Sheet 05 · Head to head
MK5 vs G
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.
MK5
The scratch-era workhorse: doubled anti-skate, white LED target light, last of the analog pitch.
2000–10
G
The flagship: coreless twin-rotor motor, four-layer cabinet, 18 kg of no-compromise engineering.
2016–
05.1Where they differ
- Years
- 2000–10
- 2016–
- Motor
- Quartz-locked DC direct drive
- Coreless twin-rotor direct drive
- Starting torque
- 1.5 kg·cm
- 3.3 kg·cm
- Wow & flutter
- 0.025% WRMS
- 0.025%
- Pitch
- ±8% analog, detent-free
- ±8% / ±16%
- Speeds
- 33⅓ / 45
- 33⅓ / 45 / 78
- Weight
- 12.5 kg
- ~18 kg
- At launch
- ~$500–600
- ~$4,000
05.3What each one changed
MK5
vs M3D: anti-skate 0–6 g, LED target light, removable dust cover refinements.
Used market: US askings (Aug 2026): $690–800 in Very Good, up to ~$1,450 in Excellent; LA local asks run higher
Full model sheet →G
vs classic 1200s: everything, new motor, cabinet, platter and tonearm. Shares only the silhouette and the controls.
Used market: Holds value: used asks ~$3,000–4,000 equivalent (mostly European listings, Aug 2026); US used supply is thin
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] Crossfader[3] Stereophile specs[4] Technics US