Technics SU-Z55 (1983)

The SU-Z55 is a stereo pre-main amplifier — Technics' term for an integrated amp — released in 1983 at ¥35,600. The spec sheet survives in reasonable detail, but the wider record is thin: no period review has surfaced, no lineup positioning, no market context. What the Archive can confirm is the hardware itself, and it's a credible early-'80s integrated.

Technics described the front panel as carrying an information-concentrated display, and the amp was built to accept two tape decks — a hint that it was aimed at the recording-minded owner rather than the casual listener. Rated output is 60W + 60W into 8 ohms at 1 kHz (EIAJ), with total harmonic distortion claimed at 0.003% (1 kHz, rated output −3 dB). Frequency response is specified at 5 Hz to 80 kHz +0/−3 dB, signal-to-noise at 100 dB (IHF-A), damping factor 40, and residual noise 0.8 mV. The phono stage takes MM cartridges at 2.5 mV/47 kΩ with RIAA accuracy of ±0.8 dB; line inputs sit at 150 mV/22 kΩ. Tone controls offer ±10 dB at 50 Hz and 20 kHz, and the loudness circuit adds +9 dB at 50 Hz.

Output: 60W + 60W (8 Ω, 1 kHz, EIAJ)
THD: 0.003% (1 kHz, rated output −3dB)
Frequency response: 5 Hz – 80 kHz +0/−3 dB
S/N ratio: 100 dB (IHF-A)
Phono MM: 2.5 mV / 47 kΩ; line: 150 mV / 22 kΩ
Dimensions: 430 × 86 × 241 mm; 5.1 kg; 80W power consumption

Physically it's a slim unit — 86 mm tall, 430 mm wide, built to sit in a modest rack. If you own one and know where it sat in Technics' 1983 catalog, or whether the Z-series was a distinct line or a variant of the SU-V family, that's exactly the kind of detail this page is missing.