Review Details

RT83 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on June 4, 2020):

Very happy with this purchase. Had long planned on a Pro-Ject Debut or entry level Rega and didn't know much about Fluance as a brand. I currently own a Thorens TD-185 from around 2003 - which is also a decent turntable. Upon opening the RT83 I found the plinth (base) significantly heavier than my Thorens - awesome! Assembly by instructions was easy for me (15 min) but may be harder for those not accustomed to working on gear. Comes with gloves so you dont muck anything up! All parts and connections felt secure and high-quality. The first plays were also impressive. Ortofon red is slightly crisper than the older 10m on my other TT and continues to provide enough detail to satisfy my modest audiophile needs. The auto-stop is a GREAT feature for a non-automatic TT and to my knowledge not very common among other products at similar price. All in all, I saved $50 compared to the Pro-Ject and feel I got a very slightly better TT (mainly due to auto-stop). I've only done about 30 hours listening in just over a week and will update if issues arise.For newbs, note the RT83 has no internal preamp so you need a receiver with one (phono input). Also, auto-stop works 98% of the time but not 100% because all records don't have the same runout grooves. It's not a flaw, just common sense.