The web of japanese contractors
- Thread starter vfd fan
- Start date
What a fantastic historical resource. I knew that a lot of Japanese equipment shared components, like Sony CD drives and lasers for example, which kind of makes sense for specialised components, but I didn't know that contracting out went as far as complete units or electronic design. I never knew that the T tag system even existed. I will go and have a fresh look at the back of all my gear now.
Final_Baton
Well-Known Member
Wow! That post by the fellow Axel, is nothing short of LEGENDARY. So useful, so much info he dug out. Just an elite post and reference for thousands of people to use
I read the whole thing again, and checked my goodies here for T-tags. Kensonic is the one breath of fresh air, almost all made in house, then and now. Sony was a mess, but was also the 8th largest economy in the world at one point.
What a good resource.
I was always a fan of Shin Shirasuna too, those Citation X products were something else.
What a good resource.
I was always a fan of Shin Shirasuna too, those Citation X products were something else.
WaveSeeker
New Member
Fellows,
Here is a partial list of all I could gather between 2003 and 2012 regarding the multi-million myriad of those who made the japanese audio industry actually work : contractors, sub-contractors and sub-sub-contractors.
The full list is much longer and detailed but the following already proves the point : the well-known majors and minors couldn't have made business (good or bad) without those obscure outfits and corporations !
Large-format catalogs were published by contractors' associations throughout the 1970s and up to the early 1980s to help industry minors (and sometimes majors) make their "shopping" with either specific parts or complete components and lineups. Alas, no issues of those catalogs are known to have survived this side of the world.
All "minors" largely relied on this web for offering complete lineups (amps, speakers, k7, tuners, TTs etc) which they otherwise couldn't possibly design, let alone manufacture. Among the "majors", Yamaha, Technics, Sony or Pioneer only rarely called for "help" even if they all did at one point or another ; others kept a very closed-in T-tag branding which makes research nearly impossible, particularily Nakamichi, Onkyo and Sansui.
None of this is possible to be traced in detail without accessing corporate papers... which have all been junked ages ago.
The remaining key is the T-Tag, as seen on japanese components' back serial sticker and there only.
The other key is patience
This logo, not to be mistaken with grounding/earth logo, was scrapped for all exported component : it is only visible in Japan and Asia at large. (but for some early-Alpine Luxmans and a few late 1970s Sony.)
T-tags are only present on components with a built-in AC power-supply : 98% of the time they are (alas) not present on battery-powered items or loudspeakers and almost everything that is portable (but, often, Sony).
Sometimes, the T-tag logo is silkscreened (which is normal) but the name following it is added on a sticker - very common by Sansui and Nakamichi, rare by Pioneer, extremely rare by Sony.
This two-step tagging means that there may be a little white lie or a business agreement between the two parties to not show the actual manufacturing source and/or disclose who actually passed the component under the japanese industry specification tests, ie. who is responsible in case a building blows up because of a defective amplifier.
T-Tags gradually appeared throughout the mid to late 1960s and mainly early 1970s : when each brand couldn't produce everything it advertised in one or two factories and when multiplication of the offer meant multiplication of the plants and... (sub-)contractors. The variety of T-tags is in full bloom between 1975 and 1985 ; after that there's a sort of concentration as many manufacturers had already made long-term arrangements with contractors and/or subsidiaries inside and/or outside Japan.
I have omitted in the following list major OEM makers such as Sankei, Tensai, Inkel, Marubeni (Benytone), Tatung, LG (Goldstar), Tandy (TEC) and Funai because they were almost everywhere, so much so that their presence was beyond T-Tags (even if 95% of the time on the lower scale of things). All of these mainly fed the myriad of EU and US (sub-)brands such as Life, Universum, Palladium, MCS, ADC, Teleton and Uher toward the end - etc.
Others, like Sankyo, mainly provided motors and parts but also, in shorts bursts, tried to launch their own brand - with little success (or real need).
Cybernet is part of that pack but did make some of its own which was mainly export ; however, unlike the others, Cybernet also used its recognizable tag on many contracted components such as those for Nakamichi or dbx but not on the Kyocera components (not so strangely since Ky bought 100% of Cybernet, when it started its audio development program in 1982).
Rotel and NAD were a bit different : if they made most of their business with contracting, they both had their own "official" lineups (again : mainly export) which were advertised for quite a lot (outisde Japan).
Rotel, founded 1963, had a Roland T-tag (RA-1312 for instance) which was the original name until worldwide © was taken by the musical instrument maker Roland in 1972 ; Roland had to change its name to undertake worldwide distribution and became Rotel. The RP-3000 turntable or RA-1312, for instance, have both names on their back plate : "Rotel Rx-xxxx" (product name) and "A Quality Product of Roland Electronics Co., Ltd." as (long) T-tag.
I couldn't dig too deep outside Japan (Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan) because sources remain difficult to access but the latter four became increasingly present starting in the mid 70s, as described in several early 1980s Hi-Fi for Pleasure (UK) articles - present enough to start taking on actual circuit development(s) themselves.
China came in only after the market's 1977 peak year, in 1978 ; it was very slow, timid and gradual at first but by the late 1980s... you know the rest.
Here is a partial list of all I could gather between 2003 and 2012 regarding the multi-million myriad of those who made the japanese audio industry actually work : contractors, sub-contractors and sub-sub-contractors.
The full list is much longer and detailed but the following already proves the point : the well-known majors and minors couldn't have made business (good or bad) without those obscure outfits and corporations !
Large-format catalogs were published by contractors' associations throughout the 1970s and up to the early 1980s to help industry minors (and sometimes majors) make their "shopping" with either specific parts or complete components and lineups. Alas, no issues of those catalogs are known to have survived this side of the world.
All "minors" largely relied on this web for offering complete lineups (amps, speakers, k7, tuners, TTs etc) which they otherwise couldn't possibly design, let alone manufacture. Among the "majors", Yamaha, Technics, Sony or Pioneer only rarely called for "help" even if they all did at one point or another ; others kept a very closed-in T-tag branding which makes research nearly impossible, particularily Nakamichi, Onkyo and Sansui.
None of this is possible to be traced in detail without accessing corporate papers... which have all been junked ages ago.
The remaining key is the T-Tag, as seen on japanese components' back serial sticker and there only.
The other key is patience
This logo, not to be mistaken with grounding/earth logo, was scrapped for all exported component : it is only visible in Japan and Asia at large. (but for some early-Alpine Luxmans and a few late 1970s Sony.)
T-tags are only present on components with a built-in AC power-supply : 98% of the time they are (alas) not present on battery-powered items or loudspeakers and almost everything that is portable (but, often, Sony).
Sometimes, the T-tag logo is silkscreened (which is normal) but the name following it is added on a sticker - very common by Sansui and Nakamichi, rare by Pioneer, extremely rare by Sony.
This two-step tagging means that there may be a little white lie or a business agreement between the two parties to not show the actual manufacturing source and/or disclose who actually passed the component under the japanese industry specification tests, ie. who is responsible in case a building blows up because of a defective amplifier.
T-Tags gradually appeared throughout the mid to late 1960s and mainly early 1970s : when each brand couldn't produce everything it advertised in one or two factories and when multiplication of the offer meant multiplication of the plants and... (sub-)contractors. The variety of T-tags is in full bloom between 1975 and 1985 ; after that there's a sort of concentration as many manufacturers had already made long-term arrangements with contractors and/or subsidiaries inside and/or outside Japan.
I have omitted in the following list major OEM makers such as Sankei, Tensai, Inkel, Marubeni (Benytone), Tatung, LG (Goldstar), Tandy (TEC) and Funai because they were almost everywhere, so much so that their presence was beyond T-Tags (even if 95% of the time on the lower scale of things). All of these mainly fed the myriad of EU and US (sub-)brands such as Life, Universum, Palladium, MCS, ADC, Teleton and Uher toward the end - etc.
Others, like Sankyo, mainly provided motors and parts but also, in shorts bursts, tried to launch their own brand - with little success (or real need).
Cybernet is part of that pack but did make some of its own which was mainly export ; however, unlike the others, Cybernet also used its recognizable tag on many contracted components such as those for Nakamichi or dbx but not on the Kyocera components (not so strangely since Ky bought 100% of Cybernet, when it started its audio development program in 1982).
Rotel and NAD were a bit different : if they made most of their business with contracting, they both had their own "official" lineups (again : mainly export) which were advertised for quite a lot (outisde Japan).
Rotel, founded 1963, had a Roland T-tag (RA-1312 for instance) which was the original name until worldwide © was taken by the musical instrument maker Roland in 1972 ; Roland had to change its name to undertake worldwide distribution and became Rotel. The RP-3000 turntable or RA-1312, for instance, have both names on their back plate : "Rotel Rx-xxxx" (product name) and "A Quality Product of Roland Electronics Co., Ltd." as (long) T-tag.
I couldn't dig too deep outside Japan (Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan) because sources remain difficult to access but the latter four became increasingly present starting in the mid 70s, as described in several early 1980s Hi-Fi for Pleasure (UK) articles - present enough to start taking on actual circuit development(s) themselves.
China came in only after the market's 1977 peak year, in 1978 ; it was very slow, timid and gradual at first but by the late 1980s... you know the rest.
aka. Chuo Denki Co. Ltd.
CEC CDPs like TL-3, TL-1, TL-0, CD-1, CH5000R cd changer or the ST930 and FR-XL1 turntables but also Sanyo TTs like TP-D10, Kenwood TTs like KP-9010, P-3X /3EG, Marantz TTs like TT530 & TT 350, Columbia receivers.
The only "Chuo Denki" accessible today specializes in rare earths and metals ; its logo, however, is exactly the same as that used as T-Tag in the 1970s/80s/90s for the abovementioned brands.
Its online history page (http://www.chu-den.co.jp/e/company/history.html) remains mute about any audio activities, past or present...
Apparently, quite possibly, the main CEC subsidiary delegated to turntable OEM'ing.
Below the "CDK" tag, back of a Marantz TT 350 ; this screams CEC origins or subsidiary !
Sanwa SS (Marantz TT 250, Columbia GP-25, one run of Denon PMA-390 [otherwise at T.O.C.], the later 390IV and 390SE versions of which were made in Czech Republic and China, respectively, under a Denon T-Tag...)
MK Densi (one run of Denon DH-510, Teac RX-8 dbx unit)
Tokai Densi (Lo-D/Hitachi D-77 & D-78s k7)
DaiichiDentu (or "DaiichiDentsu" or "DaiichiDenki" ; Teac/Tascam mixers such as M-30, meters like MB-20 ; dbx encoders such as DX-4D ; Yamaha EQs like GE-5 /5B ; Hitachi HMC-1100)
YMD (late 70s Teac k7 like A-630 and the "F" / "FF" series [F-650R, FF-70, FF-80 etc] ; Kenwood KX-600 /800 ; Aurex RtR like PR-8020)
MELCO (late 70s Teac k7 like the "A" series [A-470 etc])
Maisaka D (Denon PMA-740)
NNO (Akai AV-U8)
KITARON (Akai UC-K2 /U2 /M2)
Kashima (Akai tuners like AT-S61, A&D [Akai & Diatone] tuners and k7 like GX-Z7100EV, a/v and d/a amps like DA-U7000 or DA-U830)
Kowa (Akai amps like AS-P302, k7 like GX-Z5300 /Z7100EV, TTs like LT-930 ; A&D [=Akai & Diatone] CDPs ; JVC TTs like QL-Y44F, LD-77Z /55Z, L-E88S /E200, ALE33P)
COPAL (Akai DT-320, Sansui A-M70)
Kato-S (or "KATO.S" ; JVC TTs like L-E300 /E88S, L-D1Z)
SYV (JVC TTs like SRP-5503F)
Sanko (or "Sanko.M" ; JVC MK-2, Teac AV-D50 & AV-400)
Yamada TK (Akai k7 like HX-A451W)
TYK (JVC/Victor portables, MCT-105)
Itokawa S. (Victor JM-S500MF and late run of the M-7050 bestseller)
Tohoku TKR (Kenwood TD-EX7 ; Sony SRP-X351P, MDS-E58, first run of Sony CDP-D11) [same as Sony's own Tohoku HT / THTK ?]
Tohoku-Trio (Kenwood KX-51, KX-92W)
Tohoku Nissan (Sansui B-55, A-M7)
Union Denki (Diatone DA-F610 /F640 /F540 /F330 /U41P /U51 /U640, M-A05)
Tensho Denshi (Diatone DA-U410)
Hongo Denshi (Diatone M-A05)
Masaka-E (Diatone DT-5, DP-630, M-A05)
Yoshida Denpa (Marantz Music Link DPS-1)
ND (Toshiba AVX-1200)
CC (Marantz k7 like SD315 /415, dbx Model 222 and Model 120 ; "CC" really was Cybernet in disguise, or a direct subsidiary.)
CEC CDPs like TL-3, TL-1, TL-0, CD-1, CH5000R cd changer or the ST930 and FR-XL1 turntables but also Sanyo TTs like TP-D10, Kenwood TTs like KP-9010, P-3X /3EG, Marantz TTs like TT530 & TT 350, Columbia receivers.
The only "Chuo Denki" accessible today specializes in rare earths and metals ; its logo, however, is exactly the same as that used as T-Tag in the 1970s/80s/90s for the abovementioned brands.
Its online history page (http://www.chu-den.co.jp/e/company/history.html) remains mute about any audio activities, past or present...
Apparently, quite possibly, the main CEC subsidiary delegated to turntable OEM'ing.
Below the "CDK" tag, back of a Marantz TT 350 ; this screams CEC origins or subsidiary !
Sanwa SS (Marantz TT 250, Columbia GP-25, one run of Denon PMA-390 [otherwise at T.O.C.], the later 390IV and 390SE versions of which were made in Czech Republic and China, respectively, under a Denon T-Tag...)
MK Densi (one run of Denon DH-510, Teac RX-8 dbx unit)
Tokai Densi (Lo-D/Hitachi D-77 & D-78s k7)
DaiichiDentu (or "DaiichiDentsu" or "DaiichiDenki" ; Teac/Tascam mixers such as M-30, meters like MB-20 ; dbx encoders such as DX-4D ; Yamaha EQs like GE-5 /5B ; Hitachi HMC-1100)
YMD (late 70s Teac k7 like A-630 and the "F" / "FF" series [F-650R, FF-70, FF-80 etc] ; Kenwood KX-600 /800 ; Aurex RtR like PR-8020)
MELCO (late 70s Teac k7 like the "A" series [A-470 etc])
Maisaka D (Denon PMA-740)
NNO (Akai AV-U8)
KITARON (Akai UC-K2 /U2 /M2)
Kashima (Akai tuners like AT-S61, A&D [Akai & Diatone] tuners and k7 like GX-Z7100EV, a/v and d/a amps like DA-U7000 or DA-U830)
Kowa (Akai amps like AS-P302, k7 like GX-Z5300 /Z7100EV, TTs like LT-930 ; A&D [=Akai & Diatone] CDPs ; JVC TTs like QL-Y44F, LD-77Z /55Z, L-E88S /E200, ALE33P)
COPAL (Akai DT-320, Sansui A-M70)
Kato-S (or "KATO.S" ; JVC TTs like L-E300 /E88S, L-D1Z)
SYV (JVC TTs like SRP-5503F)
Sanko (or "Sanko.M" ; JVC MK-2, Teac AV-D50 & AV-400)
Yamada TK (Akai k7 like HX-A451W)
TYK (JVC/Victor portables, MCT-105)
Itokawa S. (Victor JM-S500MF and late run of the M-7050 bestseller)
Tohoku TKR (Kenwood TD-EX7 ; Sony SRP-X351P, MDS-E58, first run of Sony CDP-D11) [same as Sony's own Tohoku HT / THTK ?]
Tohoku-Trio (Kenwood KX-51, KX-92W)
Tohoku Nissan (Sansui B-55, A-M7)
Union Denki (Diatone DA-F610 /F640 /F540 /F330 /U41P /U51 /U640, M-A05)
Tensho Denshi (Diatone DA-U410)
Hongo Denshi (Diatone M-A05)
Masaka-E (Diatone DT-5, DP-630, M-A05)
Yoshida Denpa (Marantz Music Link DPS-1)
ND (Toshiba AVX-1200)
CC (Marantz k7 like SD315 /415, dbx Model 222 and Model 120 ; "CC" really was Cybernet in disguise, or a direct subsidiary.)
Fujiya Audio
Major turntable OEM provider & developer for Luxman, Sharp/Optonica, Trio/Kenwood, Onkyo, Yamaha, Clarion, Marantz, NEC, Columbia and, crown achievement, Nakamichi
with the Dragon CT (mechanical engineer : Junichi Okumura).
Fujiya also built for Micro with the DD-26II and DD-36F (and possibly many of the other lower-end of Micro's production) and even provided Yamaha with the CD-1's spindle motor !
I believe the original company to have been Fujiya Phone ("Fujiya Elec. Mac. Co."), based in Tokyo and Yokohama in the 1940s if not even earlier ; Fujiya Audio was absorbed in full by NEC in the mid 1980s and either closed or transformed into something else.
Change of T-tag logo in the early 1980s which reads "fd" but it's the same Fujiya Audio, the "f" and "a" being in fact heavily customized - see below the T-tag of the Dragon CT :
The Onkyo CP-8000F had the stylized logo above, while the earlier CP-5000A or Luxman PD282 had an intermediate tag ("fd") :
Back of a Marantz 6100 :
The Luxman PD-272 and PD-284 also came from Fujiya.
And below is the earlier Fujiya Audio tag ("fa"), here on the Luxman PD-291 :
And back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) P-7 :
Yuei Denki (JVC 1970/80s k7 like KD-D11 for the later years)
YCC (JVC CF-105, JL-B33H)
HTD (JVC late 70s-1980s k7)
Masamori (JVC AX-E7000 /E7700 /E33 /EV7, DC-V7, SEA-66B, one run of A-E30)
Sanika (JVC 1980s k7, some CDPs like XL-Z521 /E5500 or the AL-E75 turntable)
NKKO D (one run of JVC A-X3)
TOKiDENKi (or "Tokiden" ; JVC compacts like CA-25 or R-E500 and amps like AX-S700 /S90, A-XE33 or DC-Z9000)
Fujimi (JVC SPA-2700D)
Daichu Denshi (JVC CS-15A)
Rising (JVC JX-V8)
TS NAD (most JVC k7 from c. 1974 up to the 1986 DD-VR77MKII ; also the A-D55 /D77 /K11)
Below, the "TSNAD" tag, back of a Victor A-D77 ; the same tag was most of the time written vertically, clearly separating the "TS" from the "NAD".
Whether this uncovers some NAD/Proton sourcing (or manufacturing or assembly) or not is... anybody's guess.
Possible. But in the case of Victor I doubt it.
Major turntable OEM provider & developer for Luxman, Sharp/Optonica, Trio/Kenwood, Onkyo, Yamaha, Clarion, Marantz, NEC, Columbia and, crown achievement, Nakamichi
with the Dragon CT (mechanical engineer : Junichi Okumura).
Fujiya also built for Micro with the DD-26II and DD-36F (and possibly many of the other lower-end of Micro's production) and even provided Yamaha with the CD-1's spindle motor !
I believe the original company to have been Fujiya Phone ("Fujiya Elec. Mac. Co."), based in Tokyo and Yokohama in the 1940s if not even earlier ; Fujiya Audio was absorbed in full by NEC in the mid 1980s and either closed or transformed into something else.
Change of T-tag logo in the early 1980s which reads "fd" but it's the same Fujiya Audio, the "f" and "a" being in fact heavily customized - see below the T-tag of the Dragon CT :
The Onkyo CP-8000F had the stylized logo above, while the earlier CP-5000A or Luxman PD282 had an intermediate tag ("fd") :
Back of a Marantz 6100 :
The Luxman PD-272 and PD-284 also came from Fujiya.
And below is the earlier Fujiya Audio tag ("fa"), here on the Luxman PD-291 :
And back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) P-7 :
Yuei Denki (JVC 1970/80s k7 like KD-D11 for the later years)
YCC (JVC CF-105, JL-B33H)
HTD (JVC late 70s-1980s k7)
Masamori (JVC AX-E7000 /E7700 /E33 /EV7, DC-V7, SEA-66B, one run of A-E30)
Sanika (JVC 1980s k7, some CDPs like XL-Z521 /E5500 or the AL-E75 turntable)
NKKO D (one run of JVC A-X3)
TOKiDENKi (or "Tokiden" ; JVC compacts like CA-25 or R-E500 and amps like AX-S700 /S90, A-XE33 or DC-Z9000)
Fujimi (JVC SPA-2700D)
Daichu Denshi (JVC CS-15A)
Rising (JVC JX-V8)
TS NAD (most JVC k7 from c. 1974 up to the 1986 DD-VR77MKII ; also the A-D55 /D77 /K11)
Below, the "TSNAD" tag, back of a Victor A-D77 ; the same tag was most of the time written vertically, clearly separating the "TS" from the "NAD".
Whether this uncovers some NAD/Proton sourcing (or manufacturing or assembly) or not is... anybody's guess.
Possible. But in the case of Victor I doubt it.
IIDA Denshi (Kenwood amps like KA-727 /929, Pioneer A-X640 /750, Sony TA-V11W, JVC TA-20, radios and getthoblasters ; Clarion, Marantz and Philips LDPs like CDV-710K or PLD600WS)
Ohkura DS (Pioneer F-515)
Nakada Denshi (Pioneer RG-70, MA-11)
Nissan Denshi (Pioneer SG-70)
YALE Denshi (Pioneer DJM-500)
UHDK (Pioneer SF-70, TX-4400)
Andes E.CO (Pioneer MSA-V3, last run of Pioneer A-07)
NCK (Pioneer PL-PM2000 [aka Denon DP-900M, aka etc] ; "PM" stands for "Pure Malt" ; Mitsubishi DA-A7000, Marantz PM6100SA)
Tohei KK (Coltina CDPs)
Nissei G.K. (Trio KA-72, KA-31G, DC-07, A-7G /3R /9F ; Aurex SB-V7, SB-M20)
TAISEIA DK (Trio KX-8P)
EMENICS (Kenwood amps and CDPs like DP-990SG or DP-5010)
Kure Nissei (TTs like Sharp RP-8N, Diatone LT-43P, Yamaha CC-101P)
MTK (one run of Sony ST-535, Kenwood amps like A-CD1 & A-5i and tuners like KT-5020 /V990 or T-9F /7i /7G /7R (but not the 7S), KX-880, GE-5000, KRX-7,
Aurex/Toshiba ST-U20 /V51)
Below, the MTK T-tag, on the back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) KX-880 :
Misuzu (Trio KA-800 /9X /70 /77 /990, KT-700 /7X)
Below, the Misuzu T-tag, on the back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) KA-990 :
Before that, the KA-800 could be had in two flavors, too :
Ohkura DS (Pioneer F-515)
Nakada Denshi (Pioneer RG-70, MA-11)
Nissan Denshi (Pioneer SG-70)
YALE Denshi (Pioneer DJM-500)
UHDK (Pioneer SF-70, TX-4400)
Andes E.CO (Pioneer MSA-V3, last run of Pioneer A-07)
NCK (Pioneer PL-PM2000 [aka Denon DP-900M, aka etc] ; "PM" stands for "Pure Malt" ; Mitsubishi DA-A7000, Marantz PM6100SA)
Tohei KK (Coltina CDPs)
Nissei G.K. (Trio KA-72, KA-31G, DC-07, A-7G /3R /9F ; Aurex SB-V7, SB-M20)
TAISEIA DK (Trio KX-8P)
EMENICS (Kenwood amps and CDPs like DP-990SG or DP-5010)
Kure Nissei (TTs like Sharp RP-8N, Diatone LT-43P, Yamaha CC-101P)
MTK (one run of Sony ST-535, Kenwood amps like A-CD1 & A-5i and tuners like KT-5020 /V990 or T-9F /7i /7G /7R (but not the 7S), KX-880, GE-5000, KRX-7,
Aurex/Toshiba ST-U20 /V51)
Below, the MTK T-tag, on the back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) KX-880 :
Misuzu (Trio KA-800 /9X /70 /77 /990, KT-700 /7X)
Below, the Misuzu T-tag, on the back of a Trio (soon to become Kenwood) KA-990 :
Before that, the KA-800 could be had in two flavors, too :
CPLK" ; this is the same COPAL that was founded in 1946 for photographic shutters which branched in k7 throughout the 1970s for the Yamaha TC-800 series and TC-5, Luxman K-10, Kenwood KX-3000 /4000, Pioneer CT-3030E, Akai CS-707D, Sansui SC-3 and SC-5 and quite possibly many more. It seems the entire decks were made by CPLK (not the mechanisms only), as the T-tags prove. Although Copal Coki changed its name in 1962 to become Copal Company Limited (Nidec-Copal since 1999), the audio activities retained the old name.
Below, the CPLK T-tag, back of a Yamaha TC-800GL :
And back of a Luxman K-10 :
Hashimoto (some post-Alpine Luxman 1990s CDPs)
T.Sound (Alpine/Lux AL-5 & AL-7 systems [including the k7 recorders !], K-113X, some post-Alpine Luxman 1990s CDPs like D-700s ; Sansui CDPs & compacts [CDV-550R or 900CDR series, AV-X77], Pioneer mixers and A-3R amp, Aurex SC-P70(H), PC-500R, XR-501R /601M, XB-500 /1500, Clarion MC-1500A, DA-1020A)
KTH (Clarion ML-4200A)
Uratsu (Clarion MA-6200A)
IYOKU (Clarion MP-3000A ; also with a CEC T-tag...)
AEIC (Clarion MD-4000A, MT-9000A, MA-4040A)
TGE (Luxman TT-10, Sharp SM-5)
Aimor (founded march 15, 1962 ; post-AZDEN Luxman amps and integrated but also the current DA-100 /200 converters ; also builds for Yamaha [consumer a/v and pro], Nissha Laboratory Inc (launched by ex-Luxman Nishimura-san), Victor and Clarion)
Goto D.S. (post-AZDEN Luxman preamps, CDPs and phono EQ/amps ; one of the first to see the switch from AZDEN to Goto DS is the C-5 preamp so late '97.)
Yokohama B.S. (part of the present day Luxman ; the rest is in China)
Below, the CPLK T-tag, back of a Yamaha TC-800GL :
And back of a Luxman K-10 :
Hashimoto (some post-Alpine Luxman 1990s CDPs)
T.Sound (Alpine/Lux AL-5 & AL-7 systems [including the k7 recorders !], K-113X, some post-Alpine Luxman 1990s CDPs like D-700s ; Sansui CDPs & compacts [CDV-550R or 900CDR series, AV-X77], Pioneer mixers and A-3R amp, Aurex SC-P70(H), PC-500R, XR-501R /601M, XB-500 /1500, Clarion MC-1500A, DA-1020A)
KTH (Clarion ML-4200A)
Uratsu (Clarion MA-6200A)
IYOKU (Clarion MP-3000A ; also with a CEC T-tag...)
AEIC (Clarion MD-4000A, MT-9000A, MA-4040A)
TGE (Luxman TT-10, Sharp SM-5)
Aimor (founded march 15, 1962 ; post-AZDEN Luxman amps and integrated but also the current DA-100 /200 converters ; also builds for Yamaha [consumer a/v and pro], Nissha Laboratory Inc (launched by ex-Luxman Nishimura-san), Victor and Clarion)
Goto D.S. (post-AZDEN Luxman preamps, CDPs and phono EQ/amps ; one of the first to see the switch from AZDEN to Goto DS is the C-5 preamp so late '97.)
Yokohama B.S. (part of the present day Luxman ; the rest is in China)
