How to Connect a Turntable to a Soundbar, Input by Input

Yes, you can connect a turntable to a soundbar, but only once the record player’s signal is raised from phono level to line level, by a preamp built into the turntable or a separate one.

Skip that step and the bar plays a faint trickle, because a cartridge puts out a few thousandths of a volt and an AUX input expects dozens of times more.

Get the order right and a turntable with a built-in preamp needs only one switch and one cable to reach an AUX jack.

The first check is a small switch on the back of the turntable, and the second is your soundbar’s inputs, which differ widely by brand.

Below, the four steps come first, then the inputs on named Samsung, Sonos, Bose, Polk and Vizio bars, the optical and Bluetooth routes, and fixes for hum and low volume.

Can You Connect a Record Player to a Soundbar?

That switch on the back of the turntable decides everything after it, so it’s step 1 of 4. You can connect a record player to a soundbar when the signal leaving the turntable is at line level and the bar has an input that takes it: an analog AUX jack, an optical input fed through a converter, or Bluetooth.

Steps 1 and 2 are about the turntable, and step 3 is about the bar, which is where the brand differences sit.

Does Your Turntable Have a Built-In Phono Preamp?

Step 1 comes first because a turntable’s raw output is tiny. Look on the back for a two-position switch: Fluance labels it PHONO/LINE on its RT80, RT81 and RT81+, and Denon calls it EQUALIZER ON/OFF on the DP-450USB, while Fluance’s RT82 and RT85N have no preamp at all and need a separate one (Fluance).

The makers’ numbers show why the switch matters. Fluance lists 4.0 mV at the RT81+’s phono output and 140 mV at its line output, and Denon lists 2.5 mV for the DP-450USB with its equalizer off and 150 mV with it on.

That’s 35 to 60 times more signal at line level. It’s the difference between the extremely low sound Denon warns about and normal volume.

Fluance says to use LINE for powered speakers or an amplifier without a phono input, and a soundbar’s AUX jack is the same kind of line input. PHONO is only for a receiver’s phono input or an external preamp, and Fluance says all of the turntable’s electronics are bypassed in that position.

Denon’s manual puts the stakes plainly: ON for a device without a phono equalizer, OFF for one with a PHONO input, and with the switch in the wrong position the sound will be extremely low or distorted (Denon). Denon’s DP-29F has the same switchable phono EQ and the same 2.5 mV and 150 mV outputs.

Other brands use the same idea. Sonos’s own turntable article gives the Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB as an example of a turntable with a built-in preamp, and Burton’s page on what a preamp for a turntable does covers the choice in more depth.

A separate phono preamp does the same two jobs as the built-in one. Fluance describes its PA10 as converting the phono signal to line level to the RIAA standard with 38 dB of gain, and Mic-level voltage and phono-level voltage need different preamp gain stages, so a microphone input is no shortcut.

Which Inputs Does Your Soundbar Have?

Once the signal is at line level, the bar’s back panel decides the route. The bars in the manuals checked for this guide fall into three groups: those with an analog AUX jack, those with optical, HDMI and Bluetooth but no AUX, and HDMI-only bars that can’t take a turntable directly.

Read the labels as well as the shapes. Vizio’s V-Series has two 3.5 mm jacks, and only AUX In takes music, since Vizio says AUX VA is only for a voice-assistant device.

A USB port isn’t a way in either. Samsung’s HW-Q600F uses its USB port to play music files from a USB device, and Vizio’s plays WAV and MP3 files only.

Don’t expect the bar to do the phono step for you. Fluance’s two clues for a built-in phono preamp are an input labeled Phono and a ground terminal, and none of these bars lists either.

How Do You Connect a Turntable to a Soundbar With AUX?

The AUX group from that table is the easy one. Run a cable with two RCA plugs on one end and a 3.5 mm plug on the other from the turntable’s line output, or the preamp’s output, into the bar’s AUX jack, then select AUX on the bar.

1. Set the turntable’s switch to LINE (or ON), or connect the turntable to a phono preamp first.
2. Plug the RCA ends into the turntable’s or preamp’s left and right outputs.
3. Plug the 3.5 mm end into AUX IN on the Bose TV Speaker, AUX on the Polk Signa S4 or AUX In on Vizio’s V-Series.
4. Select that input with the bar’s Input or Source button or its remote, start a record and raise the volume slowly.

Bose’s TV Speaker guide shows the same cable doing the same job for a TV: a 3.5 mm-to-RCA stereo cable from the TV’s red and white outputs into the speaker’s AUX jack. The turntable simply takes the TV’s place.

If your turntable’s RCA cable is fixed to it, use the fix Sonos gives for its own 3.5 mm line-in jack: an RCA-to-3.5 mm adapter rather than a second cable. Either way the plugs only tell you the shape, never the level, which is why step 1 comes first.

A turntable’s line output sits far below what an AUX input is built for. Polk rates the Signa S4’s analog input at 2 Vrms maximum, about 13 times the 150 mV Denon lists for the DP-450USB’s line output.

How Do You Hook Up a Record Player to a Soundbar Without AUX?

No AUX jack means converting the signal, and the direction of that conversion is easy to get backwards. Without AUX, put an analog-to-digital converter between the turntable (or its preamp) and the bar’s optical input: RCA cables go in, an optical (TOSLINK) cable comes out, and you select the optical input, which Samsung’s bars show as D.IN.

Samsung’s HW-Q600F guide describes its DIGITAL AUDIO IN (OPTICAL) jack as taking the digital output of an external device, and the converter is that device (Samsung). Bose and Sonos describe their optical inputs only with a TV, so for a Bose Smart Soundbar or a Sonos Ray the converter route isn’t covered by the maker’s own guide.

The phono step still comes first, so the chain is turntable on LINE (or turntable, then preamp), then converter, then optical cable, then the bar.

The box you want converts analog to digital. A DAC, a digital-to-analog converter, does the opposite job, and Musou sells both kinds in look-alike boxes with a warning that neither works in reverse.

Look for RCA left and right inputs and an optical output on the listing, as on the converter card further down. It needs its own power, and Musou’s comes with a 5 V adapter.

If your bar has both optical and Bluetooth, the converter is the wired option. Optical stays stable once the signal is digital, while Bluetooth adds compression and pairing windows, and that’s the trade between them.

Can a Bluetooth Turntable Connect to a Soundbar?

Bluetooth is the other way in for a bar without AUX, and it removes the cable between the turntable and the bar. A Bluetooth turntable pairs with a bar that takes Bluetooth audio the way a phone does: put the bar in pairing mode, follow the turntable’s pairing steps, and keep the two within 1 m (about 3 ft) while they pair, as Samsung’s HW-Q990D guide asks.

Samsung adds that these bars connect only to devices with the A2DP (AV) Bluetooth profile, the standard profile for streaming audio. Both guides say the soundbar supports SBC, and Polk lists SBC as the Signa S4’s Bluetooth codec.

SBC matters because it’s the one codec every A2DP device has to include, according to the IETF draft that describes it (IETF). So a turntable that also offers aptX or another codec will stream in SBC to a bar that lists only SBC.

No Bluetooth on the turntable? Fluance says its RT81+ needs a Bluetooth or WiFi transmitter connected through its RCA output to play wirelessly, so the LINE setting from the preamp section comes first there too.

Sonos is the exception to check. Its Arc Ultra and Beam Ultra pair over Bluetooth 5.3, but the guides for Arc, Beam (Gen 2) and Ray list WiFi and an Ethernet port and no Bluetooth.

For the bar’s side, Bar into pairing mode first, source device scans second, single confirmation tone third is the order our pairing guide follows. Samsung’s guide adds that distance lowers the sound quality and that microwaves and wireless LAN devices can interfere, so keep the turntable in the same room and close.

What If the Soundbar Only Has HDMI?

That leaves the HDMI-only group, where the turntable can’t go straight in. An HDMI-only bar like Sonos’s Arc or Beam (Gen 2) can’t take a turntable directly, because its HDMI port only brings sound from the TV, and Sonos’s answer is a separate line-in product on the same Sonos system.

HDMI ARC carries TV-side audio back to the bar with HDMI-CEC remote control as a bonus, and Sonos’s own spec says the Arc plays sources connected to the TV. The turntables in this guide have RCA outputs, not HDMI, so they can’t join that chain.

Sonos lists line-in on Amp, Amp Multi, Era 100, Era 100 SL, Era 300, Five, Move 2, Play and Port, plus one soundbar, the Beam Ultra (Sonos). The Beam Ultra takes Sonos’s Line-In Adapter or Combo Adapter in its USB-C port, with an RCA-to-3.5 mm cable from the turntable or preamp.

Sonos says a turntable without a built-in preamp needs one first, and Burton Acoustix’s guide to Sonos and turntables walks through each line-in setup.

The other wired route runs through the TV, if it has an analog audio input. Whether the TV sends that input out over HDMI ARC or optical is in the TV’s manual, not the soundbar’s, so check it before you buy cables.

If you’d rather replace the bar, Burton keeps a list of Music-tuned bars ranked by midrange clarity, wide stereo separation, and balanced (not bass-heavy) response. Check each one’s input list for an AUX jack before you buy.

Why Is the Turntable Quiet, Humming or Distorted Through the Soundbar?

Whichever route you used, the makers’ troubleshooting pages come down to a few causes. Very quiet sound means the signal is still at phono level, distortion often comes from two preamps in a row or a switch in the wrong position, and hum points to grounding or how the cables and power leads are run.

The low-volume fix in Fluance’s RT81 manual is that same switch, set to LINE. Its connection guide supplies the rule behind the distortion row: never use an external preamp with a built-in one switched on.

Hum depends on which preamp you use. With the built-in preamp, Fluance says the ground wire isn’t required, and with an external one it runs from the turntable’s ground terminal to the preamp’s.

None of the bars in this guide has a ground terminal, so the preamp end is the one to check, and Burton’s walk-through on how to ground a turntable covers the terminals and wire. Denon adds two cable habits, not bundling the AC adapter with the audio cables and connecting the earth wire where there’s a terminal, and Fluance suggests a wall outlet rather than a power bar.

If the soundbar shares a console with the turntable, that’s exactly what Fluance’s manual warns against: keep the speakers away from the turntable and off the surface it stands on. Denon blames howling on the two being too close together, so if the boom grows as you turn it up, move the turntable to a separate shelf first.

Which Phono Preamp, Cable or Converter Should You Buy?

Those fixes point to three parts, one for each gap in the chain. Buy only the piece your setup is missing: a phono preamp if the turntable has no built-in one, a 3.5 mm-to-RCA cable for an AUX jack, and an analog-to-digital converter for a bar with optical but no AUX.

Each pick had at least 4.0 stars and 50 reviews on Amazon and was in stock on 14 October 2026. No prices appear because they change often.

For a Turntable With No Built-In Preamp

For a turntable like Fluance’s RT82 or RT85N, the Fluance PA10 phono preamp sits between the turntable and the bar.

Fluance PA10 phono preamp

Gain: 38 dB

Cartridge type: MM

Connections: RCA in, RCA out, ground

Filter: 20 Hz high-pass

✓ Converts the phono signal to line level to the RIAA standard, with 38 dB of gain, per Fluance✓ RCA inputs and outputs plus a ground terminal✗ Made for moving-magnet (MM) cartridges

See ratings on Amazon

Fluance says the PA10 is designed for its Reference turntables, which have no preamp of their own. Connect the turntable’s ground wire to the PA10’s ground terminal, then run the PA10’s RCA outputs to the bar’s AUX jack or to a converter.

For a Soundbar With an AUX Jack

For an AUX input like the Bose TV Speaker’s or the Polk Signa S4’s, UGREEN’s 6.6 ft RCA-to-AUX cable is the one cable the job needs.

UGREEN’s 6.6 ft RCA-to-AUX cable

Length: 6.6 ft

Plugs: 2 RCA to 3.5 mm

Brand: UGREEN

✓ Two RCA plugs on one end and a 3.5 mm plug on the other, per UGREEN's listing✓ 6.6 ft long, per the listing✗ A turntable with a fixed RCA cable needs an RCA-to-3.5 mm adapter instead

See ratings on Amazon

At 6.6 ft, it also lets the turntable sit on its own shelf, away from the bar, which helps with the feedback problem above.

For an Optical-Only Soundbar

For a bar with optical but no AUX, such as Samsung’s HW-Q600F, the Musou analog-to-digital converter turns the turntable’s line output into an optical signal.

Musou analog-to-digital converter

Input: RCA L/R

Output: TOSLINK, coaxial

Sample rate: 48 kHz

Power: 5 V 1 A

✓ Converts analog RCA left and right to optical (TOSLINK) or coaxial digital, per Musou✓ Comes with a 5 V 1 A power supply, per the listing✗ Sends PCM stereo only, with no Dolby support

See ratings on Amazon

Feed it from the turntable on LINE or from the preamp, then run an optical cable to the bar’s optical input. Musou’s digital-to-analog look-alike is a different listing, B01AWBA8U8, and it’s the one to avoid.

The Bottom Line

Every route in this guide starts with the same check: line level first. Set the turntable’s switch to LINE or ON, or add a phono preamp, and the rest is matching the bar’s input with one cable, one converter, one pairing or, for an HDMI-only Sonos, a line-in product.

Look up your bar’s inputs before you buy anything, since the Polk, Vizio and Bose TV Speaker models here take an AUX cable while the Samsung and Sonos models don’t. And keep the turntable off the console the bar sits on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a turntable plug straight into a soundbar?

Only if the turntable has a built-in phono preamp switched on and the bar has an AUX input. Set the switch to LINE on a Fluance RT81+ or to ON on a Denon DP-450USB, then use a cable with two RCA plugs and a 3.5 mm plug. A turntable with no preamp, such as Fluance’s RT82 or RT85N, needs a phono preamp in between.

Do soundbars have a phono input?

None of the bars in this guide does: the Samsung HW-Q600F and HW-Q990D, Sonos’s Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam, Beam Ultra and Ray, Bose’s TV Speaker and Smart Soundbar, Polk’s Signa S2 and S4 and Vizio’s V-Series 5.1 list no input labeled Phono and no ground terminal, which are the two clues Fluance gives for a built-in phono preamp. That’s why the phono step happens at the turntable or in a separate preamp, never in these bars.

What if my soundbar has no AUX jack?

Use its optical input through an analog-to-digital converter, with the turntable on LINE or a preamp first, or pair a Bluetooth turntable if the bar takes Bluetooth. Samsung’s HW-Q600F, for example, has an optical input for an external device and supports Bluetooth with SBC. An HDMI-only bar like Sonos’s Arc or Beam (Gen 2) takes neither, so Sonos’s route is a line-in product on the same system, such as an Era 100 with the Line-In Adapter, a Five or a Port, and the other route is a TV with an analog input that passes the sound on.

Why does my turntable sound so quiet through my soundbar?

The signal is most likely still at phono level. Fluance lists 4.0 mV at the RT81+’s phono output against 140 mV at line level, and Denon lists 2.5 mV against 150 mV for the DP-450USB, so phono level is a small fraction of what the bar expects. Set the switch on the back to LINE or ON, and if there’s no switch, add a phono preamp.

Should the turntable sit next to the soundbar?

Not on the same surface, if you can help it. Fluance’s manual says to keep speakers away from the turntable and not on the surface it stands on, and Denon blames howling on the turntable and speaker being too close together. If they share a console, a separate shelf and a longer cable are the fix, and Fluance adds that lowering the volume or the bass helps.