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Fluance rt83 with Ortofon 2M red OR rt85 with Ortofon 2M blue?

C

chris lihou

New Member
I'm considering two "budget" TT options from Fluance - the rt83 with 2M red or the rt85 with 2M blue. Quick recap of my setup: KEF q350s, Polk HTS 12" sub, Yamaha rv479 receiver.

Right now Fluance is offering their preamp free with purchase of either of these tables. Even if in the end you decide to swap it out for a different preamp, it helps in the short term to get you up and running. I am not an audiophile, nor do I have a dedicated listening room. I'm as much a listening to music while doing other things kinda guy - as I am a sit down and soak it in kinda guy. I got into vinyl for the ritual of it, and the warmth and crackle. Not for top tier high-fidelity. My wife and I often spin records while we're making dinner or having drinks, and my last TT was a very modest Audio Technica LP60. All this to say, although I'm not an audiophile -through the journey I've discovered the pleasures of the sonic qualities vinyl offers over streamed music.

I've listened to numerous videos doing side-by-sides of the two cartridges, and I'll be honest, its a bit hard to tell. On some records the 2M red sounds a little aggressive in the high end, ever so slightly harsh and bright to my ears. Sometimes not. And on some records the 2M blue sounds better with vocals. Sometimes not. All that to say - its hard to say. (and that's ignoring all the other factors that go into sound besides cartridge)

Doing a value breakdown however - the rt85 comes out ahead. At $665 Canadian - you get the 2M blue ($260 CAD), the acrylic platter ($160), phono preamp ($130) total: $550. So the rest of the table costs you $100. Pretty amazing.

The rt83 at $465 gets you the 2M Red ($115), the phono preamp ($130) total: $245. So the rest of the table costs you $220. Less value, but lower initial output of cash.

Of course, value isn't the be-all-end-all. It's about what makes the most sense for you - your listening habits, your records, your upgrade dreams for the future.

With all that said - those of you with experience with either of these two Ortofon cartridges or the Fluance tables, feel free to let me know what you think!
 
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The Blue seems to be universally well liked...the jury is well split on the Red. It's hard to predict how either will get along with your system, and how well you like it, but it seems to me that the Blue is a much safer bet....any hints of aggressive and harsh treble are likely to seem much worse over time once installed your system. I've never regretted buying an upgrade, but have regretted "cheaping out" on many occasions.
 
You are absolutely right, the Red and Blue are somewhat bright and harsh, not by much in an absolute sense, but you have good ears if you were able to pick it up. Whether it will bother you in a long run is your call. I also got the Fluance with Blue, and could not get along with that cartridge (although good in most other areas). I switched to Grado Opus3, similarly expansive and expressive sound, but without extra brightness. Also good option is an AT VM95SH, impressively neutral and balanced for $200. Other than going for vintage cartridges, I don't know of any better contemporary than these two. I have other turntables and cartridges so I was able to quickly sort it out. Also good idea is to replace the original mat with the cork/rubber mat (like Music Hall) if you go with neutral cartridges, if you stay with Blue or Red you can keep the original, it smothers down the sound somewhat so brightness will be masked a little.
 
RT85.
I’ve had an RT85 for a year or so. I like it.
It replaced an old Thorens TD115, equipped with an AT15Sa cartridge.
The Fluance does what I want a turntable to do: it spins the record consistently at the correct speed (wow/flutter spec excellent), it does not add noise or rumble (signal to noise spec great), and the 2MBlue Ortofon tracks the groove without rattling around, even during “loud” passages.
The cartridge is brighter than my old AT was on my Thorens, but it does track well on the Fluance.
I think the RT85 is an underrated bargain.
 
RT-85 is a very nicely-spec'd machine at that price. I had an RT-81 a number of years ago and it served me well and held value surprisingly well. The newer Fluances with outer platter belt drive and upgraded speed control are well-done IMO. You'll enjoy it and if you decide to try a different cartridge you can get value for the Ortofon cartridge on the used market. Let us know what you decide and how it works out.
 
RT-85 seems like one of the better values in it's price range on the market today - good all around performance for the money from a brand new deck.

2M Blue eats the Red for lunch - I'm not the biggest fan of the Red, but was pretty shocked at the amount of improvement immediately heard in the Blue - I no longer have mine (I bought a Bronze and needed to make space in my cartridge stable). but the Blue is a good all-around performer IMO.

With that said, you can probably see where I'm going with this - definitely opt for the RT-85 if your budget allows for it. Better spec'd table with a much better cartridge - when it comes to new, you'll have to spend a fair bit more money to do much better I'd think.
 
RT-85 w/2M Blue. Hands down. The Blue is a really good cart. The Red? Not so much. Completely different sound, almost like 2 different cartridges.
 
If you must buy a new cheap T/T & cart then buy the Blue, however you would easily get better S/Q from a S/H, T/T of equivalent money.
Also check if the standard platter is made of compressed MDF, if so pay the extra for the acrylic & MDF sucks the life out of the music,

Cheers
 
E2 said:
Music Hall Classic? No experience with it though. Has a pre.
Click to expand...

Ha, Target sells the Classic online. Use your Red card and save 5%.

The Fluance is a good buy, but I can't help think with that kind of money there are better options for a few hundred more.

(There are really good, dirt cheap, bargain options if you are willing to get out there and dig)
 
tabarddn51 said:
If you must buy a new cheap T/T & cart then buy the Blue, however you would easily get better S/Q from a S/H, T/T of equivalent money.
Also check if the standard platter is made of compressed MDF, if so pay the extra for the acrylic & MDF sucks the life out of the music,

Cheers
Click to expand...
Like what for the same money?
 
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