How to Connect a Turntable to Speakers, Receiver or Soundbar

How to connect a turntable to a receiver.

Ed Lansink
Last updated on: April 11, 2023

This guide shows you how to connect your turntable setup and some important things to remember during the process. I’ll help you get set to enjoy your vinyl collection to the max.

First, it’s important to understand that commonly there are four essential pieces of equipment needed for every vinyl setup:

The turntable
A preamp (phono preamplifier)
An amplifier/receiver
Speakers: Active (amplification built-in – no need for a receiver) or passive (receiver required).

(You also generally need RCA cables if you’re not using a Bluetooth-based setup.)

A pair of RCA plugs, marked red and white to indicate which channel the plug belongs to.

You can find a whole range of combinations of these devices, sometimes even all of them, built into a single record player.

For example, active speakers include the necessary amplifier, and some turntables include a built-in phono preamp. You can also find all of these as separate stand-alone devices (which will give you a greater level of customization).

Either way, all of these are needed at some stage in a vinyl setup, and you need to plug them in the right order for them to work.

How to Connect a Turntable to a Receiver

To maximize sound quality and customization, audiophiles like to use a passive speaker system that needs some kind of stereo receiver or speaker amp. This is the most complex system to plug together, although it’s still pretty easy.

This type of audio system can be used either with a turntable with a built-in preamp, or you can use external phono preamps too. In some cases, the receiver might even have its own built-in phono preamp with phono inputs, making it even more streamlined when connecting to a standard turntable.

To work out whether your receiver has a phono input, just look at the inputs on the back. If it has a separate RCA input labeled ‘phono,’ then it does. If you can only see one main input, then it probably only accepts a line-level input signal, and you’ll need a separate phono preamp.

(Also note, if you need a deeper explanation of how to attach your speakers to the receiver, then I’ve made a more detailed guide below.)

Connecting a turntable with a built-in preamp to a stereo receiver

First, let’s talk about using a receiver that does have a phono input. This means you don’t need a turntable with a built-in preamp or even an additional external phono pre-amplifier.

Connect the turntable’s line output to one of the receiver’s line-level inputs.
Next, connect the speaker wire to the back of the passive speakers, then attach these wires to the speaker terminals on the back of the receiver.
Connect any additional grounding wires, and you’re good to go.

Just make sure you don’t run two phono preamps into each other (like a turntable preamp into the receiver’s phono input), or it’s going to distort.

Connecting a turntable with built-in preamp: Insert the RCA plugs. — Plug RCA cables into the back of your turntable, ensuring the preamp switch is in the “ON” position.

How to Connect a Turntable to a Receiver Without a Phono Input

If your receiver doesn’t have a phono input, you’ll need some kind of phono preamp to boost the turntable’s audio signal to line level. In this case, you will either need a built-in preamp or an external phono preamp. I prefer a standalone phono preamp as they give you extra customization and generally sound better than an inbuilt one.

Using the following turntable setup gives you the most customization and also has the potential for the highest sound quality overall. It goes Turntable > Phono Preamp > Receiver > Passive Speakers.

Connect the turntable’s phono output to the external preamp
Connect the phono preamps output to the receivers’ input labeled ‘line’ or ‘aux’. In some cases, like my receiver (pic below) you can pick an input with a different label, like in my case, ‘CD’ (the most ironic choice I could’ve made). They’re all set to receive the same level of power, so don’t worry about going wrong.
Attach speaker wires to the back of the speakers, then to the receiver’s speaker output terminals.
Wire up all the ground terminals.
You’re ready to play!

Using this kind of setup takes up more room and is a bit fiddlier to connect, but it’s definitely worth it if you care about audio quality and customization. That being said, it will also be a little more costly, and the final sound quality depends on the overall quality of each piece of gear in the setup.

Connecting a turntable to a receiver without phono input — My Denon receiver doesn’t have a phono input but plenty of choice for “line level” inputs.

How to Connect Turntable to Speakers

The exact process for connecting a turntable to speakers largely depends on the type of gear you have, so there are a couple of different situations here.

Connecting a turntable with a built-in preamp to active speakers

This is probably one of the easiest, simplest setups to use. In this case, the turntable has a built-in phono preamp, and you’re using active speakers with the necessary amplifier built-in.

To get this running:

Activate the turntable’s built-in phono preamp, usually located at the back (In the above pic, it’s labeled as “PHONO THRU,” but this is usually a PHONO-LINE switch – set it to LINE.
Connect RCA cables (that plug into the white and red sockets) to the back of the turntable.
Plug the other end of the cables into the active speakers’ RCA line-level inputs.
Attach the turntable’s ground wire to the grounding post of the speakers
Power up and play!

Note, if the active speakers don’t have an RCA input, you can just use an RCA-AUX adapter and plug it into the aux port.

Because everything is built-in, this method is super easy, although if your deck doesn’t have a built-in preamp, you’ll need a different strategy.

Connecting a turntable without a built-in preamp to active speakers

Not all turntables feature a built-in phono preamp, in which case you’ll need some kind of external phono preamp to get the setup working.

If you don’t already own one, you can pick them up at affordable prices (or you could always go for a high-end one if you have the budget)

Here are the steps for connecting a turntable without a built-in phono preamp.

Connect the phono output to the standalone phono preamps phono inputs using RCA cables.
With a separate set of RCA cables, connect the preamps outputs to the inputs of the active speaker.
Connect a ground cable between the turntable and preamp and another from the preamp to the speaker.
You’re ready to go!

It’s important you connect the grounding wires; otherwise, you will hear a buzzing sound, aka “hum.”

The ground wire terminal on a pre-amplifier.

Now, if you’re not using an active speaker pair and instead opt for the passive variety, you will need to connect the speakers to a receiver too, which is an extra step.

Using Bluetooth Speakers

Bluetooth/wireless speakers are another viable option for a turntable setup and can make listening to vinyl records much more convenient than wiring if you have the right gear. Using these external speakers does have different requirements, though.

You will need some kind of Bluetooth output for your turntable. Some new turntable models come with a built-in Bluetooth output, although this is generally quite rare, and most turntables don’t. Although if you have one with Bluetooth out, it’s ideal for this kind of setup. Alternatively, you can find quite a few phono preamplifiers with a Bluetooth connection. This is useful as it means you can just connect your turntable to the preamp, then wirelessly connect it to your speakers (or headphones).

Power up your wireless speakers.
If using a wireless preamp, connect this to the turntable like a standard phono pre.
Otherwise, just activate the Bluetooth output function of the turntable.
Now pair the Bluetooth turntable with your wireless speaker. This is usually done by holding the pairing buttons on the turntable and speakers at the same time, although it can vary from model to model.
Ready to play!

Bluetooth speakers can be an easy, space-saving setup type, although you do need the right type of gear.

Connecting A Turntable to a Soundbar

Connecting a turntable to a soundbar is usually an easy process. If your turntable has a built-in phono preamp, you only need to make one connection to get up and running.

Soundbars are another popular speaker system for turntables. Unfortunately, they usually don’t include a phono preamp, so you’re not always able to simply connect to it. You will need some kind of phono pre, whether this is built into the turntable or you use an external one as outlined above.

Also, many soundbars have a wireless input, meaning that if you have a Bluetooth-enabled turntable or phono preamp, you can connect directly to the soundbar using the wireless, which can be a big advantage in terms of saving space.

In essence, you just need to connect either a turntable’s line output or the output from a phono preamp to the RCA inputs on the back of the soundbar. (Or use a wireless connection like earlier above).

General tips on turntable and speaker placement

There are a few things to consider to ensure you get the best sound from your speakers and turntable.

Ensure the speakers are isolated from their surface

When speakers make a sound, they emit a lot of vibrational energy. To get a clean sound from your speakers, it’s a good idea to isolate them from whatever surface they are mounted on. This has the benefit of preventing any unwanted buzz as the vibrations move objects. It also gives your speakers a tighter, more defined sound, as their energy output gets sent directly into the room and isn’t wasted or blurred into the surface.

At a minimum, you can put your speakers on a stack of books, although for the best performance, I’d recommend using some acoustic foam speaker pads. Also, speaker stands are an even better choice than other random mounting situations.

Make sure the turntable and speakers aren’t too close together

It’s essential that you keep a good amount of space between the turntable and speakers and make sure they are both isolated from each other. Otherwise, disturbances can be created as the delicate stylus picks up the speaker’s vibrations. This can create feedback and often exaggerates the low frequencies (bass), muddying the sound output.

The recommended way to achieve this isolation is by making sure both devices have something separating them. So don’t put them both directly on the same surface. If you can keep a distance between them, that’s good too, but at a minimum, just make sure they are not directly connected.

The turntable should also be isolated from the surface

The final point to note is that the turntable also needs to have a good amount of isolation between its legs and the floor. Depending on where your turntable is mounted, there is a high chance that it will pick up vibrational interference from other things in the environment. Typically this is people moving around the room or your neighbors. This can make the needle bump around or pick up the noises and project them through the speaker.

FAQs

Are a receiver and an amplifier the same thing?

Receivers and amplifiers are similar, although the specific definitions are not identical. Receivers contain an amplifier, but an amplifier doesn’t have to be a receiver and is a term used for other types of audio components.

Essentially the term amplifier just describes a type of electronic circuit that is used to boost a music signal. Preamps are also a type of amplifier. Although in the world of hi-fi audio gear, people often use the terms amp and receiver interchangeably. Passive speakers need an amplifier, which can be a standalone amp or the amp built into a receiver.

A receiver is a specific type of hi-fi audio device, often with multiple input sources. Typically they contain radios, and inputs for other devices, sometimes a tape or CD player. Many receivers also feature built-in EQ controls for shaping their sound, but you are less likely to find these on standard amps. The main point of a receiver is to act as a source mixer, so it takes a range of audio inputs and sends them to the outputs. You also get AV receivers (audio-visual) which manage video devices like DVD, VHS (in the old days), and Blu-ray, and send it to a TV.

Do passive speakers sound better than active ones?

Yes, passive speakers do generally sound better than active speaker speakers, but it really depends on the quality build of the components involved. This is quite a large topic, so here are some key points to take away.

Active speakers contain an amplifier inside them; this takes up room, meaning the drivers are often smaller and less capable of producing clean, loud audio. Moreover, active speakers tend to have a higher “noise floor” because the amplifier and power supply are built-in, which creates more interference, like buzz and noise.

Moreover, speaker manufacturers themselves have less experience building amplifiers than dedicated amplifier manufacturers, so the quality of the amp component is often lower. In an ideal world, you want your speakers to be made by speaker experts and your amps to be made by amp experts rather than mixing the levels of expertise.

Finally, the amp component itself has a large effect on the quality of the audio, and these circuits can be quite large. You’ll often see some of the best amplifiers being pretty big devices, even larger than a speaker in extreme cases. Actives tend to use cheaper internal amplifiers, which creates lower quality compared to a high-quality external amp with passives.

Can you plug a turntable directly into a receiver?

Yes, you can plug a turntable directly into a receiver, but you’ll need the right features on both: The sound level output of the turntable needs to match the input of the receiver.

You typically need one of these setups:

A turntable with a built-in preamp, connected to a regular (“line level”) input on a receiver. Here, the preamp boosts the weak signal coming off the stylus to a high enough level to feed right into the receiver
A turntable without a built-in preamp, connected to a “phono” input on a receiver. In this scenario, the receiver unit contains a preamp to boost the turntable’s signal.

It’s good to note that most turntables with a built-in preamp have a switch at the rear to disable preamplification. If you have a receiver with a phono input, you could decide to bypass the turntables’ preamp. You’d do that if your receiver has better quality components (in which case the sound quality will be improved vs. using the turntable’s preamp).

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Ed Lansink

I'm a passionate vinyl collector, analog fan, and lifetime enthusiast of most things audio.

On VinyliQ I help fellow vinyl collectors enjoy their hobby to the max, sharing my knowledge about and passion for vinyl.

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