Sheet 05 · Head to head
MK2 vs M7L
Different machines that share a silhouette. 7 of 8 published figures differ. One classic-line, one revival. These share a silhouette and almost nothing else.
MK2
The legend. Quartz lock, the pitch slider, 31 years of production; the deck that built hip-hop and house.
1979–2010
M7L
50 years of the 1200: 12,000 units, seven colors, gold tonearms.
2022
05.1Where they differ
- Years
- 1979–2010
- 2022
- Motor
- Quartz-locked DC direct drive
- Coreless direct drive
- Starting torque
- 1.5 kg·cm
- 1.8 kg·cm
- Pitch
- ±8% slider
- Digital ±8% / ±16%
- Speeds
- 33⅓ / 45
- 33⅓ / 45 / 78
- Weight
- 12.5 kg
- 9.6 kg
- At launch
- $299 (1979)
- $1,099.99
05.2Identical on both
- Wow & flutter
- 0.025% WRMS
05.3What each one changed
MK2
vs MK1: quartz lock, rotary pitch → ±8% slider, electronic braking with symmetric response, better isolation.
Used market: US askings (Aug 2026): singles $700–1,200 in Good, $900–1,650 in Excellent; LA local listings cluster $800–850; working pairs $1,200–1,600
Full model sheet →M7L
vs MK7: colorways, gold tonearm, serial badge, slipmat.
Used market: Well above launch (Aug 2026): $2,500+ single asks in LA, ~$4,500 for a pair, ~$3,000 ask for a white one on Reverb
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] Technics operating instructions[2] Wikipedia[3] Stereophile[4] audio-database