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

Im an old guy. I grew up with turntables. I was not really into vinyl since the age of the CD, but I recently got hold of a CD-version of a record that I knew very well back in high school. I was disappointed, though; it just didnt sound anywhere near as great I remembered. After researching this, I found out that a lot of less popular classical music, just didnt make the transition to CDs very well. Many records were remastered for CD quick and dirty, just to get them on the market. Usually, this meant digitizing from master tapes by and somewhat blindly applying digital compression. This can make an exciting performance sound dull and lifeless. Some things were carefully engineered for CD, but a lot of other recordings, apparently, did not merit the time and care to do it right. (By the way, this is still a problem with digital music for streaming, the stuff that migrates from CD to contemporary digital formats; if fact, its commonly worse than to transition from vinyl to CD!) In order to remedy this problem, I bought this turn table. According to many reviewers, this thing punches well above its weight class and compares favorably to much more expensive devices. Im getting great results! Of course, I have a very expensive stereo system, and Im not using the Fluance pre-amp; I went for something a fair bit pricier with better reviews. So far, Ive only purchased twenty, or so, classical albums and some show music. The results have been astounding! I new plan to jump onto discogs and locate a few Jazz classics that Id like to hear on the original vinyl. Excellent product, and was super easy to set up. Right now, Im thinking sampling the output from this turntable/preamp using my Scarlet 2i2, so that I will have better quality digital versions of these vinyl recordings to listen to on the go on my DAP. Should be interesting. Look, Im not one of these people that thinks that vinyl (or digital-free) is better for everything. As a recording medium, I acknowledge that digital music has the POTENTIAL for more realistic reproductions than either analog tape, vinyl records, or CDs. Ive got some unbelievable digital music. The problem here is that in producing recordings, no matter the medium, everything has to be done RIGHT to make a faithful transit from the musicians voices and instruments to the listeners ears. It seems, there are a lot of excuses for why this doesnt happen so much of the time.

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.

Took me to get the arm correct, digit are difficult to read on the tone arm.

Love the auto shut off. Easy to set up and great quality!

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.

My rating does not reflect performance of the turntable… I have to give it time to say anything but I tried one of those LPs with graphic wrap which was impossible to play on my old turntable due to multiple skips, RT85 had no problem tracking it. The bass seems boosted if like that kind of thing. My first order, no sound was coming from the right speaker…. I checked the setup many times. Replacement was good… but the dust cover has a long crack running from center to almost the edge. That is 2 out of 2 defective items…. To be fair the cracked dust cover could happen by amazon shipping. Still, reflection of inadequate quality control and packaging for a great turntable.

I’ve collected vinyl for many decades and have several turntables ranging from vintage Thorens and several Technics to an expensive VPI with Clearaudio Maestro cartridge. I’m a big fan of the Ortofon line and when I saw that the RT85 Reference came with a 2M Blue installed I had to jump at the opportunity. I had purchased speakers from Fluance some years ago and was impressed with their quality and customer service so I expected nothing different with this purchase. I read several of the online reviews that were impressed with the quality of the build, the ease of use, the wonderful Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge and the outstanding sound quality. My unit arrived professionally packed and assembly was a breeze. Kudos for a clearly written user manual. Even though I am not a beginner the clear instructions would be easy for anyone to follow. Once installed I put it to the test with a wide variety of genres and styles of music. I’m still impressed and I’ve been listening every day for a few weeks now. This is a killer combo and I’m still shaking my head in amazement that Fluance has been able to pack so much quality in such an inexpensive unit. The auto stop feature is especially appreciated as my other manual turntables lack anything like that, requiring me to get up and replace the tonearm at the end of each side. While auto stop is not as convenient as semiautomatic, it’s a welcome addition to an otherwise manual turntable. Well done Fluance for putting a quality audio product within reach of almost anyone who is into vinyl. It really shines with my Parks Audio Budgie Tube preamp and has become my favorite turntable!!!! Five solid stars!!!!

Wife bought this for me for anniversary gift. And love it. I had a decent basic Sony turntable, used for 15 years. I really like the quality of the flouance. I almost got a 83 with reg platter and red cartridge. Would have worked ok, but I need a substantial upgrade. I’d definitely recommend that model to anyone getting first turntable if they have a receiver and speakers. I also got the flouance amp, since not built in. Sound is awesome, I hear all sorts extra stuff. I truly now know, when people say it’s best on vinyl that I know what they mean. Only complaint is I originally ordered the 85 in the dark brown wood and it came with a very obvious chip on the front corner, and could tell box had been opened after opening the purchase of the light wood model.

This is my first turntable so technically I am a beginner. Set up was easy with the included instructions and the sound out of this thing is crazy good. Super detailed with the mods sounding just a touch recessed. Perfect for me - human hearing already is overly sensitive to those frequencies anyway. Matched it with the ifi phone preamp and it is officially the best input into my Denon. Something about the way LPs reproduce treble (especially cymbals) is just unmatched. Love the Ortofon blue cartridge and it is easy to change out if I want..switching speeds is a breeze too with the switch on top. At this price the turntable IS NOT fully automatic though. Splurged for the bamboo and it looks clean and modern. LOVE IT!

Great sound from the Ortofon blue cartridge that comes with the unit. Set up was easy. My faith in my vinyl collection has been renewed. Its a beautiful piece of gear too. It breathes elegance in a simple and understated fashion.