Panasonic 450C (c. 1974)

Not much is documented about the Panasonic 450C on its own. The period record ties the model number to the EPC-450C, a strain-gauge (semiconductor) phono cartridge. Audio (August 1974, p.71) published the manufacturer's specifications for it alongside the follow-up EPC-450C-II. They list a 0 - 50 kHz frequency response, rated output of 7 mV (5 mV for the II) at 5 cm/sec, 1 kHz lateral, and channel separation of better than 20 dB at 1 kHz and better than 15 dB at 30 kHz. The same article described the construction. The original 450C carried a nude Shibata diamond on a titanium tube. The 450C-II's stylus lever was machined from an aluminum alloy similar to duralumin and mounted a nude Quadratip diamond. A cutaway illustration in the review identified the semiconductor element, damper, stylus lever, and micro-coupler within the cartridge body.

Beyond that review, the record is thin. No production years, original price, or full service documentation have surfaced, and the exact identity of the "450C" designation is not independently verified in any other source in the archive. What can be said with confidence comes from that 1974 Audio feature.

Known specs (from Audio, August 1974)

Type: strain-gauge (semiconductor) phono cartridge
Frequency response: 0–50 kHz
Rated output: 7 mV (EPC-450C), 5 mV (EPC-450C-II) at 5 cm/sec, 1 kHz lateral
Separation: >20 dB (1 kHz); >15 dB (30 kHz)
Stylus: nude Shibata on titanium tube (EPC-450C); nude Quadratip on aluminum-alloy lever (EPC-450C-II)