Fluance - RT81 Elite High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

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 preampTechnolink 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.

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.