Realistic STA-20 Compact AM/FM Stereo Receiver – 5 WPC, Serviced

A compact Realistic STA-20 AM/FM stereo receiver, rated at 5 watts per channel into 8 ohms. It has been serviced on our bench to our Level 1 standard and is in very good condition.

What it is

The STA-20 arrived in Radio Shack’s 1991 catalog under the heading “Our Smallest, Lowest Priced AM/FM Stereo Receiver”, pitched as “ideal for dorm, office or reception area.” At about ten inches wide and under three inches tall, it still fits where a full-size receiver never would: a desk, a bookshelf, a kitchen counter or a bedroom dresser. Radio Shack sold it under both its Realistic and Optimus names, and this one carries the Canadian label, from InterTAN Canada in Barrie, Ontario, which ran the Radio Shack stores here.

In Radio Shack’s own words: “Your new Optimus STA-20 AM/FM Stereo Receiver gives you excellent audio in a small package. Its 5 Watt amplifier section and built in circuit equalization give you outstanding sound quality for such a compact system.”

Small as it is, it covers the basics properly. There is a phono input with its own ground terminal for a turntable, a tape loop on the back, and a 3.5 mm CD/Tape jack on the front that Radio Shack put there for a portable CD or cassette player. It is just as happy with a phone or a tablet. A headphone jack, loudness, a single tone control and balance sit across the front, and the dial has FM Stereo and Tuned indicators.

The EQ switch

The feature to know about is on the back: a switch marked EQ. It turns on what Radio Shack called its special EQ circuit, built to give a “rich, full sound even from mini-speakers.” Radio Shack sold the STA-20 as the “perfect power partner” for its Minimus-7 miniature speakers, and the EQ switch is how it filled out the sound of speakers that small.

Five watts per channel is modest, and the STA-20 is made for modest rooms. With efficient bookshelf speakers at desk or bedroom volume, it is plenty. It wants 8-ohm speakers or higher (the label on the back says so). Our Realistic Minimus-5 speakers, an 8-ohm pair from the same Minimus line, are on the shelf if you want a matched Realistic desktop system.

Its speaker terminals are the spring-clip type, which take bare wire or pin connectors. Our own gold-plated pin connectors are made for them, and our Custom Speaker Cable Builder will make you a pair terminated with pins. For FM, a proper antenna makes all the difference, and our indoor FM dipole antenna is a simple way to get it.

Add our RA-Twin II Bluetooth streamer and it plays from your phone, tablet or laptop as easily as from the dial.

The service it has had

Serviced on our bench to our Level 1 standard:

Condition

Very good, and free of significant marks.

One small thing to know: on FM, the stereo indicator flickers rather than staying steadily lit, even on a station that comes in clean.

Radio Shack’s smallest receiver, serviced and ideal for a bedroom or home-office system.

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 STA-20 Compact AM/FM Stereo Receiver Specifications

• Thorough testing of all inputs, outputs, and controls
• Deep cleaning and deoxidation of all pots and switches
• Blown indicator lamps replaced
• Power supply wiring checked and cleaned
• Post-service burn-in and sign-off testing
• Type: compact AM/FM stereo receiver
• Service: Radique Level 1
• Power output: 5 watts per channel, minimum RMS into 8 ohms, 40 Hz–20 kHz, no more than 0.9% THD
• Frequency response: 20 Hz–20 kHz ±1.5 dB
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 70 dB (phono), 72 dB (tape)
• FM sensitivity: 7 µV (22.1 dBf, IHF); FM signal-to-noise ratio 60 dB; stereo separation 35 dB at 1 kHz
• Inputs: phono with ground terminal and tape in on the back, CD/Tape 3.5 mm jack on the front
• Outputs: tape out, one pair of speakers, 1/8-inch (3.5 mm) stereo headphone jack
• Controls: tone, balance, loudness, volume; selector for AM, FM Auto, Phono and CD/Tape; EQ switch on the back
• Indicators: FM Stereo, Tuned
• Antenna terminals: FM 300 ohm and 75 ohm, AM
• Speaker terminals: spring clips; 8-ohm speakers or higher
• Protection: overload and overheating
• Power: 120 V, 60 Hz, 30 W
• Catalog number: 31-1979
• Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 10.25 x 2.75 x 7.25 inches (260 x 70 x 184 mm)
• Weight: approx. 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)

⚠️ Important Information for International Buyers

This unit is configured for North American 110/120V power. Buyers outside North America will require a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter.

✅ 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.

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