Fluance RT82 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable Record Player with Ortofon OM10 Cartridge, Speed Control Motor, High Mass MDF Wood Plinth, Vibration Isolation Feet - Walnut

I get that this is an entry-level turntable. It is the first new turntable I have bought in over a decade, and I was cautious, and did what I thought was an adequate amount of research. But I am extremely disappointed. I spent a long time setting this up, and was especially careful adjusting the tonearm weight - too often I have heard people complain about the sound of their LP player when it just turns out that their setup was faulty. The first night that I tried out the RT82, I was amazed: the motor hum, which I admittedly read was loud on this model, was not loud; it was obscene. Any music with soft passages was more or less unlistenable, unless I wanted to crank my receiver and belt out every record I play. As tempting as that is, its not the best long-term solution. I wanted to give the turntable the benefit of the doubt. This could easily have been a mistake of my own. I re-checked the assembly, and for the umpteenth time used a level to check the shelf that has housed with no similar issues my past record players. Nothing was off-kilter, everything looked good. The motor continued to scream. Dismayed, I walked away from it, and decided to get online and look for suggestions on how to handle this before simply packing it up and returning it. About an hour later, I decided to give it one more try, and sure enough, the motor had quieted down. I could still hear a light buzz, but it was far less egregious than it had been. Fine. While I was not about to throw away the box it came in, I chalked up the initial motor shriek to the table needing to be broken in. For a few weeks, thats exactly what I did. Eventually, the motor grew loud again. I dug in and looked up articles about some things I could do to combat the noise, and once again I re-checked my assembly of the turntable as well as the shelf on which the table was placed. This was all within the first month of owning the RT82. And it was within the first month that the speed issues began. Less than a minute into the start of an LP, the sound would begin to crackle and the rotation speed would slow to a crawl. So now Im legitimately frustrated. I have owned several older belt-drive turntables, and when this issue comes up, my first inclination is to check for a worn-out belt. But...a worn-out belt on a turntable that is less than a month old? Could the belt-twisting elves have snuck in during the night and twisted the belt around the platter? No, the belt looks fine. My next step is to check the motor pulley cap and make sure the alignment is secure. Check. Now I lift the tonearm and the motor doesnt even start. Oh wait, it just started. Oh wait, now its slowing to a crawl. Now it stopped. Ok, check the tonearm again. Maybe the counterweight is somehow no longer locked in place. No, the tonearm is fine. Maybe the.....ok, what is happening right now? Look, I understand what I did wrong. I read the bad reviews and the good reviews, saw that the good outnumbered the bad, and decided to gamble. I rolled the dice and lost. I could take it to be serviced by someone who knows what theyre doing, but really, why throw more money at it? I realized that I could either return it, or try to pop it open and look at the motor myself. Of course, then I would be left with a turntable that I may never trust to function properly without a monthly tune-up, which seems ridiculous. And, as Im sure I have made clear in this review, Im no technician. But I can pack a box, which is what I decided to do. Overall, I am very disappointed. The loud motor is one thing, there are a few tricks that you can find online to try to get that worked out (I cannot attest to these because I did not get to the point of trying them) but the speed issues, which have been documented in RT model reviews by other repentant customers, are a whole other matter. And the fact that it stopped working after a month is unacceptable. On Amazon, when I chose the option to return it, I was contacted immediately and they were very easy to deal with. The rep asked if I wanted him to contact Fluance to inquire about replacing it, but, as much as I wanted this to work out, I will very likely buy something else. I guess the timing of this thing sputtering to a complete stop worked out, since it happened within the return window. My protection plan, after a quick and friendly phone call, was also refunded almost in its entirety, so all told (so far), it could be worse. If you absolutely intend to buy this model, there are some good things about it. I can definitely say that its nice-looking. The instructions for assembly are easy to follow. Its also...I dont know, packed well? Im struggling here. It stopped working after a month. Did I mention its nice-looking? I cannot recommend the RT82. I certainly cannot recommend buying one without a protection plan. Based on the reviews, it seems that there is a good chance that you will get one that works. I did not. And I am sorry I bought it.

I chose this turntable to replace a failing Technics model from the 70s, and am quite happy with the purchase. My only complaint would be that the cueing arm is a bit jumpy, and thus requires a slow hand to keep the needle position in place.

Well built, gorgeous piece of equipment. Hardest part was setting up tonearm/cartridge. But, once that was done it was time to sit back and enjoy the music.

Noticeable upgrade from the RT81 model. Bamboo looks sleek. My setup uses a bellari preamp, Sony receiver, and passive Sony bookshelf speakers. Recommend adding in a record weight for stability and added audio improvement. Make sure to grab a vinyl record cleaning kit. The Ortofon stylus on this turntable is great at picking up the slightest amount of dust on a record.

I loved this turntable at first. It was easy for a novice to set-up and the sound was quite good. I, like many other reviewers, am annoyed that the arm doesnt automatically return after the album is finished. But, the belt is slipping after listening to no more than 5 brand new albums. My more than 200 vinyl collection was stolen and Im gragually (and expensively) replacing it. It was a major disappointment when I heard the stylus dragging over one of my new Pink Floyd replacements. I knew it was a stretched belt and I knew my settings were correct.

My husband requested this phonograph and he is extremely happy with it. The sound is wonderful and clear and he can play his old albums.

It was a Christmas gift for my grandson he loves it,he said it’s sounds good and it hooked up easy to his stereo system

The Fluenc turntable is a very impressive package with good sound and great built the pickup haed is good although lakes little beet on the bass and output is little low Had to balance with my yamaha audio level trim so not so problematic on my set up The automatic stop at the end of the album side is a great plus. Anyway it is great to explore back my old vinyl colection and some new ones. All in all I would definitely recommend the product

Finally able to play my albums. They sound great

My husband and I have had a Technics turntable from the 70’s and loved it until recently when it just didn’t play records correctly. I wanted to play our albums more than my husband so I decided to give myself a Christmas present and proceeded to search on Amazon for a turntable. I don’t really know anything about turntables but asked my husband a lot of questions and read many reviews. With luck I came across the Fluance brand with great reviews and several styles to chose from. I narrowed it down by what I was willing to pay and my expectations for sound quality. RT 82 was my choice. I love the ease of using the turntable and sound quality is better than the reviews. My husband is also impressed by the quality and sound of the turntable. Fluance did not skimp on packaging. Every item in the box was securely wrapped so as not to be disturbed in shipping. I am thoroughly happy with my selection and have a new appreciation for vinyl records.