Technics SH-8040

This is actually a much more interesting unit than most people realise.

Rather than simply being an "effects box", the SH-8040 combines three functions into one component:
Technics' proprietary Space Dimension processor, which electronically widens the stereo image.
A BBD (Bucket Brigade Device) analogue echo circuit that adds adjustable reverberation.
A microphone mixer, allowing vocals to be mixed with music for karaoke or live entertainment.

A particularly distinctive feature is the animated LED display that visualises the perceived width of the stereo soundstage while separate LED meters monitor output level. The processor can also be inserted into a tape loop, allowing recordings to be made either dry or with the ambience effects applied. Total harmonic distortion is only 0.003%, frequency response extends from 6Hz to 50kHz, and power consumption is just 9W.

For collectors, this is one of the more unusual Technics components from the early 1980s.
Original price.
1981
¥29,800
~€330–390