Radio Shack's new offerings after 1983 clearly reflected the market's downward trend in build quality but from 1980-1983 the Radio Shack/Realistic catalogs were still offering some exceptional products and interesting new approaches to both product designs and styling. 

Among other things, they followed lead of a some Japanese manufacturers who were experimenting with low profile (under 3" height) components and also other manufacturers who abandoned the "silver era" styling in favor of a new jet-black hi-tech look. 

The previous success of the low profile Realistic STA-7 and STA-11 receivers  and their Minimus 7 metal- enclosed speakers led to Realistic's daring decision to cut the size of the receiver in half, minimize features and create a component new category ---  the "personal receiver", offered only in black. 

Radio Shack broke new ground with the tiny STA-12 "personal" receiver" (10.3" x 2.625" x 6.75")  that still delivered a respectable 5 watts per channel RMS at less than 1% distortion. Not quite high-fidelity but definitely a very listenable mid-fi product with the needed inputs and outputs and a surprisingly good tuner. The simplified control layout lacks a tone control but it does feature an EQ switch that shapes its low end response to match the Minimus 7 speakers. .

This listing is for an very good condition, late model STA-12 from 1985 when Realistic was moving some of its manufacturing out of Japan and Korea to Singapore and Malaysia. The photo of the rear panel is from a Japanese model but this listing's model from Singapore has an identical panel,except for country of origin.

We offer this receiver with a choice of Minimus speakers. So the listing is for the receiver and (1) Pair of Minimus speakers. If you order this listing please message us to indicate which Minimus speakers you wish to purchase. There is no price difference. 

The renowned Realistic Minimus 7 mini-speaker mates perfectly with the Personal Receiver to offer a surprisingly appealing, decent sounding miniature system. This listing is for the 2030C version made in Japan (1988).  

A reviewer noted this about the made-inJapan Minimus 7's:  

“Little only in size, not in performance”, was how Realistic described its Minimus-7 "Metal Cabinet Speaker System” back in 1978. In 2021, it’s still surprisingly capable and relevant. The quality is evident. It’s a very well finished product . Sonically, it is what it is. There’s no doubt you’re listening to a tiny, bandwidth-limited transducer, . But it has strengths, and these are mighty. First is its blistering transient speed . You really find yourself listening to the rhythms of the music and enjoying these very acutely, rather than mourning any particular lack of bass extension. This speaker’s other talent is soundstaging; it sounds far bigger than it really is. There’s a really good sense of depth too... the overall result is a fun listen. .. there’s a lot to like about this classic micro monitor that delivers a big sound in a small space – just as its manufacturer claimed, all those years ago…"

We also offer an alternative. The Minimus 26 speaker was an exceediingly compact 2 way speaker in a traditional enclosure. This listing is for the 226 A version produced in Malaysia ( 1992). It offers a smoother sound than the Minimus 7, with a bit better low end response, but the cone tweeter certainly lacks the sparkle and fast response of the Minimus 7's dome tweeter. The sealed enclosure is MDF composite with a walnut wood finish vinyl veneer, less than 11" high and 7" wide. housing a 5" long throw woofer and a 2.5" tweeter. Many on-line owners prefer its sound to the Minimus 7 while others favor its more traditional look.

We say these are largely matters of personal taste so we let your choose.

Either way, you get a remarkably small system, with better than decent performance, for a truly reasonable price. 

Buyers east of the Mississippi and north of Florida may receive a refund of excess shipping charges