Add a Turntable to a Stereo System

For most of the 20th century, vinyl LPs were the standard medium for listening to music. The recent rise in digital music saw the decline of vinyl, but a reaction against the dominance of digital media has sparked a renewed interest in vinyl. If you are looking to explore this classic medium yourself, you'll need to learn how to add a turntable to a stereo system. For the most part, this is as simple a process as adding any other audio component to your stereo system.

Steps

  1. Decide on the placement of your turntable. The key consideration is that your turntable should be as level as possible; this keeps the stylus from applying uneven pressure to your records. In addition, avoid stacking your turntable directly on top of another electronic component, as this can lead to electrical interference that degrades the audio signal.
  2. Ensure that your receiver has a phono input. Turntables produce an audio signal that is much quieter than other components like CD players, and therefore they require an extra stage of amplification. BUT! This depends on the stylus, you have both Moving Magnet, and Moving Coil stylus. If you don't know what stylus you have it might be a Moving Magnet. Moving Coil's are much more expensive, and often bigger. If your receiver has a set of inputs labeled "phono," you can readily plug in your turntable (with Moving Magnet). If it has a set of inputs labeled Phono MC/MM) with a switch, you can mount both the styluses. Otherwise, you have 2 options for providing phono amplification.
    • Your first option is to buy a freestanding phono preamplifier, you get these for only MM or with MM and MC. This component is wired between your turntable and receiver using RCA cables to bring the signal up to an audible level.
    • A second option is to buy a turntable with a built-in preamp. Check the owner's manual for your turntable to determine if it has a built-in preamp, noting however that this feature is fairly rare.
  3. Run RCA cables from the turntable to the receiver. Your turntable will likely already have a pair of integrated RCA cables. Simply connect these 2 cables to the "phono or MM/MC input on the back of your receiver. Both the cables and the jacks will be color coded (red and white) or red and black. so that you can plug the left and right channels into the correct jacks.
  4. Connect the turntable's power supply. The turntable's power cord is best plugged in after it is connected to the receiver. This reduces the risk of damaging any components in case of a short circuit or other electrical failure. For extra protection, consider plugging your turntable and other stereo components into a surge protector.
  5. Switch the receiver's input selector to "phono." To run the turntable's output to your stereo system, you must rotate the receiver's input selector dial to "phono."
  6. Test the turntable. After powering your receiver on and setting the input selector accordingly, you can play a record on the turntable. Ensure that sound is being produced from both the left and right speakers.

Tips

  • Because turntables rely on precise vibrations to produce sound, they should be isolated from other vibrations as much as possible. Mounting a turntable on a wall shelf is a good way to isolate it from the vibrations created through footsteps on your floor.
  • Some modern turntables feature USB ports for running their output through your computer. This setup can be used either to play records or to record their output into digital files.

Things You'll Need

  • Turntable
  • Stereo receiver
  • Phono preamp (optional)
  • RCA cables (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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