Optimus T-300 (1982–1983)

Documentation on the Optimus T-300 is thin. Most of what survives is Radio Shack's own advertising from 1982 and a single test report in High Fidelity the following year. The T-300 was a floor-standing tower loudspeaker sold under the Realistic brand. The walnut-veneer wood cabinet measured 12½ inches wide by 34 inches tall and 14 inches deep with the grille on. List price was $260, and it carried a five-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

Radio Shack's ads, which appeared in HiFI-Stereo (June 1982, p.6), called the T-300 a "computer designed" system. It combined a 10-inch woofer with a second 10-inch high-compliance driver, and it used ferrofluid damping to prevent ringing. The ads claimed response out to 20,000 Hz and 150 watts of power handling. High Fidelity (June 1983, p.34) thought well enough of it to pit it against speakers costing far more. The magazine described the sound as smooth, with only a very slight midbass "thickening" remaining. A 1983 directory entry also lists an Optimus T-110 as a smaller sibling, with an 8-inch woofer, no midrange, and a 2-inch ferrofluid tweeter with level control. That puts the T-300 at the top of a small Realistic tower-speaker line.

Known specs: