Article Contents
The RT85N from the Canadian audio company Fluance is the latest “variation on a theme” that all turntable brands do. It’s a nice-looking record player that comes with a very good Nagaoka disc already installed. It’s easy to set up and has some nice features like starting and stopping on its own and changing speeds automatically. So far, so good. But the Fluance RT8N faces a lot of competition, and it doesn’t sound good enough to beat other record players.
The turntable does a good job with soundstaging and dynamics, but the low notes stand out too much. “Bass” is the most important part of the Fluance’s sound, and this makes it less good at getting details and being organized all around. It turns out that too much of a good thing is bad, and there are a lot of record players in the same price range that are more even, better balanced, and, in the end, more believable than the RT85N.
Fluance RT85N Specifictions
| Specification | Fluance RT85N |
|---|---|
| Turntable Type | Belt-driven |
| Motor | Isolated DC motor |
| Cartridge Type | Audio-Technica AT-95E |
| Platter | Aluminum with rubber mat |
| Speeds | 33 1/3 RPM, 45 RPM |
| Wow and Flutter | Less than 0.2% |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 68 dB |
| Phono Preamp | No built-in preamp |
Design and Build
When you take the Fluance RT85N out of the box, the 17.7-pound weight is the first thing you notice. This isn’t a cheap piece of plastic, and compared to similar turntables like the 12.5-pound U-Turn Orbit and even the 9.25-pound Rega Planar 1, the RT85N is heavy and stable. Its weight comes from what Fluance calls a “solid wood” plinth, but it’s also called “MDF” (medium-density fiberboard) on its own website.
We’ve asked Fluance to explain, and we’ll let you know when we hear back. Either way, it’s big and solid, and it comes with either a glossy Natural Walnut veneer or, like our review unit, a glossy Piano Black outer shell. There are three rubber feet on the bottom of the table. But instead of the usual flat, puck-shaped feet, the Fluance has spiked feet to limit surface contact and reduce noises that the cartridge and tonearm might pick up. You can buy this Fluance RT85N from its official website
Audio Performance
Now comes the important part: how does it sound? When I ran the RT85N through my old Marantz 2230 stereo player and a pair of simple Wharfedale Diamond 225 bookshelf speakers, I was surprised by how clear and full the sound was.
The sound is well-balanced, with the lows, mids, and highs all in their own lanes. This is mostly due to the great Nagaoka MP-110 Moving Magnet (MM) cartridge.
Price and availability
The Fluance RT85N is now on sale in the US for $499. At the time of this writing, the company’s website gives a UK price of £441.09, which shows that the company pays close attention to exchange rates. Using the same method, we can then say that the price in Australia is about AU$700.
At this price, some of the really big names in the turntable business have a strong presence. The price of the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo and the price of the Rega Planar 2 are the same. Neither of these options is as well-defined as the Fluance RT85N, but they both have the reputation of being made by well-known companies.
Final Words
There is no way to get past the undeniable reality that you can purchase a turntable of significantly higher quality for not that much more money. Even if it might not have a dust cover, an automatic speed changing feature, or a start/stop button, the quality of the sound will be significantly improved. This is, in the end, the essential question that must be answered.
Fluance RT85N review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Thoughtful specification
- Simple to set up
The Bad
- Serious competition
FAQS
The Fluance RT81 is an entry-level turntable that is of high quality and sounds great right out of the box. It’s a great deal because you can upgrade its cartridge and pre-amp to better ones in the future.
Fluance turntables don’t have speakers built in like all-in-one record players, so you’ll need a separate set of speakers. This is a benefit because it lets you create the sound you want and build a system that fits your needs. This will give you better sound quality than a system with speakers already built in.