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

The sound from this with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge is really good, very warm, with lots of 'bottom', and it's happy with everything from scratchy old vinyl and banging 12 reggae inchers from the seventies to lovingly pressed 180gm chamber jazz reprints. It is not the most beautiful or trendy-looking turntable in this price range, but it gets loads of extra marks for the sheer practicality of having a 45/33 rpm selector switch instead of having to faff around with changing the position of the belt every time you want to play a single or change to an LP. Very happy with this purchase, and kudos to Fluance for shaking some action in this sector!

I brought this to replace my Audio Technica LP120x which wasn't a bad turntable but as soon as I saw the Fluance I knew it was the one to have long term. I went for the RT83 but if I could have stretched to the RT85 I would. If you can do it as it makes financial sense as the Ortofon blue cartridge is £185 and the acrylic platter is another £100. The RT85 is £150 more that the RT83......no brainer

Solid, wonderful glassy finish: sounds and looks amazing. Playing a record is a pleasure. Look online and you will find that reviews are somewhat divided between the hard-nosed audiophile community (who will tell you to spend your money on a Rega P2 or similar) and the people who actually own one of these :o) I bought a Project Essential II a couple of years ago, and while that was a bit cheaper, there really is no comparison in the sound quality - I'm hearing detail from the Fluance that the project couldn't dig out, even in vinyl I've had for 30 years or more. Largely down to the Cartridge (Ortofon 2M Red here, vs Ortofon 5SE in the Project) no doubt. As for build, the heft and weight of the Fluance makes everything sound more stable, and it's nice to lift the lid without having to hold the base down as I did with the Project, which feels like a toy by comparison. The finish on the speed change knob is also those two steps nicer than it needs to be. Not having to move the drive belt onto a broader spool for 45s (or remove the platter as in some) is also very nice indeed. Half of the point of playing vinyl is the tactile aesthetic, the physicality, slowing down and really listening. This turntable enhances that experience in spades. There is an argument for gong all out and getting the RT85, which has an Ortofon 2M Blue (diamond straight on the cantilever, rather than a smaller diamond tip glued to metal, then the cantilever) rather than the Red, and an Acrylic platter (which looks anachronistic but insanely gorgeous). You can upgrade, but those additions would cost around £300, rather than the £150 or so difference there seems to be at present. Very happy indeed with my RT83W, and think I will be for many years by the looks of things. Update: Well, still very happily playing nearly three years down the line, but developed a problem with the damping on the tone-arm. E-mailed Fluance, and had a reply that suggested adding some high viscosity oil. Tried this, with no luck, but felt that I got the bum's rush when asking for further advice. Just hope that nothing more fundamental goes wrong now...

Sound and build quality is wonderful

A little bit tricky to balance. But it's worth. Great player. Good sound. Just the additional charges to get my hands on in Ireland... Outrageous!!! Over 100 Euro on top for packaging and another 106 Euro for Import Tax. Good product but in the end over all to expensive.

I decided to upgrade my turntable and after lots of research i decided to settle on this Fluance RT83 model. While not the most expensive model in the series line (compared to the blue cartridge & acrylic platter in the higher price bracket) i figured this would meet my needs. Item arrived fast and was so easy to set up using the manual and following the steps. While some assembly is required this was straight forward and there are online videos to help, though the manual is sufficient. The sound quality with the red 2M is amazing and i'm really pleased with the product for its price.

Good turntable very well made and great sound excellent

Just got back into my old vinyl collection and wanted a quality turntable.i researched for some time on others in the midrange price. The fluance ticked all the boxes,sounds great and looks great too. I’m now loving vinyl again.

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 sound quality of the Fluance RT 83 is amazing! The looks of it is beautiful , very clean and sophisticated looking (I ordered it in walnut) like a fine piece of furniture, goes nicely in my house. Now consider the price and it is incredibly good value for the money. I have it connected to an Onkyo 2 channel network receiver with Klipsch speakers and it is sounds fantastic! Set up was very easy with clear , concise instructions. Thanks Fluance

who did i ever miss old school sound! been listenting to digital for long while but always kept about 200 LP's - glad i did with this excellent quality and value - sounds fantastic - unboxing was intimidating there are lots of parts but the directions step one and on were perfect and in no time it was playing could not be happier with this WELL worth the extra $150 over the $2000 denon base POS sold everywhere and cartridge head shell and stylus all replaceable and upgradable! and oh BTW fit and finish is also excellent its a piece of art

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.

Tl:dr - I highly recommend the Fluance RT-83. The sound quality and design make this truly worth the investment. Anyone upgrading from a basic player will be sure to find the improved audio they were searching for. I started a record collection about 2 years before purchasing the record player I’m reviewing (Fluance RT-83). My goal was to bring a little more ceremony into my music listening and I felt like vinyl would do the trick. I had a decent pair of speakers and a nice receiver but was using a clunky base model Sony record player. I don’t remember the model but paid about 90$ at Best Buy for it. Upon researching multiple models and looking into what made a record player good (FYI a big part of it, is the needle), I chose the fluance rt-83. It was about 100$ more than I was planning to spend but ended up being worth the upgrade. The most influential review I read had stated that this model was the first player that you would truly notice a difference in sound quality. Why? Because of the needle. The ortofon 2m red cartridge costs more than my previous player as a whole. It is an elliptical needle tipped with diamond. This promises a durable but dynamic needle that is capable of hitting higher frequencies than less expensive conical tipped needles. The sound produced by this needle and player is warm and brought a new level appreciation to this older technology. The other notable feature of this player is the adjustable counterweight for the tone arm. It may not seem like a huge feature, but it can save records over the long term. Lower end record player’s needles lay on the record, dragging the needle along the surface of the vinyl. The RT-83 and alike have needles that are suspended and do not apply pressure to the record and preserve the quality. The adjustable legs, the drive motor, the wooden finish... all of these features really make this player a joy to experience visually and audibly. My final note: watch Fluance’s set up video. It will be faster and easier than following the written directions.