Fluance RT85 vs NAD C 558
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Fluance RT85 · NAD C 558.
| Specification | Fluance RT85 |
NAD C 558 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £499 | Highlighted difference. £479 |
| Category | Hi-fi | Hi-fi |
| Status | current | current |
| Years | 2019–present | 2017–present |
| Drive | belt drive | belt drive |
| Speeds | 33/45 rpm | 33/45 rpm |
| Operation | semi-automatic | manual |
| Cartridge supplied | Ortofon 2M Blue | Ortofon OM 10 |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | acrylic | 10mm glass with felt pad |
| Tonearm | S-shaped aluminium | straight |
| Wow & flutter | <0.07% | — |
Practical differences
Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.
There's a real gap here: £20 separates them, with the Fluance RT85 the pricier of the two.
Both are belt-drive, so that part of the experience should feel similar on either deck: a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.
Operation differs: the Fluance RT85 is semi-automatic, the NAD C 558 is manual.
Bottom line: £20 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for Fluance RT85…
Merchant searches
1 UK merchant stock Fluance — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon UK | marketplace | Prime next-day on many items | Search at Amazon UK ↗ |
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for NAD C 558…
Merchant searches
2 UK merchants stock NAD — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fanthorpes HiFi | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most hi-fi | Search at Fanthorpes HiFi ↗ |
| Peter Tyson | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most hi-fi; competitive pricing | Search at Peter Tyson ↗ |