Fluance RT81 Review

Brady Meyers Avatar

Written by:

Updated 11:24 pm

Expert Rating

95

You just inherited a collection of vinyl records or maybe you’ve been collecting them over time. You could buy a cheap record player, but that won’t do the high-quality vinyl records justice. With high fidelity music, you need a high fidelity turntable. The best record players turntables, and some of the best quality, are the Fluance RT81 Turntables.

Why We Like It – Fluance RT81

With a diamond elliptical stylus, belt drive turntable, and Texas Instruments preamp—everything about this record player was built with quality in mind, and well-worth the money.

Pros
  • High fidelity sound quality
  • Smooth, solid wooden finish looks so good
  • Excellent option for audiophiles
Cons
  • A bit expensive

Performance

The secret to Fluance RT81’s performance is the high-performing cartridge. The Audio Technica AT95E cartridge is a diamond elliptical stylus, which exerts 2.0 grams of tracking force. With noise and distortion greatly reduced, all you hear is the high definition sound quality. It also helps that its peramp is manufactured by Texas Instruments, with a ground terminal and gold-plated RCA. This means plugging a pair of speakers in ensures the high quality sound production isn’t lost. A record player like the Crosley CR704D-PA doesn’t hold a candle. If you would like to convert your vinyl records to digital files, check out our Audio technica at lp60 review.

Design

What we loved the most about the Fluance RT81 High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable is its smooth, solid wood finish. It looks great as a centerpiece to an audio entertainment center. It’s simple, yet elegant—like the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB-BK, but with a more beautiful look. To keep the record player free of dust, it comes with a dust cover on a hinge and a slip mat, which covers its aluminum platter. There’s an RCA output in the back, including a pre amp switch for phono and line switch, and auto stop switch. In case you prefer a modern record player that is packaged in a retro look, you will love the Wockoder record player review.

Value

With our Fluance RT81 Hi Fi Turntable review coming to a close, let’s talk value. There’s several turntables that are much cheaper than the Fluance RT81, but at the cost of quality. Everything about the RT81—from design to performance—was done with quality in mind. That much is clear. It might be $250, but in our opinion, it’s one of the best options as an entry level vinyl record player. If budget is a concern, the Victrola VTA-600B-ESP is a good alternative, but review Fluance RT81 yourself at a music store, if you can, and you’ll hear why it’s so good.

Fluance RT81 Wrap Up

If you have your $250 ticket, you can be an owner of the Fluance RT81. That’s a decent amount of money, so only audiophiles will be interested. For vinyl records, you need the best, after all. It’s walnut finish looks so good on your entertainment center, and its high fidelity sound quality matches to perfection.

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