Review Details

RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on August 11, 2021):

I've owned the Fluance RT82 for a couple of years now and I really liked it but it never blew me away. But we all want that, right? Is it so much to ask to playback these albums we love the way we know they can be heard? No. We deserve it and so do the artists. This turntable accomplishes that. I started with some songs off of The Cure's "Mixed Up", then I played some Doja Cat, Ratt, Toro Y Moi's "Boo Boo", and ended the night with the Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis. This was the icing. I love this soundtrack and I always hoped I'd hear it the way the movie made me feel about it and somehow the RT85 makes it sound even better. It brought out elements I never knew existed in all of the songs I played and reveals the deep and beautiful nuance. I know this is partly due to the wonderful Ortofon 2M Blue cart but just how much? I don't think you can slap a nice cart onto a subpar turntable and have it sound like this.The foundation matters. The MDF plinth, solid acrylic platter, great tonearm (yeah, I think it's great), and accurate speed control all lay this foundation. And I love LOVE the auto-stop. Some "purists" say that this is cheating and isn't the way a turntable is supposed to function but I'm not sure how that sentiment started and if they realize that this technology has been used on turntables since forever. I prefer not to have to watch every time a side ends so the needle doesn't dig a groove in the record or wear down because I'm living life as my music plays.I feel like I need to address the tonearm as well. It's been stated that the RT85 has the same tonearm as Fluance's cheaper models but it does not feel at all the same as the RT82. The design looks the same but the lift lever is different and I feel like the internal mechanics are different as well. This model sets the needle down perfectly softly while the RT82 causes the needle to bounce off my vinyl if I'm not careful. Yes, I have both perfectly weighted and tracked.In closing I absolutely love the RT85 and I don't feel like I'll ever desire another turntable. It's a perfectly fantastic package.