Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Fluance turns to Kickstarter to launch two gorgeous turntables

Kris Wouk
By

hi fi corner fluance turntables kickstarter rt80 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
If you’ve heard the Fluance name before, chances are you associate it with speakers, and with good reason. While the company has offered variety in the types of speakers it produces, it has always stuck to that core offering, at least until now.

Vinyl is experiencing a massive resurgence right now, but so far, not many companies have jumped into the fray. Fluance, however, is seizing this opportunity and using it to move into uncharted territory. Today the company announced not one but two new Hi-Fi turntables, the RT80 and RT81.

Recommended Videos

Related: This cast iron turntable is 100 pounds of awesome

Both models are belt driven and offer playback of LP and EP sizes at 33 1/3 and 45 RPM. The turntables are constructed out of MDF wood, a material Fluance and others often use in speaker cabinets, and feature isolation feet and a die-cast aluminum platter, both of which help cut down on reverberation.

The RT80 is the more entry-level of the two models, featuring an Audio-Technica AT91 cartridge, and requiring just two grams of tracking force. The cabinet here is hollow, which makes for a lighter weight. Like the RT81, this model features a high-quality Texas Instruments pre-amp and gold-plated RCA jacks for the line outputs, as well as a ground terminal.

As the more advanced of the two models, the RT81 offers a fully-solid body cabinet, which adds a little weight, but also cuts down even further on reverberation. This model uses the AT95E cartridge from Audio-Technica, along with the same Texas Instruments pre-amp and gold-plated outputs.

As this is new territory for Fluance, the company has taken a move out of many a startup’s playbook and looked to Kickstarter, both to provide funding for these new turntables and to gauge interest for them. The RT80 and RT81 are available to backers for $200 and $249 respectively, and various pledge levels will see Fluance throwing in its popular Fi50 Bluetooth speaker or HFS bookshelf speakers, depending on how much users want to back the project for.

For those who jump in right away, early-bird pricing is available, letting backers pre-order the RT80 and RT81 for $150 and $200, respectively. Both units are expected to be available by May. For more information, see Fluance’s Kickstarter page for the RT80 and RT81.

A version of this article originally appeared on The Manual’s “brother site,” Digital Trends. 

Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Want a free desktop cigar humidor? Here’s how to get one
Quality Importers all-black desktop humidor from Famous Smoke Shop

If you plan on buying and storing cigars for longer than a couple of days, you want a humidor -- that's cigar 101. But humidors, like cigars, don't come cheap. Well, I'm here to tell you that's not the case, for a few days anyway, because it doesn't get any cheaper than free. Famous Smoke Shop is offering a Quality Importers black desktop humidor for free when you spend more than $100 with it. That might seem like a lot, but you can get some great cigars to fill the humidor for that much. Usually $44, that's about how much you're saving by grabbing this humidor with your purchase.  To get the deal, you can either use promo code 75620W15APR at checkout or clip the on-page coupon on .

Why you should take advantage of this free humidor deal from Famous Smoke Shop
Cigars need to stay humidified, or they'll dry out. Sure, you can rehydrate a dry cigar, but by the time you do, it will have lost all its natural oils and complex flavor. It will never be as good as it originally was, and that's a bummer.

Read more
The 12 best small cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024
man smoking small cigar by engin-akyurt unsplash

Big cigars take a while to smoke. We're talking hours for some of the largest stogies out there unless you're puffing too often -- which you shouldn't do. But the cigar world is vast, and not only does that mean a ton of different cigar blends, from Maduro and Corojo to Nicaraguan and Cuban-made, but there are also a plethora of sizes from small to big. You don't have to buy, smoke, or even try a massive stogie, and I would argue against doing so for something like the . There are cigars much bigger than that. I can't imagine that would be a relaxing smoke, if at all enjoyable. Shrinking things down is possible, and I'm not referring to a Robusto or petite size either. I mean closer to a cigarillo. If you're looking for something short and sweet but packed with loads of great flavor, here are the best small cigars I've tried and tested in 2024.
The best small cigars tried and tested in 2024

Most of the time, if I want a quick cigar or something smaller, I'll reach for a nub or Robusto size. I prefer a full-bodied cigar and small cigars typically don't provide that. However, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a smaller cigar or cigarillo occasionally. My top recommend is the . They are fantastic. Here is a little more detail about all the small cigars I've tried and loved in 2024.
Acid Blondie Blue

Read more
The best Liam Neeson movies, ranked
Liam Neeson at an event

Liam Neeson poses for the camera Karen 司徒嘉蘭 / Flickr

Liam Neeson's career has been one of the most fascinating in Hollywood history. This Irish screen legend towers over his peers literally (he's 6'4'') and metaphorically (he's starred in Academy Award winners and blockbusters alike.) Neeson started out as a supporting actor in the 1980s before supplanting some of the biggest names in the industry. His rise to first-team status in the 1990s can be attributed to his unforgettable performance in Schindler's List.

Read more