#Review : JVC AL-F85S - direct drive, aptX Lossless & stylus AT.

Jean-Philippe Burgos
4 days ago
5 min read

JVC AL-F85S : direct drive, aptX Lossless et cellule AT.

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A manual direct-drive turntable with a built-in phono stage, advanced Bluetooth connectivity and a USB output for digitising your collection: the JVC AL-F85S packs everything modern vinyl playback has to offer into a single unit — for those who demand simplicity without compromise

A well-defined proposition, a feature set that punches above its price point, and a name carrying decades of heritage. In-depth review

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A legendary name.

Established in 1927, JVC — Japan Victor Company — has been a cornerstone of Japanese hi-fi since its earliest days. The brand's 1970s and 80s turntables continue to command respect on the used market.

In Europe, the brand name is now operated under licence by the Fnac-Darty group — a widespread practice in the industry, and one that many legacy brands have embraced. Built to a rigorous specification brief, the JVC AL-F85S is a modern, approachable turntable designed for contemporary vinyl listening.

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Direct drive: the logical choice for this market position.

The JVC AL-F85S employs a BLDC (Brushless DC) direct-drive motor — a well-reasoned decision at this price level. The benefits are well known: no belt to replace, near-instant platter speed, and reliable mechanical consistency

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Under the reversible felt mat, the die-cast aluminium platter sits in the moderate inertia range, with quartz-controlled electronic speed regulation keeping things in check.

Pitch can be adjusted via a vertical slider over a ±10% or ±20% range, and an LED strobe provides a reliable visual check of platter stability at 33⅓, 45 and 78 rpm.

The tonearm adopts an S-shaped profile — a time-honoured geometry that strikes a good balance between cartridge alignment accuracy and mechanical rigidity.

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Adjustable counterweight (the calibration ring lacks a little fluidity), adjustable anti-skating, standard removable headshell: the full set of expected features is on board.

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The JVC AL-F85S ships with an Audio-Technica AT-VM95E elliptical-stylus cartridge — a cut above what this price bracket typically commands. The elliptical tip tracks the groove more faithfully than a spherical equivalent, with tighter high-frequency resolution and less record wear as a result.

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The straight, SME-compatible removable headshell allows easy cartridge swapping; counterweight adjustment should nonetheless be carried out with care to keep tracking force within the specified 1.9 g to 2 g range.

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Tested here with a Nagaoka MP-110, the results showed a real and appreciable gain in quality.

Built-in phono stage: handy, and bypassable.

The integrated phono circuit (RIAA correction) lets the turntable feed directly into an active loudspeaker or any amplifier lacking a dedicated phono input. For those seeking higher performance, an external stage — a Pro-Ject Phono Box or Cambridge Alva Duo, for instance — is the logical next step. The toggle switch makes the transition seamless, and the door to an external unit stays open. A sensible implementation.

Bluetooth aptX: modernity built in.

The built-in Bluetooth transmitter streams audio directly to any compatible wireless speaker or headphone. Pairing is seamless, and connection stability — tested in a standard apartment at up to 10 metres — raised no concerns.

Codec support is where the AL-F85S genuinely stands out: aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless are all present. This goes well beyond the usual offering in this segment. With a compatible aptX Lossless receiver, wireless audio can theoretically hold its own against a wired connection.

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Tested on a KEF Muo (aptX-compatible), the difference with the analogue wired output is subtle but audible — the wired connection retaining a slight edge at the spectral extremes.

Supported Bluetooth codecs aptX | aptX HD | aptX Adaptive | aptX Lossless SBC / AAC:

Wow & flutter: within spec, with margin for improvement.

Wow & flutter quantifies rotational speed instability, heard as a slight pitch wavering on sustained notes.

Three measurements produced: 0.16%, 0.19%, 0.11% — averaging 0.15%. The figure sits within the manufacturer's specification, in the 'acceptable' band of the reference chart below.

Wow & Flutter	Niveau
< 0,03 %	Exceptional
0,03 – 0,08 %	Very good
0,08 – 0,12 %	Good
0,12 – 0,20 %	Correct ← AL-F85S

For context:

a mildly off-centre pressing can alone introduce speed variations in excess of 0.3%. The real-world audible difference between 0.05% and 0.15% wow & flutter is, for most listeners, negligible — audiophile expectations aside. Numbers inform the discussion; they rarely tell the whole story.

USB digitisation: vinyl to file, simply done.

The dedicated USB output allows the AL-F85S to connect directly to any Mac or PC via a standard USB cable. Recognised natively as a USB audio interface, the turntable makes vinyl-to-digital recording a genuinely simple operation.

In practice, integration with the open-source application Audacity is particularly effortless."

Audacity's archiving toolkit includes:

Automatic track splitting
Click and pop removal
Level normalisation
WAV, AIFF, FLAC and MP3 export

For best results, recording at 24-bit / 44 kHz is recommended, with the master file stored in FLAC or WAV.

The integrated USB section is not designed to challenge a dedicated audiophile digitisation chain. For domestic purposes, however — archiving a collection, preserving a rare pressing, or feeding a portable device — it is practical, stable and entirely adequate.

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Listening tests.

Running wired into a Technics G700 integrated amplifier and Cabasse loudspeakers, the JVC AL-F85S puts out a coherent, well-balanced sound with no notable rough edges.

A handful of familiar records are enough to get a clear sense of the turntable's sonic personality.

On Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky', the groove lands. The bass line is firm, Nile Rodgers' Stratocaster interjects with the right crack, and rhythmic cohesion holds throughout. A well-grounded presentation — with a mild tilt towards the bass.

The AT-VM95E performs reliably: tracking is stable, retrieval stays clean. The soundstage is modest in width, but the music moves — and at this price point, that is the priority.

On George Benson's 'Give Me the Night' — Quincy Jones producing — the JVC AL-F85S puts its best foot forward in the midrange. Benson's vocal retains warmth and pliability, the brass stays legible. The cymbals lack a touch of extension at the top end, but musical coherence is never in question

On Miles Davis's 'Tutu', produced by Marcus Miller, the turntable shows both its boundaries and its integrity. The bass line holds, synthetic textures stay clean, the trumpet remains present. Soundstage depth is limited — but clarity and structure are never compromised.

A pattern emerges across the listening sessions: the JVC AL-F85S favours an unfussy, unforced presentation, letting music breathe without tension — though with a mild but consistent bias in the low frequencies.

At this level, that is what the brief demands.

Verdict

The JVC AL-F85S is an honest deck that knows its audience: anyone who wants vinyl without cables or complexity. It holds to that promise with consistency. Its slight low-end emphasis makes it well-suited to pop, rock and electronic music; for classical and jazz, a step up the range is worth considering (Technics SL-40CBT).

What it is not: an audiophile machine with a serious platter. But the bundled AT-VM95E, USB digitisation output and full aptX Lossless / Adaptive Bluetooth stack push it clearly ahead of direct competitors at €279.

The standard headshell and defeatable phono stage leave room to grow. Start here, go further if the appetite develops. At entry level, that is a genuine strength.

✚ What we liked	▲ What could be better
▸ Bluetooth aptX HD / Adaptive / Lossless	▸ Moderate-precision gimbal / tonearm
▸ cartridge AT-VM95E elliptique l	▸ Moderate-inertia platter
▸ S Shape arm	▸ Wow & flutter: acceptable, though not audiophile-grade
▸ Bypassable built-in phono stage	▸ Built-in RIAA phono circuit: improvable
▸ Stylet VM95 interchangeable facilement
▸ USB