Technics SA-5400X (c. 1973–1974)
The SA-5400X is a four-channel (quadraphonic) receiver from the early days of discrete quad. Documentation is thin. What survives in the archive is Technics's own advertising, which ran in US hi-fi magazines from late 1973 into the spring of 1974. No independent editorial review of this model has turned up yet, so treat the numbers below as manufacturer claims, not measured results.
Technics pitched the SA-5400X as a "4-amplifier" receiver that worked in both four-channel and two-channel modes. An ad in High Fidelity (November 1973, p.9) quoted 11 watts RMS per channel at 8 ohms, each channel driven. It also touted an FM section with 2.0µV (IHF) sensitivity and MOSFET circuitry. A later printing in Audio (April 1974, p.84) gave a different figure: 8 watts RMS per channel with all four channels driven (4 × 8W = 32W). Both wattages may be right under different measurement conditions, but no source in the archive reconciles them.
Known advertised features:
- Discrete quad receiver; also usable as a two-channel unit
- Jacks for an outboard CD-4 demodulator
- Phono-equalizer circuit said to accept virtually any phono cartridge
- FM tuner with 2.0µV IHF sensitivity and MOSFET front end
Production years, original price, full specifications and aftermarket reputation are undocumented in the archive's sources.
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