sn018 Technics EPC-205CMk4 Cartridge (Jan. 1986) Technics EPC-205CMk4 Cartridge (Equip. Profile, Jan. 1986) Manufacturer's Specifications: Type: Moving magnet, with disc magnet and one-point suspension system; in "universal" plug-in headshell. (Also available as P-mount, without shell.) Magnetic Circuit: All "HPF" core, precision-polished finish. Cantilever: Tapered boron pipe. Damper: TTDD (Technics Temperature Defense Damper). Magnet: Neodymium; magnetic energy, (BH)max equals 35 mG-Oe. Frequency Response: 5 Hz to 100 kHz; 15 Hz to 70 kHz, +3 dB; 20 Hz to 15 kHz, +0.5 dB. hitpiww gammaeclectronis.xyzlaudo_01-1986_technies.himl wsn018 ‘Technics EPC-205CMk4 Cartridge (Jan. 1986) Temperature Characteristics: 20°C, +0.5dBat 10 kHz, +2 dB at 20 kHz. Output Voltage: 2.5 mV at 1 kHz at 5 cm/S, zero to peak, lateral velocity; 3.5 mV at 1 kHz at 5 cm/S, zero to peak, 45° velocity. Channel Separation: Greater than e 25 dB at 1 kHz; greater than 20 dB at 10 kHz. Channel Balance: Within 0.7 dB at 1 kHz. Compliance: 12 x 10*-6 cm/dyne (100 Hz). D.C. Resistance: 500 ohms. Inductance: 240 mH. Impedance: 1.6 kilohms (1 kHz). Recommended Load Resistance: 47 kilohms. Recommended Load Capacitance: Less than 200 pF. Stylus Tip: 0.2 x 0.7 mil, elliptical; 0.07-mm square-block diamond tip. Effective Moving Mass: 0.109 mg. Tracking Force Range: 1.25 grams, + 0.25 gram. Overhang Adjustment Range: 52 mm, +3 mm. Angle Range of Cartridge Inclination: +2° Replacement Stylus: EPS-205EP4. Weight: 15.5 grams. Price: $280; P-mount version (EPCP205CMk4), $250. Company Address: One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, N.J. 07094. The difficulty of installing and aligning phono cartridges is one of the major barriers to replacing and upgrading them, and there is a definite trend towards simplifying this process. Several conventionally mounted cartridges come with special alignment tools, and the plug-in P-mount system (which requires virtually no adjustment) is growing in popularity. But the oldest hitpiww gammaeclectronis.xyzlaudo_01-1986_technies.himl ansn018 ‘Technics EPC-205CMk4 Cartridge (Jan. 1986) approach to the problem is to integrate the cartridge and the arm or headshell. The Mk4 version of the Technics 205C moving-magnet cartridge exemplifies this trend. It is available both as a P-mount cartridge and integrated into a "universal" shell that fits all "S" or "J" shaped arms which accept a standard shell design. | tested the latter version. The primary advantage of this integrated type is the ease with which both the overhang and azimuth alignment can be set with a single screw. The most significant improvement claimed for the Technics EPC-205CMk4. over the previous 205C models is its super-lightweight cantilever, made out of a tapered, pure boron tube; the metal has been crystallized and then processed into a cantilever with a laser beam. This design results ina dramatic reduction in the effective tip mass, which is 0.109 mg. My measurements confirm the extreme stiffness of the tiny cantilever tube, which measures 8 mils in diameter at the tip and only 10 mils near the disc magnet. Care should be exercised when handling the cartridge or placing the stylus on the record, inasmuch as pure boron is a bit brittle and the cantilever could be fractured if the stylus is dropped on a vinyl record more than three times or so. The core material used in the magnetic circuit is "HPF" (a registered trademark), finely polished for superior high-frequency response to realize the flat transmission characteristics of an electric generator part. The armature magnet is made from neodymium--a trivalent metallic element of the rare-earth group-which has extremely strong magnetic energy [(BH)max equals 35 mG-Oe]. Butanol rubber is used for the damper on the majority of phono cartridges. Its major drawback is that it is temperature-sensitive. Technics developed a special material for the damper, called "TTDD" (Technics Temperature Defense Damper), which is quite insensitive to temperature variations. The elliptical, nude-diamond stylus tip measures 0.2 x 0.7 mils and is only 4 mils across the flat area. Like all Technics phono cartridges, the EPC-205CMk4 comes in a plastic box which also contains the usual assortment of mounting screws, stylus brush, screwdriver, and removable stylus guard. Also supplied is a printed frequency response curve which appears to be a general one but is actually made by the cartridge at hand, according to Technics. Measurements hitpiww gammaeclectronis.xyzlaudo_01-1986_technies.himl 37