Can I Connect My Turntable To Home Theater Surround Sound System?

I am a massive movie buff and I love to have the cinema experience at home as best I can. This means having a home theater surround sound system as well as a projector too. In addition to this, listening to vinyl is one of my main hobbies, and today we are asking the question, can I connect my turntable to home theater surround sound system? The short answer is yes you can, but we need to take a closer look and see what the steps are so that you can use your home theater sound system with your turntable.

A Phono Preamp Is The Key!

In order to connect your turntable to a home theatre system, the key component is a phono preamp. We have reviewed a ton of phono preamps here on the site. What a phono preamp does is it is basically what makes your record player allow you to hear the music at what is referred to as line level. If a phono preamp was not part of the equation then the music would be way too quiet.

If you have a record player already, chances are you will have a phono preamp at play somewhere. Sometimes the preamp is built into the record player and you can just plug it straight into a receiver, home theater system, or whatever. Other times, you need to buy a separate phono preamp which you would plug your turntable into, and then into the home theatre system.

How Do I Connect My Turntable To Home Theatre System?

Here we are looking at the two ways you can connect your turntable to your home theatre system. The good news is that it is actually very easy to do.

Turntable Has Preamp Built In

If you look at a turntable such as this ANGELS HORN Vinyl Turntable Record Player which has a built in preamp. Actually, if you have a cheaper turntable that has built in speakers, chances are it has a preamp built in. Anyway, a turntable that has a preamp built into is very easy to connect to a home theatre system.

You will connect it with a double-ended cable which can be purchased at all ends of the pricing spectrum. Just make sure the red goes into the red and the white goes into the white and you are good to go.

Receiver Has Preamp Built In

The receiver is what does all the work when it comes to a home theatre system. Some such as this Sony STRDH190 2-ch Home Stereo Receiver will have a phono preamp built in. This is not all that much more difficult. You just plug your red and white double-ended cables into the phono input on your receiver and you are good to do. Just make sure if your turntable has a preamp built in and so does your turntable, you do not plug it into the phono input! Instead, plug it into one of the other red and white inputs and you will be fine.

You Need A Phono Preamp

We have looked at a ton of phono preamps here on the site so if you do need one because neither your turntable nor your home theatre/receiver do not, you will find one here for you. Phono preamps come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. You could spend under 20 bucks on something like this Pyle Phono Turntable Preamp which is as basic as you can get. It may not offer the best “performance” however, it will certainly work and allow you to connect your turntable to your home theatre surround sound system.

You may even want to spend a few hundred bucks on a phono preamp that is designed with audiophiles in mind such as this Pro-Ject Audiophile Home Audio/Video Product Silver which is far more high-end.

The way this would work is that you would connect your turntable to the phono preamp and then using another set of cables, connect the phono preamp to your home theatre surround sound system receiver.  Some preamps will come with hook-up cables, some will not so be sure to make certain you have all the cables you need before you get started.

Why Would You Want To Do This?

That I am sure is a question that some people are asking themselves right now! I for one love my home theater, but I also love listening to records. Much to my wife’s annoyance, we have several turntables in our house and I knew that I wanted one in our home theatre. It is just a cool place to relax and listen to music. Also, I am a kind of weird cat so I only have movie soundtracks in my home theatre.

The first three that I purchased with the sole intent of being home theatre soundtracks were The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, A Star Is Born, and Star Wars ‘A New Hope’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. I will admit that the first two I bought to get my wife on board with having another turntable in the house. However, even she admits that is kind of cool having a movie soundtrack playing in the home theatre when you are relaxing in there or hanging out waiting to watch a movie. 

So, there you have it. You no longer need to wonder; can I connect my turntable to home theater surround sound system? Not only can you do it, but it is also something that is very easy to do. I have found that the majority of cheaper turntables that have speakers built-in usually have a phono preamp inside them ready to go. It should be easy enough to find out if your turntable or your home theatre surround sound system has one built-in. It is usually just a jack that says “phono” on it. By the way, we have you covered when it comes to reviews and guides for turntables, receivers/home theatre systems, and preamps so check them out if you have time!