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

AKUnited States

Phenomenal record player at an amazing value

I usually can't be bothered to write reviews, but I had to leave for this record player. I have the rt82, and I am beyond pleased with it. It sounds fantastic, it looks and feels like a genuinely high quality product, and it comes with some great specs for the money. The Ortofon OM10 sound great and looks really cool, compared to your run of the mill boxy cartridge. Seem superficial, sure, but the cartridge is the business end of the record player, and seeing that thing glide along the grooves really stands out. The tonearm feels solid, the platter has no wobble, the plinth feels substantial, and really helps reduce vibrations. The dust cover is your standard dust cover, but the hinges are very solid and confidence inspiring. The sound isolating feet work/look great, and having the option to adjust the individual height is fantastic. I live in a pretty old house and if there is anything in this place that is level, I have yet to find it. With other record players, I had to resort to shoving felt pads under the feet to try and level it. This approach took a long time and looked tacky. Leveling out the rt82 took me 10 minutes tops (and only because I'm OCD about it and had to get it absolutely, undeniably level). The slipmat is rubber, which is a nice upgrade over the felt mat that comes with many record players. I personally like that the rt82 doesn't have a built in phono pre-amp. I'd rather have the option to experiment with external preamps, plus I feel like most internal phono pre-amps are mediocre at best. The anti-skate knob feels quality, and like it is actually doing what it's supposed to. I've had other record players and the anti-skate felt cheap and almost like the knob was just there to look cool. The counter weight is solid and stays where you put it. There is not major play between the arm and the knob, which inspires confidence that your adjustment is going to stay where it is supposed to. I like the belt drive system and how the belt is exposed vs hidden under the platter. Can't say one approach yields better results than the other, but again, it looks cool and that is a factor in the overall satisfaction with a product. The motor on the rt82 and up is supposed to come an optical sensor that checks the speed hundreds of times per second, to ensure the platter stays locked at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm. I measured my speed with RPM on my phone so take this result with a huge grain of salt, but RPM measured 33.5 rpm, which is about a .5% deviation from 33 1/3. I have A/B'd tracks between my records and spotify and I honestly can't hear a difference. It is very possible that RPM and the approach of trying to measure via your phone is what yields this inaccuracy, but thought it was worth mentioning. What I will say regarding the speed, is that I measured mine 6 times using the RPM app and it was 33.5 rpm every single time, so this motor is really on top of maintaining a consistent platter rotation. Very cool. A feature which I brushed off as a selling point when researching this record player is the auto stop. Granted, it is not a full-auto stop, where it lifts the tonearm and moves it back to home position, but rather, when the tonearm reaches the end of the record, it spins for roughly a minute, and then stops the motor. I didn't care less about this feature when researching, and saw that there was a switch on the back that turns this feature on or off, but after using it, I actually really like it. I'm usually around my record player actively listening, or using it as background music while I'm working on something. I've been in the middle of something multiple times when the record ends, and this feature really eliminates that Oh Crap feeling where you feel like you have to drop what you're doing to go lift the tonearm. On/Off knob is fine...it's a knob, feels quality enough for what it is designed for. Cueing lever is plastic and does feel cheaper compared to the rest of the table, but it's solid enough for what is is supposed to do. The tonearm latch is also kind of cheap feeling, but again, it is quality enough to serve it's intended purpose for the life of the table. Another cool feature about this player is that you can latch the tonearm while the queuing lever is up. My past record players would not allow this, so I would have to move the tonearm home, lower the cueing arm and then latch it. Often, I would forget that the cueing arm was not up and next time I went to start a record, I would drop the unsupported arm/cartridge hard on the record. Not anymore baby! Finally, the descent rate of the cueing lever is great. It is fast enough that you're not waiting 10 second for the arm to lower, but slow enough that it is a gentle drop every time you use it. Overall, I am extraordinarily happy with this record player. I did a lot of research before my purchase and this has to be in the top 3, if not the #1 (I vote #1). I look forward to many years of happy listening on this awesome record player.

Staci KUnited States

Perfect entry point for getting back into vinyl!

HUGE upgrade over the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT I purchased after deciding to flirt with vinyl again. Don't get me wrong... it was that turntable that convinced me to dive back in. Perfectly fine starter BUT it's biggest limitation is you can't change or upgrade the cartridge as you can with Fluance. And it's super easy to do with the removable head shell (LP60 is fixed). You can just buy a premounted cartridge and do nothing more than change the head shell and set the tracking force and anti-skate (easy). In hindsight, RT82 would have been a better choice. Superior in every way, the Ortofon OM 10 cart is a vast sound quality improvement with it's elliptical shape. The sound is much more defined. The isolation feet make it easy to have turntable and speakers on same surface with no fear of cranking up the volume. Balancing the tonearm was a snap. Personally, I like the auto-stop function just fine, but it's not an automatic return. The LP60XBT is fully automatic which I appreciate getting back into it. The RT82 does not have a preamp so you do need to have one or buy an RT81/80 that have an installed preamp. Another option is my set up. I have Klipsch The Fives speakers that are also preamp, amp, BT and more. I didn't love those speakers at first but Klipsch now has an app that allows you to tweak the sound AND I paired with a Klipsch sub... with that... chef's kiss! HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Fluance RT82 to beginners and those on more of a budget. I bought a "used" one on Amazon but ships directly from Fluance... it seemed all perfectly new, but saved me enough to buy "The Stranglers: Peaches". The turntable is the exact same as the 83/84 except the cartridge. If you have the clams, you might just buy the RT85 with the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge or the Nagaoka MP-110. UPDATE 2/26/23: Got upgrade-itis and fitted the tone arm with an AT VM530EN/H cartridge. Another HUGE step up in sound. Name the fancy audiophile words and, yep, it’s a lot better. The OM10 was fine. The new cart was so much finer! It’s paired with a Pyle PP999 preamp, Aiyma T9 amp (very underrated) and Sony SSCS5 speakers, Klipsch R-12SWi sub. This is a nice sounding setup for getting in. I’m going to upgrade the preamp, just haven’t found the right deal yet! I bought everything on deep sale or box damaged. Turntable 275, amp 80, preamp 13, speakers 66 (regularly see box damage drop under 80), sub at Costco 179, new cart from Ebay 140. Every component was like new… not a sign of use on any of it. The Cheap Audioman on YouTube is a great source of info. UPDATE: Tried many preamps... Fosi Box 2 and 4... I didn't like either. Pro-Ject Phono Box... same. Dull lifeless. Hit something really good and low budget with the ART DJ Pre II though. Big upgrade in sound and really liked the gain and capacitance control. Play with that one because you can dial it in. BUT... I've settled on the iFi Zen Phono. Head and shoulders above those others. Yes, a lot more money... 3x the ART. It really offers a totally different and superior sound output. If you have the money or can save up... I found the iFi Zen to be very, very worth it. On a budget? Can't beat that ART if you ask me.

TechnikfreundGermany

Ein wirklich außergewöhnlich schöner Plattenspieler....

Ich bin restlos bedient von ProJekt nachdem der Phonoverstärker E von denen ja schon ein absoluter Reinfall war hatte ich dem Automat A1 noch eine Chance gegeben und ihn mit einen OM 20 Stylus gepimpt - jetzt fing das Ding aber an zu rumpeln und die Automatik versagte immer öfter......also weg mit dem Teil, die Automatik war ja noch das Einzig Brauchbare......den Stylus 20 wollte ich gerne weiterverwenden, das ist mit diesem Gerät überhaupt kein Problem, erfahrungsgemäß lassen sich die Nadeln einfach abziehen und Tauschen! Es handelt sich hierbei um einen Plattenspieler der nur eine automatische Abschaltung am Ende Platte hat, der Tonarm selber ist komplett manuell, man gewöhnt sich aber sehr schnell daran - einfach zur Außenrille der Platte bewegen und gut ist - hierzu noch eine Anekdote zum Automat A1, der kannte nämlich keine Max-Singles, die ich noch zu Hauf habe, man musste das Gerät in der Form austricksen dass man erst nach dem Aufsetzen des Tonarms von 33 auf 45 umstellte, absolut lachhaft für einen angeblich automatschen Schallplattenspieler! Aber genug von diesem unsäglichen Apparillo - hier gibt es diese Probleme nicht mehr, alles läuft so wie man es selber will, dem Plattenspieler ist es völlig egal wo er den Tonarm aufsetzt wenn ich die 45 einstelle........ Der Klang ist sehr gut, wenn man bisher aber nur vor eingestellte Automaten hatte ist das Ausbalancieren vom Tonarm erstmal etwas tricky, hatte zuerst nicht gecheckt wie man die Auflagekraft am Tonarm einstellt, dann habe ich aber mal darüber nachgedacht was diese Skala für einen Sinn macht wenn man sie nach dem Ausbalancieren auf "0" stellen soll - dann wurde mir klar ich muss das Ausgleichgewicht zusammen mit der Skala auf den Wert einstellen und dann klappte alles wunderbar auch mit dem Antiskating.....das nur als Anmerkung für Leute, die möglicherweise noch nie einen Plattenspieler hatten und mit der Anleitung nicht klarkommen,,,,,, Die Optik und Verarbeitung von diesem Plattenspieler ist ein absolutes Highlight hatte mir noch den Acrylplattenteller dazu gekauft, in Kombination mit dem hellen Holz einfach Atemberaubend schön! Hoffentlich macht diese Schönheit keine Zicken.....

Gary in IllinoisUnited States

RT82 .. why did I wait so long to buy this?

I recently resurrected my stereo stack after too many years, and found that my turntable had given up the ghost. Enter the Fluance RT82. I did a lot of research before deciding on the RT82. Great decision! This is a superb choice for someone entering (or reentering) the vinyl world. As the entry point to Fluance's Reference line of turntables, the RT82 has the same motor, plinth, tonearm, and the internals of their higher end RT85. It's silent, stable, and well engineered. And beautiful. The RT82's cartridge is an Ortofon OM10, an excellent midrange one with a rich sound and light set on the record. The steel platter gives nice weight and stability; the RT82 comes with a quality rubber mat that grips the record and minimizes noise and static. I mention the cartridge, platter, and mat, because you can upgrade those later if you wish. If you do that, you have the highest end RT85! I don't plan on doing that as I like the sound and performance of the RT82 right out of the box, but it's nice to have an upgrade path. Set up was relatively easy. You do have to place the plater, hook up the belt, install the cartridge head, and balance the tonearm. That's standard for a higher end turntable. I've done this sort of set up before and this was the easiest that I remember. Fluance has simple to read and follow instructions; lots of videos to do it are on YouTube. You can contact Fluance if you have an issue. Just be patient .. you can do it. The RT82 is easily a 5 star purchase. Good price, terrific quality and build, and excellent sound. I'm enjoying the heck out of this purchase. Why did I wait so long?