The Fluency turntables are actually made in Taiwan.
Being in Canada, I can completely understand you not buying American.
Fluance RT85N Reference Turntable - budget, or not ?
So, last year I sold my entire rig (don't ask, it's complicated), but I still had around 300 albums with nothing to play them on.
With my Bluesound Pulse Mini, I was able to stream my digital collection and since it had a analogue input, I thought about getting a budget turntable to play the vinyl.
I looked at several brands and investigated both U-Turn and Fluance in detail.
Both brands has some very nice features and design points, but since I like to buy "Local" whenever possible, I opted for the Fluance RT85N Reference Turntable
The model I opted for has...
- a very nice piano white gloss finish
- great design features like...
- Heavy plinth with suspension feet to reduce vibration transfer
- Platter rim belt drive for stable speed control
- no subplatter issues to contend with
- Acrylic platter - for great details, clarity and bass
- 33/45 speed switch
- no fussing with changing the belt on the pully located under the platter like on a Rega
- a decent arm,
- with removable headshell
- Their lineup comes with a variety of cartridge options but the RT85N comes with the Nagoka MP-110
Now, on paper, this TT pails in comparison to the turnable I sold with my rig in every way - except one - SOUND QUALITY!
- OK so it's not as good as my previous TT with..
- the 10 pound plnith
- the bronze cone feet
- the Audiomods Series III Arm with one piece harness
- the Soundsmith modified Denon DL103
But it does play music in a very rich and sure-footed manner.
I also opted for the seperate Fluance Phono Stage and not a model that has the included phono stage, because it provides better upgrade possibilities (if needed)
As with all things audio, I consider cables to be the heart of any system, so I built two pairs of interconnects based on the HELIX DIY design...
The Pulse Mini already had an upgraded power cable
The resulting sound provided a very pleasant detailed reproduction that did not disapoint my ears
- very pleasant details
- pleasant high end
- nicely controlled sibilence
- a rich and well controlled bass performance
Unfortunately, using the Puse Mini does not really allow me to discern the imaging capabilities of this TT, but there is nothing to suggest it would not provide adequate performance in this area
So if you are looking for an entry level turntable, I would recomend taking a look at the Fluance line
OR - it you are looking to buy a second TT to try/compare different cartridges - this TT might be a very useful tool for that purpose
Regards - Steve
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@thecarpathian re: they are made in Taiwan Yes, they are, but they are designed and engineered in Canada 👍 The build quality is excellent...
Buying Canadian did factor into my decision, but not because of the current situation, but because my previous system was pretty much all Canadian also and it performed extremely well. The lighter weight plinth of the U-turn put me off because of a bad experience with a previous TT. Changing to a heavier plinth rectified the problems.
Regards, Steve
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Ah, I didn’t think about plinth weight. Something to consider, thanks. And of course I meant Fluance. Honestly, I’ve got to start spell checking the spellchecker! Just went to the Fluance site. Extremely attractive prices for what you get. I'm not looking for anything high end, just something that's going to sound good when I feel like playing an album. Absolutely worth looking into. |
@thecarpathian my previous TT was a labour of love, tweaked over many years, so I learned a lot about what can improve sound quality. Moving from a light plinth, supposedly designed to shed vibration quickly, to a more robust style that is designed not to vibrate in the first place, was a game changer. But then you have to isolate it. I achieve this quite simply by using two ceramic tiles...
The Fluance also has very basic suspension feet which helps. Regards, steve |
- 11 posts total