I have a V15 Type III in my collection of vintage MM cartridges. The Type III has a house sound common to all V15s (many love that sound but others not so much), but I find it to be the most balanced sounding of the V15 family, at least of the models prior to the Type V. A lot depends on the stylus. Most came with the elliptical (yellow pull body) stylus which is a good all around performer. The rare MR (MicroRidge) stylus (red pull body) is a big sonic upgrade IMO if you can find one. Takes the detail retrieval, airiness, and top-end extension performance up a couple of notches over the common elliptical.
All of the V15 are excellent trackers provided the suspension is still in good shape after all these years in storage. Beyond that, it really boils down to whether or not you like the V15 sound. Personally, I really like the sound of the Type III with the MR stylus with rock, blues, and even some more refined recordings, but would not choose it to be my one and only cartridge.
As to eBay value of a virgin NOS exemplar vs one that has been played briefly to validate that the suspension is still functional is a toss up. Some buyers will prefer the former and some the latter. Definitely take some good pics of the packaging before breaking it out for a test run if you decide to do so.
Hope this helps.
Dave
All of the V15 are excellent trackers provided the suspension is still in good shape after all these years in storage. Beyond that, it really boils down to whether or not you like the V15 sound. Personally, I really like the sound of the Type III with the MR stylus with rock, blues, and even some more refined recordings, but would not choose it to be my one and only cartridge.
As to eBay value of a virgin NOS exemplar vs one that has been played briefly to validate that the suspension is still functional is a toss up. Some buyers will prefer the former and some the latter. Definitely take some good pics of the packaging before breaking it out for a test run if you decide to do so.
Hope this helps.
Dave