Fluance launches four stylish turntables under $500

Good news for fans of retro-designed record players: there are four new Fluance turntables on the way. A relatively new turntable brand to us, we were impressed by the Fluance RT81 when we reviewed it earlier this year; a smart, wooden finish and solid sound, made for an enticing, affordable record player. And now it's set to be joined by the RT82 (above), RT83, RT84 and RT85 (below).

The Canadian brand favours an MDF cabinet and that continues across this range, though there's also the option of a gloss black paint finish. All four decks have a belt drive design, come with an aluminium tonearm and are equipped with Ortofon moving magnet cartridges (the RT82 has the Super OM 10, the RT83 and RT84 have the 2M Red, and the RT85 has the 2M Blue).

There are also upgrades on the styli, while the RT84 and RT85 also have a heavier, frosted acrylic rather than aluminium platter. The two upgrade decks also deliver a little more power. None of the decks have a phono stage, so you'll need to add an external one or connect an amplifier with the necessary phono input.

The Fluance turntables are out now, priced RT82 ($299), RT83 ($349), RT84 ($449), and RT85 ($499).

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Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).