Fluance RT85 Turntable Review: Record Players As Art

Who Is The Fluance RT85 Turntable For?

• The Fluance RT85 turntable is ideal for someone who wants a great record player, but also wants something that will look nice in their home
• The RT85 features a top-of-the-line Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
• An auto-stop feature helps prolong stylus life

Audiophiles have been growing their ranks over the past few years, and this is in large part due to the increased number of options for high-end audio equipment. As any audiophile knows, top-quality audio doesn't come digitally, it comes via analog playback like with a record player. And records can only sound as good as the record player allows them.

That's where Fluance comes in with their RT85 turntable. This beautiful device is capable of playing records at a stunning quality that allows listeners to appreciate music more than ever before.

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A Work Of Art

My immediate impression of the Fluance RT85 turntable is that it is a beautiful machine. With its solid wood base, clear acrylic platter, and touches of minimalist machinery, the turntable can easily fit alongside any home decor. It feels right at home in the living room, study, or just about anywhere.

Unlike many other turntables, the Fluance RT85 uses a high density acrylic platter. This provides enough grip and support that a platter mat is not needed. With no turntable mat, the Fluance RT85 does look like it is missing something, but the lack of a mat also makes the turntable stand out just a little more. Of course, a platter mat can be added if wanted, but it isn't required here like it is with other turntables.

Easy Set-Up

Straight out of the box, the Fluance RT85 turntable did require some minimal construction. The lid needed to be attached, the platter needed to be put into place along with the belt that turns it, and the cartridge needed to be popped into place.

All this only took me maybe a half hour to complete. The toughest part came once everything was finally put into place. Before playing my first record I needed to get the tonearm balanced. Thankfully, the RT85 user manual includes a chart with recommended tracking force and anti-skating values that helped me dial in exactly what my turntable needed to play perfectly.

Like with most turntables, especially higher-end turntables, the Fluance RT85 does not come with a built-in preamp. This is solved easily enough by buying one, and thankfully they aren't all that expensive. My preamp is basically identical to this Pyle preamp, which is currently less than $18. Setting up the preamp is as easy as plugging in the RCA cables and making sure to attach the ground line.

Once a preamp is installed, all that is needed is to get the turntable hooked up to some speakers. The RT85 does include RCA cables to connect to a preamp, though more cables may be needed to connect the preamp to a set of speakers. The turntable itself also needs to be plugged in with its included power cable.

Outstanding Audio

The audio quality from the Fluance RT85 is unparalleled. The turntable uses a belt drive system, which means the turntable spins at a reliable speed no matter what. The RT85 features a knob on the front to switch from 33 RPM to 45 RPM, as well as turn the turntable off completely.

The RT85 comes pre-packaged with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, which features a nude stylus design. This is a step up over the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, which uses a metal shank on the stylus. A decent explainer between the two cartridges can be found here, courtesy of Sound Matters.

To keep it simple, the 2M Blue cartridge is fantastic, and works with the RT85 to create a deep, rich sound profile that brings out tiny details in songs that I've never noticed before. The first album I put on had to be a classic, so on went Michael Jackson's Thriller. The opening beats to "Billie Jean" are punchy, while the strings that come in are light and airy. Despite having listened to that song countless times, I was hearing small fills and minor instruments I had never picked up before.

Unfortunately, my copy of Thriller is a little old, so I switched it up to a more modern record. Wanting to test how much the Fluance RT85 can really rock, I put on Tool's Lateralus. That album got my subwoofer really pumping with Danny Carey's excellent drum work and Justin Chancellor's iconic bass riffs. Even with my subwoofer cranked up, the bass never became too overpowering to wash out the rest of the band.

To really round out the experiment, I tried the Fluance RT85 with one of the softest and most delicate albums I have, Sufjan Stevens' Michigan. Each press of a piano key or pluck of a banjo string dances out of the speakers and fills the room with music. This is definitely the next best thing to listening to a performance in-person.

Pretty much the only downside to the Fluance RT85 is that because it plays records in such high quality, the playback will sound more rough if the record quality itself isn't great. Imperfections can get magnified, but that comes with the territory when listening to records.

A Few Modern Touches

The Fluance RT85 tends to shy away from the extravagance of modern turntables. There is no built-in Bluetooth support or USB cable connection here. There also isn't an auto-play function, or a motor of any kind attached to the tonearm. Almost everything is pure old-school tech.

The one nice addition that the RT85 does include is an auto-stop feature. This is a little limited, as it doesn't return the tonearm to its resting position automatically, but it will stop spinning the record platter around 30 seconds after a record ends. This is a nice way to increase the lifespan of a record needle without becoming too encumbered with automatic playback features. The auto-stop feature can be turned off as well.

Final Thoughts

The Fluance RT85 is an absolutely phenomenal turntable. Not only does it produce outstanding audio, it looks like a work of art. The minimal buttons and knobs mixed with the solid wood base and mat-free platter give the RT85 an elegant look, like it belongs in some antique library.

The Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge really drives the audio quality, and is complemented by a stable and reliable belt-driven motor. Everything from quiet folk music to loud metal comes through crystal clear, offering extra details in the music I had never heard previously. Of the four turntables I have owned over the years, the Fluance RT85 is easily the best.