Sheet 05 · Head to head
MK1 vs GR
Different machines that share a silhouette. 8 of 8 published figures differ. One classic-line, one revival. These share a silhouette and almost nothing else.
MK1
The original. A hi-fi deck that disco and radio DJs hijacked, the accident that started everything.
1972–78
GR
Grand Class for the rest of us: the G's ideas, 7 kg lighter and half the price.
2017–23
05.1Where they differ
- Years
- 1972–78
- 2017–23
- Motor
- FG-servo direct drive
- Coreless single-rotor direct drive
- Starting torque
- ,
- 2.2 kg·cm
- Wow & flutter
- ,
- 0.025%
- Pitch
- ±5% rotary (33/45 separate)
- ±8% / ±16%
- Speeds
- 33⅓ / 45
- 33⅓ / 45 / 78
- Weight
- ,
- ~11.2 kg
- At launch
- ~$350
- ~$1,700
05.3What each one changed
MK1
First of the line. Direct-drive motor derived from the SL-1100, integrated S-shaped tonearm, die-cast aluminum cabinet.
Used market: US askings ~$600–850 in Good condition (Aug 2026); clean collector examples go higher
Full model sheet →GR
vs G: single-rotor motor instead of twin, one-piece platter, lighter build, less than half the price.
Used market: US askings $1,790–1,990 in Excellent (Aug 2026); the GR2's higher price pulled used GRs up, not down
Full model sheet →Figures from the same sources as each model sheet. A dash means the figure is not published in our sources; we do not invent specs.[1] Wikipedia[2] Vinyl Engine[3] Technics Heritage[4] Crossfader