Technics 205CMK3 Cartridge

…I agree

 

That record deck was a pretty good buy! But... the cartridge there did not have the body for mounting on modern arms, only the integrated headshell version, it also didn't mention what the condition was like.

I saw a 205CMK3 cartridge with the body for modern arms go on UK eBay for about £160 a few months back, so it goes to show it just depends who is bidding when it comes to eBay.

If someone wants this one for £129 then alright, but its just not worth me selling it for less IMO.

 

…why not just put it on ebay then mate?

 

Because I don't like eBay.

 

For starters....

Ruller flat response - and I mean ruler flat

Superb tracking.

Low inductance generator giving load tolerance similar to an MC.

Very low colouration and distortion.

Solid build - no flimsy lugs.

It swept the reviews and ranked equel to the Koetsu Black, Linn Asak and Mission 773 moving coils in three conscuteve listening tests over three years.

It sounds like a good MC.

It cost £65 in 1982 against £200 for the Linn and £150 for the Mission.

From an interview on the VDH website by A J Van den Hul

" Without naming names, van den Hul told me that a whole range of cartridges with a special selling price of between £20 and £30 have a stylus tip worth perhaps 10 or 15 pence to the manufacturer. For this reason, van den Hul sees his re-tipping process as an easy way of wresting a significant improvement from otherwise well-made cartridges. On the other hand, as van den Hul told me with a wry smile, some cartridges are so poor that re-tipping would prove a futile exercise anyway!
For this reason, very few moving magnet cartridges receive the van den Hul treatment, one notable exception being the Technics EPC205 which van den Hul considers one of the very best moving magnet (cor) cartridges from a construction point of view."


More......?

 

A strange auction indeed as the SME alone would usually go for more....so yes, a bargain for someone.

 

Technics 205C Mk3 Cartridge

You really are a lucky boy to have one of these gems in pristine condition and with all the extras. If you really want to sell it in the bouyant retro markets of Japan or the Far East then you could try eBay's Australian, American and Hong Kong markets. They're also very keen on Pioneer PL12D turntables and Technics 1500Mk3 open reel tape machines too.

These lovely cartridges wre released round about 1980. I remeber because I was a student at thet time and worked part-time in an independent Hi-Fi shop that specialised in Technics. To replace my Pioneer PL12-D, I bought one of thebetter linear trackning decks, the Technics SL-QL1 in 1981 and it came fitted with a 205C Mk3 as standard. I listened to it acouple of times and was most impressed with its sonic detail. It went safely into a padded box in the draw as I had bought the upgraded flagship Technics P305CMk3 cartridge, which at £180 cost only £22 less than the turntable with the 205 thrown in! - and that was with generous staff discount.

The 305 shared the same boron crystal-grown cantilever technology, but much thinner and with a lower effective tip mass than the 205. Although a MM it was more akin in sound, function and feeble output to a MC.

Although I have a big CD collection, I retain an even larger vinyl archive and the SL-QL1, as well as my SL1200 and Linn Sondeck LP12 turntables have been in regular use for the last three decades The 305CMK3 still sounds as sweet as ever and shows no discernible signs of wear under the microscope. The 205 is still in the box that the 305 came in as fressh as the day it was made. I've kept hold of it incase anything happens to the 305. If you've still git yours, guard it well - they fetch a very high price, especially as original replacement styli are not readily available.

 

Simon , Could you pick up your PM's please ! bank transfer for the cartridge completed mid week.