How old is your cartridge?

Dear @audite84: As I posted the re-tipper will check suspension too and if need it to fix it then he will does.

Now, VdH will use it’s own stylus profile/shape that Dr. VDH designed: the VdH one that’s way better than the original and that is the one he uses with the VDH cartridges ( yes, finer profile. ).
Don’t worry about your MK3 will sounds/performs better than ever.

R.

Dear @audite84 : When you be ready to the re-tip put in contact with me and I will give you the information to contact directly with and I have to tell you that dealing with is not expensive.

What makes to talk persons as the one here against the Technics superior quality level performance just speak because their very low knowledge levels.

I remember that when I had to send my EPC100C MK4 to been fixed by VdH another gentleman here had the same problem ( both of us bougth the cartridges from the same seller in NOS condition and were the stand alone version not the one with integrated headshell. ) and I gave him the information about.

Things were that this gentleman just bougth a Lyra Atlas LOMC cartridge and when the Technics came back to him he posted here that performed even better than his Atlas.

I repeat those Technics models are way superior to the ATs, Stantons or even almost all vintage MM/MI cartridges but the AKG P100LE and the ADC 26/27.

There are several vintage MM/MI cartridges where you need and keep your " eyes " on it as: Astatic MF-2500, Empire 4000/D3, Grado The AmberTribute, Sonus Dimension5, Nagaoka MP50 Super, Nagatron 9600, Shure Ultra 500, Acutex 320 III STR,  Azden YM-P50VL, Micro Acoustic MA630, Grado G-1+.

You can be sure that any one of them beats AT/Stanton and the like. Yes you need patience to find out any of them. Keep in touch.

In the other side today MM/MI/LOMC cartridges are excellent performers and with the advantage of manufacturer warranty.

R.

Dear @audite84 : "  I've been lucky with my EPC-205C MK3. It has the original stylus, and the suspension, said to be its weakness is still fine.

This particular cartridge in my possession sounds great. It beat the AT440mlb, Shure V15 III HE & IV MR and Hana EL, all of which I used within 2020. "

That Technics is very good quality performer and beats several vintage top cartridges as the AT or Stanton, the 205C MK4 is even better I owned.

When you decide to re-tip it try to send it to VdH , Dr. Van Den Hul MM reference cartridge that he still owns is the Technics EPC100C MK4, he fixed mine when no other re-tipper accepted to fix it because they just can´t do it.

R.

Dear @zavato  :  Yes, rubber deteriorates over time. Now, not all cartridges were designed with the same kind of overall suspension set/kit, suspension is not only about that " rubber ", even Ortofon has a trade mark on the kind of suspension they use.

So some cartridge suspensions are more suceptible to degrading over time and something important about is how carefully the cartridge owners are with their samples.

If you ownonly  one cartridge and you used it 4-5 days every week for 3 hours each time then the stylus tip goes out of play after around 1,500-2,000 hours so you have to send to a re-tipper whom not only will change the stylus tip but he makes a check up in the cartridge suspension and if need it he changes dampers and other suspension parts, repeat if the cartridge need it.
So in this way your cartridge can " live " almost for ever because in normal playing condition the cartridge motor just does not deteriorates as could be the suspension.

Allaerts gives at elast 20+ years of cartridge live with around 5K hours in its stylus tip, this comes from his site:

"  and has an expected life of five thousand playing hours. "

I own120-130 vintage and today cartridges that more or less are in rotation so its playing hours of each one are in true lower that we can imagine but and especially with vintage MM/MI and even that be NOS no one can gives you an absolute warranty that that cartridge will play well not for 1K hours but not even for 100 hours and that's why no seller gives you warranty about. Some of those cartridges after less than 50 hours falls down. I had that type of experiences with used and NOS vintage cartridge, normally MM/MI ones I can't remember rigth now a LOMC cartridge where I experienced the same and I own several LOMC ones just because are superior quality performers than the MM/MI designs.

In the long MM/MI thread J.Carr was rigth when posted there about that LOMC superiority. In those times I was in disagreement with him, from some years now not any more.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.