It was way ago that Realistic produced its' MC-1800 speaker box. Two way, 8" woofer and I think 2.5" tweeter. What was great about that speaker was the woofer; paper cone, it sounded simply great. I have one piece, and on the back it says WOOFER, 2058, 20W, made in KOREA 1991. Would anyone have a clue what could be the factory that made it?
Thais was exactly my question - who may have produced this part (woofer) ... All I know was data I mentioned in my lines above, which I read from the label on the back of woofer driver...And the whole speaker was actually assembled in Korea, as you indicated... What is so special about is the sound, thanks to very shallow, open design of LF paper driver, including ribs, kind that is hard, perhaps impossible, to find these days... I just hoped that if I would know manufacturer of the driver, they may still be producing the same model... I know, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack...
This is not really any help to Tomom (who may have moved on to other projects by now) but I have a pair of MC-1800 speakers. I'm in Canberra, by the way Tom, if that is anywhere near your locality. Your post made me consider them again, and they are/were an interesting offering from Tandy/Radio Shack. I had always imagined mine to be older than than actually are ... I unscrewed a woofer and it was stamped 1993.
These outwardly look like the kind of speakers Tandy/RS sold all through the later 1970s and 1980s. The cabinets are real wood veneer, and the sound is warm in a comforting, intimate sort of way. They extend surprisingly well at the low bass for smallish bookshelfers. And the woofer that gives them so much character may actually be 7" rather than 8".
Today's listeners seem to be embracing the "hi res" super tweeted sound, so they would definitely find them a bit muted and lacking "shimmering" highs, but what can you expect from a 2" paper cone HF?
The tweeter itself, though, is no cheapie; it has a substantial magnet assembly that is almost as big as the cone. Having read this thread, and listened to them again, I am planning to wax the timber with car wax, and - just maybe - replace the tweeters with something like one of the less expensive replacement parts from Polk.
The timber may come up looking nice again, but that particular shade of brown grill cloth is very dated and lends the speaker an appearance years older than it really is. Replacing the grill cloth with black (and refitting the badges, of course) would still be true enough to their heritage, and would look much, much better.
Few people would seriously consider using these as main speakers nowadays, but I can see them still finding a place on a second system in the 'study' or bedroom, office or workshop - very much as you might find a retirement home for another old sweetie, the AR-7.
These outwardly look like the kind of speakers Tandy/RS sold all through the later 1970s and 1980s. The cabinets are real wood veneer, and the sound is warm in a comforting, intimate sort of way. They extend surprisingly well at the low bass for smallish bookshelfers. And the woofer that gives them so much character may actually be 7" rather than 8".
Today's listeners seem to be embracing the "hi res" super tweeted sound, so they would definitely find them a bit muted and lacking "shimmering" highs, but what can you expect from a 2" paper cone HF?
The tweeter itself, though, is no cheapie; it has a substantial magnet assembly that is almost as big as the cone. Having read this thread, and listened to them again, I am planning to wax the timber with car wax, and - just maybe - replace the tweeters with something like one of the less expensive replacement parts from Polk.
The timber may come up looking nice again, but that particular shade of brown grill cloth is very dated and lends the speaker an appearance years older than it really is. Replacing the grill cloth with black (and refitting the badges, of course) would still be true enough to their heritage, and would look much, much better.
Few people would seriously consider using these as main speakers nowadays, but I can see them still finding a place on a second system in the 'study' or bedroom, office or workshop - very much as you might find a retirement home for another old sweetie, the AR-7.
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