistic at Radique

We service Realistic, too. Bring us your own Realistic receivers, amplifiers, tuners, cassette decks and turntables for repair, servicing or restoration (not reel-to-reel decks), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Realistic was Radio Shack's own brand of audio and radio gear. Radio Shack, founded in Boston in 1921, launched the line in the mid-1950s, and Realistic gear was sold across Canada through Radio Shack stores. We carry Realistic stereo receivers, bookshelf speakers, turntables and equalizers. We've had more than 30 Realistic listings so far. Every used Realistic here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

The Realistic models we've sold most often include the Minimus-7 bookshelf speakers and the STA-720 and STA-2250 stereo receivers.

The Realistic story

Radio Shack began in Boston in 1921 as a store and mail-order business for radio amateurs. In 1954 Harman Kardon proposed a private-label audio line for it called Realist. The Realist camera company objected, so the line became Realistic, and Harman Kardon built its first FM tuner.

Tandy and the stereo years. Tandy Corporation took over Radio Shack in 1963 and grew it to thousands of stores across the US and Canada. Realistic covered everything from STA receivers and quadraphonic QTA receivers to LAB turntables, cassette decks and the little Minimus-7 speaker.

Who built it. Realistic products were built to Radio Shack's specifications, some in Tandy's own plants and many by outside suppliers in Asia, so the maker varies by model and year. Radio Shack phased out the Realistic name in the 1990s in favour of Optimus.

Which Realistic is which?

STA stereo receivers: from budget models such as the STA-16 and STA-21 to the 75-watt STA-2000 of 1977 and the STA-2270 of 1985.

Quadraphonic QTA receivers (mid-1970s): such as the QTA-770, with SQ, CD-4 and Radio Shack's own Quatravox modes.

Amplifiers and tuners: such as the SA-1000A and SA-2000 amplifiers and the TM-1000 tuner of 1977.

Turntables: the belt-drive LAB-50 to LAB-300, the direct-drive LAB-400, and Realistic/Miracord automatics.

Speakers: the Minimus-7 and Minimus-5 bookshelf speakers and the Mach One.

Optimus era (1990s): models such as the Optimus STA-20 receiver.

Buying used Realistic: what to check

Who made it. Realistic gear came from many suppliers, so service information and parts depend on the actual maker. Check the label and the service manual.

Quadraphonic receivers. High Fidelity found the QTA-770's distortion rose toward the frequency extremes, so test one in stereo at the volume you'll use.

Minimus-7. It needs roughly 30 to 50 watts and has little bass on its own, so pair it with a subwoofer. Enthusiasts say a crossover capacitor upgrade can make a big difference.

Age. Test every input and switch, inspect speaker surrounds, and check turntable belts and automatic mechanisms.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.