If you are asking this question, then you must be new to using turntables. Setting up your turntable can be intimidating, especially if it is also your first time assembling any stereo system. You must have a lot of questions right now. When I set up my first stereo system, knowing the basics was all it took to make it less complicated. And this is what I want to help you understand to answer you on how to connect turntable to receiver.
What You Need To Know Before Hooking Up A Record Player To Receiver
Knowing how a system works will help you understand the process of the set-up better. For the stereo system, we have 4 components that should always be present to listen to an audio source. We have the audio source, pre-amp, amplifier receivers, and speakers. Since you want to learn how to connect turntable to receiver, we will discuss how this system works.
Components You Need:
- Turntables – This is your audio source. The turntable translates the grooves carved in your vinyl into a faint electrical signal.
- Pre-Amp – The pre-amp receives the faint electrical signal and boosts it into a line level.
- Amplifier Receivers – Usually called amplifiers, these powers your speaker then sends the audio signal to them
- Speakers – takes the audio signal then pushes them out to be heard in the air
Some gears mix components, so you do not need to buy each component in individual pieces. However, whatever set up, all 4 must be present to listen to vinyl. Some turntables have a built-in pre-amp, which can be paired to speakers with built-in amplifiers, narrowing your equipment into two pieces.
Tips To Help You Know If You Have Integrated Components
- If your turntable has a USB port or phono line switch, then it has a pre-amp.
- Some amplifier receivers have a built-in pre-amp; the best way to determine it is to look for designated phono input. If you don’t see one, you will need a pre-amp.
- Passive speakers need amplifiers to power them and to deliver audio signals.
- Two types of speakers: passive and powered
- Powered speakers are plugged directly into the wall and receive the audio signal through standard RCA connectors.
- Passive speakers don’t connect to an external power source and are connected using standard speaker wires.
How To Connect A Record Player To The Receiver: Try Our Sample Setups
The following are setups that you can try doing with your system. It’s some of the best way to learn how to connect turntable to receiver.
Turntables with built-in pre-amp and a speaker with built-in amplifier
This set-up makes how to connect turntable to receiver super simple but still powerful. It also costs less since you have to buy less equipment.
- Connect your turntable to the speaker using RCA cables.
- Make sure each color is connected to the same channel on the turntable and the receiver.
- Connect the two speakers using standard speaker lines.
- Plug both components to power.
Connecting turntables with built-in pre-amp to a receiver, then speakers
This set-up makes how to connect turntable to receiver super simple but still powerful. It also costs less since you have to buy less equipment.
- If your receiver has phono input, connect the red and white RCA cables to the receiver’s left and right audio inputs.
- Plug the RCA cables to the audio outputs of the turntable. Ensure each color is connected to the matching channel on the turntable and the receiver.
- The pre-amp switch should be in the phono position.
- If the receiver has a grounding nut, you can connect the ground cable between the receiver and the turntable.
- If the amplifier receiver does not have a phono input, connect the RCA cables to an available input on the receiver, some may be TV, CD, for example.
- Set the pre-amp switch to the line position.
- The ground cable is not required when using the internal pre-amp.
- Then connect the receiver to your speakers.
Set-up with stand-alone components
This is a robust and powerful system that you can grow over time. Buying stand-alone pieces of equipment might be expensive but tends to have higher quality than mixed ones. It also allows you to be able to grow and upgrade your system over time.
- Connect your turntable to pre-amp using standard RCA cables.
- Set pre-amp switch to phono.
- Connect the ground cable to the grounding nut on the pre-amp and the turntable if there is one.
- Also, using RCA cables, connect the pre-amp to the receiver amplifiers.
- Lastly, connect your speakers to the receiver using standard speaker wires.
Conclusion
These are just sample set-ups intended to show you how to connect turntable to receiver. By all means, you should mix and match components, upgrade and change them from time to time and enjoy experimenting and recalibrating your stereo system. Now that you finished the set-up, what’s left is to try it out. Bring out those records! Discover more about turntables here!