Enter the True Hi-Fi Zone: The Fluance RT85

Everyone begins with the same normal, reasonable question:

Do I really need to spend this much on a turntable?

But then you see what comes with it: All the beautiful bells and whistles. The acrylic platter. The Ortofon 2M Blue. The heavier plinth. The adjustable tonearm. All the comments saying this is the last turntable you will ever need to buy.

And all of a sudden, the question changes to “If I am probably going to want all these upgrades anyway, why would I buy the cheaper one first:?

Reasonable. But that is where they get you.

Because the RT85 is not really selling you on spending more. It is selling you on avoiding the regret of spending less which is a much sneakier argument. And honestly, a pretty convincing one.

So here’s our opinion, at why the Fluance RT85 is the way out of the next six upgrade questions before they even start.

Table of Contents

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Fluance RT85, broken down into the following sections:

1. High Level Overview: What is the Fluance RT85
2. Build & Features of the Fluance RT85
3. Comparing to Other High-End Turntables
4. Is the Fluance RT85 Right for you?
5. Conclusion: Is It Worth It?

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High Level Overview: What is the Fluance RT85

If you’re here, you’re probably in one of two camps:

You’re looking to upgrade from an LP60/70X…or this just happens to be your first real turntable. If that’s the case…jeez…congrats. You are diving into vinyl listening HARD.

The Fluance RT85 sits in that upper-echelon, hall-of-fame zone of “you buy it once and forget about it.”
It’s steady, it’s precise, and it delivers on that rich, rich vinyl sound.

But before we go any further, let’s set some ground rules.

If you are looking at something like the Fluance RT83, RT84, or RT85, you are probably building a real setup. That means this turntable is most likely going into a phono preamp or a receiver with a PHONO input, and then into passive speakers.

There are ways to keep it simpler, but that is the general lane we are in here.

And that matters because the RT85 does not have a built-in preamp. So if you want true plug-and-play simplicity, Bluetooth, or a turntable that connects straight into almost anything, this probably is not the right table. But if you are ready to build a proper vinyl setup, this is exactly the tier where things start getting fun.

That means you’ll need either a separate phono stage (or an amp/receiver with a PHONO input), that will power your passive speakers.

If that’s a bit confusing, we have a ton of example high-end, audiophile-esque setups on our community builds – good go-to spot for getting setup ideas.

Build & Features of the Fluance RT85

But back to the RT85 – let’s pop the hood on this thing.

The RT85 is basically Fluance taking everything people liked about their entry models…and then turning all the knobs up. It’s still “starter-friendly” on paper, but the parts list is very much mid/advanced-tier.

Here’s the quick snapshot of what you’re actually getting:

The big upgrades are pretty clear.

• Acrylic platter. This is one of the main reasons people talk about the RT85 like it is “endgame enough.” Instead of the lighter aluminum platter you get on the RT82, the RT85 gives you a heavier acrylic platter that helps with stability and resonance. Less vibration, steadier playback, cleaner sound.
• Ortofon 2M Blue out of the box. This is probably the biggest headline feature. A lot of turntables in this range come with a cartridge you might eventually want to upgrade. With the RT85, that upgrade is already included. The 2M Blue is a real hi-fi cartridge with a nude elliptical stylus, strong detail, and very nice separation.
• A real plinth, not a plastic shell. Underneath the finish, the RT85 is built on an MDF plinth with isolation feet. It feels more planted than a cheaper starter deck, and that matters. The more vibration you keep away from the stylus, the cleaner the record can sound.

To be honest, the RT82, RT83, RT84, and RT85 are all pretty similar at the foundation level. That is not a bad thing. It mostly just shows that Fluance put out a really legitimate, solid turntable line without a broken model in the bunch, and the pricing actually feels pretty fair as you move up.

The big difference with the RT85 is that you are paying for the platter, cartridge, and stylus upgrades. And yes, those are definitely worth the money if your system is good enough to show the difference.

If you are tight on budget, I would not blame you at all for going with the RT82 and saving a couple hundred bucks. That is still a great table. But with the RT85, you are paying up for more fidelity in the places that matter most: a heavier acrylic platter, the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, and the nude elliptical stylus that pulls more detail out of the groove.

Comparison to Other High-End Turntables

Once you step into RT85 territory, you are no longer really comparing budget options.

Yes, the RT82 is very similar, and we are definitely going to compare those two more closely. That is probably the most obvious decision in the Fluance lineup: save a couple hundred bucks with the RT82, or pay up for the RT85’s better platter, cartridge, and stylus.

But there are plenty of other good turntables in this range too.

And to be clear, we are not going to waste your time comparing the RT85 to something like a Crosley Voyager. If you are seriously looking at the RT85, we are going to assume this is the ballgame you are playing in now.

There are cheaper tables out there, and some of them are great. There are also more expensive tables out there, but the jump is not always as dramatic as you might expect.

So below, we are looking at the closest competitors in our eyes, starting with the one most people will probably consider first: the Fluance RT82.

The Gold Standard “Entry-Level” Turntable

A Close Comparison

Another Brilliant Table

To recap:

• RT85: The move when you’re ready for “real hi-fi” without going completely off the deep end. Acrylic platter, 2M Blue, and rock-solid speed control make it feel way more expensive than it is.
• RT82: The value play. Same Fluance DNA, same core engineering, just with a lighter platter and OM10 cart. Perfect if you want most of the performance for noticeably less cash.
• Orbit Plus: The minimalist option. Clean design, acrylic platter, and a great cart – ideal if you care as much about how it looks on the rack as how it sounds.
• Planar 1: Now you’re in classic hi-fi territory. Rega pedigree, beautiful tonearm, serious upgrade path. Best if you’re okay paying a bit more for the name, the tuning, and the long game.

Conclusion: Is It Worth It?

The funny thing about the RT85 is that it does not win by being cheap.

That is how you sell a boatload of turntables pretty quickly, like the base Audio-Technicas or the suitcase players people can grab without thinking too hard.

The RT85 is different. It has more of a cult following because, for a lot of people, it is kind of the holy grail. The Fluance Reference line is just one of those awesome turntable lines where every model feels legitimate and solid. There is not really a broken model in the lineup. And for many people, the RT85 has been the best deal in that family, or now maybe the RT87 since that dropped.

At the end of the day, some of those people probably do save money. Not because the RT85 is cheap, but because they skip the stuff in between and go closer to where they ultimately wanted to end up anyway. Not that there is anything wrong with buying what you can afford now. You can afford what you can afford, and if the RT82 is the move, that is still a great table.

But if you are already in the mindset of building a real system, the RT85 is hard to argue with. It is not for someone who wants the easiest possible vinyl setup. No built-in preamp, no Bluetooth, no shortcut around the rest of the system. You need to build around it a little. But if you are already in that mindset, that is kind of the point.

For anyone who wants to build the best possible setup around the RT85, we made a free tool that lets you test it with a ton of amp, receiver, speaker, and phono preamp combinations, along with all the top turntables we mentioned here. It can be overwhelming, but it is also fun to check the latest sale prices, swap stuff in and out, and see how each change impacts the full setup’s performance.

Check out a quick preview of how it works below.

In addition to that, we have a whole archive of listening rooms and real community setups, many of which feature Fluance, U-Turn Orbit Plus, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo, and other setups in this same lane. So if you want to see what people are actually building at home, those can be a big help too.

All free. Just trying to build the best vinyl setup resource on the internet.