Fluance RT81 Turntable with AT95E Cartridge, Belt Drive, Built-in Preamp, Adjustable Counterweight - Piano White

After a long hiatus from the hobby, I decided to start collecting vinyl again. I used to have a big collection of vinyl but sold it all to help pay for my late wife's cancer treatments. Since then, I have been listening to streamed music. After discovering a treasure trove of vinyl at a local yard sale, and buying them all, I ordered a retrolife turntable here on amazon. It was pretty and had good sound, but there were a couple features on it I did not like. So I returned it and ordered this one. I feel like I made the right choice.The Fluance RT81 is a great budget priced turntable. The sound is nice and bassy, and the system is elegantly designed, solid and perfect in its simplicity. There is no bluetooth, which is fine with me. I don't see the point of listening to vinyl on bluetooth speakers. Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to transmit lossless high fidelity audio. You might as well listen to streaming mp3's if you're going to use bluetooth. But this unit does come with gold rca wires to hook the system up to your speakers. It has one single button to turn on the system and select your speed, and the turntable starts spinning as soon as you move the tonearm into position. What else do you need? Sometimes the simpler something is the better. I love it when a product just does what it's supposed to do, without a bunch of hassle and annoyance.I'm not knowledgeable enough to review the sound quality, but if you want to know my layman's opinion here it is. I think it sounds good. I think it is a little too bassy, and the separation could be a little better, and the pops when the needle hits a speck of dust is a little loud, but it is good enough for me for the moment. I may upgrade to a better needle at some point in the future, but it is good. I just turned the bass down a little on my speakers and make sure my discs are as dust-free as possible before playing an album. Strangely, the much cheaper retrolife turntable sounded better to me, but for build quality and simplicity I would still pick the Fluance.I am happy with my purchase, and I think that says it all. This is a beautiful, beautiful turntable, with a smoky gray lid and artful design and simplicity. Just turn the bass down a little and make sure your records are clean!

The Fluance RT81 is a solid piece of equipment.I started collecting vinyl in 2020 during the pandemic with the help of the Audio Technica LP60. Now, the great thing about that system was being an automatic player in a vast number of ways.A built in pre-amp, auto start and stop?? Along with easy maintenance for the needle.Beyond that? It had it’s issues. Cleaning records were a chore because you could only clean them while you listened to them, being an auto start player.The sound quality of the needle was great, but no way to adjust it. You’re stuck with the one position.It ended up scratching a few of my records and so, I finally took the plunge…I got a “higher” end vinyl LP record playerSo, now the real review. This machine is great for those hobbyists and audiophiles like myself, looking to step up their game and really hone in their sound.The player comes unassembled and so you must hook the turning belt, align the needle (with the correct track force) and anti-skip.If you are a beginner and have no idea what I’m talking about, have no fear. There are helpful tips in the manual, along with lots of reviews on YouTube to help set you up. All in all, took me about 20 minutes to get it all setup. It being my first time aligning a needle, getting the balance and track force right too. It can be a little nerve racking but I promise you, it’s worth the payoff.The sound quality you get from the AT95E cartridge is very warm. A little high in some records, bass is a little understated but with some minor adjustments, it still packs a punch for the price point.The Fluance RT81 also includes a pre-amp, so you can just use some powered speakers (ones with a knob somewhere on one of the speakers to control the volume) and you’re off to the races. You can also use a receiver and passive speakers (ones that se 16 gauge wiring) if you want to hook up more than just your record player. Like what it pictured in my photos (Yamaha R-S202).If you are looking for a stellar player for budget of 500 for speakers and a player? This is a great end all player. It can do everything you need and then some, plus save you a few dollars. You might need to replace the belt every few years or so from wear and tear, but that’s my only negative about this player.If you’re a beginner or intermediate vinyl head, disc jockey or audiophile, this is the player for you.There is also an auto-stop function. It will stop the records after about 10-18 rotations on the plate.If you do have auto-spin on, you must raise the tone arm for the plate to spin, otherwise it will sit in place. Happened to me, thought I broke it haha.Also, if you have your switch set to pre-amp or line, and the music seems a bit…quiet, switch it to the other signal, line or pre-amp. You’ll get better sound out of it.Equipment in photo:Fluance RT81 playerYamaha R-S202 receiverKlipsch RP-150M Bookshelf speakersAudio Technica ATH-M50X headphonesGreenlit Acrylic Turntable Mat, 12”Novogratz Regal Turntable End Table, Olive Green

Upgraded my suitcase record player to this one ! Literally Night and day difference And it’s gorgeous . Easy to set up only took about 10-15 minutes. Sounds amazing and does not skip or skate on record . Also really reasonable price for a beautiful well built record player . I don’t think I’ll be upgrading from here