Just getting into vinyl? Then I have just the turntable for you with the added bonus of a neat 15% Black Friday discount

Black Friday is with us once again, and with it the promise of wide-ranging deals and discounts sure to frustrate the old bank balance. Still, there’s no better time of year to invest in your hi-fi, whether you’re hoping to capitalise on a bargain or simply looking to put your first system together.

Amazon has your back this time around, and particularly so with this cozy little deal on a turntable that perfectly straddles ‘low-budget’ and ‘hi-fi’ – the Fluance RT81, discounted 15% to a steal of a price at $211.97.

Fluance’s RT81 is a powerhouse player for its price, boasting some primo specs in a field saturated by less-precise entry-level models. A lot of thought’s gone into the design of this turntable, from its tracking-friendly s-shaped tonearm to its well-finished high-mass MDF plinth. An integrated phono preamp makes for a versatile unit, too, capable of slotting into any home hi-fi or speaker system.

This is weighty belt-drive turntable that more-than delivers – with partial thanks to the Audio-Technica AT-VM95E cartridge it ships with, which represents a serious leg-up in quality over other cheaper players. The VM95-series cartridges have upgradeable styli, too, so you can iterate on the great sound quality of the RT81 without having to invest in a new cartridge altogether.

With its 15% discount, applied to a retail price of $249.99, you can get this already-reasonably-priced turntable for $38 cheaper. The RT81 comes in one of three colorways at this price – namely, Piano Black, Piano White or Walnut. This is an incredible price point for what you’re getting: a super-serviceable turntable that’ll make your hi-fi system sing.

For more turntable discounts, head over to Louder’s pick of the best Black Friday record player deals and don’t forget to take a look at all the Black Friday vinyl deals.

More Black Friday deals

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• Black Friday CD deals: Classics, remasters & more
• Black Friday CD player deals: Top bargains on CD players
• Black Friday Marshall deals: Headphones & speakers on sale
• Black Friday streaming deals: Discounts on TV, film & music services
• Black Friday Lego deals: Build a great deal right now

James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.