Fluance RT85N Reference Turntable - budget, or not ?

@blackbag20 - the following might be considered heresy on this forum...

Dipping your toe into the vinyl pool can end up being an expensive proposition - I know, I’ve spent over 20 years tweaking.

It all started back in 1981 when I bought my first TT - a Rega Planar II

I dabbled with 2 channel audio, multi channel audio an then back to 2 channel and then vinyl

So I started tweaking my old 1981 turntable about 20 years ago

• It started with trying various mats (waste of money)
• I tried various isolation methods/feet/shelves and "sand trays" (very small benefits achieved)
• I replaced the arm wiring with a one piece harness (a good upgrade)
• I upgraded my phono stage three times
  • start out buying a good one like those from Simmaudio Moon - well worth it
• I upgraded to a moving coil cartridge - Denon DL103
• I tweaked that cartridge with the addition of a brass plate
• I replaced the tonearm counterweight with one that had a lower center of gravity
• I purchased an ACRYLIC platter to replace the original glass platter (a fantastic upgrade)
• I replaced the plastic sub-platter with an all metal one - another nice upgrade
• I then replaced the entire arm with an Audiomods Series III arm with a one piece harness (a fantastic upgrade)
• I upgraded the Denon cartridge to a Soundsmith version (a fantastic upgrade)
• I built a much heavier plinth (a fantastic upgrade)
• I had bronze cone feet made for the new plinth - great upgrade
• and purchased a new stand with better support - it worked very well
• and implemented the "Tile Sandwich" approach mentioned above
• along with all of this were various cables & plugs upgrades as well

At the end of the day I had a vinyl rig that performed extremely well - but so did my digital components

Digital music has come a long way from the gear available back in the 80’s and the allure of vinyl is still intriguing to many.

But I must admit, after converting one of my more characterful vinyl albums to digital...

• on side by side playback comparison, I could no longer tell the difference between the digital or the vinyl tracks.
• Not only me, but also for a few of my friends.

The biggest improvement to my systems has been with cables and responsible for achieving an extremely detailed reproduction. Take a look at the cables links in previous posts

• HELIX DIY Interconects
• HELIX DIY Power Cables

So, this response is simply to make you aware that - pursuing the vinyl "Rabbit Hole" can drag you into a very complicated and expensive area of this hobby

For other readers - Don’t get me wrong - I do love my vinyl, but knowing what I know now - I could have saved a lot of time and money - but the experience was very educational

And please remember - this is just my opinion based on my ears

So, go ahead, dip your toe into the vinyl pool, but beware of the aligators :-)

Regards Steve

I post on Reddit r/turntables, and the Fluance line is extremely popular on that site. The Orbit Theory does look to be a strong contender in the next level up category, but so are the AT-LP8 and Technics SL100C. The middle ground between them is occupied by the TEAC TN4-D and the Pro-Ject EVO2. I have come to prefer removable universal headshell type arms, so the Pioneer PSLX1000 is in there too, if you don’t mind the DJ style. 

Steve,

Great discussion ... all digital now; thinking of entering the analog world.  Learned a lot!

Thanks!!

@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 first sits on some small felt furniture feet from the dollar store and sits on the supporting cabinet or shelf
• Then I place a layer of drawer liner (from the dollar store)on top of that
• And then place the second tile on that an the TT then sits on top
• This "sandwiched" approach using materials of different densities is used in many high end vibration prevention devices costing $$$

The Fluance also has very basic suspension feet which helps.

Regards, steve

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 re: they are made in Taiwan

Yes, they are, but they are designed and engineered in Canada 👍

The build quality is excellent...

• The cartridge did make some strange intermittent crackling sounds, but that stopped after a couple of hours
• Other than that it is sounding very good now.

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

The Fluency turntables are actually made in Taiwan.

Being in Canada, I can completely understand you not buying American.

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 U-Turn's are made in Massachusetts. I’ve been looking hard at the Orbit Theory with an Ortofon Bronze.

Whilst there are some nice TT’s mentioned here, it’s worth pointing out that the Fluance line starts asround $200 US.

And the entry models come with the phono stage built in. Also it’s not a bad phono stage either

Something to consider for someone wanting to dip their toes in the vinyl pond

Regards Steve

I will also agree that the Pioneer PLX 1000 is a very solid 28lbs deck under $1k. While my sister was in the process of moving I had the unit for about 6 weeks. The cartridge was an Ortofon 2M Blue which has a very balanced but tight midrange focused sound. IMO the PLX 1000 deserves a better cartridge(2M Black) with bass/treble extension which could open up and increase the soundstage width and depth. The only other budget table that is a complete improvement(I have heard) over the Pioneer is the Clearaudio Concept. 

When I wanted to add a new turntable to my collection of a dozen I bought the Pioneer PLX1000 for $699. Excellent quality equal to the twice-as-expensive Technics 1200 - which I already have. I mounted a Denon 103R on it. So that is my recommendation for an excellent TT under a grand.