Realistic Optimus T-300 (c. 1982–1983)
Little is documented about the Realistic Optimus T-300 beyond its period coverage, but that coverage is useful. High Fidelity (June 1983, p.34) reviewed it as a floor-standing loudspeaker in a wood case with walnut veneer. It measured 12½ by 34 inches across the front and 14 inches deep including the grille. It was priced at $260 and came with a five-year parts-and-labor warranty. The reviewer found the T-300 smooth, with only a very slight thickening of the midbass, and said its quality prompted the magazine to pit it against speakers costing far more.
Radio Shack's own advertising of 1982-83 promoted the T-300 as a computer-designed tower system with ferrofluid damping. The claims were 150-watt power handling, a 10-inch woofer working alongside a 10-inch high-compliance midrange, and response out to 20,000 Hz. A HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers listing (1983, p.148) also placed the T-300 at $260. It noted that genuine walnut veneer was an extra-cost option over the standard nut or rosewood grain finish. The same listing referenced the smaller Optimus T-110, similar in family appearance but with an 8-inch woofer and no midrange, which helps confirm the T-300's driver complement.
Known specs, drawn from those sources:
- Type: floor-standing loudspeaker
- Price: $260
- Drivers: 10" woofer, 10" midrange, tweeter
- Power handling: 150 watts (manufacturer claim)
- Response: to 20,000 Hz (manufacturer claim)
- Warranty: five years, parts and labor
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