Review Details

RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on April 5, 2023):

After almost 30 years of digital audio, I decided to come back to my “first love”, vinyl. I am an audiophile and always had good hi-fi systems.
I knew what the quality turntables looked like in 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s but had no idea what they look like in 2020’s.
After extensive research, many reviews read and videos watched, I decided to buy Fluance RT85.
When I unpacked it and put my first vinyl since 1994, I was stunned. The quality of the sound coming from my loudspeakers was nothing I could compare with what I was listening to in almost 30 years. I am aware that Ortofon 2M Blue needs about 20h break-in period to show everything it has, but since the first moment the sound was full, warm and detailed. I started with my favorite album, The Dark Side of the Moon. I believed I knew every detail on this LP and, however, I discovered sounds that I have never heard before. I continued with some more of my favorite albums, and the experience was amazing.
As my amplifier has a PHONO input, I did not need to buy a preamplifier. The cables included in the box are high quality product. When I open my amplifier’s volume to more than a half (2x100 W output) on phono, no pickup on the record, no humming, buzzing or so can be hear. Just a silence. Perfect to enjoy the music.
RT85 construction is very solid and elegant. I bought one with a beautiful walnut finish and it shines in my living room. Set it to the level is very easy with its three isolation feet and the wood plinth has a mass that kills the vibration. However, because of the floor that moves quite a lot in my living room, I had to buy an isolation platform and my turntable is completely vibration free now.
RT85 is equipped with a fantastic acrylic platter that gives a good mass and stabilizes the speed which I measured and was highly accurate.
Fluance has also an amazing technical support. I had a minor annoyances with platter that could not prevent me from listening to the music, but was just strange. I contacted the Support Team, and they were very fast to respond and lead me through the debugging procedure. One of the best supports I have had in many years, equal to the quality of the product.
So, I rediscover vinyl and am rebuilding my LP collection with this fantastic turntable, RT85. It is worth every cent that I invested in it. And I know why it is considered as one of the best turntables in its category, praised by many reviewers.