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.

Just got mine after doing a bunch of research. The turntable was packed securely and easy to assemble with clear instructions. I connected to my system and it sounds great. I used it to replace a 45 year old Kenwood KD5070 direct drive fully automatic turntable that still work great, but I gave it to my son. This Fluance turntable is manual, which I’m fine with. I’m very happy with the build quality and the sound of the Ortofon Red cartridge. The entire Fluance line has received glowing reviews on Youtube; the RT83 fit my price point and definitely punches above its weight.

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.

This is a solid, old-school, turntable that is manually operated. It works beautifully. It appears the primary difference between this model and the others in the Reference product line is the cartridge. My original 1970's vintage Sony turntable was getting worn out, and had the black Ortofon OM-10 cartridge. The factory-installed red Ortofon that came with my new Fluance was worth the upgrade. The blue cartridge was more than I wanted to spend. Most of the value and engineering for this company's turntable clearly went into making a solid product that will last and be dependable. Some clever items are the three supports under the turntable which can be adjusted to make the included level (clever again) true. The turntable requires some minor setup and adjustment. It has been years since I've balanced a tonearm, and watching a 2 minute YouTube video helped with that process, along with how to adjust the anti-skate setting. The video made the instructions in the manual make more sense. All setting specs for whichever of the Ortofon cartridges installed on the turntable are conveniently listed in the manual. That was nice. I do recommend purchasing the nifty cleaning tool as it works amazingly well. Once I got the turntable hooked up and connected to my vintage Yamaha receiver (be sure you have an phono amp in your receiver or a separate unit), the old vinyl records I saved from my 1970's and 80's collection sounded amazing. The bamboo turntable looks beautiful. Originally, I was looking at vintage turntables on e-bay from Yamaha, Pioneer, Technics, and others which had wooden bases. For the same or less money as those, the Fluance was the clear winner...plus I knew what I was getting with a newer product and a brand new, undamaged cartridge. Finally, the packaging from Fluance was very well done, and the product arrived safely.

Excellent turntable and the installation instructions were clear and accurate. The table works as it should and the turntable is a good addition and compliments the rest of the stereo.

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!

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

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

Very high-quality turntable. The instructions for setting it up are simple and well explained. The sound quality and construction are beyond my expectations. I chose the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, and I do not regret it. I have been using it for several weeks, and the components are solid and of high quality.