A remarkably well-preserved New Old Stock example of the highly regarded Technics EPC-205CMK3 moving magnet cartridge.
Introduced around 1979, the EPC-205CMK3 was one of Technics' advanced MM cartridges from the golden age of Japanese analog audio engineering.
This model incorporates several distinctive Technics technologies, including a Pure Boron Pipe cantilever, Bridge Yoke construction, mirror-polished HPF magnetic cores, and the Technics TTDD temperature-stable damper system.
The extremely lightweight Pure Boron Pipe cantilever was developed to combine very high rigidity with exceptionally low moving mass, allowing the cartridge to achieve excellent high-frequency response and precise groove tracing.
This example is especially desirable because it has survived in unused condition with its original packaging, display case, documentation, and individually measured frequency response chart.
Condition
New Old Stock / Unused Open Box.
The outer box has some age-related wear and cosmetic deterioration from long-term storage, but the cartridge itself remains in exceptionally well-preserved unused condition.
The original stylus, cantilever, suspension area, and stylus assembly have been carefully inspected under magnification.
The Pure Boron cantilever remains straight and clean, with no visible bending, breakage, or abnormal deformation.
The original diamond stylus tip has also been examined under magnification, and its long, sharply defined profile remains clearly visible.
The stylus and surrounding components retain the appearance expected from an unused original example.
Please carefully examine all photographs, including the magnified stylus images, for the exact condition.
Original Accessories Included
Technics EPC-205CMK3 cartridge
Original Technics stylus
Original factory display / storage case
Original outer box
Original instruction manual
Original individual frequency response measurement chart
Original documentation shown in the photographs
The serial number on the individual measurement chart matches this cartridge.
Only the items shown in the photographs are included.
Specifications
Brand: Technics
Model: EPC-205CMK3
Type: Moving Magnet (MM)
Construction: Integrated headshell cartridge
Cantilever: Pure Boron Pipe
Stylus: 0.2 x 0.7 mil Elliptical Diamond
Stylus Construction: 0.1 mm square block diamond
Damper: TTDD
Technics Temperature Defense Damper
Magnet: Samarium-Cobalt
Magnetic Circuit: Mirror-polished HPF core
Frequency Response:
15 Hz - 60 kHz ±3 dB
20 Hz - 15 kHz ±0.5 dB
Output Voltage:
2.0 mV at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec horizontal velocity
2.8 mV at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec 45-degree velocity
Channel Separation:
25 dB or more at 1 kHz
20 dB or more at 10 kHz
Channel Balance:0.7 dB or less at 1 kHz
Compliance:12 x 10^-6 cm/dyne at 100 Hz
DC Resistance:500 ohms
Inductance:240 mH
Impedance:1.6 kohms at 1 kHz
Recommended Load Resistance:47 kohms
Recommended Load Capacitance:200 pF or less
Recommended Tracking Force:1.25 g
Tracking Force Range:1.0 - 1.5 g
Effective Moving Mass:0.149 mg
Overhang Adjustment Range:52 ±3 mm
Cartridge Tilt Adjustment:±2 degrees
Weight:Approx. 15.5 g
Replacement Stylus:Technics EPS-205ED3
Country of Manufacture:Japan
Vintage Collector Appeal
The EPC-205CMK3 represents an important period in Technics analog engineering.
Its Pure Boron Pipe cantilever is particularly noteworthy. Boron combines extremely high rigidity with very low mass, making it an ideal material for transmitting stylus movement with minimal loss or unwanted resonance.
Combined with the Bridge Yoke structure, HPF magnetic circuit, and TTDD damper, Technics achieved an exceptionally low effective moving mass of only 0.149 mg and a specified frequency response extending to 60 kHz.
While used examples of the EPC-205CMK3 occasionally appear today, finding an original unused example complete with its factory case, outer box, instruction manual, original stylus, and serial-number-matched individual frequency response chart is considerably more difficult.
For collectors of Technics, vintage Japanese cartridges, high-performance MM cartridges, and original analog audio components, this is a particularly attractive surviving example.
The original packaging shows age-related wear, which is normal for an item of this vintage.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description and show the exact item and accessories included.