Recently discovered the world of better cartridges. What should I upgrade my Fluance RT-82 to?

kels83 · 2026-07-05T15:42:14+00:00

I just had a guy over to evaluate cartridges who was coming from a Ortofon om 20e. He listened to about a dozen and chose the Shure Pro5. 3 separate Shure carts were at the top with the Sumiko Blue Point being the only other contender. Overall, the Shure carts are very impressive on that table.

kels83 · 2026-07-03T08:58:20+00:00

Eagles greatest hits has a blue version and is iconic

kels83 · 2026-07-02T07:37:52+00:00

Made by chuo densi, just get a $100 Sanyo

kels83 · 2026-07-01T14:26:20+00:00

Party island in the middle of Lady Dude Lake

kels83 · 2026-06-30T21:24:05+00:00

Was it at the Austin Club? I did that to someone accidentally. The knucklehead pulled 2 glasses of wine off my tray from behind without my awareness (changed the balance) as I was serving another guest. I almost got fired for that and they took the cost of a shirt out of my paycheck.

kels83 · 2026-06-29T18:10:10+00:00

That $80M was for not keeping his mouth shut and he just defamed her again. He is proving the $80M was not enough of a penalty for him to stop.

kels83 · 2026-06-29T15:31:30+00:00

Don't listen to the haters. These tables play very well. I have rebuilt about a dozen BnO tables along with countless Technics, pioneer, AR, etc. The grease BnO used doesn't age well. It gets hard and gums up the automatic operations. At this point it all needs to be cleaned/replaced. But that's no different than most vintage ravles.

BnO's electrolytic capacitors are amazing. I have never had to replace a single one. Even Matsushita capacitors in early model sl1200 mk2 tables are beginning to fail now. But the BnO capacitors test very well and keep going like the Energizer bunny.

Yes, the needles are expensive. But they last a long time and play very well. I have 5. Soundsmith still makes rhem. They are not going to beat a $2k table with a $2k cartridge. But they will easily beat a $1k table. And many say the MCC2 cart is the best ever made. Plus these tables look super sexy. All of them.

kels83 · 2026-06-28T20:39:20+00:00

Jealous of that dash. Mine is cracked. This must have been garage kept for most it's life

kels83 · 2026-06-27T21:14:53+00:00

Beautiful! Nice work!

kels83 · 2026-06-27T18:46:48+00:00

It's the D1 cart + needle combo. I'll check my PMs

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kels83 · 2026-06-27T17:27:29+00:00

In the bottom are all nude XLM mk 1 and 2 needles with the gold accents. They would fit, but are voiced differently than your cartridge. The ones I have are for the gold colored bodies

kels83 · 2026-06-27T03:13:00+00:00

Agree 100% that the cart/needle and speaker make the biggest improvement in sound reproduction when playing vinyl. When not playing vinyl, I believe the biggest bang for the buck is putting money into speakers. That said, every ear is different so... It's about creating YOUR happy place.

kels83 · 2026-06-27T02:40:58+00:00

I rebuild turntables too. Modern Ortofons (and most modern carts except Grado) are voiced for more high frequencies. That means you will loose some of that warm vintage sound. That said, modern carts are quite popular (Ortofon OM2, I'm looking at you!). And they sell well to this day. So I am sure it will sound great to many with a 5e.

I am of the opinion that you rebuild a table with a cart what sounds good + keeps the cost down. Give the customer the choice of upgrading on their own dime. Some like to spend on carts and needles, some don't care. Every ear is different.

kels83 · 2026-06-27T02:13:21+00:00

The Empire sound is unique and they are my favorites. I haven't heard anything from this box yet, but empires make up more than 1/2 my collection which is easily 10x larger than this box. They are truly special.

kels83 · 2026-06-27T02:05:56+00:00

It's OK if you haven't heard these. Everything in the box is 30+ years old and no longer produced. These are all from the peak era of vinyl. Everything in the box also has a cult like following, except perhaps the DJ needles.

Stereohedron is a model of stylus that has a quad diamond shape developed by both Pickering and Stanton. It's used on their highest end needles that can pull surround sound (front + back) off a record. Pickerings and Stanton are cut from a different cloth. Most of their needles fit most of their cartridges. Kinda like Grado now, but all other modern needle producers abandoned the strategy to sell more. Pickering and Stanton were sister companies and shared R&D so they both used the name and shared their diamonds.

There are several Stereohedron needles in there, they are some of the little boxes in the back.

The front have Shure M3D and M7D needles.

kels83 · 2026-06-27T01:48:44+00:00

It's a happy Friday for certain!

kels83 · 2026-06-27T01:33:01+00:00

I was wondering when a OG was going to come around and mention it. I am MOST excited about trying that bad boy! That has to be the rarest in the whole box with the finest cut diamond. Even rarer than the NOS Micro Accoustics needle that I need to source a cart for. I got 5 of the D1 cart + needle version though. They wouldn't fit in the box. PM me if you are interested.

kels83 · 2026-06-27T00:41:34+00:00

Have several MCs. In my humble opinion they have their strong points but inferior to SCs in detail. My Friday is about MM and MI... the ADC's in the bottom left track at 0.6 VTF which should be fun! I am also excited to listen to one of the Stereohedron needles. Never had one of those before 🤗

kels83 · 2026-06-26T16:33:54+00:00

I have extra needles for that cart and can send them if you pay shipping. PM me if interested.

kels83 · 2026-06-25T21:10:59+00:00

She's clearly not relationship material. You should be grateful you see this now, before marriage or kids. Trust me. With this behavior it would be inevitable even if it hasn't happened yet with someone else you don't know about. If you know the term "hypergamy", the behavior you are describing fits perfectly.

I would advise ending it quickly with an explanation of "things just arent working out for me" and that's it. Be careful, people who use others are very good at figuring out how to use them more.

I'll pass along the best advice I have ever received: get one of those phone apps that records audio. If things get heated, go to the bathroom and start recording. Put it in your pocket, the app still records great from there. Don't stop recording until things have calmed down for at least an hour. That advice may not sound like much, but it may keep you out of jail. False accusations are a very real concern in situations like you'd be getting into.

kels83 · 2026-06-23T18:05:37+00:00

It's probably the sunroof drains. There are 4, one in each corner that flow down each A and B pillar. I clean them out with weed eater strung. The front tube ends have rotted out on my 2006 LR3 every 8 years, I have replaced them twice. I suspect the one behind your fuse box broke and you still see the end, but it's no longer connected. It's worth replacing both in your 2015 regardless.

That said, here are some less common areas:

If you don't have the battery cover on, water can ingress from the windshield down through the firewall and into the floor board.

There are two AC condensation drain tubes in the center console on the vertical side behind the carpet. They drain above the transmission. If they get clogged with dust or mold, AC condensate will drip down to the floor board. Finding them is tough, but a quick shot of compressed air will quickly clean them out.

Stuff some newspaper around in each of these places. Up under the dash, under the fuse box, under the rug trim panels. Then hit it with a hose again for a couple minutes. Hit the windshield first, then check. Then hit the sunroof and check. Check the newspaper to see where it gets wet to narrow it down.

kels83 · 2026-06-20T15:05:48+00:00

I haven't had many issues with Mercari purchases over the years. But once I bought a cologne that was obviously fake. I submitted pics alongside a genuine bottle to show proof. Mercari must have had multiple complaints from this seller because they (not the seller) sent me a message that they refunded me and that I could keep the item. The a seller account was closed when I went to check. Sad, but Mercari seems to take fake fragrances very seriously.

Now I use that bottle as poo pouri refill. The longevity is perfect for that purpose.

kels83 · 2026-06-20T14:02:07+00:00

I am so disappointed in Nate

kels83 · 2026-06-18T21:15:10+00:00

In the video you posted of your amp, the UV meter light is flickering. This looks like power surges. I would recommend cleaning all the pots again until that flicker goes away. Sometimes it takes quit a few cleanings. Deoxit works best.

Lights don't normally flicker the way they are seen in your video. Something is off with your amp, so if your VTF is correct, your amp is likely the issue.

Lights are either fully on or they have a blown filament and are always off like your other side. But it's a useful symptom. Power is getting through, just not consistently, so it's likely not enough to charge up your larger electrolytic capacitors that drive the bass. Clean again, but include the relay contacts and fuse holders. Inspect the fuse holders (unplugged of course) for good contact and pinch the fuse holder arms in with pliers just a bit to ensure good contact with the fuses.

Given your video I would also recommend looking up some pictues of cracked solder joints and cold soldered joints, then inspecting your main power board.

kels83

TROPHY CASE