I just have to say this channel is awesome! Great product reviews on affordable equipment with no filler, and none of the audiophile gatekeeping snobbery!
Gotta agree. I’m so excited to keep watching ore of these because of the honesty specifically. He just has an honesty that I rarely see in review/unboxing channels.
Thank you for reviewing this! I have the RT85 and it is a fantastic turntable! Watching this has confirmed that their lowest model has just as much quality and care put into it. Would be a perfect first tt for anyone. Would be great for a small space with its built-in preamp, too.
What a fantastic demo of Fluance RT 80 The reviewer right from the start makes you feel relaxed taking you step by step Right from the get go of opening the box and putting together and setting up your new Fluance RT80 turntable Great video!
I have this exact unit. I love it. I was torn between this and the LP3, but went with Fluance because I knew I would eventually want to play around with cartridges and it is so much easier to do that with a standard mount. The auto stop is good enough for me versus the LP3s full auto. Aesthetics played a small role as well. It looks AMAZING with the black acrylic mat from Hudson Hifi. Heads up, if you read the manual, Fluance recommends a full 24-hour break-in for the motor and spindle. I didn't do it because I didn't read the manual, but I am sure they print it for a reason.
“We will see you tomorrow”???!!! I thought you were only going to do videos twice a week 😂😂😂. Actually, I do miss your daily videos. Even if no one else does, I do!!!
Great Video!! I owned the RT 81 then upgraded to the RT 83...these Fluance Turntables are the real deal...For what you get for the price, it's a steal!!! The plinth is very sturdy and the sound is incredible!! Keep up the great work!! 👍
God, what a beautiful turntable. Great review, too... might end up picking one of those up for myself some day. I also love the randomness in these videos, going from that gorgeous plinth finish to "silica packet." Adds some humor to the video, which is always great
I really want this turntable cause it's got all the arm adjustments I was looking for and none of the extra stuff I don't need for someone with tons of records and only a crosley briefcase recordplayer to use with them. I love that there is a built-in preamp also cause we have a small apartment and not a lot of experience with preamps and amplifiers so this paired with some active speakers is a great starter setup with room for upgrades. Very excited to start saving up.
A local music store is now carrying Fluance RT-80 turntables (only this model by the way) and it was highly recommended. I checked your video review which confirmed his recommendation. Much appreciated!
It's nice to see products from China with decent instruction books. I remember back in the 90s buying a VCR that included a one-sheet manual with bad pictures and the only text was "We hope you have happy time with your VCR"
It is a very good turntable, & with the AT95e (now en, I think) or the blue 95c being absolutely affordable for another day, the only real reason to consider the 81 is for the option of faux, wood veneer, if such is desirable. You won't regret getting it. I'll be honest, I wasn't so "blown away " by the ortifon blue, it to me, didn't sound too very different from the at95e, & utterly paled to the Nagaoka mp110, again that was my opinion after listening to each on my TT, through my system, (was then a Pioneer sx680, rt81, & Pioneer pl518, through paradigm mk3s, & I'm a punk rock, & metal ...person, so may be worlds different for you, or whomever)
My first turn table was a crosley C6.. I gave it a good month before she started having issues. Switched over and got an RT80 and it has been amazing so far :))
I received the RT82 as a Christmas gift. This is the start of Fluance's "Reference" series. What is great about this turntable is that with a few upgrades (Ortofon Blue, and an acrylic platter) you can have a RT85.
I like your unboxing videos. Christmas morning. 5:30 AM. You sneak out of your room and look at all of the presents wrapped up in shiny paper. 6:00 AM and your Mom and Dad are still in bed. (Please, oh please get up...) Hooray! They are up! Dad has his Instamatic camera, and now the fun begins. Mom has the turkey in the oven and it smells so good. Then Grandma and Grandpa arrive. More presents and Grandma's home baked cookies! You sit down for dinner and you have to say grace. You hope you don't mess it up. In bed that night you think that the Lord has spread His grace upon you. That's why I like your unboxing videos. Stay safe, my friend.
20:15 With the stereo direct feed, one can really appreciate the broad soundstage and the music having a real presence in the room. Amazing and for a reasonable price too! :)
Thank you for providing steps on installing the dust cover. I couldn’t get it to stay for the life of me but now know it’s because I wasn’t pushing in firmly enough. Great video.
Fantastic starter unit! This is the type of equipment people should be starting their vinyl journey on. That piano gloss is AMAZING. Still wondering though, what would be better, a Fluance or U-Turn orbit?
From what I’ve seen, go with the Fluance. It may cost more, but the build quality looks better than the U-Turn. I’m a direct drive person myself, but if I were to get a belt drive TT, I’d get the Fluance with the Ortofon 2m Blue. I’d get the Blue because I’m an audiophile. You wouldn’t have to get that high of a cartridge if you didn’t want to, though.
The most important thing to me is not how a turntable looks, but how it sounds. This model is not sold directly by Amazon in the UK, but by other sellers through them. Amazon do sell the RT81 though.
Nice review. The turntable looks great and it sounds really good as well. Would be the perfect starter TT for someone just beginning in their vinyl collecting hobby. Fantastic price too.
I fully agree, most turntables below 200 bucks are more or less disposable items, while this one is a good turntable that starters can actually rely upon. The shiny piano black finish is a bit meh, but I think they also have some type of walnut veneer. But I think the RT82 that comes with the Ortofon OM10 is the best price/performance and can be upgraded with a very advanced OM30 stylus! You still have that urge to turn every video into a turntable setup tutorial, don't you? 😆
As someone who almost exclusively listens to old rare records from the 50s and 60s, often in G+ condition, it'd be nice to hear how different graded records sound on each turntable
Perfect price...and looks great...mine will get here on Tuesday...also got the rubber mat!! This will fit nicely with my Technics SL-6...old skool vs new skool!!
Yes, I tend to prefer direct-drive turntables too which is why I purchased several vintage turntables that were not only direct-drive, but were fully automatic and had Quartz lock turntable speed accuracy, repeat buttons, etc. :)
I scored a 2nd hand RT81 (unopened box, go figure) for a bargain & would recommend it for anyone. I ultimately paid the bargain [mostly ] forward, when I too fell for a DD Pioneer a vg cond Pl518, picked up for $25.oo from someone unaware of the required need of a preamp. Several years, a few upgrades, including new feet, & a finish, & still runs perfectly. Even after a moment of bad single malt logic of machine oil, "why not" (just don't) a great turntable
Fantastic looking turntable.very thorough review Recordology.im firmly in the higher end vintage portable world but I fully appreciate these turntables
Stop floating the tone arm. Just drop it on a scale and set it to the tracking force to what you want to set it for. The turn the dial to match the setting on the scale. So much easier.
I saw this brand after I bought my last TT I love the piano finish and the wood grain that they have also looks great if I had seen this before I bought the C -10 I might have considered this one maybe cause of its piano finish it looks like a well made item I love the C-10 no complaints this would of been hard to decide which one but I an glad u reviewed it gives more chance to see it . even more also miss the beard cause I started watching when u had it but since u shaved it it makes you look younger it is a good look either way JRo
That is the best preserved LP I've ever heard. Not even a minor click? Wow. With the absurd prices vinyl is not the hobby for me right now (collecting vintage CDs instead) and I'm not in the market for a turntable for just the few LPs I kept from back in the day. Doesn't look like they sell these around here either. But in other circumstances I'd consider this one entirely satisfactory.
Specs look OK, but wow and flutter of 0.2% is only just acceptable. My 40-year-old Technics SL-D3 is rated as 0.014% (yes, .014) which has been verified electronically.
Your #1 task after setting up the turntable is to get rid of that AT cartridge. There's no reason to use a conical stylus. The only reason they added that one is because it's dirt cheap and you can get started right away playing records. At least get a cart with an elliptical stylus.
The audio Technica, 3600 is a fantastic stereo cartridge… And conical styli are actually preferred in certain sonic circumstances. Especially if playing older and deteriorated records, elliptical styli can be a lot noisier.
Face it: the majority of people who buy a Fluance will not be playing such records. The cart just doesn't track well on your average stereo LP. You are not getting the best sound quality. Also, not all elliptical styli are noisy. An average Fluance user probably shouldn't get a microline, line-contact, or Shibata, but a good elliptical is a perfect balance, and you can still safely play 45s on them.@@Recordology
9:25 Fluance is a Canadian company and that RT80 turntable is made in Taiwan which is great because it's refreshing for electronics to be made in a democratic Asian country for a change instead of Communist China. So, that's an added guilt-free bonus for sure and they are gorgeous turntables with that piano gloss finish. The speakers seen in the brochure are stunning too. :)
Fluance is a brand of Circus World Displays, based in Niagara Falls. It is a sister brand to Citizen and Electrohome. The brand is best known for its line of home theatre speakers. The RT80 and 81 are basically the same machine, the main operational difference being the stylus. They are made in Taiwan by Ya Horng Electronics, who also make turntables for TEAC, Denon, and Akai.
Wondering how this stacks up against the AT-LP120XUSB? I’ve been happy with my AT for the past few months, but the Fluance looks fantastic and only $200?!
Hello , thanks for your time for this unboxing and review. I've an ATN95E separate cartridge. Can I replace this for the original RT 80 cartridge ? There aren't any more important difference between RT 80 and 81.. I guess.
Record ology I have Crosley built in aw fm stereo turner built in turntable built in cd player built in cassette player and built in two speakers my friend 😅😅😊
Will I be able to use an Ortofon Concorde with this turntable? I have a hi-fi quality Concorde cartridge that I'd like to use instead of the cartridge supplied. It fits an SME tonearm with universal fittings.
Thanks for the review. I've slways been curious about the Fluance tables. It sounds very good. The RT81 and 82 wood matches my entertainment center. In your honest opinion how would you rate this versus the Crosley C8?
Great video, I was thinking of picking one of these up. What's a good set of speakers for this turntable that has good sound without breaking the bank? Thanks
I must be doing something wrong because I have this turntable and the volume is low af and I’m not using the RC cables (don’t ask why) I’m kind of new to this kind of turntable. I don’t have speakers either.
I have never been able to figure out why it would be preferable for a turntable to be anything but automatic. I have a record where the last groove reports back "turn me over" or "play me again" on a manual turntable. Other than something unique what is the advantage of a manual or semi-automatic turntable? Thanks
That’s a very good question. My guess would be the purists might consider the added complexity or circuitry of an automatic to be detrimental to a minimalist approach to simple analog sound reproduction- but in agree with you 100%.
Double length video. Either Fluance is the brand name, or it means "Fluid Operations", such as with the tonearm. Maybe the tonearm has a cushioned system, to avoid record damage. Sort of like 👍 your car's 🚗 shocks, but against the record. Maybe "Fluance", means "Nuance", although I'd have to Google "Nuance", for the meaning. My stepmother 🚶 bought me a Popsy record player a couple 💑 of years ago, I think, for my 47th, or 48th birthday 🎂. The only thing I didn't need to hear her say, is that she paid $600.00 for it. I was going to tease her with this, but I'd forgotten to, and last September (2020) 28th, she passed away from a stroke (we think). Sounds like a nice metal record player. I even like 👍 the smoke 🚬 colored plastic lid. I think ya can play records with the lid closed. I like 👍 strobe discs. They're so therapeutic. I could stare at it all day long. Maybe staring at spinning strobe discs could help heal our bodies (like 👍 yoga), and make us live longer. Just thought of it. Your friend, Jeff.
Seeing this has reminded me; the tonearm on my daughter's Crosley Cruiser just drops down immediately, can that be fixed so it descends slowly? If so, how??
18:20 Isn't it sad that it's "refreshing" to discover a turntable where the speeds are ACCURATE? Haha! I mean, isn't that the point of a turntable that it has to play records at the correct speeds to be enjoyable? Yet, we've seen far too many Crosley, Victrola, and other record players that fail that simple test which should be the BARE MINIMUM before shipping a record player/turntable out of the factory. What's next, let's make cars that don't have reliable brakes or only 20% of them sent out the door will contain actual engines that operate properly? ;)
Very not impressive, with wow & flutter of 0,2%. My old entry level Technics, after 40 years, still reads 0,03%. Rule of thumb is that anything worse than 0,2% is audible. I heard the Fluance wowing.... You can see it as well with the Hudson strobe mat. Speed is not the issue, but you really see speed is not steady,. Weight of the record will stabilize the speed a bit, but stylustracking will worsen it. So, I am not impresed. Looks nice though....
