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’ve had a Rega P1 for a while (connected to a vintage NAD 3020i amp) and even though it was a terrific starting point to get back into high quality vinyl playback, I soon had an itch to move up the audio ladder so it was off to the Interweb and YouTube.After many, many hours of research, I decided that the Fluance RT85 would be the next logical move. Tons of good reviews from consumers and experts alike plus everyone mentioned the “bang for your buck” it offered.Fluance’s Reference Series starts with the RT82 to their current flagship RT85. Each model has the same plinth and tonearm but upgrades the cartridge and / or the platter as you move up the chain. This means that you can purchase the basic model and have an upgrade path to the RT85. It’s comforting to know you can start with the model to suit your budget and move on when and if you feel the need to do so.I was initially thinking of buying the RT84 which is the same as the RT85 but with an aluminium platter as opposed to the acrylic but as there was only a £50 difference and I noticed the upgraded platter would be more than that alone, I decided to treat myself. For all models, buying the next one up is cheaper than upgrading later.Components:The RT85 has the aforementioned acrylic platter - weighing in at 3lbs - which, by all accounts, is something you’d find on turntables way more costly than this and because of the material it’s made from there’s no need for a mat - you simply place your record directly on it.Very noteworthy is that the RT85 (and RT84 for that matter) has the highly rated Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge and stylus included. Check to see how much that is and you’ll see what incredible value this package is. The cartridge is pre-attached and aligned to a headshell which slips on to the S-shaped tonearm. Also included are a set of good quality RCA leads, a grounding cable, a power supply (d’uh, obviously) and even a small bubblr level for ensuring any adjustments you make are spot on. The plinth is a heavyweight MDF and the smoked dust cover has a nice feel to it. Oh, they’ve even thrown in some cotton gloves so you don’t get any skin oil on the belt when you attach to the motor. Finally, the speed is selectable on the on/ off control knob without the need to lift off the platter and move the belt manually (hallelujah!).Setup:The manual clearly guides you step-by-step so it’s a breeze and even I managed it in about 15 minutes. Pop on the platter and pull the belt that’s already round it to the pulley; screw in the head shell to the tone arm; attach the counter-weight and turn until the arm floats horizontally. You then turn the weight dial to correspond to the recommended setting for your stylus (1.8gm for the 2M Blue) and turn the anti-skating wheel to be the same. It’s worth saying that once I’d done that, I thought I’d check it with a stylus scale - to my absolute surprise, the scale showed exactly 1.8gm! Finally, you connect the RCA leads, the grounding cable and the power supply. Done!Operation:Switch the on/off knob to 33 or 45, move the tonearm towards the platter and it will start to spin. There’s an auto stop feature which is on by default but you can turn it off (slide switch on the back) if you don’t want it. The platter will continue to spin for about 20 seconds or so once it reaches the run out groove - ideal if you want to hear the lock groove sound on Sgt. Pepper’s but just not forever. I like the feature as occasionally I’ve fallen asleep and the stylus is being worn down playing nothing. The cueing lever drops the tonearm very gently on to your disc but, and this is the only negative I’ve found, the lever does feel a bit plasticky and cheap. A pity since the rest of the unit is so well built and high quality. No matter, it’s only a cueing lever.Sound Quality:Okay, this all means nothing if it sounds dreadful. Now bear in mind that I’ve only had this for a day and the stylus would take circa 50 hours to run in so this is just an initial impression. In a word, wow! It sounds fantastic and will only get better. The soundstage is wide, deep and rich (albeit a little brighter than the Rega). The Ortofon Blue is revealing detail in records that I’ve not heard before and I can’t wait to listen to my collection all over again.Looks:Bloody gorgeous in my opinion. I went for the walnut veneer and combined with the acrylic platter it‘s stunning. Have a look at my photos if you need proof.Conclusion:I can’t believe what Fluance have produced for the price they’re asking. You may not know the name but, believe me, they will become more popular as the word spreads on how good their turntables are.Highly recommended.If you found this review helpful, please click the button. Cheers!

After a lot of research of the available turntables on Amazon, I decided upon the Fluance RT85. The most attractive feature was the price and it came fitted with the Ortofon Blue MM cartridge, a cartridge with an excellent reputation and an acrylic platter.On receiving, I liked the packaging. I was also impressed that Fluance provided a pair of gloves to use when assembling the turntable. The instructions were clear and very easy to follow. I had the whole thing set up and balanced in less than 45 minutes. For a turntable of this quality costing around £500, something had to give. For example, there wasn't a place for the adapter for the 45 rmp discs and I the lever for raising and lowering the tonearm was a bit lightweight and a bit awkward to reach and another minor thing was the numbers for adjusting the balance weight and anti-skating dials were a bit difficult to read. But none of these affected the sound quality of this turntable.This is a wonderful turntable. You will not find any other in this price range of this build and sound quality. Wonderful value for your money.

This rt 85 turntable is a replacement for my rt 81 witch i was more than happy with up until last week ! The 81 suddenly stopped working ? Contacted Amazon they arranged the return and refunded me full purchase price. Exellent service all round. Because of this i bought the fluance rt85 turntable there top line unit and i must say what an awsome package for the money. Sounds incredible “. I use it in my middle entry level set up and my vynl records have never sounded so good. Thanks Amazon for the great customer service provided in dealing with my return , refund and prompt delivery of the new replacement turntable

not easy to get 1.8 stylus weight correct. the auto-stop does not seem to work. no probs.superb sond with good phono stage amp

Got this deck delivered a few days ago. It came well packaged and I recieved it 3 days after ordering it.The deck is exceptionally well made and putting it together was pretty straightforward . A little bit of time required to colaberate the tonearm .If I was being picky a stylus scale could maybe have been included . I bought one and it’s on its way from China . It cost about £10.The sound from this blue catridge is very detailed and sound wise is excellent.My Marantz amp has a phono stage built in so no external preamp required .I couldn’t fault this deck at all it just sounds and looks so good and I’m not easy to please

Very pleased with the turntable easy to put together even for a novice. Clear instructions and you tube got me spinning vinyl in no time.I did purchase a tonearm scale for peace of mind and checked the anti-skate on a acrylic platter both purchased from Amazon.All set up and the sound is excellent no hum or feedbackVery good value for money

Very impressed with this, great sound

This is really a fantastic turntable, and the 2M Blue stylus is great. However Fluance customer support confirmed they do not have a stockist in the UK for replacement parts. I went to buy an $18 replacement belt through their website and they quoted over $100 for postage to the UK, + taxes. In total $150 for an $18 belt!