The Hi-Fi Basics
The Turntable
The first part to any vinyl audio setup is the turntable or record player. This is the foundation of your vinyl-listening setup, so choose wisely.
Good things to look for in a turntable:
- Sturdy construction
- Metal or carbon-fibre tonearm
- Replaceable cartridge
- A built-in preamp
Visit Buying Turntables to learn more.
The Preamp
An often overlooked component is the preamplifier. This is a really important part of any turntable setup and without it your music will come out soft and thin-sounding.
Some turntables and amplifiers have this built in eliminating the need to buy a preamp, so check before you buy.
The Amplifier
Now that you have a turntable and preamp, you’ll need an amplifier. This will allow the audio from your turntable to be amplified and sent to your speakers.
If you choose to buy active speakers this will eliminate the need to buy a separate amplifier. See below.
The Speakers
The last crucial part of the vinyl audio setup are the speakers. What you choose will depend on your needs and the space they’re intended to fill. Important to remember are the two types of speakers.
- Active or powered speakers have a built in amplifier and can be connected directly to your turntable/preamp
- Passive speakers have no power source of their own and need to be connected to an amplifier to work
