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

We recently picked up this Fluance RT82 turntable and could not be happier with it. The sound quality is excellent. I found the setup instructions to be very clear and balancing the tonearm to be reasonably easy. The instructions really leave nothing to chance - down to showing where to put the included bubble level on the turntable when leveling it. The sound is great, it feels very solid and well made - it ticks all the boxes at this price point. Highly recommend.

Purchased Used - As New condition, seller was Fluance - the manufacturer. As far as I could tell the only indication that it was used was an external marking on the shipping box, RT82XOP. It was truly as new with a substantial discount in price. Easy to set up once I figured out the gram scale on the counterweight just spins but doesnt move towards the front or away; you get the tonearm balanced twisting the bulk of the counterweight, spin the number to zero on the gram scale then spin the counterweight to set tracking force (not the spinning scale ). When all else fails, RT*M. ; -) This replaces an ancient Thorens TD150 Mk II w/ an AudioTechnica tonearm that was extremely noisy. I have not used the supplied Ortofon OM10 cartridge yet but rather immediately installed a Supex MM100 w/ an SMM-38E stylus already mounted in an extremely lightweight Sumiko headshell. The remainder of the setup was a piece of cake. Took about ten minutes unboxing/unwrapping, then about 15 minutes more getting it leveled, connected to the amp, and rechecked. The amp it is connected to is a Yamaha AX-592 with built-in switchable phono pre-amp (Moving Magnet/Moving Coil) so I did not need an add-on phono pre-amp. The aluminum platter is not very heavy - I will purchase the acrylic platter separately soon. Right out the box I played the Gary Burton & Chick Corea LP, Crystal Silence (ECM 1024 ST). Gary Burtons vibes are a good test of wow and flutter and I was pleased. Suspect the heavier acrylic platter will be even better. Tracks well - no skips on some LPs that are well over 50 years old. It was a pain playing LPs on the old noisy turntable - now I have to decide which of the several hundred LPs get promoted from the basement to the den.

I did a lot of research and it ended up between the RT82 and the Audio-Technica AT-LP120. I’m so glad I went with RT82. This turntable is so great and the features on it is so nice for the price range. I’m not that critical on sound and think the Ortofon OM10 is just perfect for me. I do think I will get an acrylic platter down the road. Overall it sounds great and couldn’t be any happier.

First of all Ill start by saying. I cant fault a thing about this turntable, but marketing I think missed the boat. Everything works perfectly, and no question in my mind about the claimed specs. This thing is rock solid, and keeps time like a pulsar. Dont be shocked when it exceeds the recording standards on some older and lower quality pressings. I researched turntables for months before I bought this. In this price point its the closest I found to a no compromise table. I only have one gripe about this. Its not just the Fluance line, its most all of them. That marketing thing. I ended up buying this table because I picked up a Grado cartridge for my other table. The direct drive I have been happy with for years. If you have not heard the rumor that Grados hum on direct drive tables. Im here to tell you they can. You would just start to notice it near the end of the last track. Thats not gong to work for me. Out side of that, I love this cartridge, but I was going to need a belt drive. Now the truth be told, the Mll Red, and Blue are two of the cartridges I passed on before I got the Grado. So I picked up the RT 82 because I had my own cartridge I wanted to use. I had no want, or plan to use any they offered with this or, the 83, and 84. Thats my gripe. Why doesnt Fluance (and some others) offer their tables with out cartridges? I know there are a bunch of us that have carts, and manufactures that we know, and use for our own reasons. I really do like this table a lot, but just kinda feel like Im having a cartridge forced on me I really didnt want. But in the end, the Fulance, and Grado are an epic combination! To be fair, I only used the OM 10 it came with for about 10 minutes. Just to make sure everything worked. It sounded like a new cartridge that needs to be broke in. So I have no input as to how this table sounds with the Ortofon.

the people who make products why wont you look at it from the stand point of the customer. tonearm adjustment is a joke when you can barely see the numbers. no place for the 45 adapter. finish is so dark you cant see the wood grain.

I am not a music expert and thus I really dont have an objective way to tell you why you should buy the Fluance RT82 over another turntable. I will say though, I am enjoying this turntable immensely. My stereo system is for the average joe made of a hodgepodge of speakers and stereo components in the 1990s and early 2000s. Most of the vinyl records in my collection are even older than my equipment as I purchased them in the 1970s and 1980s although Ive now bought a few new vinyl albums too. From where Im sitting, these vinyl records have never sounded better than they do on the Fluance turntable. Not being an expert, I cant tell you why this is so but I suspect this is the first time Ive played these records on a quality turntable like the Fluance and not some cheap turntable that came as an add-on with previous stereo systems. In the past, when Ive played my albums on a turntable I remember the vinyl sounding scratchy with a lot of skips. Given that this turntable not only comes with a better needle than perhaps other turntables Ive used it doesnt surprise me that the Fluance would sound better. But I also think that in the past I underestimated the importance of having a turntable with a quality tonearm for tracking of the record grooves, the effort of minimizing vibrations, and the accuracy counterweights and anti-skate adjustments all provide to the listening experience. All the features found in the Fluance RT82 are features that will improve your opinion how good vinyl records can sound on a good turntable. Like many consumers do, I went to YouTube to see what the experts are saying before buying a product. Some of the reviews on the Fluance RT8x that influenced my decision to purchase the Fluance RT82 include videos by Joe N Tell, Craig at Vinyl TV, Andrew Robinson, and Modern Classic. I rarely found a trusted reviewer that didnt like the the Fluance RT82 and above turntables which says something in my book. Despite the RT82 being a good turntable if given a second chance I would have purchased the Fluance RT85. This isnt a knock off of the RT82 as much as admitting that I underestimated how much I would come to enjoy listening to vinyl records. I went with the cheaper option for fear that my enthusiasm for vinyl was short-lived but I see now this is going to be a very long love affair for how I listen to my music.

Takes so long for the auto stop. If any records have engravings in the center or the label is a little off the auto stop will not engage in time and will run right into them. I’ve looked all over for a solution but can’t find any. Just be careful with what record you let run to the end. The sound is amazing and I’m super impressed but the auto stop is giving me a stress I don’t need

Ive tried turntables for under $200 and they simply not that great. While the bulk of these are Audio Technica or have the same mechanics as AT, they continuously have issues with skips on records that never have and muddier sound as the album progresses. You cant get a good automatic / semi-automatic that works well anymore (I miss my Technics turntable). So I sucked it up and got the Fluance. I will say as an actual record player, the sound is really good and it plows through problematic records that the AT couldnt handle. Setting it up was fairly easy especially if you follow the video the company posted on YouTube which takes about 5-10 minutes from unboxing to playing. Its a reasonably inexpensive turntable thats meant to work like a pricier audiophile one. I compared the sound to the AT and its not even close. The Fluance sound is bigger and broader in sound making a lot of my old records sound new. The AT is strictly for newbies who dont care for sound. The AT sounds flat and compressed. A better turntable definitely has an audio difference. Im also pleased that the speeds on the turntable were pretty accurate right out of the box. That said, I find it odd that Fluance couldnt add a few more features. Its advertised as a semi-automatic turntable, but thats being extremely generous. The only feature thats semi-automatic is the turntable will stop when the needle gets to the end after 20 seconds. Thats it. Theres no power shut off, no auto return, nothing. You have to drop the needle and return the tone arm manually, and even after that, the power dial also has to be turned off. I dont know if anything bad would happen by leaving it on, but for 21st century equipment, this seems way behind the times. I guess one of the manual benefits is you dont accidentally have it set for an LP when you mean to play a 45 and have the needle automatically miss the record and damage the needle. Given how replacement needles for this are fairly expensive, I could see why one would want to me more cautious but they do provide better sound than cheaper ones and perform better like I said before. In summery. its a turntable that performs and sounds well, but it takes a bit more effort on your part.

Its especially easy to like this turntable compared to the junky Crosley I mistakenly purchased! Beware! Comparatively priced, the Crosley arrived simply tossed in a box with the tonearm and metal plate free to bounce around trashing everything including the mounted cartridge! For only $300, the Fluance is at least an introductory audiophile-level table. Everything is high quality -- and professionally packaged. Im a vinylphile and know what Im talking about. 3/30/23. Update/Addendum. Its been six weeks or so, and Im still impressed with the quality of the Fluance. I upgraded to an Ortofon Super 10 cartridge, but it wasnt necessary; the one that comes with it is fine. If you want a tangible upgrade you can always move to the Ortofon 20 replacement stylus and just slip it in. The Fluance should rank higher on published lists of best values in turntables.

I highly recommend this turntable to anyone looking for for a quality new turntable in the 300.00 price range. Be sure to purchase a digital scale for setting the tonearm weight, a vinyl cleaning kit, and a preamp if your receiver/powered speakers dont have phono inputs. Dont forget to read the instructions carefully. Dont panic when you turn it on and the platter doesnt move. The table ships with auto stop turned on. The platter wont start until the tone arm is over the record.