Turntables and streaming are different branches of the same audio tree. As one of the world's best multi-room systems, Sonos's speakers are built firmly with the latter in mind, but you can hook up your trusty record player to the system in order to play your vinyl collection throughout the home.
You just need the right speaker, the right accessory, and a little know-how. Allow us to show you how...
Which Sonos speakers support a record player?
A handful of Sonos devices can be used with a record player using a wired connection. These are the Sonos Era 300, Era 100 and Sonos Five speakers, and the Sonos Amp and Sonos Port (for these last two, you'll need to add speakers). The Sonos Connect, Connect:Amp and Play:5 can also be hooked up to a turntable, though all three are discontinued.
Some Bluetooth-enabled Sonos speakers can also be connected wirelessly to Bluetooth turntables. These are the Sonos Era 300 and Era 100, Roam and Move.
What do you need to add a turntable to your Sonos system?
It depends which Sonos device you're using. The Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 have a USB-C port, and need the USB-C to 3.5mm Line-In Adapter (£19 / $19 / AU$35) in order to connect to the audio cables from a turntable. But the Sonos Five can take a turntable direct thanks to its 3.5mm line-in connection – just plug the single end of an RCA Y-audio cable into the line-in port and attach the split cable to the corresponding colours of the audio outputs on the back of your record player. Then you're good to go.
For the Sonos Amp, you'll need to add your own speakers. Using the stereo RCA audio cable that came with the Amp, plug one pair of white and red connectors into the left and right audio outputs of your turntable or preamp (if you're using one), and the other pair into the left and right audio inputs on the back of your Sonos Amp.
Using the Sonos Port? As well as a turntable, you'll need an amp (if your turntable doesn't have one built-in) and some speakers. Plug one end of the audio cable that came with your Port into your record player and the other end into the corresponding colours of the L/R inputs at the back of your Port. Job done.
The Era 300, Era 100 and Sonos Roam and Move speakers can also connect to a turntable over Bluetooth, providing the turntable has Bluetooth, of course. To pair, press and hold the speaker's Bluetooth button – when you hear a chime and the status light flashes blue, it's ready for pairing. Then press the pairing button on the Bluetooth turntable, such as on the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 or the Audio Technica AT-LPW50BTRW. When the LED on the turntable goes solid, you know it's paired.
We connected the Era 100 with the Audio Technica AT-LPW50BTRW over Bluetooth, but beware that since you can't select which speaker to pair with from the turntable (there's no app), it might pair with another Bluetooth device in your room. We had to turn off every other Bluetooth device in our test room before the Sonos and the Audio Technica would pair, so try the same if you're struggling to connect.
How to add a turntable to your Sonos system
Once you've connected your Sonos device to your turntable, it's time to get listening. If you're connected via a cable, you'll need to switch the audio source to line-in – you do this through the Sonos app. In the Browse tab, select Line-in, and then choose the relevant source. You can also set up AutoPlay so your Sonos system switches to vinyl mode as soon as your wheels of steel start spinning.
If you're connected over Bluetooth, the speaker should start playing automatically as the vinyl spins on the record. Make sure you've switch to the right output on the turntable (Audio Technica says to use the Line output on the AT-LPW50BTRW) when using Bluetooth.
You can play your vinyl through every Sonos speaker connected to your network, so you can fill your home with the sound of your favourite records. Just group said speakers together using the Rooms tab in the Sonos app, and it'll play just like any music source.
Can you wirelessly connect a turntable to Sonos?
You can, as long as both the Sonos speaker and the turntable have Bluetooth. The Sonos speakers with Bluetooth are the Era 300 and Era 100, Move and Roam. In theory any Bluetooth turntable should work, as long as it has a phono preamp built-in – we've connected the Era 100 to the Audio Technica AT-LPW50BTRW over Bluetooth, but pairing took some trial and error.
Which record players work with Sonos?
You'll need a turntable with a phono preamp built in, otherwise you'll have to add one separately. Sonos recommends the Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB, which it also sells. We haven't reviewed that exact model, but we did award the standard Pro-Ject T1 four stars, so it's a pretty safe bet that it'll be a decent budget deck.
In theory, any Bluetooth turntable will work with a Bluetooth-enabled Sonos speaker, as long as it has the integrated phono stage. Additionally, turntables that are part of the "Works with Sonos" program – such as the Victrola Stream Carbon – are certified to work seamlessly within a Sonos system.
But if you're not sure about a particular model, you can ask the Sonos Community over on its forum. Happy listening!
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