Technics SA-404 (c. 1980)

The Technics SA-404 survives in the record mostly as a row in a specification chart. No independent editorial review of it has surfaced in the archive. What documents the receiver at all is Technics' own advertising from early 1980, which invited shoppers to compare the SA-101, SA-202, SA-303, SA-404, and SA-505 by power, performance, and price. In that campaign, the SA-404 sat second from the top of the five-model line. It was advertised at a suggested retail price of $350 with 50 watts per channel RMS (20-20,000 Hz), between the 40-watt SA-303 and the 63-watt SA-505. The comparison ran in HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers (March 1980, p.76) and High Fidelity (March 1980, p.7), among other titles.

Beyond those advertised basics of price, power, and lineup position, little is documented. No confirmed production years, THD figures, dimensions, or design details have turned up, and no period review has been found. It appears to have been a straightforward mid-range receiver in Technics' 1980 lineup.

Type: receiver
Suggested retail (1980, per Technics advertising): $350
Rated output: 50 W/ch RMS, 20–20,000 Hz