Okay, I'm going to post a pic of an "artifact" from a piece of studio equipment. Those who have been in a studio may recognize it. Some may get a memory tweak.
I've attached a pic of your artifact, at pretty much full size:
Here are three hints:
1. The device debuted in 1976 (!), making it thirty years old, and this artifact is from the earliest examples of the device.
2. Many modern high-end studios still have an example of the device from which this artifact came.
3. An industry has sprung up reconditioning these devices and creating mods that push their performance to new levels.
I'll give you a little while to scratch your heads and then I'll tell you a little story about it.
Enjoy, I think...
Bob