Realistic STA-120B
The Realistic 120B, marked STA-120B on the panel, was an AM/stereo FM receiver Radio Shack was selling around 1971-72. Documentation is thin. What the period record does show is a well-specified receiver at an aggressive price.
Realistic's own mid-1971 advertising promoted the STA-120B as a $269.95 receiver that had been upgraded to offer more power and more features without raising the price (HiFI-Stereo, July 1971, p.91). The ad specifically touted the direct-coupled power amplifier, integrated-circuit IF stages, plug-in circuit boards, and fast-acting protection circuitry.
Audio magazine (December 1972, p.64) reviewed the STA-120B as a current model and listed its specifications: IHF FM sensitivity of 2 µV, 65 dB signal-to-noise, 75 dB image rejection, 35 dB stereo separation, and 40 µV AM sensitivity. The review also noted the front-panel stereo headphone jack, interstation muting in the FM position of the selector, and widely spaced knurled speaker terminals on the rear panel. In its listening tests (Audio, December 1972, p.67), the magazine measured hum and noise more than 75 dB below full output, with high-level input noise at -92 dB even with the volume turned all the way up. The tone controls included bass, treble, and mid boost (Audio, December 1972, p.67).
Exact production dates and later history are not documented in the archive. The surviving sources place the STA-120B on the market from at least 1971 into late 1972.
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