How to Add a Turntable to Your High-End Audio System

Adding something as retro as a turntable to a modern, high-end audio system in your smart home may seem like a waste of money. In fact, there’s a lot to be gained from installing a turntable in your Georgetown, KY, home. From superior sound quality to adding new ways to listen to old favorites, a turntable is a valuable addition to your existing home audio system. Read on to learn more about what makes a turntable worthwhile and how to install one in your home.

SEE ALSO: EXPERT ANSWERS TO 5 COMMON WHOLE-HOUSE AUDIO QUESTIONS

WHY ADD A TURNTABLE?

The first and most important reason you want a turntable for your home audio system is to improve how you listen to music. Because many digital music file formats compress the sound data to make it easier to fit more songs on a device, you literally hear less sound when you’re listening to something like an MP3.

Vinyl records preserve more of what was originally recorded, giving you fuller, more vibrant sound for your music. Whether you’re listening to old favorites or the latest hits, listening on vinyl will give you a new and vastly improved listening experience.

Speaking of old favorites, that brings us to the second major reason to invest in a brand new turntable. Today’s speakers are much more advanced than those in the heyday of vinyl meaning they’ll get more out of your old records. And with new improvements to audio electronics , your music will sound more lifelike and immersive than ever.

HOW TO ADD A TURNTABLE

Connecting a turntable to your existing home audio gear can either be extremely simple or somewhat more complex, depending on how your system is set up. Rather than run down what you’ll need for every conceivable system, we’ll go through the most common setups: How to add a turntable to an A/V receiver, and how to connect one to a wireless speaker network.

When it comes to adding a turntable to a receiver, in some cases it can be as simple plugging in one wire. Many A/V receivers include a built-in phono input, and if that’s the case, all you need to do is plug in your turntable to that input. Using the built-in phono input may not deliver the best sound quality, however.

If sound quality is your utmost concern, you’ll want to use an external phono input or one built into your turntable, then connect that input to your receiver with a standard pair of RCA terminals (the red and white inputs that nearly all receivers and TVs have).

For wireless home audio systems, there are a few different variations on how to add a turntable. If you have a Sonos system, you’ll need to connect the turntable to one of the speakers or amplifiers with RCA inputs. These speakers or amps may not have built-in phono capability, however, so you’ll need either a turntable with an included phono stage or to buy an external one to bridge the turntable and the speaker.

With non-Sonos wireless systems, all you need is a speaker with analog stereo inputs. Connect the turntable using those inputs, and you’re good to go. If your wireless speaker has no external inputs, you can buy a Bluetooth turntable and use that instead, though you may lose some sound quality.

If you have questions about installing a turntable in your home, want help finding one or assistance connecting one to your existing audio setup, give us a call. You can call us at (859) 402-1413 or reach out to us online.