Key takeaways
- A turntable's phono output runs at only 2 to 6 millivolts and carries a reversed RIAA equalization curve, both of which a phono preamp must correct before the signal reaches a soundbar.
- Plenty of soundbars built purely for TV sound, including several HDMI and optical only models, have no analog input at all, so check for an AUX or RCA input before buying any cable.
- A standalone phono preamp costs roughly 30 to 100 USD, while several entry level turntables like an Audio-Technica AT-LP60X include one built in and switchable.
- Persistent hum almost always traces back to a missing or loose ground wire between the turntable or preamp and the amplifier, not a fault in the cartridge or the records themselves.
- Where a soundbar genuinely has no line level input, a small stereo amplifier or an AV receiver with a phono input is a more sensible fix than forcing the connection through the bar.
Plenty of turntables end up connected to a soundbar with nothing between them but a single RCA cable, and the result is either silence or a thin, tinny sound that never resembles a record playing. The missing piece is almost always a preamp, not a bad cable or a faulty cartridge.
Whether the turntable came from a parent’s garage or was bought new for somewhere between 100 and 300 USD, the same handful of steps gets it working properly through a soundbar’s analog input, where one exists. Where it does not, there is a sensible second option rather than forcing a connection that was never going to work.
The preamp your turntable almost certainly needs first
A cartridge tracking a record groove outputs a tiny signal, roughly 2 to 6 millivolts, compared to the 150 millivolts to 2 volts a line level input like a soundbar’s AUX jack actually expects. Beyond the raw level, the signal is also shaped by the RIAA equalization curve baked into every vinyl pressing, bass cut down and treble boosted during mastering so more music fits in the groove.
A phono preamp does two jobs at once: it amplifies that tiny signal up to line level, and it applies the reverse RIAA curve to restore normal tonal balance. Skip this step and the sound that reaches the soundbar is both far too quiet and wrong sounding, thin on bass and harsh on top, even with every cable connected correctly.
Some turntables solve this for you. An Audio-Technica AT-LP60X, priced around 100 to 150 USD, has a phono preamp built in with a switch on the back to choose between Phono and Line output. Many higher end belt drive decks skip the built in preamp entirely and expect a standalone box, typically 30 to 100 USD, wired between the turntable and whatever it feeds next.
Checking whether your soundbar even has a usable input
Look at the back of the soundbar for a pair of RCA jacks or a 3.5mm jack marked AUX or Line In. Bars built with music playback in mind tend to include one. Several built purely around TV sound, including some HDMI and optical only models, do not offer any analog input at all.
Where that input genuinely does not exist, wiring a turntable into the soundbar is not going to happen no matter how the preamp is configured. The more sensible fix at that point is a small stereo amplifier, often 50 to 150 USD for a basic model, or stepping up to an AV receiver that already includes a proper input for this. The trade-offs of that larger step are covered in soundbar versus AV receiver, which to buy.
Wiring the turntable through the preamp and into the bar
The signal path runs turntable output, into the phono preamp’s input (or directly into the soundbar if the turntable’s own built in preamp is switched to Line), then the preamp’s output into the soundbar’s AUX or Line In jacks. This is the same basic analog RCA connection covered for connecting an older TV in connecting a soundbar to an older TV, just with a turntable and a preamp added ahead of it instead of a TV.
Most external preamps and many turntables include a separate thin ground wire alongside the main pair of RCA connectors. Attach it to a ground screw or terminal on the preamp or amplifier if one is present. Skipping this wire is the single most common reason a turntable setup hums audibly through the speakers even when every RCA plug looks properly seated.
Setting the input, the level, and the turntable’s own switches correctly
Switch the soundbar to its AUX or Line input using the remote, exactly as you would for any other external source. If the turntable has its own Phono or Line switch, set it to Line only when going straight into the soundbar with no separate preamp in between. Leave it on Phono when a standalone preamp is doing that job instead.
Start the volume low on the first play. A phono preamp’s output can run hotter than a typical AUX source, and a needle dropped onto a record at full volume is an unpleasant way to test a new connection. Cartridge tracking force, commonly set between 1.5 and 2.5 grams depending on the specific cartridge, is worth checking against the manufacturer’s figure at the same time, since an underweighted needle skips and an overweighted one wears records down faster than it should.
Most entry level and mid range turntables use a moving magnet cartridge, which is what nearly every phono preamp on the market, built in or standalone, is designed for by default. Moving coil cartridges, less common and usually found on higher end decks, need a preamp with a moving coil input or setting, since the two cartridge types output different signal levels and cannot simply share the same preamp setting.
Confirming the record actually sounds like a record
A correctly wired setup has real bass, clear top end, and roughly the same tonal balance as any other source through the same soundbar. A thin, quiet, harsh sound is the classic sign that the RIAA curve was never reversed, meaning the preamp step was skipped or misconfigured somewhere in the chain.
Check both channels by playing something with distinct left and right content and confirming sound comes from both sides evenly. Some surface noise and the occasional pop is normal on vinyl and is not a fault. A soundbar’s own display, on models that show input type, should confirm it is receiving the AUX or Line input rather than defaulting back to the TV.
What to do about hum, distortion, or dead silence
A persistent hum, usually a steady 50 or 60 Hz buzz depending on region, points almost always to a missing or loose ground wire connection between the turntable or preamp and the amplifier stage. Reattaching or tightening that ground connection resolves the large majority of these cases. Where it does not, killing hum and buzz from a ground loop covers the less common causes, including a shared power circuit with other equipment.
One channel producing no sound at all is more often a half seated RCA plug than a wiring fault, so reseat both connectors fully before assuming a cable has failed. A thin, thin sound with almost no bass, even after checking the preamp, sometimes traces back to the turntable’s own switch left on Line while relying on an external preamp that expects a raw Phono signal, effectively skipping the RIAA correction twice or not at all.
A handful of newer turntables include Bluetooth output alongside the standard RCA connection, letting the whole wiring question disappear entirely if the soundbar pairs over Bluetooth instead. The trade-offs of that approach, including added latency that matters far less for music than for video, are covered in Bluetooth versus Wi-Fi on a soundbar.
- Confirm the turntable’s preamp, built in or standalone, is actually in the signal path
- Check the soundbar has a genuine AUX or Line input before buying any cable
- Connect the ground wire if either the turntable or the preamp has one
- Start the volume low and confirm both channels before playing a full album
- Persistent hum: check the ground wire first, before anything else
Good general guidance on cartridge setup and care is published by manufacturers themselves, including Audio-Technica, whose entry level turntables are common enough in this exact scenario that their own setup documentation is worth a look regardless of which brand ends up on the shelf. Getting the preamp step right the first time avoids most of what makes a turntable sound worse than the record actually is.
Questions readers ask about this
Usually yes, for playing through a soundbar. A turntable's USB output typically exists for ripping records to a computer and does not always feed the same signal to the RCA outputs. Check whether the turntable's RCA jacks are labelled Phono or Line, since that tells you whether a preamp is still needed for the analog connection.
Not directly. A turntable outputs an analog signal and an optical input expects a digital one, so an adapter would need to include an analog to digital converter, not just a plug shape change. A phono preamp with a digital output, or a separate small audio interface, is the correct piece of hardware for that path.
Most cartridges fall in a 1.5 to 2.5 gram range, and the specific figure is usually printed on the cartridge itself or findable from the cartridge manufacturer's own specification sheet by model number. Setting it roughly in the middle of that range is a reasonable starting point until the exact figure is confirmed.
This points to a connection problem rather than the records themselves, most often a half seated RCA plug at either the turntable, the preamp, or the soundbar. Reseat every connector fully, and swap the left and right cables at one end to see if the silent side moves, which confirms whether the fault is the cable or the port.
Yes, several newer turntables pair over Bluetooth directly to a soundbar, avoiding the preamp and cable question altogether. Audio quality and added latency both work the same way any other Bluetooth source does, which matters far less for music than it would for watching video with dialogue.
About the author
Rahul Gupta
Rahul Gupta has spent nearly a decade quietly wiring living rooms, testing soundbars in every awkward apartment layout imaginable, and untangling the kind of HDMI handshake problems that make people give up on Atmos altogether. He writes here about what actually works when you get the boxes home—not what the spec sheet promises. If a piece of gear on this site earns a recommendation, it earned it in a real room with real furniture, not a lab.
