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Moderator Note: Modified December 2024 to account for new products and changes to the latest mobile controller.

 

Thinking about getting a turntable setup with your Sonos system and wondering where to start? We've got you covered.

If you're looking for a quick overview before you dive into the details below, check out the info we have over on our blog.
 

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Before getting started, we need to ask a simple question— Does my turntable need a phono preamp?

Although some turntables have a built-in phono preamp, most of them don’t. Turntables output their signal at phono level, which is a low, quiet signal rated in millivolts. A phono preamp converts the audio output to line level, which is a louder signal rated in volts. If your turntable does not have a built-in phono preamp, you’ll need to place one between the turntable and Sonos player.

We don’t recommend any phono preamp in particular, but we’ve heard great things about the Music Hall Mini, U-Turn Pluto, and Bellari Rolls VP 29.

Your audio receiver may have a phono input, which means you can wire the turntable directly to the receiver. To pass the analog signal along to Sonos the receiver should have a Tape/CD Out, Rec Out, or Zone 2 Out. (Note: additional configuration may be required to trigger the audio output on the receiver)

Which Sonos player do I need?

There are three discontinued Sonos players that have a line-in port - the Connect, Connect:Amp, and Play:5, and there are 5 current players - the Sonos Amp, Sonos Port, Era 100, Era 300 and the Five. While all six can be used with a turntable, they each have a different application. The Connect and Port are perfect if you already have an amplifier and a set of third-party speakers that you don't want to part with. You'll want to use a Connect:Amp or the new Sonos Amp when you already have a pair of third-party speakers but lack an amplifier. Our Five and Play:5 are all-in-one speakers with the amplifier and speakers all housed in a compact, solid enclosure. Now, no matter which player you plan on using, you'll have the ability to send the music to all of the other Sonos speakers around your house and at the same time. We get it, just because your collection sits in one room, that doesn't mean you have to.

The portables Move, Move 2 and Roam and Roam 2 can both accept connections via Bluetooth technology, so if you have a Bluetooth enabled turntable you can wirelessly play your records to Sonos. Please note that only the Roam and Roam 2 can share that stream to other Sonos players on your system.

Arc Ultra, Era 100 and Era 300 also support Bluetooth playback.


For those just getting into vinyl or looking to upgrade, we now carry the Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB in our online store for the US. This is a great turntable that includes a built-in phono preamp so it can be used out of the box with a Sonos Amp, Sonos Port, Five, Play:5, Connect, or Connect:Amp right after the initial setup. We also have the newer Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Sonos Edition and some more options here. 

To connect the Five to your turntable or phono preamp, you’ll need a 3.5mm male to RCA cable, which is more commonly referred to as an RCA y-cable. The y-cable will connect to the RCA Out on either the turntable with a built-in phono preamp (shown below) or the RCA Out of the standalone phono preamp. The 3.5mm end will then be connected to the Line-In port located on the back of the Five. Although they are not seen all that often, there are some phono preamps that include a 3.5mm out. In this scenario, you’ll want to use an aux cable, which is 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male.

 

 

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After the Five has been set up, you’ll want to make sure to tweak the line-in settings. Trust me, I know the excitement of getting a new turntable setup and the first thing you want to do is drop that needle but reviewing the details below will help save time and answer a lot of questions you may find yourself asking. These settings are available for all of the Sonos players with a Line-In connection.

To make these adjustments, we’re going to use the Sonos app on a mobile device and head to Settings > (Player name) > Line-In.

To start, you can set the Line-In Source Name. This is used to specify what kind of device is connected to the Line-In port. By default, there isn’t an option for a turntable, so I recommend setting a custom name. The source name is then what’s displayed when selecting Line-In as an option under Home Screen > Your Sources > Line- In.

The Line-In Source Level is extremely important, so make sure that if you’re skimming this thread just for info on settings, pay attention to this paragraph. There are two common reasons why music can be barely audible after getting a turntable setup with Sonos. One reason, the turntable doesn’t have a built-in phono preamp (covered above) and the other is because the line-in level is set too low. The line-in level is the voltage in which the signal is going to be detected and the higher it’s set; the louder audio will be. By default, Line-In is set to level two, which isn’t very loud for a turntable. Each class of audio equipment is different and therefore the output impedance will vary from device to device, so make sure to consult your product’s manual. Ideally, you’ll want to set the line-in level to match the output of your phono preamp according to the principle of gain staging. Since most phono preamps don’t have a very high output impedance, you should be able to set line-in all the way to ten if you don’t hear the audio clipping.

The line-in voltage levels are below:

2.2V - Level 1
2.0V - Level 2
1.8V - Level 3
1.6V - Level 4
1.4V - Level 5
1.2V - Level 6
1.1V - Level 7
1.0V - Level 8
0.8V - Level 9
0.6V - Level 10

These adjustments can be made under Settings > (Player name) > Line-In > Line-In Level.

The Autoplay Room setting, which is turned off by default, automatically triggers Line-In as the preferred source for audio playback in a designated room. This means that whether music is already playing or you’re just getting ready to kick back and sink into an album that, once the needle meets the groove, autoplay will take care of the rest. Additionally, when autoplay is enabled, the designated speaker will drop out of a group it may be part of unless Include Grouped Rooms is enabled.

While the autoplay feature is great, it won't be ideal if you’re dealing with a cartridge that is a bit noisy, there is trouble getting a solid ground connection, or if there are power fluctuations from the outlet being used. This can cause music to abruptly stop when streaming from an online music service or local source.

 

 

 

 

General Troubleshooting

 


Audio Dropouts

 

 

 

 


A simple but often-overlooked reason you may hear audio dropping or skipping is due to the turntable and speaker(s) being on the same surface. While it may be aesthetically pleasing or the only option in a tiny room, a turntable is designed to measure vibrations, so any other external vibrations may induce skipping or distort the music. Again, if keeping them on the same surface is the only option, you can use foam or other absorptive material under the turntable or speakers to help.

One of the main causes for audio dropping during playback is wireless interference. Before following the steps below, try to clean up the wireless in the area as much as possible.

Audio drops may also occur on larger systems when there are multiple rooms grouped together. When there is a large group with multiple speakers, there will be a greater strain on the wireless communication. To help mitigate that strain, there are two options:

 

 

  • Adjust the audio delay. Using the Sonos App for iOS/Android Settings > (Player name) > Line-In > Audio Delay > from there you can increase the delay.
  • Adjust the audio compression. Use compressed rather than uncompressed or auto as it will increase the buffer size to 2000ms. This is found in a slightly different location Settings > (Player name) > Line-In > Audio Compression

 

 


No Audio

 


Check the connections. I know this sounds silly, but we’ve all been there. Connecting an In to an Out or just plain forgetting a connection altogether.

Use a different device. After making sure all cables are connected and seated properly, grab a device that can be used with a y or aux cable. Can you hear sound now? If yes, then there may be a setting on the turntable or phono preamp that needs to be adjusted or checked.

 

Speaker Placement

 


The subject of speaker placement is a very expansive topic, so I'm not going to go into too much of the nitty-gritty, but I still believe it's important to cover some of the basics. These are some of the best practices to make sure you'll get a great soundstage and imaging. This will also change from one Sonos speaker to another, or if you're using your own speakers with a Sonos Amp.

 

 

 

 

  • Make sure the speakers are away from the walls. Specific to Sonos, this will also help to reduce potential wireless signal loss.
  • You've gotta keep'em separated. As a general rule of thumb, place the speakers as far away from each other as the distance they'll be from where you'll be listening.
  • Keep them at ear level.

 

Glad this thread exists. It sounds like it's better to compress the phono line-in signal to minimize drop outs. I've noticed a ton of drop outs when listening to vinyl through my gen 2 play:5 line-in feeding into the rest of the livingroom setup of playbar, sub, and 2 play:1s. I also have the wireless signal set to be uncompressed. Does that make a difference?



I currently have a cheapo Pyle pre-amp connected to my Technics MK-D3 turntable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00025742A) - would there be a noticeable sound difference if I replaced the Pyle pre-amp with something more substantial like a tube amp? (Looking at this one. A major driver for this upgrade is not only a warmer, nicer sound hopefully but also the option to plug in and listen via headphones and keeping the listening experience purely analog - https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dot-MKII-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A2QMAI2)



Thanks for any thoughts you might have!
It sounds like it's better to compress the phono line-in signal to minimize drop outs. I've noticed a ton of drop outs when listening to vinyl through my gen 2 play:5 line-in feeding into the rest of the livingroom setup of playbar, sub, and 2 play:1s.

I currently have a cheapo Pyle pre-amp connected to my Technics MK-D3 turntable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00025742A) - would there be a noticeable sound difference if I replaced the Pyle pre-amp with something more substantial like a tube amp?

Drop outs detract from the listening experience to the extent that suffering a slightly lower sound quality is much preferable. That said, I don't know anyone that has confidently picked out the difference in a blind test. But before using this option, try the Airplay trick mentioned earlier in this thread.

As long as the Pyle is working, it will do all that is needed. Tube amps meet the needs for eye candy, more often than not. Missing features are a different thing; but the headphone feature may well be available on cheaper devices.


Drop outs detract from the listening experience to the extent that suffering a slightly lower sound quality is much preferable. That said, I don't know anyone that has confidently picked out the difference in a blind test. But before using this option, try the Airplay trick mentioned earlier in this thread.

As long as the Pyle is working, it will do all that is needed. Tube amps meet the needs for eye candy, more often than not. Missing features are a different thing; but the headphone feature may well be available on cheaper devices.



Thanks for your insights Kumar. I've tried the Airplay trick and only had one instance of dropout in about 2 hours of listening to vinyls which is a much better track record than before. I think you're right regarding tube amps looking cooler than making a difference in sound quality especially when playing back out to a wireless sound system like Sonos. I'll stick with the trusty Pyle pre-amp as it's worked for me flawlessly. I also read that the tube amp I linked to would still require a pre-amp so it might not even work for what I wanted to accomplish anyways!
I've tried the Airplay trick and only had one instance of dropout in about 2 hours of listening to vinyls which is a much better track record than before.

That is still too much! What happens in compressed mode?
Hey Ricky_3 - I'm glad you've found this topic and that it's been helpful so far. I thought I would jump in too and share my own thoughts. I've done a lot of testing at home and found that, for my ears, I don't hear a difference when setting Line-in from uncompressed to compressed. As mentioned above I've also tried the Airplay trick and had some success, but there was still a drop here and there. Since I don't hear a clear different with the line-in compression I leave it set to compressed at all times and don't have any drops.
I currently have my Technics SL-1200MK4 connected to my Mies i100 pre-amp which is connected to both my Sonos Connect & my AirPort Express. The Connect is tied into my SonosNet through the BOOST. This allows me stream my vinyl through Sonos while also having the ability to AirPlay to Sonos without having my TV on which is connected to AppleTV.
So I have turntable wired to a stereo receiver acting as a preamp, and a line out connection to the analog input on a Sonos connect, which allows me to play the turntable audio wirelessly on my Playbar. In both "fixed" and "variable" settings I can only control the audio volume in the Sonos app and on the volume rocker on the Playbar, but not the connect or the receiver.



Is there a way to control the volume from the receiver, or at least the Connect? I'm guessing that because I'm only using the preamp in the receiver that the volume knob won't work... Also, in this setup, what exactly is the difference between the "fixed" and "variable" setting?
Fixes for common problems:



Setting the line-in audio compression from auto to compressed can help with audio interruptions when there are multiple players grouped together.

Don't forget the often overlooked trick of setting the Line-In source to 'Airplay Device', thereby increasing the buffering from ~70ms to ~500ms whilst leaving the stream Uncompressed.



The name can be over-typed with something more meaningful afterwards.



OK why doesnt someone ACTUALLY EXPLAIN how the heck to do this?
I think Sonos is really just consumer level garbage that cant handle an uncompressed "Audiofile" grade signal. Absolutely worthless if you are serious about the quality of your records.
Actually, anyone that understands the sound quality limitations of even 180gm vinyl has moved on to digital audio a long time ago.
Happy to find this thread ... I have 2x Play 5 G2, 2x Play 1 and 1x Play 5 G1 ..... I also have Technics 1200 MK2 turntable ... I believe they have built in Pre-Amp, also built in RCA and ground wire .... so if I connect the TT to one of the Play 5 G2 ... the album will play across ALL my Sonos system? ... or it will only play on that one Play 5?
The line-in can be used as a source on any and all other Sonos devices.
Happy to find this thread ... I have 2x Play 5 G2, 2x Play 1 and 1x Play 5 G1 ..... I also have Technics 1200 MK2 turntable ... I believe they have built in Pre-Amp, also built in RCA and ground wire .... so if I connect the TT to one of the Play 5 G2 ... the album will play across ALL my Sonos system? ... or it will only play on that one Play 5?



To expand on what jgatie confirmed, it will do both. You can set up the Line-in so that it will autoplay to just the PLAY:5 that's connected to the turntable. You can then group all other rooms with that PLAY:5 in order to have the turntable audio throughout the rest of the house. Conversely, if you keep everything in your household grouped at all times, you can use the "Include Grouped Rooms" option so that the PLAY:5 is not automatically removed from the group when the autoplay feature kicks in.
Having some issues with playing my new Pioneer PLX 500 turntable on the Sonos Play 5. The TT has a preamp and a line out, so used a Y cable for a direct input to the Sonos Play 5. My issue is the sound seems low and the vocals are *very* quiet.. Very hard to hear the vocals at all while playing the record. No idea why. Changed the line in setting to Airplay and uncompressed and I'm still having this issue. Maybe the preamp that's built into the TT isn't good enough? Not sure if it's the record player or the connection to the Play 5? When I listen to my digital libray via my iPhone, the same songs sound perfect on the Sonos but when I use the TT it's awful. Anyone have any ideas on this problem?
Having some issues with playing my new Pioneer PLX 500 turntable on the Sonos Play 5. The TT has a preamp and a line out, so used a Y cable for a direct input to the Sonos Play 5. My issue is the sound seems low and the vocals are *very* quiet.. Very hard to hear the vocals at all while playing the record. No idea why. Changed the line in setting to Airplay and uncompressed and I'm still having this issue. Maybe the preamp that's built into the TT isn't good enough? Not sure if it's the record player or the connection to the Play 5? When I listen to my digital libray via my iPhone, the same songs sound perfect on the Sonos but when I use the TT it's awful. Anyone have any ideas on this problem?



Hi StephJoyce and welcome to the community. I checked out the specs for the turntable and just want to make sure, you have the slider on the back set to "line," correct? Can you also run through a couple of tests?



1) Set the line-in level for the PLAY:5 to "10" to see if that help.

2) Connect a different device, such as an iPad or computer, to the Line-in of the PLAY:5. Does that sound better?




Hi StephJoyce and welcome to the community. I checked out the specs for the turntable and just want to make sure, you have the slider on the back set to "line," correct? Can you also run through a couple of tests?



1) Set the line-in level for the PLAY:5 to "10" to see if that help.

2) Connect a different device, such as an iPad or computer, to the Line-in of the PLAY:5. Does that sound better?





Thanks for the reply Andy. Yes, switch is set to "line". I don't have the right adapter to connect my iPad or iphone by line in to try it out. I only have the RCA 3.5mm Y cable. I have my old Sony turntable and Amp so going to try that later today to see if it makes a difference. I'll try in line 10 level as well and report back.
Having some issues with playing my new Pioneer PLX 500 turntable on the Sonos Play 5. The TT has a preamp and a line out, so used a Y cable for a direct input to the Sonos Play 5. My issue is the sound seems low and the vocals are *very* quiet.. Very hard to hear the vocals at all while playing the record. No idea why. Changed the line in setting to Airplay and uncompressed and I'm still having this issue. Maybe the preamp that's built into the TT isn't good enough? Not sure if it's the record player or the connection to the Play 5? When I listen to my digital libray via my iPhone, the same songs sound perfect on the Sonos but when I use the TT it's awful. Anyone have any ideas on this problem?



It's pretty common for the sound level of a turntable's line amp to sound quieter than other sources. I have to turn up the volume an extra 1/3rd of a turn to equal the soul level from CD and streamed music.



What's not common though is to have the vocals disappearing in the mix. All else being correct, that only happens when the cartridgw is wired wrong. These are the four fine wires coming out of the arm tube and connecting to the back of the block that holds the 'needle'.



I haven't come across it yet with a new turntable and its factory-fitted cartridge, but there's always a first time. I have seen it where people have tried to swap a cartridge themselves and got muddled. I have also heard of one cartridge manufacturer getting the wiring wrong during production.



Check all the rest of our wiring first , but if it's all good and vocals are still recessed on just the turntable then it's worth investigating the phase of the wiring further.


I haven't come across it yet with a new turntable and its factory-fitted cartridge, but there's always a first time. I have seen it where people have tried to swap a cartridge themselves and got muddled. I have also heard of one cartridge manufacturer getting the wiring wrong during production.



Check all the rest of our wiring first , but if it's all good and vocals are still recessed on just the turntable then it's worth investigating the phase of the wiring further.



You were right, it's the turntable. Wiring is defective and it's being returned. Many many thanks for your help and response and also thanks Andy B, appreciate your help as well! It's just the worst not knowing what the h*ll is wrong so you can fix it but TT is getting replaced and soon I'll be able to enjoy my vinyl again on the Sonos 🙂.
If your turntable does not have a built-in preamp, you’ll need to place one between the turntable and Sonos player.





Good thread; is it a sticky as it needs to be?



The other input is with reference to the quote: these preamps are not expensive any more and if one is spending more than USD 100 for one it is probably too much. Close to half of that ought to get a perfectly adequate gadget. Some attention is needed to compatibility of the preamp with the cartridge type on the turntable - Moving Magnet or Moving Coil. Those compatible with both tend to be more expensive.



If im using a mixer on two turntables will i still need a pre amp?


If im using a mixer on two turntables will i still need a pre amp?



Using a mixer is not really possible with Sonos. The Sonos line-in is delayed about 70 ms in order to buffer the input for streaming. This will cause a noticeable delay from input to output, which makes live performances like DJ mixing or vocals/Karaoke basically impossible.
So, variation on a theme here. I am having a significant turntable problem, and being an older guy isn't helping me at all. Please remember my history is purely analogue, so that probably hinders me too!

Ok, I wanted to connect my nice Concept TT and my even nicer EAR 748 pre-amp to a pair of Gen2 Sonos 5 speakers. I have connected them in the traditional way. Thing is, I only get sound from one speaker, and (spookily for an analogue guy), I can disconnect the line in cable to that speaker, and it keeps on playing provided the non playing speaker remains connected to my pre-amp. If I switch to a streamed source, both speakers play as a stereo pair with no issues whatsoever! Your help is needed!!!
I only get sound from one speaker, and (spookily for an analogue guy), I can disconnect the line in cable to that speaker, and it keeps on playing provided the non playing speaker remains connected to my pre-amp. If I switch to a streamed source, both speakers play as a stereo pair with no issues whatsoever! Your help is needed!!!

Sounds spooky to now a digital person as well, but I have probably misunderstood. What you need to do is connect the preamp via a RCA stereo cable with one multi jack for the Sonos end to just one of the 5 units - not to both. When stereo paired, both will then play their respective channels.



If any speaker continues to play music from the TT when there is nothing in either line in jack - that is spooky indeed!



First troubleshooting step - go to the line in options in the Sonos controller and select Compressed and see if both speakers now play as they do for streamed music.
Thanks Kumar. I took a bit of a side step, and have achieved some sort of result, but now I am convincing myself it's still not quite right. As mentioned above, I had connected everything up in ye olde worlde analog fashion (left RCA output from TT to left input on pre-amp, left output from pre-amp to line input on Sonos Play 5, and the same set up for the right). That resulted in sound from one speaker only.

Today, I went to electronics store, and bought a stereo Y piece with two female phono/RCA to Sonos sized jack plug. This I fitted to the speaker with no sound, and plugged in both RCA outputs from the pre-amp. Woohoo, sound from both speakers, and when grouped with Sonos stuff elsewhere in the house, my vinyl could be heard everywhere. A major result, however, there is a "but". It might just be my imagination, but I am not yet convinced that I am listening in stereo....the speakers are only four feet apart, and it sounds a bit "mono-ish". Might just be the stuff I have listened to so far. The other uncertainty in my mind, is which speaker should the Y piece be connected to? It seems to function the same either way, but I was/am unsure if one speaker is the "master" and the other is the "slave". I will try your compression trick next. Got to admit, the app changes of 2 days ago haven't really made things any easier!
I don't think you are actually in stereo. You have to "pair" the two PLAY:5s in the Sonos app. It's really not clear that you've done this, and this would explain the behavior your seeing. Once they're set up as a stereo pair, then the line in on either of them would play on both of them, as well as the rest of the house. Based on your description, you've got them both playing from an individual line -in, and consequently getting a stereo signal by using two mono speakers. But then you're grouping (I think) one of the two speakers with the rest of your speakers, and getting that one signal.



It's useful to me to separate the concept of the Line-In from the speaker, since they really are only tangentially related.



Effectively, you should have a stereo RCA cable from the pre-amp that goes to a single headphone (3.5mm) end, and that gets plugged in to one of the two PLAY:5s (doesn't really matter which one). Then the Line-in is sending a stereo signal from the Pre-Amp (and hence from your turntable) to the Sonos ecosystem. You then tell the room that contains the stereo paired (you do that in the app, not grouping, but actual stereo pairing) PLAY:5s to play what's coming in on the line-in. And once you've got that happening (and play a record that has good stereo effects, to be sure that the speakers really are playing left and right), then you can group other rooms. The other rooms will play either a mono (L+R) signal if they're single speakers, or if they're stereo paired speakers, they'll play just like the PLAY:5s
Thanks yet again for the support! I do have them set up as a stereo pair, and it's probably due to my listening to older stuff like Ray Charles and Sam Cooke that is denying me the kind of stereo separation I was hoping for (double checked, and both albums are definitely stereo recordings!). The bit that is now intriguing me is getting hold of a twin male RCA to a single 3.5 male headphone jack as a pre-made cable. Currently, I am using a pair of high end RCA cables from my purely analog days which are then connected to a stereo Y piece which consists of two female RCA sockets (high end cables connected to those), and the other side of the Y piece is a 3.5mm male headphone jack fitted to one of the Sonos Play 5s. This gives me sound from both speakers.

I might just separate the stereo pair then re-pair them. This set up should emulate what you suggest with the only difference being my set up consists of bits and pieces rather than a single ready made cable. I will try and source a pre-made cBle just to be sure!

Somewhere in the attic, I have one of those stereo demonstration albums. I maybe need to dig it out to give me peace of mind (or send me into a downward spiral of digital depression)!
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