I have a bit of a confession to make.
Then Fluance sent over theRT85, the $500 flagship of its new Reference turntable family.
I think I get it now.
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That means you could upgrade the RT82 to the RT85 down the road by swapping those two components.
At the more affordable end, the RT82 and RT83 use an aluminum platter, with a rubber mat.
The more immediate difference is in the cartridges.
I went for the wood, and its gorgeous especially with the acrylic platter in a slightly anachronistic way.
Below the plinth, youll find three adjustable, pointy feet.
Its certainly a lot easier than leveling your media console.
The servo monitors the motors speed and makes adjustments to maintain a consistent 33 or 45 RPM.
With the acrylic platter, Fluance claims a variation of just 0.10% which is excellent for the price.
Despite the entry-level price, the Reference series isnt one of those increasingly popular do-it-all turntables.
You wont find fancy features like Bluetooth or USB here.
Theres also a bit of prep before you’re free to begin playing music.
Unlike the RT80 and RT81 and like most high-end turntables the Reference tables dont come with one built in.
But vinylsexperientialadvantage the way it forces you to pay attention to your music is well-documented too.
You sit at your couch, listening attentively, or perhaps you do some work around the house.
Compare that ritual to simply opening up Spotify, playing your weekly mix, and leaving it at that.
Its more convenient of course, but it certainly doesnt encourage you to listen in any meaningful way.
At this, the RT85 passed with flying colors.
I was particularly impressed by the soundstage when comparing some records to their digital equivalents.
With some of my Beatles records, it varied per track.
Some of them sounded better on the vinyl, others I preferred on digital.
The same was true of most music I listened to on the RT85.
Digital is superior for everyday listening, but vinyl is allowing me to rediscover some of my favorite tracks.
Thats worth the hassle.
If anything, the opposite is true.
With any audio purchase, I always recommend you try before you buy and make comparisons where possible.
But given Fluances mostly-online presence, thatd be difficult.
Its a good thing, then, that the RT85 sounds so good to this vinyl noob.
Its fairly-priced too, considering the Ortofon 2M Blue goes for $236 on its own.
I just wish Fluance sold a cartridge-less option for people to mix and match.
But Icansay that the RT85 sounds good enough that I dont feel like Im missing out versus digital.
