Review Details

RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on January 12, 2021):

I guess I should first say being 53 years of age, I have owned several turntables in my life. I have also owned a few thousand vinyl albums, some which have come and gone with every move, some which remained. But I confess that in the 80's, when CD's came on the market, I was there and ready. I never looked back. Now that millennials have discovered vinyl, I am still not looking back. Frankly, I am surprised that the "save the planet" generation would staunchly bring back vinyl, which needs oil to be manufactured. Anyway.. So why did I buy yet one more turntable? Because I still own hundreds of albums on vinyl, which I do like to listen to. Will I stop buying and playing CD's. Nope. But I do enjoy listening to vinyl as well.The myth that vinyl sounds better than CD's is just that, a myth. The sound you hear, either from a CD or a vinyl record, depends on many factors, which first and foremost start with album production and mastering. Music has to be mastered for vinyl as well as for CD. Now, I know a thing or two about mastering and music because I worked in the music industry for nearly 20 years as a recording artist, and have also worked closely with mastering engineers in various studios. Engineers will often add "analog sound" to a digital recording to give it that "vinyl" and "tape" sound. It's amazing the hoops we'll jump through.Adding to how an album was put together, sound also depends on what equipment you have. You can buy a wonderful turntable with the most expensive stylus and still not get the best sound if you have a mediocre receiver and speakers. Or you can spend top dollar and get the best receiver and speakers that money can buy, and you are still at the mercy of the acoustics in the room you're playing the music. Or your speaker placement.Why did I mention all of this? Basically, to say give yourself a break and just enjoy the music! I have read so many articles by so many "experts." Some say good things, others are totally clueless. CD's and vinyl can BOTH sound great, again depending on all the factors I mentioned above. One thing you will not get with CD's are pops and scratches. On vinyl, these cannot be avoided, and often these may be even pressed in at production time. It's a fact of vinyl life many of us lived with for years. But a good stylus and well-made turntable can help minimize the noise.So where does this turntable fit into all of this? Well, for me, I was not going to spend upwards of $1,000 or more for yet another turntable in my life. Been there, done it. Vinyl is not my main music preference anymore and will never be. And the fad will most likely pass again. I set my limit at around $600 and researched many turntables based on my years of vinyl experience. I had turntables that were noisy. I had turntables that picked up every sound around them. When I was a kid, I even had a Winco record player! I had the good and the bad. I knew I wanted a turntable that was solid and had good sound reproduction capabilities, and I have a good receiver and speakers that I have been happy with for some time. After much research, I started deleting turntables from my list and landed on this one. I have now had it for two weeks and listened to plenty of vinyl on it. Here is my take.First thing, this turntable is solid as a rock. It is relatively heavy and in part because of this, it is quiet. The motor not being under the plate adds to the quietness. All you hear is music, as it should be. The set-up took about 10 minutes, but I pretty much knew what I was doing. I would suggest reading the manual, but also keeping in mind to leave the anti-skating knob to ZERO until you balance the tonearm. This is obvious, but easily missed. If you change the setting of the anti-skating first, the tonearm will not stay put to balance it. The manual provides you with the specific settings for the cartridge you have, and it is quite accurate and work perfectly.Some said they had problems with the lid hinges. I did not experience that. They just slide in with a little conviction. The lid is like every turntable lid I have ever owned. It does the job, stays securely open when playing records and closes without falling down.The Ortofon M2 Blue cartridge fits into the tonearm with no issues. Simply slide it in gently and turn the knob, which will finish adjusting it into the tonearm. That's it. Later, if you wish to spend more money, you can upgrade to the copper or black cartridges, which some say sound superb. I can't attest, but the blue one sounds pretty darn good and I am sure even better after it is used a little more.The acrylic plate is probably one of my favorite things about this player, I guess because I never had that in any player I ever owned. It is solid! Not to mention it keeps the static down. And no, it does not need a rubber mat, so it does not come with one.I also like the adjustable feet (there's three, two in front, one in back). They are really solid and adjusting them is very easy because they are accessible once your turntable is settled. Truly great.Some mentioned the lever to raise and lower the tonearm being plastic and flimsy but, frankly, it is solid unless you decide to use it like a stick-shift in a Maserati. It does what it is supposed to do and if you use it like you should, there is no issue. It works great as the tonearm gently descends on the record.Bottom line, you can't go wrong with this turntable. It is solid as a rock, reproduces sound flawlessly and is easy to use. If you're on the fence, think no more.