Karl vd Berg
Super Member
Another interesting thing I saw, is that the AU-317 (for example) was available already in April 1976, according to our database 
Sansui Serial Number Database Update
- Thread starter LBPete
- Start date
There are 26 AU-317s on file which is a reasonable sample size. All but three were produced between October 1977 and April 1979. Two of the oddballs are showing a 3 in the year position. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that Sansui built a few in 1973 and then stopped until 1977 or stopped in 1979 to resume production in 1983. It's likely the year digits on these two units are actually 8 miss read as 3. The architecture of the AU-317 is way to advanced for it to have been built in 1973.
There is also one unit showing a 1976 production date. This may be an error because the next closest serial number is October 1977, and we have three on file produced that month. But it is possible that production started that early. That particular serial number was uploaded in July of 2004 and there is no "reporter" tied to it so it would be impossible to verify that serial number. The only way to know if this is a valid serial number is to collect more serial numbers to see if any others were produced in 1976. It's also likely the only one showing April 1979 production date is an error too. The next closed serial number is November 1978. Unless we get other in 1979 my guess is the 9 in this serial number is actually an 8. There are 3 others produced in April 1978.
Keep the serial numbers coming. The more we have the more accurate the overall data set is.
- Pete
There is also one unit showing a 1976 production date. This may be an error because the next closest serial number is October 1977, and we have three on file produced that month. But it is possible that production started that early. That particular serial number was uploaded in July of 2004 and there is no "reporter" tied to it so it would be impossible to verify that serial number. The only way to know if this is a valid serial number is to collect more serial numbers to see if any others were produced in 1976. It's also likely the only one showing April 1979 production date is an error too. The next closed serial number is November 1978. Unless we get other in 1979 my guess is the 9 in this serial number is actually an 8. There are 3 others produced in April 1978.
Correct, except for the first one. There are currently 6,304 serial numbers on file. Each is unique and the table storing them is set up to reject duplicates regardless of model. I haven't seen any evidence that Sansui recycled serial numbers. From what I've seen, when duplicates occur it's a result of a reporting error. 8s are miss read as 3, 6 or 9 for example.
Keep the serial numbers coming. The more we have the more accurate the overall data set is.
- Pete
After yesterday's post stating each serial number is unique, I may have found evidence of a true duplicate. The conflict turned up in last month's submissions. It's between a QSD-1 Quad processor from 1974 and a PC-X11 Audio/visual processor from 1984. Both built on assembly line 22. We have verified the serial number on the QSD-1 but unfortunately the PC-X11 was added to the database in 2004 with no reporter name attached and it's the only one on file.
We may not have had duplicates up to this point because there are many fewer units reported from the 1980s and the assembly line IDs changed as new lines were added and old ones retired. But some, like lines 21 and 22 were used for more than 10 years. I'm now convinced It's completely possible that serial numbers would duplicate for units built on the same assembly line 10 years apart. As the database grows, we are likely to see more of them.
- Pete
We may not have had duplicates up to this point because there are many fewer units reported from the 1980s and the assembly line IDs changed as new lines were added and old ones retired. But some, like lines 21 and 22 were used for more than 10 years. I'm now convinced It's completely possible that serial numbers would duplicate for units built on the same assembly line 10 years apart. As the database grows, we are likely to see more of them.
- Pete
The October update report is now available. October was a huge month, 110 new serial numbers and 5 previously unreported models. A big thanks to everyone that contributed.
The Report file resides in digital docs and you can access it from the link in the first post of this thread. You can also access it from the Sansui Database Forum. A link to that forum is at the top of the Sansui main page. The database report link is in the first post of the 2017 database update thread.
Keep the serial numbers coming!
- Pete
The Report file resides in digital docs and you can access it from the link in the first post of this thread. You can also access it from the Sansui Database Forum. A link to that forum is at the top of the Sansui main page. The database report link is in the first post of the 2017 database update thread.
Keep the serial numbers coming!
- Pete
The November Serial Number Report is now available. The first post in this thread has a link to it. Another record setting month for serial numbers 126 new serial numbers and a whopping 26 previously unreported models. A special tip of the hat to AK member Oilmaster for providing some interesting serial number gathered from Japanese auction sites. He's largely responsible for the giant increase in previously unreported models in this month's report.
Keep them coming!
- Pete
Keep them coming!
- Pete
Well ok..... Yahoo Japan Auction has so much to offer in terms of serial numbers and (unknown) model numbers that I hereby have made the pre-defined search queries.
For those who wish to contribute to the database and can spare an occasional lunch break, evening or sunday morning, please take one and scroll the ads
Then list the found serial numbers in Pete's dedicated thread.
Sansui in Japanese is : サンスイ
Welcome to the candy store :
Sansui car audio search
Sansui tuners search
Sansui amplifier search
Sansui speaker search
Sansui turntable search
Sansui CD-player search
Sansui cassette deck search
Sansui DAT equipment search
Sansui equalizers search
Sansui midi systems search
Sansui mini-disc systems search
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The December report is finally available. It was completed and sent to be posted on December 30, but didn't get posted into Digital Docs until this morning. Sorry for the delay.
December was a record reporting month by far. 290 new serial numbers and 91 previously unreported models. You can access the latest report from a link in the first post of this thread.
As far as "bird dogging" serial numbers from the internet, it has been part of this database from it's beginning in 2003. In the early days there were a number of AK members that gleaned serial numbers from eBay. So I have no problem including internet sourced serial numbers. If you do this, please only post serial numbers you can read clearly. Don't guess. This is particularly important for the first 5 digits.
I would like to suggest some criteria for the types of equipment that have serial numbers that are useful to collect. There was a lot of "throw away" equipment built with the Sansui name. This started in the dark days of Sansui's decline in the mid 1980s and continued after the company's demise when the brand name was sold off. Do you feel it's useful to document this stuff? Lets limit posting this stuff to an actual owner that requests that it be posted.
Robisme has pointed out there is a seller on eBay that is selling printed copies if this serial number data for $28 a pop. He has converted it to MS Excel format and has printed it out. He's also claiming that it contains all the Sansui equipment ever made. Hopefully anyone that buys it will figure out quickly that's not true. Most will not find their serial number in this report.
- Pete
December was a record reporting month by far. 290 new serial numbers and 91 previously unreported models. You can access the latest report from a link in the first post of this thread.
As far as "bird dogging" serial numbers from the internet, it has been part of this database from it's beginning in 2003. In the early days there were a number of AK members that gleaned serial numbers from eBay. So I have no problem including internet sourced serial numbers. If you do this, please only post serial numbers you can read clearly. Don't guess. This is particularly important for the first 5 digits.
I would like to suggest some criteria for the types of equipment that have serial numbers that are useful to collect. There was a lot of "throw away" equipment built with the Sansui name. This started in the dark days of Sansui's decline in the mid 1980s and continued after the company's demise when the brand name was sold off. Do you feel it's useful to document this stuff? Lets limit posting this stuff to an actual owner that requests that it be posted.
Robisme has pointed out there is a seller on eBay that is selling printed copies if this serial number data for $28 a pop. He has converted it to MS Excel format and has printed it out. He's also claiming that it contains all the Sansui equipment ever made. Hopefully anyone that buys it will figure out quickly that's not true. Most will not find their serial number in this report.
- Pete
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I haven't updated this thread in awhile. Since reviving the Database in March of 2017, 1,957 new serial numbers have been added. It currently has a total of 7,798 entries covering 915 Sansui Models. The number of Sansui models tracked has also increased substantially since re-introduction but sadly, I haven't tracked the entry dates of new models.
All this data is kept in a MS Access Database which makes it easy to dissect the data in any way you can think of. If there is a particular bit of information you would like to know, just ask. One of the things I've been playing around with recently is looking at production line output. The first two digits of 9 digit serial numbers indicate the production line. Some of the production lines were dedicated to some high volume models while others were used to do smaller production runs of lower volume models.
For example, During the winter of '76/'77 Line 82 was pretty much dedicated to 8080/9090/8080DB/9090DB production. In early "76 Line 21 was making AU-11000, AU-9900, AU-20000 and of all things RA-700s. Later that year 7070s and CA-2000s were built on that line.
I upload new serial numbers at the end of each month and run an updated report. The report is available in the Sansui Page of the Digital Docs Forum. There is a link to it in the first post in this thread.
- Pete
All this data is kept in a MS Access Database which makes it easy to dissect the data in any way you can think of. If there is a particular bit of information you would like to know, just ask. One of the things I've been playing around with recently is looking at production line output. The first two digits of 9 digit serial numbers indicate the production line. Some of the production lines were dedicated to some high volume models while others were used to do smaller production runs of lower volume models.
For example, During the winter of '76/'77 Line 82 was pretty much dedicated to 8080/9090/8080DB/9090DB production. In early "76 Line 21 was making AU-11000, AU-9900, AU-20000 and of all things RA-700s. Later that year 7070s and CA-2000s were built on that line.
I upload new serial numbers at the end of each month and run an updated report. The report is available in the Sansui Page of the Digital Docs Forum. There is a link to it in the first post in this thread.
- Pete
