RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable
Record Player with Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge, Acrylic Platter, Speed Control Motor, Solid Wood Plinth, Vibration Isolation Feet
RT85 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable
PURE ANALOG PERFORMANCE
The definitive vinyl record listening experience for beautifully warm and natural music, transporting you into the center of the performance
EXCEPTIONAL MUSICAL ACCURACY
Immerse yourself in the detailed high resolution sound of the Ortofon 2M Blue elliptical cartridge delivering improved linearity, higher channel separation and reduced distortion
HIGH DENSITY ACRYLIC PLATTER
The greater mass of the acrylic platter damps unwanted vibrations resulting in a more 3-dimentional sound with tighter bass, a fuller midrange, and overall improved clarity
SPEED CONTROL FOR PRECISION PLAYBACK
The isolated motor prevents unwanted vibrations and noise while the speed control mechanism ensures consistent platter velocity (0.07% Wow/Flutter)
SOLID WOOD PLINTH
Revel in the gorgeous solid wood cabinet and adjustable resonance damping feet, ensuring superior isolation from unwanted micro-vibrations (Note: phono preamp not included)
Overview
UNPARALLELED VINYL MUSIC PLAYBACK
Specifications
| Cabinet Specifications | ▼ |
|---|---|
| Cabinet Material | MDF |
| Finish | Matte Bamboo Real Wood Veneer |
| Dust Cover | Yes - Tinted |
| Turntable Specifications | ▼ |
| Drive System | Belt Drive |
| Motor | DC Motor with Servo Controller Analyzes motor speed 500 times/sec |
| Motor Isolation | Under-mounted 7-point silicone isolation with decoupling isolation ring |
| Speed | 33 1/3 RPM, 45 RPM (78 RPM - No) |
| Speed Variation | 0.10% |
| Wow and Flutter | 0.07% |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Weighted) | 76 dB |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio (Unweighted) | 65 dB |
| Platter | Acrylic |
| Diameter of Platter | 12 inches (30 cm) |
| Weight of Platter | 3 lbs (1.5 kg) |
| Height of Platter | 0.62 inches (16 mm) |
| Auto-Stop | Yes |
| Turntable Mat | Not Required |
| Tonearm Specifications | ▼ |
| Tonearm Type | Static Balanced, S-Type |
| Supported Cartridge Weight | 0.18 – 0.25 oz (5.0 – 7.5 g) |
| Counterweight | Yes – 3.60 oz (102 g) - Adjustable |
| Anti-skating Adjustment | Yes – Adjustable |
| Pivot Bearing | Yes |
| Cueing Lever | Yes |
| Tonearm Material | Aluminum |
| Tonearm Wire | 36 AWG Litz Cable / 7 Strand |
| Effective Tonearm Mass | 0.97 oz (27.5 g) |
| Overhang | 0.76 inches (19.2 mm) |
| Effective Tonearm Length | 8.82 inches (224 mm) |
| Headshell Mount | H-4 Bayonet Mount |
| Cartridge Specifications | ▼ |
| Cartridge Type | Moving Magnet (MM) |
| Cartridge Model | Ortofon: 2M Blue |
| Replacement Stylus | 2M Blue |
| Stylus | 0.3 x 0.7 mil |
| Cantilever | Aluminum |
| Mount | Half-inch |
| Frequency Response | 20 - 20,000 Hz (+2/-1 dB) |
| Frequency Range | 20 - 25,000 Hz (-3 dB) |
| Channel Separation | 25 dB at 1 kHz |
| Channel Balance | < 1.5 dB @ 1 kHz |
| Load Impedance/Capacitance | 47k Ohms/150 - 300 pF |
| Output Voltage | 5.5 mV |
| Cartridge Weight | 0.25 oz (7.2g) |
| Headshell Weight | 0.35 oz (9g) |
| Cartridge Height | 0.71 inches (18 mm) |
| Recommended Tracking Force | 0.06 - 0.07 oz (1.6 - 2.0 g) |
| Vertical Tracking Angle | 20° |
| Rubber Belt Specifications | ▼ |
| Rubber Belt Design | Continuous loop (joint-less) |
| Width | 0.17 inches (4.5 mm) |
| Length | 36.02 inches (915 mm) |
| Thickness | 0.02 inches (0.6 mm) |
| Output Specifications | ▼ |
| Connector | RCA (Gold-plated) |
| Preamp | No - Separate Phono Preamp Required |
| Phono Output | 5.5 mV |
| Ground Terminal | Yes |
| Power Specification | ▼ |
| Input | 100 – 240 V AC (50/60 Hz) |
| Output | 12 V / 500 mA |
| Consumption | 1.5 W |
| General Specifications | ▼ |
| Dimensions | 5.5 x 16.5 x 13.75 inches / 14.0 x 41.9 x 34.9 cm (HxWxD) |
| Unit Weight | 16.76 lb (7.6 kg) |
| Operating Temperature | 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C) |
| Wireless Playback | No (Requires Bluetooth or WiFi transmitter connected via RCA connection to transmit audio wirelessly) |
| Fluance Speaker Size Comparison Chart | |
| UPC | 061783273517 |
| What's Included | RT85 Reference Turntable Line OutClick to Expand |
Press
Ty Pendlebury of CNET Reviews the RT82
The Fluance RT82 "is the best overall turntable under $300... offers everything you could want"
Read Full Review
Vinyl Rewind Reviews the RT85
"I give this my highest rating of 5 pompadours out of 5"
Joe N Tell Reviews the RT82
Follow along as Joe Mariano unboxes and sets up his new RT82
Customer Reviews
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Simply an outstanding value. If you want a first class ticket to vinyl that will not break the bank. Excellent build quality and a great stylus pairing. This can be your first and last turntable. But the RT85 you will not be disappointed.
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The RT85 is a great value for the money, highly recommended. I’ve had it for about 17 months and couldn’t be happier with its performance.
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Great value for the money. Packaged well and easy setup. Sounds beautiful.
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Huge upgrade from my first record player, $100 pioneer.
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Purchased RT 85…. Build quality is outstanding, and sound is crisp! Listening to CSNY LIVE Album brings out the clarity very well.
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Just set my RT85 up last night and was blown away by the detail from my 35 year old vinyl. And this coming from a 1990s receiver phono preamp.
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Kudos to DAWN in Sales Dept as she was excellent to deal with in regards to my purchase. As for the turntable, it speaks for itself or should I say 'sings' for itself. Incredible turntable !!!
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I give it a 5 star, but I had the patience to see it through. I would say the time the blue ortofon takes to warm up is much greater than advertised. Being sure to have no static & clean records helps a lot. This is a good upgrade turntable, but take the time to get the tone arm balanced correctly, and have patience. Once my needle was warmed up (closer to 80 hours) it sounded great. Now I absolutely love it. The depth of the sound stage is stunning. I paired it with iFi phono pre-amp and am very very happy! I got the bamboo and just love the simple elegance of the look. I can never go back.
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We purchased the RT8 months ago and have found it to be everything we wanted in a turntable. We liked it so much we have made this second purchase for our son.
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Excellent sound and very enjoyable sound experience l
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Probably the best value turntable on the market. I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger on this turntable and after taking into consideration all the feedback went ahead and ordered the walnut finish of the RT85. After a few days use I can say this is well worth the money spent. The turntable looks great and sounds very dynamic. I love that they even give you the small bubble to make sure the turntable stays level. It’s the little things that make all the difference. My only gripe is the turntable lever feels very basic and does not suit the rest of the turntable which looks classy and sounds so sweet. However that still does not stop me from giving it all 5 stars. You will have to spend a lot more to get all the features of the RT85 in another turntable.
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My vinyl collection came out of retirement and never sounded better!
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Had this turntable for many months now and it has been great the sound is amazing.I don't have the best stereo but hooked up to my Kenwood ka-88 and vintage series II Bose speakers. Compard to my old technics turntable night and day. I would buy this turntable again In a heartbeat.
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Great sound and quality, Very happy with this purchase, would recommend.
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I set up turntable. really not a problem, took about 1 hr. I took my time. Sounds good , really easy to use, no need for a fully automatic. It has some nice features like auto shut off and the tone arm locking mechanism. Has worked flawlessly for a couple of months now.
See all reviews
Resources
Video
Manual
FAQs
An amplifier is only needed if you’re connecting the turntable to passive speakers such as the Signature Series Bookshelf Surround Speakers.
If you’re looking for an option without a separate amplifier, the Ai40 Powered Bookshelf speakers fit the bill.
With the Ai40, all you need to do is connect the included RCA cables to your preamp, then to the speakers and you’re ready to listen to the music the way it was meant to be heard.
If you intend to use your Reference series turntable with powered bookshelf speakers such as our Ai40 model, a preamp will be required.
The preamp will boost the signal to line level (similar to a headphone jack) so you can play it on speakers with RCA or AUX inputs.
If you have a home theater or stereo receiver/amplifier, you will need a preamp if the amplifier does not have a PHONO input. If you have a PHONO input, you may have a preamp already built in. Be sure to refer to the manufacturer’s specifications or manual for confirmation!
This design choice was made with a number of factors in mind. The main reason was to separate electronics from the turntable’s signal path to maintain the purity of the analog signal. Many listeners also like to customize their listening experience and choose specific components such as preamps based on unique sonic qualities. Using separate components also allows for optimization of cartridge and phono stage compatibility. If you upgrade your cartridge in the future, you can pair with an optimal phono preamp to maximize performance and achieve the sound profile you desire. !
| What's new! | What does it mean? |
| The motor is located away from the platter | Allows the use of an acrylic platter, reduced rumble at the stylus. |
| 90pF RCA cables | Upgraded RCA cables with higher capacitance to protect and maintain the purest signal path. |
| No internal preamp | Provides a clean signal, with no electronics in the path for increased audio quality. |
| Spring loaded adjustable feet with built-in isolation | Allows the turntable to be leveled on any surface, bubble level included. Spike-shaped feet prevent outside vibrations from affecting audio quality. |
| Servo controlled motor | Improves speed consistency and reduces wow and flutter by checking the speed up to 500 times per second! |
| Ortofon Stylus | All Reference turntables are compatible with Ortofon OM10, Blue and Red Cartridges. |
| 112g Counterweight | Heavier counterweight to accommodate the Ortofon stylus. More diverse upgrade options. |
| Compatible with an acrylic platter (included with RT85) | Heavier, denser material reduces resonance and improves speed consistency, not to mention great looks! |
| Customizable | All Reference turntable components are compatible with each other giving you a clear upgrade path! |
These new turntables include a servo belt drive motor.
What does this mean for you?
This means that you have a sensor checking and adjusting the speed of the motor up to 500 times a second to make sure the speed of your turntable is consistent with no manual adjustments, bringing wow and flutter under 0.07%!
Reference turntables are compatible and shipped with with moving magnet cartridges such as the Ortofon OM Super, 2M Red and 2M Blue, giving you the ability to customize your system for top tier performance.
Cartridges must be between 3.5 to 7.5 grams to be balanced correctly.
Acrylic is an extremely stable and dense material. This greatly reduces resonance that can be picked up by the cartridge from the environment such as people walking by, large vehicles passing or other sounds that create a lot of vibration.
This also gives it considerably more weight compared to an aluminum platter of the same size. The extra weight of the platter during rotation helps the platter to spin flatter and at a more consistent speed, reducing wow & flutter.
There is no need to use a platter mat with the acrylic platter!
If a platter mat is used, it may interfere with the vertical tracking angle of the stylus.
Additionally, the resonance of acrylic is very close to vinyl so a mat is not needed.
As an added bonus, the acrylic looks fantastic!
All Fluance Reference turntables are sold with an Orotfon cartridge included.
We do know that our users love to customize their decks and there are many options out there, so we designed our Reference series to have extensive upgrade potential! The Reference tables can easily accept other Ortofon cartridges such as the often requested 2M Bronze and Black!.
