Why is it much better to use a turntable with a receiver? Of course, a simple stereo setup doesn’t need additional equipment since a built-in phono preamp and a couple of active speakers will be quite enough. However, an AVR allows more adjustments to enjoy powerful and detailed surround sound. Let’s reveal how to connect a turntable to a receiver to boost the turntable’s signal.

Note that the ways are different, depending on whether a receiver and a record player have or lack built-in preamplifiers and thus phono inputs.
How to make a connection between a record player and a receiver without built-in preamps? In this case, an external preamplifier is necessary to connect it to a turntable on one side and to a receiver on the other:

  • Power off a receiver, preamp, and record player.
  • Use the turntable’s audio cables to plug them into the preamp’s inputs.
  • Hook up a pair of cables to the preamp’s outputs.
  • Take the cables’ other ends and plug them into the receiver’s line-level inputs.
  • The line-level inputs are labeled as Aux, Tape, or Line. Choose the relevant setup by switching the receiver’s input-select dial.
  • Attach the record player’s ground wire to the preamp’s ground terminal to ground the turntable to the preamplifier.
  • Power the entire acoustic system on to enjoy a powerful sound.

If a receiver comes without a preamp, but a turntable has it inside, the process will be as follows:

  • Use the audio signal cable to connect the record player and receiver’s analog audio inputs.
  • Switch the Select dial to Aux (auxiliary), Line In, Analog In setup. It’s even possible to use the AVR’s CD or Tape configurations.

The process of hooking up a turntable without preamp to a receiver with phono input onboard is also straightforward. Just use the compatible RCA-type stereo cable to connect it to the turntable’s output. Hook up the turntable’s ground wire to the receiver’s grounding metal post marked as GND. The latter helps remove the noise produced by the turntable during the operation.
Consider the system’s right placement, which is crucial in both cases. The receiver should be located right next to the record player and the dedicated stereo racks are desired to reduce vibrations.