Today I am talking about the awesome Fluance RT81 turntable which is one of the best turntables I have used in quite some time. I found it so good that I managed to talk a friend into getting one and also my father-in-law. My father-in-law is what brings me to today’s subject and that is how to fix your Fluance RT81 turntable wobble.
You see, my father-in-law decided he wanted to get back into vinyl, and as he knew I had written many articles on how to fix turntables in many different ways. He asked me to help him stop his turntable wobbling. So, I thought that I would have a bit of fun and try and help you guys in the process. It is also worth noting that while I am specifying the Fluance RT81 due to my father-in-law, the information, advice, or ramblings if you prefer, I am giving you today I would suggest will work on most other turntables.
Give A Little Wobble
While I would say that every turntable that is designed is designed with it not wobbling in mind. The truth is, the majority of turntables will have some kind of wobble going on. It is just most of the time you will not notice it as it is not affecting the sound. Some people will say that they can hear the slightest wobble, but I have found that not to be the case, but hey your ears could be more finely tuned than mine are.
What I am trying to say is that if you are looking really close at your turntable (like my father-in-law was!) and you can see a tiny bit of wobble, but the sound is fine, it is probably not worth messing with or getting all bent out of shape over. His Fluance RT81 sounded great! But because he saw this wobble with his own eyes, he was convinced the sound was different.
What Causes The Wobble?
I love the Fluance RT81 as I feel it has such a cool and elegant design to it. If you check out this showcase video which showcases it, you will notice that sleek black platter. The platter in case you did not know is where your record will sit. Anyway, this is what causes your record to wobble, it is the platter and is what was driving my father-in-law nuts because he could see it wobbling!
Keep on reading to see a few ways that you can minimalize the wobble so that your records can keep sounding awesome.
Check For Dust
I want to start with the most obvious and easy thing first and that is dust. Even though the Fluance RT81 has that awesome looking protective shell on it, dust can still be a factor. Actually, as a vinyl collector, dust is one of the biggest enemies I have. Take off the platter and check to see if there are any big bits of dust or any other kind of dirt that has gotten onto it. Give it a clean, put it back on, and see if that makes any difference to the wobble.
Is The Platter Warped?
As much as I love Fluance, they are not going to be 100 percent perfect so mistakes in the factory can happen. So, once again remove the platter and use a spirit level to see if it is warped in any way. I would say that if the platter is warped then chances are the sound you are getting will be very noticeable that it is not perfect.
If the platter is warped then you will need to get a new one. If the turntable is still under warranty then get them to either send you a whole new turntable or a new platter. If you have a pre-owned one or it is out of warranty, you can purchase a turntable platter on Amazon and there are quite a lot for you to choose from.
Always Check Your Rubber!
Ok, so that may have been a cheeky thing to say, but if you look around many people do say that one of the may reasons that a turntable can be wobbling is not a major issue, but the rubber on the underside has come unglued from the platter itself. Even if just a little bit has come off, this can make the weight not 100 percent even and this can cause a little wobble. Of course, if a significant amount has come unglued then it will be even worse.
I would suggest that at first, you try to glue it back down. Use the smallest amount of glue possible and for the love of God, do not try and glue it on your turntable, you are just asking for trouble here, true story, I once had to glue a bit of broken plastic off one of the feet of a turntable, like a moron I did it above the turntable and got glue all over it. Be smart, do not do what I did!
The Spindle! Could It Be The Spindle?
If your spindle is all gunked up, this can also cause the platter to wobble. I found a pretty neat video guide where the dude breaks down the process (all be it on a different kind of turntable) and you can see it is straight forward. Giving the spindle a clean and a fresh bit of lube can do wonders for your turntable and it may also help you get rid of that wobble you are having.
Could It Be Your Record?
Ok. So, I know that you have probably already checked this, but I have to say this! It is much easier in my opinion for a vinyl record to warp than a platter so make sure it is not just the record you are listening to that is wobbling. I have had more than a few records warp on me over the years. If you go to a thrift store or buy an old record off eBay, you do always run the risk of there being some kind of issue.
Make sure you are keeping your records nice and clean with some of these awesome tools that I took a look at a little while back. Also, keeping your records stored properly can also help you prevent your vinyl from getting warped and not sounding great.
Is It Time To Buy A New Record Player?
Sure, you can buy a new spindle, get a new mat, and even a new platter. However, if you are not too keen on your ability to do this, you may just want to decide that it is time to throw in the towel and get a new turntable. While I have been looking at the RT81 from Fluance there are a ton of turntable reviews on the site for you to take a look at.
At the end of the day, a little bit of wobble on your Fluence RT81 is probably not going to make a whole lot of difference to your rocking out. However, sometimes just taking it off and giving it a good cleaning can do wonders and get you back to rocking in no time at all. In the case of my father-in-law, I took it off, cleaned it, made sure it did not need any work doing and I put it back on and he was happy with it. I am pretty sure it was all in his head if I am being honest with you!
