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Vinyl is hot again, which means you’re going to need a turntable (and not a record player) to make the most out of this what’s-old-is-new-again medium for music. After testing out a number of turntables—i.e. spinning records at home like an amateur DJ—we found that the Fluance RT81 is our favorite overall, whether you have any experience with records or not. The Canadian audio company rarely holds a sale, but for the first time in what feels like forever, the Fluance RT81 is on sale for 15%, shaving that $250 price tag down to $212.
While Fluance has been in the home speakers game for a couple decades, the brand only recently branched out into turntables. The RT81 is a step up from the brand’s super-entry-level RT80, and we think the RT81 boasts everything you need for a starter turntable, while still being reasonably affordable for those who are just discovering the magic of vinyl. Our expert, a professional DJ, touted it as a “great starter turntable with impressive sound for its price point.”
The RT81 has a built-in preamp, which means you won’t need to buy an extra accessory to actually hear the records you’re spinning. (Just know, however, that unlike those briefcase-style record players, you’ll need to buy external speakers for your turntable.) Because this is a manual turntable, you’ll have to get used to dropping the needle yourself, which should take all of two minutes to learn. On the bright side, there’s an auto-stop function, which will prevent your records from getting worn down once the album is done playing.
This limited-time offer from Amazon is the first time we’ve seen the Fluance RT81 go on sale in recent memory, and a brief look at CamelCamelCamel, which tracks price changes on products sold on Amazon, shows that the last time this turntable came this low in price was back in 2019. Because this is an Amazon Lightning Deal, you’ll need to add this to cart ASAP before you have to wait another three years for a deal this sweet.
