Fluance RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable Record Player with Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge, Acrylic Platter, Speed Control Motor, High Mass MDF Wood Plinth, Vibration Isolation Feet - Walnut

I love the sound produced by this turntable. I upgraded to the Blue Ortofon 2M cartridge. I am using it with the Fosi Audio Box X4 Phono Preamp. My set up includes a Denon receiver and passive speakers. I am amazed by the warmth and beauty of the sound. I listen to all styles of music, but it is especially beautiful for classical and jazz. I am still in the break in period so I am looking forward to how it will sound in the near future. Turntable assembly was simple, but I did have to attempt the tonearm leveling several times until I got it right. For some reason, I had trouble following the instructions even though, in retrospect, they were very clear. Once I did, the sound was amazing. I followed the instructions which said to position the speakers away from the turntable and NOT on the same surface as the turntable. I cant emphasize enough how much difference this made. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase.

Definitely worth it

Turntable sounds wonderful. Everything is as promised with the exception of the gloss finish over the walnut. Mine has imperfections (Bubbles) on the lower right front corner of the turntable. Disappointed in the quality control that would allow the turntable to ship this way. Would have been 5 stars if it was unblemished.

The Fluance RT 85 is easy to set up when you follow the directions closely, step-by-step. I had a lot of buzz in the speakers until I connected the ground wire as directed in the instructions. The ground wire is not very long, so you may need to get a longer one. I connected it from the turntable to a screw on the back of my AV Receiver. Buzz gone. Balancing the tonearm also requires patience but is manageable. It takes about one hour total to assemble. I was seriously considering the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO (as promoted in the NYT Wirecutter) until I found out that they had recently jacked the price $100 due to supply chain issues. I dont appreciate the inflationary price gouging by some vendors these days. I am very pleased, so far, with the piano white Fluance.

This is a fantastic record player. For the money it is so well-built and easy to use. With the 2M blue cartridge. It sounds fantastic with crystal clear highs and very deep bass can’t beat this record player for the money.

The sound quality is excellent! Take the time needed to property adjust the arm!

I recently had to replace one of my turntables. I own a VPI Scout and replaced a Shinola Runwell with the less expensive RT 85 Fluance. After three years, the Shinola Runwell developed a tracking problem. I sent it back to Shinola for repair (Shinola has a great warranty). When the turntable was sent back, the motor was damaged. Due to the pandemic, Shinola offered to replace it but production was delayed. Eventually the replacement turntable arrived after two months. Unfortunately, it was also damaged upon delivery. The motor made a noise during rotation. Shinola agreed to refund my money. The Shinola was a $2500.00 turntable. I decided to look for a less expensive turntable. I went on YouTube to research turntable reviews. The Fluance RT 85 was highly recommended. It had the same Ortofon blue cartridge that the Shinola had. I also read the positive Amazon reviews. I had a Project Debut in the past but found it was sensitive to vibrations such as walking across the floor (95 year old house). The feet on the RT 85 are great. Set up was not difficult. The sound quality is very good and the design is attractive. Only negative is the cheap quality of the lift arm and it does not consistently stop on all records. I high recommend it.

Simple to set up RCA/Ground terminals make it easy to integrate into system. No hum running through my amp/speakers The glass platter is beautiful and spins smoothly But the biggest highlight? The sound! Upgrading from an Audio-Technica AT-LP60 and am blown away by the clarity on the RT85 in comparison.

I went back and forth with a number of different tables including a Rega P1 or a Pro-Ject Debut. Fluency showed up later in the picture, but the RT85 ticked all of my boxes. Even though Fluance is a newer brand, lots of reviews recommended their products and any skepticism was quashed once I got my RT85. I wanted a table with a nice cartridge, an auto-stop feature and an aesthetically pleasing one. I upgraded from a 13 year old AT-LP60 that was always giving me speed issues and subpar performance that didn’t bring any life into my vinyl. Now that I wanted to get back into my record collection, I decided a better table would make it more enjoyable. PACKAGE The table arrived in perfect shape. In fact, I opted for an open box model for a bit less and was sent one straight from Fluance. I have not noticed any damage or wear whatsoever. Some other open box items may have a blemish or two, but everything here was flawless and packaged like new. Lots of things were included - an easy setup guide, a bubble level, 45 adapter, rca cables and a ground wire, AND white gloves. I do recommend using the gloves to assemble everything - the table is quite prone to fingerprints and smudges. Once it is setup, you won’t have to touch more than the tonearm and the speed setting. BUILD The RT85 features (in my case) a walnut colored plinth and an acrylic platter that doesn’t require a mat. It’s hefty, but not too heavy to be burdensome - it’s great to have a little weight to it for its security on a table and to isolate the table as beat as possible. It has clean edges that give it a sleek and modern look. The removable dust cover is perfect for keeping the surface dust free when you’re not playing and it slides off and on with ease. The rubber feet are adjustable and cushion the table perfectly. With the included bubble level, you can quickly adjust the feet to achieve a perfect balance. The tonearm balancing is easy to figure out and the included instructions guide you step by step through the process, which I highly recommend you read through a few times to get it exactly right. The table does require a phono preamp - if it had one built in, you’d be limited to the performance of an onboard preamp. Requiring a separate preamp gives you unlimited options for how you’d like your sound to be. PERFORMANCE The RT85 features an Ortofon 2M Blue, which in its own right is not only expensive but a heavy hitter. Considering that the price of the 2M blue is nearly half the price of the table, it is nice to see that Fluance didn’t cut any corners on the rest of table. Throwing on a new copy of John Mayer’s Where The Light Is, I was amazed at how quiet everything sounded right off the bat. Neon shone through, bright and detailed, but also a warmth that allowed for a full body presence. Guitar plucks and strums sounded expertly realistic and alive. Bass thumped deeply without being boomy or overwhelming. Including the sound of the audience, every audible characteristic had its own room to be heard on a wide but controlled and inviting soundstage. Even on older LPs where bass can be a bit underwhelming, it had plenty of life when played on the RT85. The 2M blue captures plenty of detail and subtle nuances. I noticed a huge improvement from my last turntable, where music sounded flat and lifeless. I finally began to hear the differences that makes vinyl stand out. Music became much more engaging and lively, each part of a track being given its own space to cut through. While playing older records with quite a bit of wear, I do hear some “snap, crackle and pop”. It’s unavoidable in the world of vinyl, but the Fluance plays just fine through it and after a deep clean, records may have some surface noise but it disappears once the tracks begin and I can still hear the music with incredible clarity. In most cases, it’s the record and not the table anyway. The RT85 performs quite accurately. It adjusts to wow and flutter automatically and I consistently had results within a few degrees of 33 1/3. I never notice any speed fluctuation and so far, everything I’ve played sounds perfectly normal and as I remember them. It can play 45s as well and includes the adapter. The tonearm is nice and light, but a little delicate so it’s important to lock it in when not being used and use care when queuing something up so that the stylus lands where it needs to. It’s important to keep your records clean, and in turn the table and stylus will function well. I use a carbon fiber brush to clean each side before playing and I drop the stylus in zerostat gel after every side. The RT85 does have an auto stop feature that enables when the stylus has reached the end and nears two inches of the spindle. I find that it doesn’t work often for me, but that is typically because the record label reaches over two inches and then auto stop won’t engage. It’s not anything that bothers me too much. CONCLUSION The RT85 is such an amazing upgrade for me. I’m hearing so much more from my vinyl and that’s convinced me it was worth it. I find myself using it on a daily basis and the ritual of playing records makes the entire experience quite enjoyable with a good turntable. This is an excellent table for anyone looking to make the jump from an entry level turntable to something more serious if you consider vinyl to be a passion and want to hear what it really offers. The excellent value and quality of the RT85 makes this stand out as an solid performer, even with stiff competition in this price range. I highly recommend it.

A lot of research went into this. This is my second player, which was upgraded from an Audio Technica. Its sounds great. It has Auto-Stop. The Stylus from the Orf 2M put out a great crisp sound. Its worth the research before you buy. Your system that you are hooking up to makes it sound even better. Even if your looking for your first time player and can fit the budget, its worth a give try. Happy Spinning.