Analog Gear News

It’s always good to hear when companies take in feedback from their customers — and then actually implement changes that heed their end users’ suggestions. Evidently, that’s the case with the recently announced Fluance RT87 turntable, the company’s new flagship model. They officially refer to it as the RT87 Reference High Fidelity Dual-Plinth turntable, and you’ll soon find out why.

The RT87 turntable builds off the Canadian hi-fi company’s prior, top-of-the-line RT85 table while incorporating new elements and additional ways to upgrade. Fluance’s Product Manager Justin Koetsier elaborated on the belt-driven RT87 table’s design during a recent video call, exclusively for AP.

Koetsier confirmed that customer feedback following the RT85 turntable’s launch led to some changes. “A lot of people were asking for some different elements at that point,” he told me. “So, in working with that, we figured that based upon all that feedback, that the tonearm and isolation would be two of the key areas to focus on.”

Among the RT87’s new elements are its dual-plinth construction, and an entirely redesigned carbon-fiber tonearm (as seen above). “It’s a dual-plinth architecture, and the upper plinth has the tonearm on it, mounted to it and the spindle,” Koetsier continued. “And so that all stays by itself — nice and quiet.”

Six conical isolators around the base of the top plinth provide isolation, decoupling it from the lower plinth beneath it. Koetsier shared more about the isolation. “They’re V-shaped and they point down, so there’s only a point touching down on the lower plinth,” he explained. Moving components, including the turntable motor and the PCB with capacitors, were left to be mounted to the lower plinth. That is, he added, except for the spindle, “because you have that spindle distance you’re focused on maintaining.”

As seen in the accompanying photos (including the one above), the dual-plinth design uses plinths of two different thicknesses and compositions. “We chose a 36mm lower plinth, and then a 21mm upper plinth,” Koetsier confirmed. “So, they’re not even the same. You’re not doubling the thickness; you’re actually compounding it a little bit differently.” Of the varied layers, he further noted that “You’re just breaking up those thicknesses into different sizes and putting materials in between, and it just kind of helps to break up those vibrations.”

The plinths’ main material is MDF, but it’s stacked in multiple layers with glue in between. The Natural Walnut finish version of the RT87 uses real wood veneer coated in lacquer; other available finishes include Piano White or Piano Black. (All three finishes can be seen at various points throughout this story.)

The RT87’s newly designed carbon-fiber tonearm now allows for VTA adjustment, as well as anti-skate. Desirable for its material properties, including rigidity and low mass, carbon fiber is found frequently in tonearm wands (along with plenty of other h-fi gear, of course). Like the tonearms on other Fluance tables, the headshell is detachable. The RT87’s new arm design now comes in a longer length, having been extended from 8.6 to 9in — often considered an entry point for more serious turntables.

As Gaurav Soni, a product development manager working with Fluance, explained, “So, the longer tonearm was really to soften that arc that happens when a tonearm goes over the record [. . .] to help the stylus ride the groove as nicely as possible.”

Soni added that that’s why Fluance also chose an offset-angle headshell and straight tonearm versus the S-shaped tonearm found on some of the company’s other turntable models.

On the RT87, the anti-skate weight uses a wire attachment instead of a spring: “Our previous models were done by spring, and we just found that that spring tension is varying across model to model. With the weight and the wire, it’s a lot more consistent.”

The cueing mechanism has also been improved upon. “The cueing lever itself, that system very robust now,” Koetsier said. “It’s all metal, all CNC built, and has good damping, and good lowering, in the way it comes down.”

The RT87 comes with the buyer’s choice of either an Audio-Technica AT-VM95ML cartridge or an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge — both of which are moving-magnet (MM) options — and they ship pre-installed. Users can upgrade by swapping in other cartridges — and the headshell is detachable too.

Koetsier mentioned another upgrade in development: In addition to the included stock weight, there are a couple of new counterweights — namely, 86g and 134g options to expand tracking force ranges, which are said to extend compatibility across a wider range of cartridges’ requirements (and height, too), and can also expand upgrade possibilities.

Heavier counterweights can also aid in playback of 78rpm LPs, a speed offered more often on higher-end turntables. “Some of those 78-speed cartridges require 5g of tracking force, and it doesn’t really allow with the stock counterweight to be able to achieve that,” Koetsier pointed out.

Speaking of weight, he noted that the platter is thicker and heavier compared to that of the RT85 table: “We beefed up that acrylic platter to the 22mm version to add that extra weight on top to just sort of press everything down nicely, and keep it damped.”

There’s a nice built-in convenience here, too: auto-stop at the end of a record side. “It takes about 40sec or so to kick in to let the record player finish the song,” Koetsier noted, “just in case there’s any extra information after it that goes over that limit switch there.”

Purists will be glad to hear that function is defeatable, but it’s a feature Fluance has espoused since their early days of turntable development (i.e., circa 2014–16). It also speaks to the Fluance team’s wishes — as I discovered they’re also passionate vinyl listeners themselves, just like we are.

Finally, the Fluance RT87 turntable is sold direct (see the link below if you want to order one), and it sports an SRP of $800 (regardless of which finish you choose).

For more about Fluance, go here.
To find out how to purchase Fluance gear, go here.
For Ken Micallef’s review of Fluance’s RT82 turntable, go here. This review posted on April 6, 2026.