Contractors to Sansui and other Vintage Marques

[antpaubarcar]

Another Sansui with a T-Tag, SR 525 currently beeing sold in OLX Portugal, cannot tell the serial number...

 

[antpaubarcar]

My ''new'' Sansui QD 5500 also has the T-Tag!

 

[LBPete]

The T-tags are surprising common. I occasionally cruise through eBay to harvest serial numbers and have documented a lot of T-tags in the Serial Number Database. In most cases like the ones you show above, there is no corresponding ID of the actual contractor.

- Pete

 

[antpaubarcar]

Yes. they are and but on the 2 above there should be a contractor as it seems that Sansui did neither TT' s nor R2R!

 

[bluesky]

Check this out - you can get lost in there ....

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Audio-Magazine.htm

Thanks!!

 

[antpaubarcar]

I did check that from 1965 till 1980, still need to check more...tks.

 

[LBPete]

Yes. they are and but on the 2 above there should be a contractor as it seems that Sansui did neither TT' s nor R2R!

That's a pretty strong statement. A quick review of eBay turned up this SR-5090 without a T-tag



- Pete

 

[antpaubarcar]

That's a pretty strong statement. A quick review of eBay turned up this SR-5090 without a T-tag

View attachment 1851632

- Pete

It is becoming more and more strange, I
don' t know where to search/ look in order to find more about this, I presume that there are still people around the world that worked for Sansui but it seems that none are reading or beeing members of AK!

 

[LBPete]

We lost our best source of actual factory information a couple of years ago when AK member Stene passed on. His knowledge was an invaluable resource.

- Pete

 

[antpaubarcar]

We lost our best source of actual factory information a couple of years ago when AK member Stene passed on. His knowledge was an invaluable resource.

- Pete

I searched AK and he was the Sansui importer in Sweden, sorry that he passed away.
Anyway there should be around other people
that worked for Sansui or their importers, in
Portugal the importer was Centelec they closed some years ago, I will try to ask on the Portuguese AAP forum (audio analog) if they can find someone that worked there!
Photo of their badge glued on the back of Sansui items sold by them in Portugal attached.

 

[antpaubarcar]

Another Sansui turntable with T- Tag and a QS 100 also with it, this is registered in the AK Sansui data base...

 

[LBPete]

I added the T-tag information to that QS 100 in the database. I couldn't read the serial number for the SR-717.

- Pete

 

[antpaubarcar]

I posted it on the Sansui serial number thread!

THX

 

[LBPete]

 

[Oilmaster]

Here yet another factory: AIC

 

[Oilmaster]

And this: Fukai K

Look at the link to the Vintage Knob. It has a very comprehensive list of contractors and their Identification code. It's likely just a partial list. To know how complete it is, we need to start tracking serial numbers of models that have the T-Tag on the ID plate.

This is lifted from Axle's thread:

SOC (Sansui amps like AU-888, BA-60, BA-100, TAC-505, SAX-350D, QR-1500)
NDS (Sansui amps like AU-777D, BA-60 and BA-90)
AZUMI (Sansui amps like AU-D907X Decade /707XCD /607X /A607i /A707i /A507i /A707Extra /D507X /A707L /A777DG /A909 /E710 but also k7 decks like SC-A33 ; Aiwa CDS-505). Murata has a subsidiary specialized in EMI suppression filters named "Azumi Murata" in Nagano but I doubt they are or were the same.)
ARS DK (Sansui amps like A-515, the latter also seeing a run at regular "Sansui")
Nagano D (Sansui dual-k7 and amp like A-M7 or AU-D55F, timers like AT-212)
Miharu DK (Sansui A-M90 and A-900XV ; also active with Onkyo)
S.Kokusai (Sansui TTs like P-D31)
Kokusai Denshi (Denon DR-F6)
Shinetsu (Sansui TTs like P-E300 /E302 /E710 /M70 /L75)
ORION (Sansui SE-9, A-5001 /3001)
MSC (Sansui TTs like SR-3030)

To be clear Sansui manufactured most of their own equipment. It's likely they just used contractors for overflow, low production or specialized equipment they didn't want to spend the development money to set up in-house production lines.

We have serial numbers recorded in the Serial Number Database that don't follow the standard Sansui format. It's likely these models were produced by contractors.

- Pete

Well I just spotted these:
P-E302 with a T-Tag Shinetsu
P-E302 with a T-Tag Sansui-S

Which makes me wonder if that is not the same plant: Sansui-S could mean Sansui-Shinetsu

 

[LBPete]

The T-tag adds another level of information to Sansui Manufactering History. It's worth tracking so I'm a field in the Serial Number Database to track units with T-tags. When reporting serial numbers that have a T-tag associated with them, please add a comma after your user name and indicate T-tag and any manufacturer ID that is with it. It should look like this:

P-E700,926033832,Oilmaster,T-tag FUKAI K

- Pete

 

[Reidy12]

Hey Pete, so I need to clarify: with the new T-tag field - where do you want it with respect to the note field.

P-E700,926033832,Oilmaster,T-tag FUKAI K,note
P-E700,926033832,Oilmaster,note,T-tag FUKAI K or [where there is no note text] P-E700,926033832,Oilmaster,,T-tag FUKAI K

On your earlier suggestion [on another thread], Oilmaster & I used the format: AU-alpha 607,436102031,Reidy12,internet Japan JDM,T-tag AZUMI
Model,Serial number,AK User name,Note,T-tag

 

[LBPete]

I can see how this might confuse you or Oilmaster. What I posted in the 2017 database thread was intended for you and Oilmaster. Model,Serial number,AK User name,Note,T-tag is correct.

Most contributors to the database only post a few serial numbers at a time and very rarely add a note. To avoid confusing hundreds of contributors by trying to educate them in the minutia of database formatting, it's OK to just tack it on the end and I'll format it during the upload process. You and Oilmaster are familiar with the minutia of database formatting so gave you the correct method with the T-tag in the 5th field, Model (comma) Serial Number (comma) AK Handel (comma) Notes (comma) T-tag no spaces, no additional information.

Hope this helps. If not just ask and I'll try to clarify.

- Pete

 

[Wally1955]

Aloha
stepped into this topic abit late but as Steppenwolf said its never to late so I'm checking right after reading abit in here some of my Sansuis (woodseries which is one of my favorites)
and it results with a little surprise but check urself and post your thoughts or not im just wondering but will stay away with any comments beside we all Sansui aficionados more or less anyone have own thoughts and ideas its a gorgeous Hobby in former glory days and nower times
Cheers

White Label Tag


Yellow Label


so there is a story behind -- any ideas?