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5 Turntable and Speaker Combos That Simplify the Vinyl Experience

It makes buying a working turntable system super easy.

Pro-Ject turntable bundlePro-Ject

By Tucker Bowe

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Admittedly, part of the fun of building your own vinyl hi-fi system is having the freedom of choice when it comes to picking your own turntable, amplifier, phono preamp and speakers. You have full control over the look, the sound quality and the price of your system.

And because all the components are separate, it makes it easy to upgrade one — for example, say you decide you want better speakers or a different style of turntable — without having to start over from scratch.

Still, building a working turntable system can be daunting — especially if you’re new to vinyl.

Fluance turntable bundle
Fluance’s turntable bundle pairs its RT81 turntable with its powered bookshelf speakers.
Fluance

For those who want to buy a traditional vinyl system — featuring a turntable and a pair of stereo speakers — and just know it works, you can do just that; several hi-fi companies sell turntable-and-speaker bundles that are easy to buy and set up.

Most of these bundles pair integrated turntables (turntables with a built-in phono preamp) with a set of powered speakers (speakers with their own built-in amplification). And it takes a lot of guesswork out because you know it’ll work.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of our turntable-and-speakers bundles that make building a turntable hi-fi system super easy. (It’s also more affordable than buying each component separately.)

(Note: If you’re looking to mix and match turntables and speakers from different brands, check out our guide to vinyl setups.)

Victrola Premiere T1 Turntable System

  • Turntable: Victrola Premiere T1 Turntable ($249)
  • Speakers: Victrola M1 Bookshelf Monitors ($200)

Victrola is well-known for its super affordable all-in-one record players — such as the Suitcase Record Player — and you can think of this T1 Turntable System as a slight upgrade on that formula. It pairs the company’s T1 turntable (which has a built-in phono preamp) and its M1 monitor speakers.

The interesting thing is that both the turntable the speakers have built-in Bluetooth, so you can stream vinyl directly to the speakers if don’t want to deal with wires (although this would negatively impact sound quality).

Fluance RT81 with Ai41 Powered Speakers

  • Turntable: Fluance RT81 ($250)
  • Speakers: Fluance Ai41 ($250)

Fluance is one of the most popular names in budget-friendly turntables. This bundle pairs the company’s RT81 turntable, which is one of its most entry-level models (which has a built-in phono preamp), with its smallest powered speaker system. It’s the most affordable turntable bundle that the company sells.

If you’re looking for a higher-end turntable and speakers, the Canadian hi-fi makers a variety of more expensive bundles (here).

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB-BDL3X

  • Turntable: Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB ($399)
  • Speakers: Audio-Technica AT-SP3X ($199)

Audio-Technica’s bundle pairs one of our favorite sub-$500 turntables with its powered bookshelf speakers. The AT-LP120XBT-USB is unique because it’s a direct-drive turntable — so it’s DJ-focused, great for mixing and scratching — and has USB functionality and used to digitize your records.

If you like the look of Audio-Technica’s turntables, the company sells a variety of more affordable turntable bundles (here).

Pro-Ject The Colorful Audio System

  • Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo ($599)
  • Speakers: Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 S2 ($849)
  • Integrated amplifier: Pro-Ject MaiA S3 ($799)

This is the highest-end and most expensive turntable bundle on this list. And, uniquely, it’s the only one without powered speakers.

Pro-Ject pairs its best-selling mid-range turntable, the Debut Carbon Evo, with its superb bookshelf speakers and integrated amplifier. The Austrian hi-fi maker calls the bundle “The Colorful Audio System” because you have the choice of matching color-matching the speakers and turntable (the tiny amp only comes in black).

There are six different finishes available: satin black, satin blue, satin green, satin yellow, satin white or walnut.

Bonus: Sonos Vinyl Set

  • Turntable: Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB ($449)
  • Speakers: Sonos Five ($549)

Admittedly, this is an outlier because the turntable and speakers are made by different brands … but Pro-Ject and Sonos have partnered on turntable bundles for years — and now that Sonos makes a variety of wireless speakers that support line-in connections, you can buy different (more affordable bundles).

The above turntable set is the best. It pairs Pro-Ject’s gorgeous entry-level turntable, the T1 (with a built-in phono preamp), with Sonos’s best-sounding speaker. You use an auxiliary cable — sold separately — to connect the two and then you can stream vinyl to other Sonos speakers in your home.

If you have a second Five speaker, you can pair them and create Sonos’s best-sounding stereo speaker system.

Drop the Needle

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