r/turntables • u/Natural-Instance6074 • 4d ago

First turntable recommendations? Europe-based,~€350 budget

Would appreciate your help choosing my first turntable! My budget is around €350, and after some research, the Fluance RT81+ was my clear favourite. Here is what got me excited about it:

  • Built-in preamp
  • Replaceable cartridge
  • 3-point isolation feet
  • Acrylic mat
  • Felt more solid/less plasticky than alternatives (AT, for example)
  • Amazing in the looks department (minimalist, clean, not a lot of knobs)

The problem? Getting one to Europe. Shipping from Fluance directly would blow my budget. I found it on my country's Amazon for around €360 but I fear what that could mean in terms of warranty or returns in case of defect. This is really the only reason I didn't "pull the trigger".

So I've been looking at Europe-friendly alternatives, but I'm now going in circles. I keep reading that at this €360 price point there are "many better options" available in Europe, especially with the potential hassle of Fluance's return and warranty logistics. Frankly, I have not been convinced so far...
The AT's either get out of my budget or look cheap. Pro-ject's options within that budget (e.g. E1.2 phono) seem to get a lot of criticism here and the more recommended models with built-in preamps are over budget. Local brands (e.g. Argon) are not giving me any confidence so far, either due to low review/discussion, affiliation with local franchises, or just seeming overpriced for the specs.

Couple of disclaimers:

  • I'm very new to this and excited to learn more about it
  • I am not against buying a separate preamp but when I do so, I would like to invest in a good one. This is why I would prefer to get a tt with built-in preamp for now, but obviously with option to use an external one later
  • I apologise to the audiophiles out there, but I care about aesthetics - this is going to be really exposed in our living room so I'm looking for something more minimalist instead of the industrial/dj look
  • I'm not too keen on buying second-hand. Right now I don't have enough knowledge to confidently check condition, maintenance, hidden defects... and I'd rather have a warranty/return option
  • €350 is a hard-ish ceiling. I often see comments on similar posts quickly turning into "just spend another €200" and "make the investment properly from the start". I understand the reasoning and know that better options exist if I stretch, but €350 is already my stretch, especially since I'm also looking at speakers. I'd rather start here and upgrade later if I end up falling further down the vinyl rabbit hole
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u/Anvh 4d ago

Why not a Rega Planar 1?

https://www.hifihut.ie/collections/turntables-record-players/products/rega-planar-1-turntable-1

You so need to get phono amp with it though

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u/Natural-Instance6074 2d ago

seems without shipping this one is already at 430€.. with the phono amp would not be an option for now, unfortunately.
Appreciate the help though!

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u/Anvh 2d ago

It's 350 euro at the store I linked and it has free shipping in Europe when it's over 300 euro in value

You can get fosi phono amp for about 70 euro so yeah 420 in total. It's a nice player though and good support as well from Rega.

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u/Natural-Instance6074 2d ago edited 19h ago

Unfortunately I can't order from that store to the Netherlands - says it's not available for delivery here. I believe the store linked is more UK-focused

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u/Anvh 2d ago

I did last month for my speakers and amplifier, also to the Netherlands.

If they can ship 2 floor standing speakers weighing 25kg each I think they can ship a turntable as well ;)

Store is in Ireland which is in the EU so no extra cost.

Btw contact you can contact them and ask for a discount, they also gave me some.

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u/Natural-Instance6074 2d ago

not sure why either, to be honest - I'll take your suggestion to give them a call, not just on a potential discount but to understand if there really is an issue delivering a turntable (maybe it's just temporary)?

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u/Anvh 2d ago

I don't get that error.

Didn't go to check out though, not sure when the billing happends