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Rutger199876
Trending Lyricist I
January 7, 2026

does it matter what speaker you plug turntable into for audio quality?

  • January 7, 2026
  • 15 replies
  • 203 views

Hello hello,

 

I have a record player set up with 2 era 100s. Then I also have a full tv set with arc, sub and 2 era 300s.

 

now my question is, I feel like my vinyl sounds compressed and doesn’t reach its full potential (some would argue to not use Sonos at all in order to reach that, but that’s beside the point here). It has a line-in to the era 100, line-in is set to level 10, and I usually combine it with the tv setup. The bass is nowhere near the quality it reaches when it plays audio from the tv though.

 

will this change when switching out the era 100s for higher quality Sonos? I was assuming the tv setup would be amazing playing vinyl too, but since the line in isn’t plugged into that setup directly, the audio gets compromised since it’s the era 100 sound quality getting played over the tv setup. 
 

does that make sense? Am I right? Kind of a bummer tbh. Thanks!

 

 

 

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15 replies

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Rutger199876Author
Trending Lyricist I
January 8, 2026

If you think that compression has been applied, check here. Make sure that your stylus force is correct. Generally, things sound better when set near the upper end of the recommend range and, counterintuively, record wear is usually lower too. Tracking too light will cause significant wear with each playing, plus it doesn't sound best.

Yep have done! Thx. Stylus force I check every now and then, that looks good.

    nik9669a
    Senior Virtuoso
    January 8, 2026

    If you think that compression has been applied, check here. Make sure that your stylus force is correct. Generally, things sound better when set near the upper end of the recommend range and, counterintuively, record wear is usually lower too. Tracking too light will cause significant wear with each playing, plus it doesn't sound best.

    Yep have done! Thx. Stylus force I check every now and then, that looks good.

    Whilst it’s right to check these things, the op was questioning sound quality through different speaker/speaker combinations - one of which they particularly like - so the turntable must be reasonably well set up. 

    On the pre-amp question, ​@Rutger199876, either you need one or you don’t. You are using one; there’s no switch. Some turntables put out a low-level signal that needs a boost in power, which the preamp delivers. Other turntables produce the amplified signal. Some turntables offer the option to output either signal so that folk with a particular preference for a specific preamp can use it regardless what turntable they use. 

    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    January 8, 2026

    Making phono preamp selection even more fun is that there are two types MC and MM (Moving Coil and Moving Magnet) that are incompatible. Some phono preamps include both and let you select either, handy for folks that use both types.

    There are a lot of other turntable adjustments other than tracking force, a good turntable focused forum would be worth a visit to get a basic education on that and check your settings.

     

    I’m no expert on Sonos Line-In, not having used it for several (OK, many) years now but as I understood it once the line-in signal is accepted into the Sonos system it is passed to any other Sonos without any loss of quality. Sonos doesn't publish specs on the line-in connection hardware so there may be quality issues there.

      Airgetlam
      Airgetlam
      January 8, 2026

      But, to further that, all Sonos line ins are the same. There is no difference beyond form factor. It’s controlled by the software. 

      Bruce
        eserp
        Lyricist II
        February 7, 2026

        To hear how it actually sounds, you can remove the Era 300s and the Sub from the Arc and set them up as a stereo pair with the Sub bonded to them. Then try the turntable and see if you like the result. The Fives are often considered better for dedicated stereo music, but the Era 300s are a solid alternative.

        en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-229129/connecting-my-playbar-and-sub-4-6932653

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