I bought this to replace an Audio Technica LP-120X USB. That turntable was upgraded with an acrylic platter mat instead of the rubber that came with it. I had also replaced the cartridge with an AT VM540ML/H. This is a definite upgrade from the cartridge that came on that turntable. Because I have that cartridge, I decided to buy the RT85 with the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge. I think the Nagaoka MP-110 is probably similar to the VM540.The RT85 came quickly and surprisingly was only single boxed. But the contents were very well protected inside. Setup was like most other turntables. This table is smaller than the AT it is replacing but the bamboo veneer gives it a much better appearance. The acrylic platter gets a 10 vs the aluminum platter on the AT. The tonearm, headshell and cueing lever are similar to the AT. However, the tonearm weight has a scale that is almost impossible to read without the assistance of a bright light and maybe even some magnification. The anti skate dial is only slightly easier to read. The AT is much easier to read. Fluance, this needs to be improved. Maybe my eyes failed me when setting the tracking force, but it was off by about 0.2 when I checked it with my scale which was calibrated (1.6g vs 1.8g). Also, I've seen some reviews where people said the speed knob was cheap. It feels fine to me. I do like the on/off knob and start button feature on my AT LP-120 better. But the Fluance is still good. Also, the AT turntable it is replacing has an indentation for storing the 45rpm adapter and place that actually holds a second cartridge. I don't have any 45s, so that doesn't really matter to me, but the cartridge holder is a nice feature on my other turntable.Once it was setup, I grabbed a Pink Floyd album (what else). I played Shine On You Crazy Diamond. It sounded really good and I have to say, I think there may be a little more bass coming from this cartridge setup vs the AT VM540. But I'll need to do some A/B comparisons. Also, a light finger tap on the right side of this turntable is quieter that when tapping the plastic right side of the AT. The same is true when tapping the top of the plinth and much quieter when tapping the left side. Also, the cueing lever is damped much better than the AT. It will just dump the arm onto the record and this one is nice and slow. For reference, the speakers are Q Acoustics 3050 towers and the power comes from a 1990 Denon DRA 1025 (125wpc) which I bought new for $999. I also have a set of Wharfedale Lintons coming later this week and I'm looking so forward to getting them going.So, this is a $500 turntable out of the box. My AT LP-120X with the upgrades (acrylic mat and AT VM540 cartridge/headshell) is now at $650 or maybe more. I can easily change over to the AT VM540 if I want and I don't know of any upgrades I could make to this table. So, it is a better buy. The veneered MDF is prettier and quieter than the black plastic AT LP-120X. The professional reviewers all over the internet and YouTube are correct about this table. I also considered a couple of Dual turntables, Thorens and even a Technics ranging from $599 up to about $1,100. I'm sure the Technics is probably a much better table than this RT85 but Dual is just not the same company it was in the 70s and early 80s. They are no longer made in Germany. I have about 120 vinyl records, maybe a few more and have about 500 CDs. So, I decided that the RT85 is right where I need to be.

International order (Australia) was shipped promptly and arrive in perfect condition. Good packaging. Fast Service. The turntable is everything I wanted. Impossible to buy within Australia, but the shipping was no problem.

I bought this player to upgrade from a PS-LX310BT. The difference was fantastic and I love this player. It looks and feels premium, and the Ortofon 2M Blue gives a clear and well presented sound. Couldn't be happier and if you're looking to dip into the 'audiophile' world, then I really recommend this player.

Schöner Plattenspieler mit Ortofon 2M Blue. Versand erfolgte aus England innerhalb von 5 Tagen via Prime. Die Verzollung übernahm Amazon.Die drei Füße sind gedämpft und laufen spitz zu um Resonanzen zu vermeiden. Die Ausrichtung ist mit der mitgelieferten Libelle/Wasserwaage einfach, da nur drei Füße. Das Gesamtgewicht beträgt knapp 8 kg.Der Motor läuft für mich unhörbar und treibt den äußeren Riemen an. Die Geschwindigkeit wird mittels Schalter eingestellt. Eine Elektronik überwacht die konstante Geschwindigkeit (angeblich 500x in der Sekunde). Der Tonarm ist aus Alu. Der Plattenteller aus durchsichtigem Acryl und wiegt alleine über 1 kg. Die Haube ist leicht schwarz getönt. Der Schalter für die Geschwindigkeit ist aus schwarz eloxiertem gebürstem Metall. Ebenso auch die Abdeckung für den Motor. Das Antriebsrad ist ebenfalls aus gebürstetem Metall. Sehr chick: Im Außenring des Drehknopfs ist eine kleine weiße LED enthalten, die zeigt, dass der Plattenspieler angeschaltet ist. Es liegen sogar ein hochwertiges Audiokabel, ein Erdungskabel, eine Wasserwaage und weiße Handschuhe bei. Der Tonabnehmer ist vorausgerichtet. In der (englischen) Anleitung steht der notwendige Anpressdruck und das Anti-Skating und ist auch für Einsteiger erklärt, wie man den Tonarm einstellt. Mitgliefert wird ein Netzteil mit UK-Netzstecker. Alternativ zu einem UK-Adapter kann man auch anderweitiges Netzteil mit 12V und 0,5A (6W) und innen plus/außen minus verwenden, wie es beispielsweise hier angeboten wird: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01M1DR19X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1Klanglich gefällt mir der Plattenspieler im Zusammenhang mit einem Marantz PM8005 (eingebauter MM-Vorverstärker) und B&W CM9. Ein Vorverstärker ist im Plattenspieler nicht eingebaut.Bzgl. des Auto-Stops: Es dauert eine Weile in der Auslaufrille, bis der Plattenteller tatsächlich stehen bleibt. Der Tonarm wird jedoch nicht angehoben. Beim Zurückschwenken dreht der Plattenteller wieder an. Bei angeschaltetem Auto-Stop springt zusätzlich der Motor erst an, wenn man den Tonarm aus der Halterung bewegt. Wenn der Auto-Stop-Schalter ausgeschaltet ist, startet der Motor direkt nach dem Drehen des Schalters auf 33 bzw. 45, unabhängig vom Tonarm.Ich habe Walnuss bestellt, auf dem Karton steht Walnuss aber drinnen war Bambus (siehe Foto), was (derzeit) so bei Amazon garnicht angeboten wird. Jetzt muss ich mir noch überlegen, ob ich damit leben kann oder nicht... das Bambus ist matt lackiert während Walnuss glänzend lackiert ist. Ich bin kein Bambus Fan, aber da der Tonarm komplett in (matt) schwarz gehalten ist bildet es einen guten Kontrast zur hellen Chassis. Das matte Holz passt auch gut zum Acryl-Teller.Ein Umtausch könnte ohne Rücksendungskosten vollzogen werden. Auch hierfür 5 Sterne für Amazon!

So....decided it was time to get my vinyl up and running. Had a Denon dp300 table + Onkyo nr777 receiver + Polk 65t towers. I just wasn't getting the sound I felt like I was expecting so, the chase began. Started with an Ortofon 2m blue cartridge....sounded pretty good but....then bought a Project S2 pre thinking the pre on the Denon probably wasn't that great still.....meh. I even bought directional RCA cables the were...mid high end. Had begun to look at new speakers. The Polks were very highly regarded when I bought them but felt like maybe something better. In the meantime, I bought a handful of remastered old favorite LPs and one evening I noticed that the needle on the Denon table was running across the label before returning. My wife and I had moved a couple years ago and the Denon did not have an arm lock. I took the cartridge head off before moving but, I started to wonder if the tonearm hadn't taken a beating during the move. so....started looking at tables....Project, Music hall etc....etc....One evening I stumbled across the RT85 so I began to look into it. I liked the autostop feature for obvious reasons. The more reviews I read, the more I felt like I could take the chance on a,unknown to me company. Besides, they threw in a Ortofon 2m blue with it.....($300) cartidge. The unit arrived well packed. I am in my sixties so am very experienced on putting together and setting up turntables. Setting this thing up was a breeze...not sure why some folks have such a hard time. (I did need to align the cartridge a little bit but, the instructions come with a protractor so...no issue).Once I got it all leveled and hooked up, I pulled out the remastered Steely Dan "Aja". More stereo systems were sold in the 70s by demoing Aja than any other....blah blah blah. Anyway....as soon as I dropped the needle, there was the sound I was looking for. Clear separation.....full eq with punchy low end without being rumbly (have a sub for that)...midrange was right their. No need for new speakers....the Polks were as advertised. Was glad I bought the Project preamp. Everything these days needs to be "broken in". Ortofon says 40 hours plus on the blue needle....hell, the RCA cables recommended 100+ hours....sounded stellar first time so I expect my set up will just keep getting better.Bottom line....buy this table. For about $500 bucks you get a quality belt drive, auto shutoff (lots of music puts me to sleep), a nice acrylic platter and maybe the best, somewhat, lower priced end cartridge in the biz all wrapped in a gorgeous package. The sound quality is amazing. I am an ardent reader or Sound and Vision as well as Stereophile and guarantee you won't find a better quality turntable, with the features, anywhere close to this price.

For Christmas, I got the Fluance RT80. I had about 4 or 5 U2 records on vinyl that I had bought over the years, just because I love the band and loved having the physical object with the big 12" covers and inserts and the cool looking albums.Fast forward several months, and I had fallen deep in love with vinyl. I had expanded my U2 collection to all the major albums, most of the Record Store Day singles, and a fair bit of other bands and artists in my eclectic taste like Gorillaz, Bjork, Beatles, Rush, Tame Impala, REM, Huey Lewis, Inhaler, and more... I upgraded my speakers to Paradigm bookshelves, a higher end Yamaha Amp and a good pre-amp, and I was loving it, really enjoying the music but I just needed some more from my RT80's. Just some more punch, high-ends and mids. I loved the sound stage I was getting and other aspects, I just needed more. Digital music from Tidal and even Apple Music was sounding better to my ears.I looked into upgrading my stylus on the RT80 from the Audio-Technica ATN91 Conical Stylus to the Audio-Technica AT95E Elliptical (Eliptical stylus' can get in the groves a little deeper). I was also having a problem levelling my turntable on the surface I needed to use without using annoying shims. Also wasn't sure the AT95E was going to be enough.I decided to sell my RT80 and order the RT85 which I got setup to my system a few days ago.All I'll say is WOW. I know my setup isn't super high end audiophile equipment. There's a world of McIntosh receivers and pre-amps and speakers that go $10,000 and up and it's a world I'll probably never afford... but ****** do I love the sound of this setup! I couldn't stop listening to all my albums. It was the sound I was looking for.I once heard advice that you have an awesome system if you can get emotional about the music you're hearing, and I absolutely love my setup. There's probably still I could get more out of it if I had a better listening room design, which I hope to setup sometime in the future when moving. But for now, I love my setup and this turntable / Ortofon 2m Blue cartridge. The sound stage is bigger... and my ears just hear a lot more of the music and the brighter highs and mids my ears were yearning for. It's a great overall sound now, not to strong in any area and not weak in any area for me... Just a full, clear, punchy but not tiring sound.The thing looks and sounds so good. Love the 3 point levelling feet (Have it perfectly level now), love the motor that keeps accurate time while. super quiet, love the acrylic platter, love it all. The acrylic platter looks so cool, especially at night with a light close by it... it looks like it glows. Coloured records spill their colour into it. Not that looks are the main thing, but I love records for the tactileness of it, the album covers and artwork, and I love it that I love the looks of this turntable. I have zero complaints from it and I highly recommend.I'm listening to albums every evening whether listening intently or playing some tunes in the background while I do dishes. Make me relaxed and ready for the next day and is great for Saturdays and some relaxing with friends and a drink or your buddies who love listening music.

I’ve had a Rega P1 for a while (connected to a vintage NAD 3020i amp) and even though it was a terrific starting point to get back into high quality vinyl playback, I soon had an itch to move up the audio ladder so it was off to the Interweb and YouTube.After many, many hours of research, I decided that the Fluance RT85 would be the next logical move. Tons of good reviews from consumers and experts alike plus everyone mentioned the “bang for your buck” it offered.Fluance’s Reference Series starts with the RT82 to their current flagship RT85. Each model has the same plinth and tonearm but upgrades the cartridge and / or the platter as you move up the chain. This means that you can purchase the basic model and have an upgrade path to the RT85. It’s comforting to know you can start with the model to suit your budget and move on when and if you feel the need to do so.I was initially thinking of buying the RT84 which is the same as the RT85 but with an aluminium platter as opposed to the acrylic but as there was only a £50 difference and I noticed the upgraded platter would be more than that alone, I decided to treat myself. For all models, buying the next one up is cheaper than upgrading later.Components:The RT85 has the aforementioned acrylic platter - weighing in at 3lbs - which, by all accounts, is something you’d find on turntables way more costly than this and because of the material it’s made from there’s no need for a mat - you simply place your record directly on it.Very noteworthy is that the RT85 (and RT84 for that matter) has the highly rated Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge and stylus included. Check to see how much that is and you’ll see what incredible value this package is. The cartridge is pre-attached and aligned to a headshell which slips on to the S-shaped tonearm. Also included are a set of good quality RCA leads, a grounding cable, a power supply (d’uh, obviously) and even a small bubblr level for ensuring any adjustments you make are spot on. The plinth is a heavyweight MDF and the smoked dust cover has a nice feel to it. Oh, they’ve even thrown in some cotton gloves so you don’t get any skin oil on the belt when you attach to the motor. Finally, the speed is selectable on the on/ off control knob without the need to lift off the platter and move the belt manually (hallelujah!).Setup:The manual clearly guides you step-by-step so it’s a breeze and even I managed it in about 15 minutes. Pop on the platter and pull the belt that’s already round it to the pulley; screw in the head shell to the tone arm; attach the counter-weight and turn until the arm floats horizontally. You then turn the weight dial to correspond to the recommended setting for your stylus (1.8gm for the 2M Blue) and turn the anti-skating wheel to be the same. It’s worth saying that once I’d done that, I thought I’d check it with a stylus scale - to my absolute surprise, the scale showed exactly 1.8gm! Finally, you connect the RCA leads, the grounding cable and the power supply. Done!Operation:Switch the on/off knob to 33 or 45, move the tonearm towards the platter and it will start to spin. There’s an auto stop feature which is on by default but you can turn it off (slide switch on the back) if you don’t want it. The platter will continue to spin for about 20 seconds or so once it reaches the run out groove - ideal if you want to hear the lock groove sound on Sgt. Pepper’s but just not forever. I like the feature as occasionally I’ve fallen asleep and the stylus is being worn down playing nothing. The cueing lever drops the tonearm very gently on to your disc but, and this is the only negative I’ve found, the lever does feel a bit plasticky and cheap. A pity since the rest of the unit is so well built and high quality. No matter, it’s only a cueing lever.Sound Quality:Okay, this all means nothing if it sounds dreadful. Now bear in mind that I’ve only had this for a day and the stylus would take circa 50 hours to run in so this is just an initial impression. In a word, wow! It sounds fantastic and will only get better. The soundstage is wide, deep and rich (albeit a little brighter than the Rega). The Ortofon Blue is revealing detail in records that I’ve not heard before and I can’t wait to listen to my collection all over again.Looks:Bloody gorgeous in my opinion. I went for the walnut veneer and combined with the acrylic platter it‘s stunning. Have a look at my photos if you need proof.Conclusion:I can’t believe what Fluance have produced for the price they’re asking. You may not know the name but, believe me, they will become more popular as the word spreads on how good their turntables are.Highly recommended.If you found this review helpful, please click the button. Cheers!