I got the RT85 in bamboo, must say it is an amazing table. It does exactly what it is supposed to do. I am so addicted to records now. Not good for my wallet. Lol😂😂🎉🎉🎉
thanks, just saw this on google, then amazon they have this very model, better than the Teac , not fully automatic, thats what i want, wish they would tell us on the website, instead of me asking Google!!!
Few years back, I was buying a new turntable, and strongly considered RT-85. Unfortunately, Fluance wasn't available in Europe at the time (or at least here in my area) so I went with Audio Technica AT-LP140 XP instead. Both of them were about the same price, except 140 is direct drive which I prefer. Still, the RT-85 is a respectable turntable and comes with nicer cartridge than 140. Not that XP3 sounds bad, by any means. But it's still a DJ oriented conical.
That is a great tip about the Pickering replacement stylus. I have a Stanton 500 but I do not like the sound. I also have a vintage Stanton 681 EEE that I bought new many years ago. That one I love, so I will try the Pickering alternative. Also interesting about the PLL speed control. I have seen many Fluance 85 reviews. This is the first one to mention it. Is the shaft encoder on the platter or on the motor? Obviously it should be on the platter but so far Philips (of all brands) is the only company I know of that made PLL belt driven turntables with the shaft encoder on the platter. If Fluance would do that as well, it would mean they re-discovered 80's technology, which is a good thing when it comes to turntables.
The feedback comes from an optical system under the plinth. It works very well. The Pickering sounds good but you have to set the VTF by ear. Mine is running at 2 grams with no distortion... Add a gram for the brush. If you want 2 grams, you need to dial up 3 grams on the arm. The anti-skate seems to be best if set to the tracking force of the stylus plus half a gram for the brush. :)
Does anyone know what the problem was with the Nagaoka 110? I like my Nagaoka mp110 on my pioneer 1000 turntable. It has a great non fatiguing sound that I can listen to for hours.
@@EzeeLinux I had the same static pops with my Nagaoka Mp110. I googled solutions and found a suggestion to plug your receiver/amp into a separate power outlet, away from any other plugs. For me, that solved it. Sorry you had an issue
Great video! I was unaware of a tone arm difference for the rt85n. I’ve had an rt83 for a few years now. It has been upgraded with the acrylic platter and several months back I swapped out my 2m red with a nagaoka mp-110. I have not noticed any significant issues….obviously with fluance tables, you have no VTA adjustability. The sound is quite nice on my setup. Did fluance explain the difference with any detail? Thanks in advance for any input.
I don't think there is much of a difference... I probably didn't make my point clearly enough. They told me that but I went and looked up the specs for both carts and the heights are very, very similar. Just about 18 milometers... :)
The voice @13:34 was Bob Hope. What did they do before television was invented? They listened to Bob Hope on the radio - he was amazing ^_^ *CORRECTION* it was *JACK BENNY* !! 😅 I can see him now, rolling his eyes 😂 They had the radio on all day just like we had tv on all day and now TH-cam 😎👍
1. I needed to put a mat on to adjust VTA sine the Stanton is shorter than the Nagaoka. 2. I'm not a fan of putting a record on acrylic or any other hard surface.
Beautiful looking table! I have another question for Joe: What is a safe and good sounding cartridge/stylus combination to play mono, stereo, 45s, styrene and vinyl records if you only have one cartridge? I like vocals to be strong and accurate. Thin sounding vocals are a dealbreaker for me as is sibilance. Thank you
You mention about turning off the auto-stop, but you seem to misunderstand why it is useful, it's not designed to lift the arm like a automatic table would, the reason it doesn't stop straight away is because it is designed to stop if you have fallen to sleep for example, that's why it takes around 15 revolutions before it will turn off, as for the weight of the arm on the stylus, well, I can only say it's the same weight whether the platter is moving or not, it's only there as a last ditch method of preventing damage to the stylus if left spinning for hours on end, as this would damage the stylus over time, no way would I turn that feature off for that reason !
To each his own... The auto-stop feature doesn't work well with 45s and the idea of leaving the stylus on the record makes me cringe. It's half-assed at best.
@@EzeeLinux But it makes no difference, why can't you take that on board ? The weight of the cartridge doesn't change just because it doesn't move🤦♂ Why would you need an auto-stop with a 45 for heavens sake lol, it last no more than a few minutes, an LP lasts for around 20 minutes on each side, long enough for anyone to drop off to sleep hence the auto-stop lol, you are so funny 😂
So what does this mean ... if I get the RT85 with Ortofon, I can't put a Nagaoka cartridge on it, as the VTA will be off and I can't adjust it? Thx! I want to get the Ortofon one, but would want to use my Nagaoka cartridge as well..
I had an RT85 with the Ortofon Blue for a few years and loved it. I sold off my collection and turntable a year or so ago. I've been thinking about getting back into it though. I always loved the Ortofon cart, but if the Nagaoka is better, I will certainly try that this time.
theres a good video comparing the outputs of both. to me ortofon 2m blue sounds better but you should definitely check it out, search nagaoka vs ortofon
Huge fan of the Nagaoka line. Ortofon sounds too tinny and harsh...causes fatigue for me, at least. I'm fairly new to turntable nuance and learned just enough to be dangerous. My other tables are direct drive and automatic, but I've been wanting to make the switch to manual belt drive. This seems like a great option.
I agree with you totally about the Nagaoka. I have an MP-110 and also the MP-500. Lovely sound. I've had the Ortofon 2M Red and have listened to the Ortofon 2M Blue. Just not as good in my opinion.
how do you like this over the pro-ject debut carbon you reviewed a couple years ago? i looked at fluance first for my next table but i think im going with the pro-ject.
This is a better table in many ways. I ended up getting rid of the pro-ject. I found swamping carts was a pain, the anti-skate weight kept flying off and breaking and the metal platter rang like a bell.
@@afowastaken I don't like Pro-Sect's anti-skate scheme... The weight is fiddly. Also, I see they are shipping with a custom cartridge from Ortofon. That's a bit of an unknown right there. You can do better for less money. It depends on what's important to you, though. I want to be able to swap carts easily (Headshell) and I want easy, accurate anti-skate (dial and spring). I looked at a lot of tables before buying this one and the only others that I might have gone with was something from Thorens.
I still have my Dual, but it is (and has been) sitting in the attic for the past 35 years --- but with a Pickering cartridge. Never have tried a Stanton.
Hey Joe great turntable! I'm curious to know if radio stations were using direct drive turntables or belt driven ones. As I've heard direct drives can omit a motor hum. I know mine does, but it's only really noticeable when I record to my PC or even to cassette. Which made me wonder if that hum would have been heard over the air. Thanks
You may be hearing a bit of ruble but direct drive doesn't hum unless something's wrong. Radio stations di use a lot of Technics direct drive tables by the 1980's but there were also a lot of rim/idler drive tables around. Do a search for Gates, QRK and Russco turntables to see what I am talking about.
Hey Joe, I couldnt help but notice you also did a video on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo. I happen to be trying to decide between the Evo and the RT-85. These two tables seem to get compared a lot, however, its always with different carts on them and that is something I can always change out. Since you own both and may have even listented to both with the same cart I would love to know which you think is the better base table or are they really about the same? I like the idea of having a removable headshell but I dont know what the reality is that I would change it that much. Especialy if the Evo is a superior base deck. Thanks.
@@madcrabber1113 It sounds better, gives you more options for upgrades and it's better constructed. I had problems with the EVO from the start. I tried to change the cart and found I had to buy a different counterweight. It's just a candy coated turd -- OK if you lick it but don't bite it. LOL :)
It's a 2 mm felt mat. The TT doesn't come with one and I think you're supposed to just put the record on the acrylic platter but since I changed out the cart I wanted a mat to match the VTA for the new cart. Plus, I'm not a fan of putting records directly on a hard surface. :)
@@EzeeLinux Thanks. I have the RT85 and have been thinking of adding a mat to adjust the VTA also. The only difference that i can see between the two models is that the N has a lower mass tonearm. Maybe that is why they wouldn't recommend the Ortofon Carts.
I honestly don't get belt drive. To me the ideal turntable is the Technics with direct drive. Very good specs, customizable and you can easily change the cartridge and shell. The years go on and I don't have to worry about belt wear and degradation.
Belt drive is cheap and the argument about the perishing belts is not convincing to me. You also accept that the stylus wears out over time. Having said that, in general I also prefer the sound of a Direct Drive and the SL1200 (or even the SL1500) from Technics is in a whole different league. Actually you could really say that a Technics will be your last turntable and sound credible at the same time.
@@Grimwriggler I like idlers as well. Specially some of the Dual TTs. Garrard is a belt and idler, like the Thorens TD124. Those are very expensive but also very good.
It’s seems like belt driven is the cheaper option until you get into the midrange options that offer direct drive for the $1500 range. However when you get into the multi thousand dollar range you immediately see the use of complicated belt driven mechanisms simply because they will always be quieter than a direct drive option. Belt all the way man.
I got the RT85 in bamboo, must say it is an amazing table. It does exactly what it is supposed to do. I am so addicted to records now. Not good for my wallet. Lol😂😂🎉🎉🎉
thanks, just saw this on google, then amazon they have this very model, better than the Teac , not fully automatic, thats what i want, wish they would tell us on the website, instead of me asking Google!!!
I love the bamboo look.
I bought a U-Turn Orbit upon your recommendation some years ago and have been happy with it since.
Few years back, I was buying a new turntable, and strongly considered RT-85. Unfortunately, Fluance wasn't available in Europe at the time (or at least here in my area) so I went with Audio Technica AT-LP140 XP instead. Both of them were about the same price, except 140 is direct drive which I prefer.
Still, the RT-85 is a respectable turntable and comes with nicer cartridge than 140. Not that XP3 sounds bad, by any means. But it's still a DJ oriented conical.
That is a great tip about the Pickering replacement stylus. I have a Stanton 500 but I do not like the sound. I also have a vintage Stanton 681 EEE that I bought new many years ago. That one I love, so I will try the Pickering alternative.
Also interesting about the PLL speed control. I have seen many Fluance 85 reviews. This is the first one to mention it. Is the shaft encoder on the platter or on the motor? Obviously it should be on the platter but so far Philips (of all brands) is the only company I know of that made PLL belt driven turntables with the shaft encoder on the platter. If Fluance would do that as well, it would mean they re-discovered 80's technology, which is a good thing when it comes to turntables.
The feedback comes from an optical system under the plinth. It works very well. The Pickering sounds good but you have to set the VTF by ear. Mine is running at 2 grams with no distortion... Add a gram for the brush. If you want 2 grams, you need to dial up 3 grams on the arm. The anti-skate seems to be best if set to the tracking force of the stylus plus half a gram for the brush. :)
There always some dude who thinks he’s a genius and ridicules everyone else.
Does anyone know what the problem was with the Nagaoka 110?
I like my Nagaoka mp110 on my pioneer 1000 turntable. It has a great non fatiguing sound that I can listen to for hours.
No clie... I'm guessing it had to do with the way it was or wasn't grounded inside...
@@EzeeLinux I had the same static pops with my Nagaoka Mp110. I googled solutions and found a suggestion to plug your receiver/amp into a separate power outlet, away from any other plugs. For me, that solved it. Sorry you had an issue
Great review. This TT is made for Fluance by Ya Horng, not Hanpin.
Thanks... Apparently, a lot of Chinese manufacturers use the same parts, though. Makes sense. :)
To be honest, I don't believe that this is your last turntable. LOL
Pls enjoy.
The probleme is that the japanese and the europeeans make better tables! All the features are 60 years old!
Great video! I was unaware of a tone arm difference for the rt85n. I’ve had an rt83 for a few years now. It has been upgraded with the acrylic platter and several months back I swapped out my 2m red with a nagaoka mp-110.
I have not noticed any significant issues….obviously with fluance tables, you have no VTA adjustability. The sound is quite nice on my setup.
Did fluance explain the difference with any detail? Thanks in advance for any input.
I don't think there is much of a difference... I probably didn't make my point clearly enough. They told me that but I went and looked up the specs for both carts and the heights are very, very similar. Just about 18 milometers... :)
The voice @13:34 was Bob Hope. What did they do before television was invented? They listened to Bob Hope on the radio - he was amazing ^_^
*CORRECTION* it was *JACK BENNY* !! 😅 I can see him now, rolling his eyes 😂
They had the radio on all day just like we had tv on all day and now TH-cam 😎👍
Nope. It's Jack Benny. They were listening to Jack Benny. LOL
@@EzeeLinux You're right !! 😅 He was great too! Every now and then I listen to oldtime radio streams on youtube - they're amazing 😎👍
Just can't beat vinyl man 🤘
Hiya Joe. Can you tell me where you purchase the little brush to attach to the cartridge head? I have a RT85 and I don't recall it coming with? Thanks
Is there a reason you put a mat on the acrylic platter?
1. I needed to put a mat on to adjust VTA sine the Stanton is shorter than the Nagaoka. 2. I'm not a fan of putting a record on acrylic or any other hard surface.
Apologies if this has been asked - is there a link for the attached cartridge/stylus cleaner? Thanks!
Hi Joe, I have a turntable that I bought in the late 1980's that is belt driven and quarts controlled. It is a Dual CS 5000.
Always enjoy seeing an audio related upload from BadEditPro :)
pickering V15s and stanton 500S can sound AMAZING, Warm yet wonderfully open and shimmering. The Fluence is a great turntable
Great Table Joe Glad That Your Still Doing Audio Related Videos Thanks For Uploading Regards mike.
Why do you use a slip mat with this acrylic platter? (BTW, Running Open Suse Tumbleweed and Fedora36 on my home stations)
It's a quick way to adjust VTA and I'm not a big fan of putting records on hard plastic, I guess.
Beautiful looking table! I have another question for Joe:
What is a safe and good sounding cartridge/stylus combination to play mono, stereo, 45s, styrene and vinyl records if you only have one cartridge?
I like vocals to be strong and accurate. Thin sounding vocals are a dealbreaker for me as is sibilance.
Thank you
Direct drive cant be beat .. still id love to get on board
You mention about turning off the auto-stop, but you seem to misunderstand why it is useful, it's not designed to lift the arm like a automatic table would, the reason it doesn't stop straight away is because it is designed to stop if you have fallen to sleep for example, that's why it takes around 15 revolutions before it will turn off, as for the weight of the arm on the stylus, well, I can only say it's the same weight whether the platter is moving or not, it's only there as a last ditch method of preventing damage to the stylus if left spinning for hours on end, as this would damage the stylus over time, no way would I turn that feature off for that reason !
To each his own... The auto-stop feature doesn't work well with 45s and the idea of leaving the stylus on the record makes me cringe. It's half-assed at best.
@@EzeeLinux But it makes no difference, why can't you take that on board ? The weight of the cartridge doesn't change just because it doesn't move🤦♂ Why would you need an auto-stop with a 45 for heavens sake lol, it last no more than a few minutes, an LP lasts for around 20 minutes on each side, long enough for anyone to drop off to sleep hence the auto-stop lol, you are so funny 😂
So what does this mean ... if I get the RT85 with Ortofon, I can't put a Nagaoka cartridge on it, as the VTA will be off and I can't adjust it? Thx! I want to get the Ortofon one, but would want to use my Nagaoka cartridge as well..
Nahhh... You can use either one. The VTA is close enough. They just said that. I run AT carts on here all the time with no adjustment.
Me too
I had an RT85 with the Ortofon Blue for a few years and loved it. I sold off my collection and turntable a year or so ago. I've been thinking about getting back into it though. I always loved the Ortofon cart, but if the Nagaoka is better, I will certainly try that this time.
theres a good video comparing the outputs of both. to me ortofon 2m blue sounds better but you should definitely check it out, search nagaoka vs ortofon
Too me as well, the clarity, tracking and detail on the 2mblue is great
@@budsmoker4201120 I agree.
Huge fan of the Nagaoka line. Ortofon sounds too tinny and harsh...causes fatigue for me, at least. I'm fairly new to turntable nuance and learned just enough to be dangerous. My other tables are direct drive and automatic, but I've been wanting to make the switch to manual belt drive.
This seems like a great option.
I agree with you totally about the Nagaoka. I have an MP-110 and also the MP-500. Lovely sound. I've had the Ortofon 2M Red and have listened to the Ortofon 2M Blue. Just not as good in my opinion.
how do you like this over the pro-ject debut carbon you reviewed a couple years ago? i looked at fluance first for my next table but i think im going with the pro-ject.
This is a better table in many ways. I ended up getting rid of the pro-ject. I found swamping carts was a pain, the anti-skate weight kept flying off and breaking and the metal platter rang like a bell.
@@EzeeLinux thank you for the reply, so i’ve been looking at the pro-ject x1, do you have any thoughts on that table?
@@afowastaken I don't like Pro-Sect's anti-skate scheme... The weight is fiddly. Also, I see they are shipping with a custom cartridge from Ortofon. That's a bit of an unknown right there. You can do better for less money. It depends on what's important to you, though. I want to be able to swap carts easily (Headshell) and I want easy, accurate anti-skate (dial and spring). I looked at a lot of tables before buying this one and the only others that I might have gone with was something from Thorens.
@@EzeeLinux I’m looking to buy the all white X1 with acrylic platter & premounted sumiko olympia. they’re on sale for $999, originally $1200
I still have my Dual, but it is (and has been) sitting in the attic for the past 35 years --- but with a Pickering cartridge. Never have tried a Stanton.
Yes Sir, Mr Benny!
Stanton was the professional side of Pickering. The carts are very similar. :)
What preamp were you using? One inside a receiver?
Yep. :)
Hey Joe great turntable! I'm curious to know if radio stations were using direct drive turntables or belt driven ones. As I've heard direct drives can omit a motor hum. I know mine does, but it's only really noticeable when I record to my PC or even to cassette. Which made me wonder if that hum would have been heard over the air. Thanks
You may be hearing a bit of ruble but direct drive doesn't hum unless something's wrong. Radio stations di use a lot of Technics direct drive tables by the 1980's but there were also a lot of rim/idler drive tables around. Do a search for Gates, QRK and Russco turntables to see what I am talking about.
@@EzeeLinux Thanks Joe!
Hey Joe, I couldnt help but notice you also did a video on the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo. I happen to be trying to decide between the Evo and the RT-85. These two tables seem to get compared a lot, however, its always with different carts on them and that is something I can always change out. Since you own both and may have even listented to both with the same cart I would love to know which you think is the better base table or are they really about the same? I like the idea of having a removable headshell but I dont know what the reality is that I would change it that much. Especialy if the Evo is a superior base deck. Thanks.
The RT-85 is a much, much better turntable... I got rid of the EVO a long time ago.
@@EzeeLinux How so?
@@madcrabber1113 It sounds better, gives you more options for upgrades and it's better constructed. I had problems with the EVO from the start. I tried to change the cart and found I had to buy a different counterweight. It's just a candy coated turd -- OK if you lick it but don't bite it. LOL :)
Thank you!
What sort of platter mat are you running?
It's a 2 mm felt mat. The TT doesn't come with one and I think you're supposed to just put the record on the acrylic platter but since I changed out the cart I wanted a mat to match the VTA for the new cart. Plus, I'm not a fan of putting records directly on a hard surface. :)
@@EzeeLinux Thanks. I have the RT85 and have been thinking of adding a mat to adjust the VTA also. The only difference that i can see between the two models is that the N has a lower mass tonearm. Maybe that is why they wouldn't recommend the Ortofon Carts.
@@paulredfern3832 The N stands for Nagaoka... The arm is setup for the MP110. That's what they told me.
You,my friend sound just like one of those idiots
I honestly don't get belt drive. To me the ideal turntable is the Technics with direct drive. Very good specs, customizable and you can easily change the cartridge and shell. The years go on and I don't have to worry about belt wear and degradation.
Belt drive is cheap and the argument about the perishing belts is not convincing to me. You also accept that the stylus wears out over time. Having said that, in general I also prefer the sound of a Direct Drive and the SL1200 (or even the SL1500) from Technics is in a whole different league. Actually you could really say that a Technics will be your last turntable and sound credible at the same time.
@@Grimwriggler I like idlers as well. Specially some of the Dual TTs. Garrard is a belt and idler, like the Thorens TD124. Those are very expensive but also very good.
Still using the original belt on my old 1993 Technics SLBD20. Looks and plays like it is new.
Belt all the way 😂
It’s seems like belt driven is the cheaper option until you get into the midrange options that offer direct drive for the $1500 range. However when you get into the multi thousand dollar range you immediately see the use of complicated belt driven mechanisms simply because they will always be quieter than a direct drive option. Belt all the way man.