Fluance RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

I’ve had the Fluance RT85 now for a week, I went for the piano black one. I wanted something to upgrade and replace my very old (1981) Technics SLB-210 that works fine and sounds OK. I liked the look of the specs for the Fluance RT85, the simplicity and raw features seem to offer a lot for the money when compared to many others that seemed to come with all the snake oil I didn’t want! But it wasn’t available in the UK so I was looking at a few options including the, Sony PSHX 500, the Project Classics and Debut Carbon, and the Technics SL1500B. I’d decided that if the RT85 became available I’d go for that, otherwise I’d step up to the Technics SL1500B in April but consider upgrading the stylus to the Ortofon 2M Blue (as on the RT85). Packaging and unboxing: The product box arrived within a larger Amazon box with a good amount of packing material. Product box showed no signs of any transportation damage and was confirmed while unboxing the turntable. Everything in the box was there and well packed and protected in perfect condition. As others have noted the inclusion of a pair of cotton gloves is a nice thought. Assembly: Set-up instructions are very clear and simple to follow but I did have trouble following the instructions for the tone arm balancing. Balancing the tone arm was the most time consuming bit, I fiddled and tried to do it for a while following the instructions but just couldn’t get it right. Fortunately, I’d also ordered a Stylus Force Scale so as soon as I made use of that the balancing was done and set to the recommended 1.8g in no time. The included phono leads seem to be a decent quality and they are shorter than the Cambridge ones I was intending to use so I used those into my Project Phono Box USB V. The turntable sits high on its three legs, well feet, and it’s nice and stable. I didn’t even need to make any adjustments to level it, popped the supplied mini bubble level on the deck and it was already spot on! Play and Sound: Well it’s a step-up in the gramophone stakes, makes me think of an old “Not the Nine O’Clock News” sketch so I might be heading to upgrade my speakers and amp et-up too. No sign of any vibrations getting through to the tone arm and pick-up from the motor or bits of kit in the rack. The old Technics did introduce some motor noise and a bit of artefact on the left channel into the mix that were evident when recording using Audacity. Neither are evident with the Fluance, no addition of anything that’s not on the vinyl, the sprung feet, MDF, acrylic platter, and external power source all doing their job well. The dusk cover doesn’t have soft close but it’s not problem to close it gently while the tonearm drops slowly onto the vinyl which is so gentle you’ll only notice it has actually made any contact when the music starts. Keep a hold of the dust cover when opening it though, it will want spring open if you don’t. When the music does start you will not be disappointed, it’s clear and clean and I’m hearing little details I’ve not heard before. It handles all the vinyl I’ve thrown it’s way so far, and it’s been fed a variety, even my very old and well payed Tubular Bells which has lots of clicks and crackles seemed to actually play better on the Fluance, perhaps the Blue doesn’t pick up as much of the surface noise. I can’t detect any issues across the range, it seems very precise from the highs to the base, percussion on the Police LPs sounds really precise and sharp. I’ve got this really annoying whisper in my head though… Turn me up…. Turn me up… it’s so tempting but I don’t think the neighbours will appreciate it too much! Although next up might be ELO and Out of the Blue so that could all change, no one could have an issue with that. At the end of the record the auto stop feature is nice, occasionally it’s stopped the turntable before I’ve got to it. All my vinyl gets a good rub down with a velvet brush before dropping the tone arm. The dive motor does seem to have less grunt than my old Technics (which is probably comparable to the torque of a Land Rover Defender given that it’s ripped the brush from my hand more than once!), it’s not going to pull the brush from your fingers and slows to a stop if you apply too much pressure. As I tend to just let the brush rest with very light pressure to hold it in place, I don’t think this is going to be an issue for me. Overall: The Fluance is a very good package and I believe offers very good value for money in terms of components/features and performance. It does have some small deficiencies; the dustcover hinges could be better with a softer close action and not spring open as you lift the cover up, the drive motor could have a bit more torque, and the queuing arm could be a bit longer and substantial. However, for me these are very minor things and don’t detract from the actual music experience. If I was going to buy again, would I buy the Fluance RT85? Yes I would. By the way yes ELO’s Out of the Blue (1977 original) did play very well and did get turned up! Next up Queen Live Killers or Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.

Outstanding turntable in every aspect, built to last & solid as a tank! .... The quality is evident in every part, even packaging and the little white gloves included (a touch of class). Hooked up the phono stage and it came to life surprisingly fast, and as per my measures, with accurate speed & notably quite. So far, very pleased with the purchase and I think it was right call (for me) not to go for the 85N. The only draw back is that I noted the bass lacked presence & definition! I think this is mainly for the Ortofon 2m Blue, which is a fantastic stylus except of the Bass issue that I am planning to address with my Yamaha subwoofer.... can't wait! Highly recommended for everyone

I bought a Audio Technica AT60 a few years ago so I could listen to my old vinyl albums from the 70's & 80's and it was ok at the time and suited my budget as I had to buy an amplifier and speakers at the same time. For the last year or so I'd been looking for an upgrade having read various reports on how much better something like a Rega Planer, CS Dual or Pro-Ject was than the turntable I had. After doing a lot of research and changing my mind several times I settled on the Fluance RT series. Initially I was a bit worried as all of this manufacturers competitors are readily available from UK retailers whilst Fluance are only available either direct from the manufacturer in Canada (shipping, VAT & import costs!!!) or Amazon - but the reviews kept saying Fluance. I was going to save up and settle for the RT84 as the RT85 was out of my budget and the only major difference between the two models is the turntable platter, they both have the all important 2M Blue cartridge at a price Pro-Ject couldn't match. I'm no "audiophile" but all the reviews I read recommended the 2M Blue over the 2M Red cartridge if it was within the budget. I was extremely lucky to get a Fluance RT85 on Amazon's Prime deal for less than an RT84 would have cost me. The turntable arrives well packed and is easy to put together - the only slightly difficult bit is the tight fitting dust cover for the drivebelt motor. All I can say is this turntable produces simply stunning sounds. I'm hearing instruments, sounds and tones I've never heard before on albums I've had for 40+ years. It's like hearing my record collection for the first time. The stylus takes about 20-30hrs playing time to "run in" and gets better as it plays. The base is solid, the acrylic platter heavy, I've read reports where people have moaned about the finish of the colour on the MDF - mine is Piano white and looks brilliant - but it's the sound that is important and if this thing looked like a lump of rough wood I'd still have it. I got it at a bargain price but if you asked me is it worth the normal retail price (£499.00) the answer is yes, just buy it!

Schöner Plattenspieler mit Ortofon 2M Blue. Versand erfolgte aus England innerhalb von 5 Tagen via Prime. Die Verzollung übernahm Amazon. Die drei Füße sind gedämpft und laufen spitz zu um Resonanzen zu vermeiden. Die Ausrichtung ist mit der mitgelieferten Libelle/Wasserwaage einfach, da nur drei Füße. Das Gesamtgewicht beträgt knapp 8 kg. Der Motor läuft für mich unhörbar und treibt den äußeren Riemen an. Die Geschwindigkeit wird mittels Schalter eingestellt. Eine Elektronik überwacht die konstante Geschwindigkeit (angeblich 500x in der Sekunde). Der Tonarm ist aus Alu. Der Plattenteller aus durchsichtigem Acryl und wiegt alleine über 1 kg. Die Haube ist leicht schwarz getönt. Der Schalter für die Geschwindigkeit ist aus schwarz eloxiertem gebürstem Metall. Ebenso auch die Abdeckung für den Motor. Das Antriebsrad ist ebenfalls aus gebürstetem Metall. Sehr chick: Im Außenring des Drehknopfs ist eine kleine weiße LED enthalten, die zeigt, dass der Plattenspieler angeschaltet ist. Es liegen sogar ein hochwertiges Audiokabel, ein Erdungskabel, eine Wasserwaage und weiße Handschuhe bei. Der Tonabnehmer ist vorausgerichtet. In der (englischen) Anleitung steht der notwendige Anpressdruck und das Anti-Skating und ist auch für Einsteiger erklärt, wie man den Tonarm einstellt. Mitgliefert wird ein Netzteil mit UK-Netzstecker. Alternativ zu einem UK-Adapter kann man auch anderweitiges Netzteil mit 12V und 0,5A (6W) und innen plus/außen minus verwenden, wie es beispielsweise hier angeboten wird: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01M1DR19X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Klanglich gefällt mir der Plattenspieler im Zusammenhang mit einem Marantz PM8005 (eingebauter MM-Vorverstärker) und B&W CM9. Ein Vorverstärker ist im Plattenspieler nicht eingebaut. Bzgl. des Auto-Stops: Es dauert eine Weile in der Auslaufrille, bis der Plattenteller tatsächlich stehen bleibt. Der Tonarm wird jedoch nicht angehoben. Beim Zurückschwenken dreht der Plattenteller wieder an. Bei angeschaltetem Auto-Stop springt zusätzlich der Motor erst an, wenn man den Tonarm aus der Halterung bewegt. Wenn der Auto-Stop-Schalter ausgeschaltet ist, startet der Motor direkt nach dem Drehen des Schalters auf 33 bzw. 45, unabhängig vom Tonarm. Ich habe Walnuss bestellt, auf dem Karton steht Walnuss aber drinnen war Bambus (siehe Foto), was (derzeit) so bei Amazon garnicht angeboten wird. Jetzt muss ich mir noch überlegen, ob ich damit leben kann oder nicht... das Bambus ist matt lackiert während Walnuss glänzend lackiert ist. Ich bin kein Bambus Fan, aber da der Tonarm komplett in (matt) schwarz gehalten ist bildet es einen guten Kontrast zur hellen Chassis. Das matte Holz passt auch gut zum Acryl-Teller. Ein Umtausch könnte ohne Rücksendungskosten vollzogen werden. Auch hierfür 5 Sterne für Amazon!

I’m absolutely satisfied with this purchase; this turntable offers outstanding value for money. It is easy to set up and delivers excellent sound quality. The Ortofon cartridge certainly plays a significant role, but the overall build is precise and results in superb performance. Highly recommended for audiophiles—far superior to other options such as the Audio-Technica AT-LP120, which has a more basic finish and includes some unnecessary features.

For Christmas, I got the Fluance RT80. I had about 4 or 5 U2 records on vinyl that I had bought over the years, just because I love the band and loved having the physical object with the big 12" covers and inserts and the cool looking albums. Fast forward several months, and I had fallen deep in love with vinyl. I had expanded my U2 collection to all the major albums, most of the Record Store Day singles, and a fair bit of other bands and artists in my eclectic taste like Gorillaz, Bjork, Beatles, Rush, Tame Impala, REM, Huey Lewis, Inhaler, and more... I upgraded my speakers to Paradigm bookshelves, a higher end Yamaha Amp and a good pre-amp, and I was loving it, really enjoying the music but I just needed some more from my RT80's. Just some more punch, high-ends and mids. I loved the sound stage I was getting and other aspects, I just needed more. Digital music from Tidal and even Apple Music was sounding better to my ears. I looked into upgrading my stylus on the RT80 from the Audio-Technica ATN91 Conical Stylus to the Audio-Technica AT95E Elliptical (Eliptical stylus' can get in the groves a little deeper). I was also having a problem levelling my turntable on the surface I needed to use without using annoying shims. Also wasn't sure the AT95E was going to be enough. I decided to sell my RT80 and order the RT85 which I got setup to my system a few days ago. All I'll say is WOW. I know my setup isn't super high end audiophile equipment. There's a world of McIntosh receivers and pre-amps and speakers that go $10,000 and up and it's a world I'll probably never afford... but ****** do I love the sound of this setup! I couldn't stop listening to all my albums. It was the sound I was looking for. I once heard advice that you have an awesome system if you can get emotional about the music you're hearing, and I absolutely love my setup. There's probably still I could get more out of it if I had a better listening room design, which I hope to setup sometime in the future when moving. But for now, I love my setup and this turntable / Ortofon 2m Blue cartridge. The sound stage is bigger... and my ears just hear a lot more of the music and the brighter highs and mids my ears were yearning for. It's a great overall sound now, not to strong in any area and not weak in any area for me... Just a full, clear, punchy but not tiring sound. The thing looks and sounds so good. Love the 3 point levelling feet (Have it perfectly level now), love the motor that keeps accurate time while. super quiet, love the acrylic platter, love it all. The acrylic platter looks so cool, especially at night with a light close by it... it looks like it glows. Coloured records spill their colour into it. Not that looks are the main thing, but I love records for the tactileness of it, the album covers and artwork, and I love it that I love the looks of this turntable. I have zero complaints from it and I highly recommend. I'm listening to albums every evening whether listening intently or playing some tunes in the background while I do dishes. Make me relaxed and ready for the next day and is great for Saturdays and some relaxing with friends and a drink or your buddies who love listening music.

I bought this player to upgrade from a PS-LX310BT. The difference was fantastic and I love this player. It looks and feels premium, and the Ortofon 2M Blue gives a clear and well presented sound. Couldn't be happier and if you're looking to dip into the 'audiophile' world, then I really recommend this player.

So....decided it was time to get my vinyl up and running. Had a Denon dp300 table + Onkyo nr777 receiver + Polk 65t towers. I just wasn't getting the sound I felt like I was expecting so, the chase began. Started with an Ortofon 2m blue cartridge....sounded pretty good but....then bought a Project S2 pre thinking the pre on the Denon probably wasn't that great still.....meh. I even bought directional RCA cables the were...mid high end. Had begun to look at new speakers. The Polks were very highly regarded when I bought them but felt like maybe something better. In the meantime, I bought a handful of remastered old favorite LPs and one evening I noticed that the needle on the Denon table was running across the label before returning. My wife and I had moved a couple years ago and the Denon did not have an arm lock. I took the cartridge head off before moving but, I started to wonder if the tonearm hadn't taken a beating during the move. so....started looking at tables....Project, Music hall etc....etc....One evening I stumbled across the RT85 so I began to look into it. I liked the autostop feature for obvious reasons. The more reviews I read, the more I felt like I could take the chance on a,unknown to me company. Besides, they threw in a Ortofon 2m blue with it.....($300) cartidge. The unit arrived well packed. I am in my sixties so am very experienced on putting together and setting up turntables. Setting this thing up was a breeze...not sure why some folks have such a hard time. (I did need to align the cartridge a little bit but, the instructions come with a protractor so...no issue). Once I got it all leveled and hooked up, I pulled out the remastered Steely Dan "Aja". More stereo systems were sold in the 70s by demoing Aja than any other....blah blah blah. Anyway....as soon as I dropped the needle, there was the sound I was looking for. Clear separation.....full eq with punchy low end without being rumbly (have a sub for that)...midrange was right their. No need for new speakers....the Polks were as advertised. Was glad I bought the Project preamp. Everything these days needs to be "broken in". Ortofon says 40 hours plus on the blue needle....hell, the RCA cables recommended 100+ hours....sounded stellar first time so I expect my set up will just keep getting better. Bottom line....buy this table. For about $500 bucks you get a quality belt drive, auto shutoff (lots of music puts me to sleep), a nice acrylic platter and maybe the best, somewhat, lower priced end cartridge in the biz all wrapped in a gorgeous package. The sound quality is amazing. I am an ardent reader or Sound and Vision as well as Stereophile and guarantee you won't find a better quality turntable, with the features, anywhere close to this price.