Fluance RT84 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

I had been idly contemplating adding a turntable to my bedroom system, and when the Fluance RT84 went on sale during the holiday period, I couldn't resist. The turntable arrived carefully and exquisitely packaged, complete with white gloves and a level. Assembly took a bit of time and patience, but if someone as fumble-fingered as I can manage it, almost anyone can. It's hard to imagine a better sounding turntable for the price I paid; even at its regular price, the turntable is an excellent buy. The Ortofon 2M Blue is an excellent cartridge in its price range (though not universally loved, it should be said). It's rare to find a cartridge of this caliber on a turntable in this price range. The sound it produces is clear and clean; it extracts an impressive level of detail from the record's grooves. All in all, it makes for a very enjoyable listen. The RT84 is not a giant-killer. I have a Rega Planar 3 in my living room, and it's just all-around better. The difference is not as great as the price difference would suggest, though. The differences are most noticeable not in the sound (though the Rega, with Elys2 cartridge, does sound a bit better to my ears) but in materials and build quality. The tonearm cue on the Fluance feels cheap and flimsy--it functions, but it's not a pleasure to operate, and I wonder about its long-term durability. A similar (though less dramatic) difference in quality can be felt when moving the tonearm into a playing position. At its regular price, the Fluance RT84 competes with Rega's entry turntable, the Planar 1. The Planar 1's parts are, unsurprisingly, cheaper than the Planar 3's, but it's still a quality turntable. If I had to choose between the two, though, I might well choose the Fluance. Certainly the Ortofon 2M Blue is better than the Planar 1's cartridge (I say this as the former owner of an RP1, the Planar 1's predecessor). The biggest advantage that the Planar 1 has is a better upgrade path--but that can mean pouring a lot of money into something that started life as an entry-level turntable. The RT84, by contrast, is nearly maxed out. Fluance will sell you the acrylic platter that comes stock with the RT85, but that's about it. It's possible to upgrade the cartridge--indeed, changing cartridges is easier on the Fluance than on a Rega. But given the inevitable limitations of the Fluance's tonearm at this price-point, it probably doesn't make sense to invest much more in a better cartridge--the tonearm won't be able to take full advantage. A final note: If you finish assembly, put a record on the platter, turn the power on, and notice that the turntable is not spinning, don't panic--it just means that the turntable's auto-stop switch is set to "on." As soon as you move the tonearm to begin playing, the turntable will spin. (I forgot about this and had a brief moment of panic before I realized what was going on). (One more final note: I have the piano black, not the walnut, as that was the model that was on sale. It's a very attractive finish, though it does show dust and fingerprints.)

Really impressed with the rt84. Have been using a Mitsubishi lt22 linear tracking I bought in 1984, and thought it was great, until found this. The rt84 is not automatic, I didn't find any available that had good cartridges, and others couldn't recommend one. The cueing lever is easy to use, raise and up and you just move it across to align with edge of song you want. Another reviewer pointed out to check switch in back if platter doesn't turn when powered up. That is nice, it starts spinning when stylus is over grooves, and stops the platter 30 seconds after record reads inner groove. You still have to raise cueing lever manually, not a big deal, since days of putting stack of 45s on record player and letting them drop one by one are gone. Probably a good thing, too. I really am getting used to this, not automatic, maybe semi-automatic? Not totally manual, not that much of an audiophile. I consider myself audiophile adjacent, maybe living in next neighberhood. On to sound. I had replaced my needle on Mitsubishi recently with new at95e, so was happy with it, but the ortofon blue sounds much better to me. My ears aren't what they were, drove trucks 35 years, avid shooter who didn't start with ear protection, so have constant ringing, so not best person to judge the sound quality. I can say I can hear more instruments, actually pull some out I had never heard on 50 year old albums. All sounds are clearer, and more distinct, and makes me smile when listening now. My wife has hearing problems, and she even heard a difference. Now the value. Was upset when reading other reviews. Amazon had some of fluance players on sale 3 months before I bought mine. Sounds like it was $100 off or so. I was upset I missed out, but looked on description and saw where they had new and used at lower prices. I got mine for $5 over half price! It's piano black, and description said damaged box. I figured it if it was too bad, could always return it. Pleasantly surprised to see damage was 2 corners were barely crumpled, and the player is double boxed, with Styrofoam in between! Original labels were cut off, but original tape was intact on outer box. Inner box was perfect, player was in original bags, never been touched. Pristine condition. I won the lottery on this thing. If I sent it back and ordered new ortofon blue cartridge for old Mitsubishi, would have spent $8 more than this complete rt84! The quality, some people knock on rt84. The arm, especially. I'm sure it is breakable, but this is not a toy. In normal use, I have no doubts it will last. I have no children who will use it, but a 2 year old could break most turntable arms, I imagine. Some people dislike Finance turntable because of limited upgradeability. For me, I can get an acrylic platter for $120. I will never upgrade the arm, might replace or upgrade cartridge if it wears out, but ortofon bronze is $440, $10 less than list price of complete rt84, and reviewers say it's better, but now we are in the land of not a big jump in performance for a large amount of money. I am very happy with this turntable as it sits. I feel it is one the best turntables under $1000. Now: 3 years later. Still happy with it. Just ordered acrylic platter from Fluance, still smile when I listen to this turntable. Oh, has cost me more money, got a bunch of records I had growing up and they sound so much better now.

Great sound when paired with a high quality phono preamp. Somewhat complex to assemble and balance the tonearm if you have never done that before. Disappointed with auto stop at the end of the record; turntable just keeps spinning. Lacks a place to store the 45 rpm adapter when not in use. All black components may be popular but contrasting tonearm and headshell would be easier to see for moving into position to listen to a record; very hard to see in a dim room.

The Fluance RT84 turntable is a great turntable. Excellent design (Canada) and quality construction (Taiwan) for a reasonable price. Setup is simple and no tools are required. The owner's manual is well written with plenty of pictures making assembly easy. The hardest part of a turntable setup is mounting the cartridge in the head shell; this is already done for you at the factory. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to put this turntable together. The performance of this turntable is well above average for turntable at this price. The platter is dead silent and smooth when spinning, and the tone arm and needle drop perform very well. The supplied Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge is a perfect match and sounds great. The RT84 is easy to upgrade the to their top of the line model (RT85) by simply swapping the platter. The RT85 heavy acrylic platter is available from Fluance for about $120. Two things to remember about this turntable... First, there is NO built in phono preamp. You have to either have an external phono preamp, or your other equipment needs to have this built in. Second, even though this turntable has an auto shutoff feature, you still need to consider it as a manual turntable. When the tonearm reaches the end of the record, the platter will continue to spin for about 30 seconds and then stop. I consider this a "safety net" for times when I can't get right over to the turntable at the end of the record to lift the tone arm. Bottom line... I recommend this turntable as a good buy and great performer, and I would buy it again. I used to be a manger at a stereo store (not big box) so I have seen and assembled a whole lot of different turntables.

I am old enough that LPs were the preferred format for music for the fist 10 years of being a music nut. My very first purchase was Book of Dreams by the Steve Miller Band in 1977. In '88 I got my first component stereo system which included a JVC turntable with a p-mount cartridge setup. Not long after I had upgraded to CD and much preferred the sound quality and convenience. I did keep my records and picked up some vintage stuff through the years, mostly classical. 10 yeas ago I fitted it with a grado black cart. It was good. I was due for a needle replacement but none are to be found. It seems p-mount is pretty dead at this point. So perhaps it was time to upgrade my turntable. Cutting to the chase, I honed in on the ortofon blue cartridge and came across this Fluance turntable which came with one. Then I found that the RT84 was discounted in the bamboo color. I decided to bite. Holy cow this turned into quite an upgrade in so many ways. The construction is so solid feeling. No plastic like my 80's Era JVC. Very elegant and clean design. Very simple basic operation which is my preference. Having never set up a counterweight to set tracking I had a bit of a learning curve but it wasn't too big of a deal. A cheap scale helped a lot. The leveling feet are a great feature. The tone arm operation is nicely dampened when dropping the needle. The sound blew me away. My JVC didn't sound terrible, but the RT-84 makes the music sound fuller and more lively and dynamic. This holds true for my copy of Love Over Gold by Dire Staits I bought in '88 as well as classical LPs from the 50's I bought in a thrift store. I am thrilled with my purchase. I am pleasantly surprised at how much of a difference this turntable makes in my setup. For reference, I have it plugged into the phono input of my Harmon/Karon AVR 25ii. My speakers are Polk RT800i with a Polk sub from the same vintage (late 90s). Not a top end system, but no slouch either.

This turntable replaced my vintage Dual that finally failed. I couldn't be happier. I originally was holding out for the RT85 because I like the acrylic platter, but went with this one when the bamboo version of the RT84 went on sale. I am very happy I did. The metal platter works great, I can always upgrade to the acrylic platter later, but I doubt I'll want to. The Ortofon Blue cartridge sounds great and provides excellent sound clarity. Ignore the "audiophile" comments about it sounding "digital." The Fluance is heavy unit and has some helpful features like adjustable anti-skate and leveling feet. I looked at every table under $500 and am thrilled with the sound and build quality of this turntable. In my opinion, it competes with tables at twice its cost. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I don’t usually write reviews but I had to for this turntable. I have a very small modest setup. I don’t want all the gear laying around collecting dust. I am amazed at the quality of this turntable right out of the box. The sound is incredible. I have another setup and was so disappointed with it I sold it and decided to put the money towards a turntable that was not only getting great reviews but RAVE reviews. I also am so glad I bought the RT84. I was looking for that clarity and beautiful range in sound. This turntable really delivers for the price. It is an incredible value for the money. With all the tech out now it’s tough to justify the price unless the value is delivered with such a force that you literally are speechless. This product not only exceeded my expectations it has left me slack jawed with its ability to render the finest detail in the music. As a designer I love products that not only meet your needs but continually exceed your expectations. The care in detail is unmatched. I absolutely LOVE this turntable!!

Because of higher import duties to Ecuador bought the rt84 and separately the rt85 platter. Can’t ask more from a budget turntable/ cartridge combo. Spend a lot more to get better sound. Small issue with the arm cuing when arrived quickly resolved by Fluance customer service.

This turntable ticks all the boxes for me the Fluance rt84 is excellent I chose the Walnut finish and it looks beautiful . The finish and build quality is superb .It came early from the seller and was very well packed upon unboxing it took me about 30 minutes to put together and set up it's been a long while since I bought a turntable so it I took my time to do the job right .I chose this turntable after much research everything is so well thought out from the way it is put together to the sound .The Ortofon 2m blue cartridge really digs deep and produces a really cohesive sound it Compered to my old Thorens TD 280 mk 2 the Fluance is so much better in both looks and sound quality. Everything you need is in the box from the easy to follow instructions to the bubble level to make sure your turntable is set up right . I am no audio file but I know good quality when I see it I wanted a good upgrade and this turntable dose not disappoint .it was well within my budget and I am very happy with my purchase . I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who is thinking upgrading like me ,or looking to dip their toe into buying their first turntable you won't be disappointed this Fluance Rt84 is fab .The review are not wrong .

I had spent quite a while researching before I made a choice in favor of Fluance RT84. I have been happy of my choice then. The turntable is easy to assemble. Besides all the parts, the package also contains a level, a 3 ft RCA cable and white gloves. The turntable has a cool look. Sound quality is pretty good. I could not imagine that my old and very used records would produce such a clear sound. I got a great value for the money I paid. It looks like that the only difference between RT84 and more expensive RT85 is an acrylic platter that gives slightly lower speed variation. If you are not sure whether you are able to notice this speed variation difference, buy RT84 on sale. You can purchase an acrylic platter later to upgrade it to RT85.

Updated to the RT84 from my B&O Beogram RX2 and am very satisfied. Very easy setup and I encourage you to take the time to balance the cartridge before use. If you're a beginner, look it up online and watch the Fluance videos. Easy to do but take the time since this will define the sound for you. Sound is excellent and worth the blue 2M cartridge that comes with the 84 and 85 without question. I went with the 84 instead of the 85 simply because the platter is the only difference. This deck revitalized some old records that I cleaned and they sounded great and much better than before - old Kiss, Angel City, Queensryche, Dokken era stuff that sounds alive again. I love vinyl so if you have a decent collection don't hesitate about this unit. Great deck.

Excellent and beautiful turntable Well packed for transportation. The sound quality is superb Easy to assemble with self-explanatory manual. Happy for this purchase which arrived very early .....!!! For me it's the best "S" tonearm turntable I ever had 👍

Great sound and beautiful looking turnable. Easy to set up.