Turntable question as a gift

Finding a turntable that offers 78 speed limits your options.

You’d also want a designed for 78s cartridge, not essential but worth it for the audio improvement it brings to 78s.

With a turntable you’d need an RIAA phono preamp (built in or stand alone) and a Stereo RCA to Stereo 3.5 mm male plug.

Inexpensive 78 RPM, built in RIAA preamp: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_057120XUSB/Audio-Technica-LP-120XUSB-Black.html?tp=75887

78 cartridge: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_057VM670SP/Audio-Technica-VM670SP.html

I will assume with your recommendation that the Sonos turntable isn’t a good fit with him?

Are you thinking of the Pro-Ject brand turntables Sonos resells?

Scroll way down: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/accessories

I didn’t dig out the manual on the two that offer 78 RPM but did note this bit: “Speed 33, 45 / 78 (electronic/manual speed change)” that might prove to be a bother.

Again little research but from the pictures it looks like there isn’t a swappable head-shell making cartridge changes a pain when going from 33/45 to 78 and back. If he ONLY does 78s then you could scrap the included cartridge and add a 78 design one.

So $750 or $799 and needing a cartridge transplant put them way down my list. The one I linked to is half that.

There are cheaper cartridge options too, I just grabbed a reasonable example.

It sounds like this would be his first Sonos device? It would be helpful to know what his older receiver, turntable and speakers are. Many times older audio equipment can be better sound quality than new devices. Is he having issues with his current system? 

I was thinking the pro-ject Sonos sells with the 78. Yet it sounds like an easier option with the link you added in the first post. 
 

This would be his first yes. I don’t have item numbers as I was trying to be discrete, Yamaha receiver and speakers with a Technics turntable. No issues with his current system, just wanting to get him something nice and may turn him into a repeat customer. 

Read the manual to make sure you understand how to do the speed change.

His Technics turntable is likely an automatic turntable. The pro-ject t1 phono sb turntable is a great sounding turntable, but it is manual. If he is familiar/comfortable with an automatic it may be best to stay with an automatic or at least semi-automatic. Support for 78 rpm and automatic or semi-automatic is fairly rare. If you are US based Crutchfield is an easy place to compare models: 

 https://www.crutchfield.com/g_10500/Turntables.html?tp=75887&fa=1#&nvpair=AG_Features|FF78_RPM_Playback&nvpair=FFOperation|Automatic%20Start%20and%20Stop&nvpair=FFOperation|Automatic%20Stop%20Only

To connect a turntable directly to Sonos it would need to have a phono preamp, internal or external. If the goal is to replace the Yamaha/Technics system, you could get a Five and a Denon DP-400. If he is OK with a manual turntable, there are more choices for turntables:

https://www.crutchfield.com/g_10500/Turntables.html?tp=75887&fa=1#&nvpair=AG_Features|FF78_RPM_Playback&nvpair=FFOperation|Manual&nvpair=FFPhono_Preamp|[rank1]Built-in

If he is happy with the Yamaha/Technics system, but would like to step into whole home audio, you could look at adding a Sonos Port to the Yamaha and get him some other Sonos speakers to share audio around the house. If you can get a model number for the Yamaha, I can offer some advice for best connectivity for the Port.