Fluance RT83 Reference High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable Record Player with Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge, Speed Control Motor, High Mass MDF Wood Plinth, Vibration Isolation Feet - Bamboo

If you're serious about vinyl and want high-end performance without spending a fortune, the Fluance RT83 is an absolute winner. From the moment you unbox it, you can feel the quality—this turntable is solid, elegant, and built with real attention to detail.The setup was straightforward, and the included Ortofon 2M Red cartridge delivers rich, warm, and detailed sound that brings every record to life. The separation, clarity, and depth are stunning—especially for this price point. Paired with a good amp and speakers, the RT83 easily competes with much more expensive setups.What I also love is that Fluance didn’t cut corners. The acrylic platter, solid wood plinth, and precision motor system all scream quality. It's a manual turntable, which I prefer—it gives you that tactile, hands-on connection to your music that makes vinyl so special.This turntable is perfect for both seasoned collectors and those stepping up from entry-level models. Fluance nailed it with the RT83—highly recommended if you value great sound, elegant design, and outstanding craftsmanship.

The RT-83 is the absolute best value for an audiophile-level turntable. In my opinion, it is the sweet spot in the Fluance turntable line, having the servo motor and Ortofon red. It is same as the more expensive RT-85 which upgrades to Ortofon blue and acrylic platter. It is lightweight, lovely to look at, easy to set up and a true bargain in the world of high-end audio. Okay, the white gloves are a bit much (not needed or used). I would rather Fluance included a paper or plastic alignment protractor with a pre-punched hole for checking the stylus. Of course, if you like the Ortofon red cartridge that comes with the turntable, it is pre-aligned and ready to play, so that's not really an issue for most folks. I kept looking for the belt in the packaging, but was unable to find it. Then I read the clear and simple assembly instructions and found it already mounted on the edge of the platter. Ingenius! Other belt-drive turntables make you reach through a hole in the platter and use a toothpick to stretch the belt over the idler arm in the belly of the housing. I was surprised again to find a miniature level in the package to help with the set up. Did Fluance think of everything? Not quite. There is no indentation or anything to signify placement of the 45rpm adapter, so I just set it on the corner of the turntable behind the tonearm. Of course, there is no automatic return of the tonearm. There is a feature that is supposed to turn off the turntable after 30 seconds or so of the stylus hitting the end of the record. I always lift the stylus off the record with the cue lever long before that feature kicks in, so I cannot verify that it works. It is nice to know it's there, however, lest I should fall asleep while listening. Once you manually return the tonearm to its plastic resting place, the platter stops rotating. To restart rotation, you have to manually move the tonearm over the beginning grooves of the record and lower it onto the record with the very nicely damped cue lever. This is old school true manual turntable, so It means up and down off the sofa during listening sessions. At my age, I count this as exercise. So I don't know if this is the best turntable for beginners who may prefer pushing a button and have automatic tonearm placement to start and auto return and shut off. The Ortofon red is a good tracking, nice-sounding cartridge which retails for around $100, which makes this package a steal. I prefer the sound of my old AT 440 MLa, so I purchased an extra headshell and now have the Ortofon as a back up all mounted and pre-aligned. To say I am pleased with this turntable would be an understatement. I highly recommend it. It makes me wonder if Fluance loudspeakers are as good for the price.

Growing up in the 70's and early 80's, the living room's record player was my favorite toy, the hours spent and the listening experiences formed my Love for Music.I was looking to replicate this sound experience and invested on this beautiful turntable after carefully comparing the Fluance models and reading buyer's reviews. There are cheaper and pricier models and other brands offer the same or even better experience. This model should be everything you need while considerately paying less than other super high fidelity models.The turntable's design is extremely sharp and its solid weight is indicative of its quality, the glossy black surface is beautiful to see.Each step in the assembly to include the proper leveling and calibrating of the turntable is detailed with images and easy to follow.I bought a mini pre-amp for less than $25 and connected the turntable to my Yamaha receiver.The sound experience was a success return to the good old days; this record player is Amazing and you don't need to spend $400 or more, I'm certain Fluance's lesser models deliver the sound indicated and most reviews are very positive. Get One!