How to Connect a Turntable to Speakers

Powered or passive decides the rest

Between the turntable and the speakers, the record's faint signal has to be boosted and equalized, and that has to happen exactly once. We'd look at the back of your speakers and your turntable before buying any cable or box, because the speaker type and the turntable's output level decide whether you need an amplifier, a phono preamp, both or neither.

Powered speakers have their own amplifier and their own power connection, and often a volume control. Passive speakers have no amplifier and no power source, so they need a stereo amplifier or receiver between them and the turntable, connected with speaker wire.

Once you know which you have, follow the signal in order: turntable, one phono stage, an amplifier (inside powered speakers or a separate box), then the speakers.

Your record needs one phono stage

A cartridge puts out a very weak signal. A phono stage (also called a phono preamp) boosts it and applies the equalization records need before the signal reaches the main amplifier.

That stage can sit in one of four places: inside the turntable, inside powered speakers, inside an A/V receiver, or in a separate box. A PHONO input on speakers or a receiver tells you there's one built in.

Many turntables have a PHONO/LINE switch on the back. LINE turns the built-in preamp on, and PHONO bypasses it so the output stays at the low phono level.

Nearly all Audio-Technica turntables have that internal preamp and most have the switch. The exception is the AT-LP140XP, a DJ turntable that only outputs at PHONO level because it's meant to feed a mixer with its own phono preamp. If you own an Audio-Technica deck, check its connection steps (opens in a new tab) for the switch setting.

Hooking up powered speakers

Every powered speaker has an amplifier, but only some also have a phono stage. Look for a PHONO input on the back, because that tells you whether the turntable's preamp has to do the job.

1. If your turntable has a built-in preamp, set it to LINE and run the RCA cable straight into the speakers' line input. Play a record. If it's very quiet with too much treble and too little bass, check that the switch is on LINE.
2. If your turntable only outputs at PHONO level, connect it to the speakers' compatible PHONO input if they have one. If the speakers only have a line input, put a phono preamp between them and the turntable: the turntable goes into the preamp, and the preamp's output goes into the speakers' line input. Play a record. If it's still very quiet, check that the signal reaches a phono stage.
3. If your turntable has a switchable preamp but you'd rather use a separate one, set the turntable to PHONO first so its own stage is bypassed, then connect it to the preamp. Play a record. If it sounds distorted, check that only the separate phono stage is in the path.

Audio-Technica turntables come with a cable for their output, which is either a 3.5 mm jack or a pair of RCA plugs (the analog cables often seen with red and white ends). If the plug doesn't match your speakers' input, adapters are easy to find locally.

On Klipsch R-15PM powered monitors, which have a phono preamp built in, connect the turntable's RCA and ground cables to the speakers, set the switch on the back of the R-15PM to Phono, then plug the turntable and the speakers into power. If your turntable has a PHONO/LINE switch, set it to PHONO so the record only passes through one phono stage. The R-15PM setup steps (opens in a new tab) show this connection.

Wired right, the signal passes through one phono stage and then the speakers' amplifier. Very quiet sound with too much treble and not enough bass means there's no phono stage in the path yet.

Hooking up passive speakers and an amp

Passive speakers need a stereo amplifier or receiver to drive them. The phono stage can be in the turntable, in that amp or receiver, or in a separate box between the two.

1. If your turntable outputs at LINE level, connect its RCA cable to Aux, CD, Tape or another line input on the amp. Leave the PHONO input alone for this one.
2. If it outputs at PHONO level, use the amp's dedicated PHONO input. No PHONO input? Connect the turntable to a separate phono preamp, then run the preamp into a line input on the amp.
3. Switch off the amp before connecting it to the speakers with speaker wire. Keep the two bare conductors apart before turning it back on.
4. Drop the needle and the record comes through the speakers. If it doesn't, check that you're listening through the amp input you connected. If it sounds distorted on the LINE route, check that the cable is in a line input. If it's very quiet on the PHONO route, check that the signal reaches a phono stage.

New to speaker wire? Wiring speakers to an amp's red and black terminals covers the bare-wire part.

A receiver with a suitable PHONO input takes the place of the separate preamp, and some A/V receivers let you bypass the turntable's own preamp. Going through a receiver also lets the turntable share speakers you already use for movies or streaming. If those speakers aren't hooked up yet, start with connecting speakers to a TV.

The common layouts run from a turntable straight into powered speakers to a full receiver system.

Very quiet sound even with the amp turned up high means a PHONO-level signal is going into a line input. Move it to the PHONO input or add a phono preamp.

Picking a phono preamp if you need one

Check your cartridge type before you buy, because the preamp has to handle it. Moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) are the common types. An MC cartridge typically puts out a weaker signal, about 0.2 millivolts at most against about 5 millivolts for a typical MM, so it needs extra amplification or a transformer. Check your cartridge's output rather than treating those typical figures as its specification.

Check the preamp's cartridge compatibility before buying. Separate phono preamps may support MM and MC, but phono stages built into receivers and stereo preamps are often MM-only. With an MC cartridge, confirm your receiver's PHONO input supports it before you rely on it.

Whatever you choose needs a line-level output for the next box in the chain. Separate preamps vary a lot in price and quality, and that affects how your records sound, so read up before buying. The more advanced ones let you adjust load resistance and capacitance to match the cartridge maker's recommendations.

Ground wire and hum

Look for a small screw or thumbscrew terminal next to the PHONO jacks on your preamp, receiver or amp. That's where the turntable's ground wire goes, and its job is to cut down hum.

Whether you need it depends on your gear. Some turntables need a ground connection to the preamp or amp to get rid of mains hum, but most Audio-Technica turntables use an external power supply, so the ground may not be needed.

With a separate preamp, connect the turntable's ground wire to its ground terminal if your gear calls for that connection. Add a wire from the preamp to powered speakers only if both have ground terminals and that connection is part of their setup.

Our advice is to let your ears decide. Play a record with the ground connected and again without it, and keep whichever sounds better. Once in a while a ground wire actually adds hum, so try disconnecting it if hum shows up.

Keep the speakers from shaking the stylus

A stylus can't tell the record groove from any other vibration. Speakers nearby can shake it when the volume is high enough, and you hear that as hum or howling.

Put the turntable some distance from the speakers, or behind them, and keep them off the same shelf or console. A shared surface looks tidy and saves space, but it makes it more likely that speaker vibration reaches the stylus and spoils the sound.

Floorstanding speakers, or stands for bookshelf speakers, give the speakers their own support. Keep as much separation as your room allows.

What the first record tells you

Play a record through the input you connected and listen before you move any cables.

• Very quiet, with too much treble and too little bass: there's no phono stage in the path. Add one, or set the turntable to LINE if it has a built-in preamp and you're on a line input.
• Very quiet even turned up, from a PHONO-level turntable in Aux, CD or Tape: move it to a dedicated PHONO input or add a compatible phono preamp.
• Distorted, from a LINE output in a PHONO input: stop playback, turn down the volume and move the cable to a line input.
• Hum or howling: try the record with and without the ground wire, and move the turntable off the speakers' shelf or console.

If the sound is still absent or distorted after you've matched the output and input, contact the maker's support or a repair technician. Tell them your turntable and amplifier or speaker models, which input you used, and what you heard. Check your warranty terms and ask for a repair quote before authorizing work.

If something still sounds wrong, check the PHONO/LINE switch against the input you're using. LINE belongs in Aux, CD or Tape, and PHONO belongs in a PHONO input or a phono preamp.

Questions people ask about turntable hookups