Realistic Minimus Speakers - Perfect Pair for a Mini Amp

If you are putting together a cheap stereo experiment for a bedroom or office, inexpensive Realistic Minimus speakers may be your cheapest choice.  I've read glowing posts from audiophiles about vintage Realistic Minimus 7 speakers.

From time to time, I come across various Minimus speakers at thrift stores and they are very inexpensive.  For example, I found these little Minimus 21 speakers at a local thrift store for $6.26 a pair. 

However, these are only 10-watt speakers.  However, when paired with a stereo mini amplifier, they could be perfect for a desktop or bedroom system.

Something like this Lepai Mini Amplifier might be perfect!  With luck the resulting stereo could even be built for less than $50!

Technics Thrift Store Stereo System

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I saw an interesting looking Technics stereo set up at a local thrift store.  The system was like my current main system (Technics SU-V76 amplifier and Technics ST-S76 AM/FM radio tuner) with the addition of a Technics multi-CD player. 

For speakers, the thrift store had hooked up some venerable Realistic Optimus-2B speakers.  These speakers were made in the 1975 timeframe.  You can read more at Seventies Stereo about the Optimus-2B.

I didn't have a chance to stop and give these a listen, but it's really cool that this particular Goodwill store takes the time to set up working stereo systems.

The HOMCOM Media Cabinet with 4 Tiers (Amazon photo)

To set a retro stereo system up like this Technics stereo and really go retro this HOMCOM Media cabinet can really play the retro part. It's available in woodgrain, white, or black laminates. As of November 2025, you can find it here on Amazon.