Fluance RT81 Turntable with AT95E Cartridge, Belt Drive, Built-in Preamp, Adjustable Counterweight - Piano Black

I purchased both this table and their rt80, as I have multiple setups, and let me start by saying, finally a company who does it right! Build quality on this thing is of the up most quality. Everything is in line, clean, and runs beautifully. Aesthetically, the rt81 is gorgeous, but it is not only eye candy...the sound quality of this turntable is unrivaled, even of more expensive tables. I was using the built in preamp through my denon 9.1 avr setup and was just throttled by how rich a sound I was getting out of such a well built machine. I honestly do not think there is a better company making turntables, with or without a preamp, any where near this price point for the quality machine you are getting. There are so many poor built turntables out there now that just eat your records with bad needles and poor quality control....this, however, this not one of them. Setup was a breeze, i was listening to my records ten minutes after unboxing it. They even took the time to package it very thoughtfully, as to ensure the safety of all the components during travel. Clearly this is a company who cares. Customer service even followed up by calling to ask if I had any questions and if I was satisfied, i didn't even think good customer service existed anymore! Alas, i was wrong! The truth of it is you are getting one of the best built and sounding turntables on the market at an unbelievable price. I did, however, receive a discount for an honest review, and because I was so impressed with the build and sound quality of the rt80, I bought the rt81 for my other setup. Do yourself a favor if you are in the market for a new turntable, and buy one of fluances tables.

It's the end of 2019 and my late-70's Sanyo turntable that has been in my family since I was a wee lad has finally given up the ghost. When it was new, it was a solid mid-range turntable with nice features like direct drive, auto play and return, and easily-adjusted speed. It lasted forty years, which is more than I can say about most modern pieces of audio equipment. A moment of silence, please. When looking for a replacement turntable, I found that I wasn't able to find a decent model that had all of the functions of my old turntable unless I was willing and able to plop down more cash than was possible while keeping my marriage intact. I get it. Records are now and will remain a niche format at best, so the economies of scale dictate that the cost of obtaining a solid turntable is going to be higher than the days when vinyl was the dominant audio format. Still, I was determined to get the best quality turntable that I could afford. My demands were few, but important: It had to be well-constructed. - While I don't expect the turntable to last me for the rest of my life, it had to feel solid and use durable materials. It had to have decent sound. - While I still have decent hearing, I'm in my late-40's, so the days when I could easily discern minute differences in frequency are in the past. With that said, I love my records and want to get the best possible sound quality out of them. Yes, records have shortcomings. Even the best-maintained record may have the occasional pop or crackle. However, a well-mastered and pressed album can deliver audio that stands toe-to-toe with most modern digital releases. Yes, high-res digital audio files have been released for many albums, but everything comes down to mastering and there are a lot of albums being sold as high-res that sound terrible. A container is only as good as the audio it contains. It had to allow me to easily change the cartridge, stylus, and shell and allow for the necessary adjustments when doing so. - I don't care how nice the cartridge and stylus are that are included with a turntable; they wear out over time. Also, there are more often than not better-quality options for these items on the market. It had to provide assurance that it wouldn't tear up my records. - When I see people buying a Crosley or any other ultra-cheap turntable I want to grab them by the shoulders and beg them to turn away from the dark path on which they are heading. If you're willing to pay the inflated prices that records go for these days, especially newer pressings, the last thing you want to do is play them on a turntable that has a tracking force so high that you may as well be using a sewing needle. Taking all of this "must-have's" into account, anything else offered by a particular model would be icing on the cake. I looked around at audiophile sites, publications, etc. and, after laughing at some of the models that were touted as "good buys" that cost as much as a semester at college, I saw the same brand mentioned time and time again: Fluance. Fluance has garnered a healthy reputation as a company that offers a wide range of turntables that deliver solid performance for quite reasonable prices. Like all turntable manufacturers, they offer some high-end models, but even the models toward the lower end of their catalog don't skimp on the necessities. The RT81 falls into the lower end of their range, but I have to say that I'm impressed with it. It was easy to assemble and the parts are constructed of sturdy materials. It offers a built-in preamp for those without phono inputs on their receiver, however it is easily disabled via a switch on the rear of the turntable should you have an external preamp or one built into your receiver. I had no trouble at all switching out the included cartridge and stylus with an Ortofon Red that I had been using on my old turntable (Those are amazing, by the way.) and making the adjustments on the tone arm. I've been putting the turntable through its paces quite a bit since its arrival and am very satisfied with the audio quality. It doesn't blow away some of the more expensive turntables I've listened to, but it's very good, especially considering its cost. It is good enough that, should I find myself in a position wherein I can afford a more expensive turntable, I wouldn't hesitate considering one of Fluance's higher-end models. The fact that there was obvious care put into one of their lower-end models speaks volumes about the company. Do I miss the extra features I had on my Sanyo that are lacking on the Fluance RT81? Sure. With that said, the RT81 has so far delivered very solid, no-frills performance and I'm more than satisfied with my purchase.

The Fluance RT81 Elite is an incredible turntable for the price and an excellent entry point into vinyl. It feels solid and well built, with a thick, high-gloss plinth that looks sleek and substantial in person. It doesn’t feel cheap or lightweight, and it fits nicely into a living space where it’s meant to be seen, not hidden away. Sound quality is very impressive for a starter table. It delivers a clean, enjoyable presentation and easily competes with turntables that cost quite a bit more. The built-in phono preamp works well and is a great feature to have, especially if you’re pairing it with a basic amp or powered speakers. It makes setup simple without sacrificing sound. I also checked wow and flutter using my phone, and the results were well within acceptable tolerances, which lines up with how stable it sounds in real-world listening. Pitch is consistent and records play smoothly. I have it connected to a small amplifier and a pair of 4-inch bookshelf speakers, and it’s been perfect for our family room. It’s great for putting a record on in the background when guests are over while still sounding good enough to sit down and listen closely.

Ooooo, nice turntable. I replaced my Sony direct drive TT (circa 1978) with this, bought new speakers, and started listening to my collection of LP's. Beautiful and simple turntable. Easy to set-up. I needed to increase the tracking force from 2.0 to about 2.2 to avoid skips on some of my older albums, but that was well within the range for the cartridge (1.5 to 2.5). The hook for me was the auto-stop and the price. I really wanted a semi-automatic TT, but this was the next best thing for the $. This TT is great for the cost. And, yes you CAN make MP3 files with this TT. You will need to buy an adapter cable from phono to 3.5mm jack & download some free software, Google it. I'm using a preamp Technolink TC-756USB RIAA Moving Magnet Phono Preamp with AUX Input and USB (Computer) Output and use it to rip the analog to digital. This preamp can also be used to input computer sound files through to an amp. Update 2/10/2017: I encountered a huge WOW. I thought I would be contacting Fluance & returning the TT for repair, BUT, I let the TT run with the arm up for a couple of hours to see what would happen. The WOW went away, and has yet to return. I'll keep an ear on this. I'm glad there's a two year warranty. The auto stop works well. Takes about 11 rotations before it kicks-in. I wish it also picked-up the arm as well, but it is as advertised. I have encountered a lot of skipping on some of my old LP's. I think this is more a function of the cartridge than the turntable. My old DD TT (Sony PS-X20, 1978) did not skip on these same records. I'll look at the cartridge on that machine and see what I have....the old TT is in the basement in a box....I was going to sell it, but now I think I found some parts from EBAY and I might be able to repair the arm lifter. Update 3/24/2017: Noticed wow on a digital recording I made from this turntable BUT upon close inspection discovered that the LP had grooves that were off-center. The tone arm was weaving back and forth as it tracked. Just a heads-up to check the media as a potential source of wow, and not just assume that the turntable is at fault. Update 4/3/2017: The OEM AT95E stylus was at fault for skips. Fluance responded by sending me a new AT95E cartridge, and I swapped out the stylus. The same passages that had been skipping now played through. I blame AT for this, and not Fluance. Fluance was very responsive sending a replacement (no charge). Update 5/8/2017: Upgraded cartridge to Audio-Technica AT120EB. Works well. No issue with install or balancing. Used a spare cartridge shell, so now I have a quick way to drop in a spare.

For the price, this turntable looks great and plays well. It doesn't have some of the bells and whistles one might find on more expensive units, but that's not the target audience for this product. The minor assembly required was straightforward and easy. Instructions were well-written and clear. I used the "Phono" setting switch on the turntable and plugged the cables into the phono inputs on my receiver, because my receiver has a fairly good preamp. Sound quality was crisp and clear, with no detectable varying of speed. The included rubber mat was nice. Seems well constructed. This unit really should come with adjustable feet.

Good quality record player worth the money, has worked flawlessly for years now and im now just writing this review to make sure someone else out there knows this is a great record player. Plays 33 and 45s records as well. Also it has a classic/classy look to it with the wood grain, performs well every time I turn it on to play my vinyl. I paired it with a set of Klipsch bookshelf speakers with Bluetooth capability so the speakers get used often and not just for record playing.

After a long hiatus from the hobby, I decided to start collecting vinyl again. I used to have a big collection of vinyl but sold it all to help pay for my late wife's cancer treatments. Since then, I have been listening to streamed music. After discovering a treasure trove of vinyl at a local yard sale, and buying them all, I ordered a retrolife turntable here on amazon. It was pretty and had good sound, but there were a couple features on it I did not like. So I returned it and ordered this one. I feel like I made the right choice. The Fluance RT81 is a great budget priced turntable. The sound is nice and bassy, and the system is elegantly designed, solid and perfect in its simplicity. There is no bluetooth, which is fine with me. I don't see the point of listening to vinyl on bluetooth speakers. Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to transmit lossless high fidelity audio. You might as well listen to streaming mp3's if you're going to use bluetooth. But this unit does come with gold rca wires to hook the system up to your speakers. It has one single button to turn on the system and select your speed, and the turntable starts spinning as soon as you move the tonearm into position. What else do you need? Sometimes the simpler something is the better. I love it when a product just does what it's supposed to do, without a bunch of hassle and annoyance. I'm not knowledgeable enough to review the sound quality, but if you want to know my layman's opinion here it is. I think it sounds good. I think it is a little too bassy, and the separation could be a little better, and the pops when the needle hits a speck of dust is a little loud, but it is good enough for me for the moment. I may upgrade to a better needle at some point in the future, but it is good. I just turned the bass down a little on my speakers and make sure my discs are as dust-free as possible before playing an album. Strangely, the much cheaper retrolife turntable sounded better to me, but for build quality and simplicity I would still pick the Fluance. I am happy with my purchase, and I think that says it all. This is a beautiful, beautiful turntable, with a smoky gray lid and artful design and simplicity. Just turn the bass down a little and make sure your records are clean!

The Fluance RT81 is a solid piece of equipment. I started collecting vinyl in 2020 during the pandemic with the help of the Audio Technica LP60. Now, the great thing about that system was being an automatic player in a vast number of ways. A built in pre-amp, auto start and stop?? Along with easy maintenance for the needle. Beyond that? It had it’s issues. Cleaning records were a chore because you could only clean them while you listened to them, being an auto start player. The sound quality of the needle was great, but no way to adjust it. You’re stuck with the one position. It ended up scratching a few of my records and so, I finally took the plunge…I got a “higher” end vinyl LP record player So, now the real review. This machine is great for those hobbyists and audiophiles like myself, looking to step up their game and really hone in their sound. The player comes unassembled and so you must hook the turning belt, align the needle (with the correct track force) and anti-skip. If you are a beginner and have no idea what I’m talking about, have no fear. There are helpful tips in the manual, along with lots of reviews on YouTube to help set you up. All in all, took me about 20 minutes to get it all setup. It being my first time aligning a needle, getting the balance and track force right too. It can be a little nerve racking but I promise you, it’s worth the payoff. The sound quality you get from the AT95E cartridge is very warm. A little high in some records, bass is a little understated but with some minor adjustments, it still packs a punch for the price point. The Fluance RT81 also includes a pre-amp, so you can just use some powered speakers (ones with a knob somewhere on one of the speakers to control the volume) and you’re off to the races. You can also use a receiver and passive speakers (ones that se 16 gauge wiring) if you want to hook up more than just your record player. Like what it pictured in my photos (Yamaha R-S202). If you are looking for a stellar player for budget of 500 for speakers and a player? This is a great end all player. It can do everything you need and then some, plus save you a few dollars. You might need to replace the belt every few years or so from wear and tear, but that’s my only negative about this player. If you’re a beginner or intermediate vinyl head, disc jockey or audiophile, this is the player for you. There is also an auto-stop function. It will stop the records after about 10-18 rotations on the plate. If you do have auto-spin on, you must raise the tone arm for the plate to spin, otherwise it will sit in place. Happened to me, thought I broke it haha. Also, if you have your switch set to pre-amp or line, and the music seems a bit…quiet, switch it to the other signal, line or pre-amp. You’ll get better sound out of it. Equipment in photo: Fluance RT81 player Yamaha R-S202 receiver Klipsch RP-150M Bookshelf speakers Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones Greenlit Acrylic Turntable Mat, 12” Novogratz Regal Turntable End Table, Olive Green