Bringing the warm sound of vinyl to your Sonos Era 100 speakers is a fantastic way to enjoy your record collection. If you’re looking to connect your Pioneer turntable to your Sonos Era 100s, you might encounter a few connection challenges. This guide will walk you through the right way to hook up your turntable and get your vinyl spinning on your Sonos system.
Many users initially try generic connectors, hoping for a simple plug-and-play solution. However, connecting a turntable to Sonos Era 100 speakers requires a specific setup to ensure compatibility and optimal audio quality. Direct connections with standard RCA to 3.5mm cables often fall short, especially when dealing with the Sonos ecosystem.
To successfully Connect Pioneer Turntables To Two Sonos Era 100 speakers (or even a single Era 100), you’ll primarily need two key components in addition to your turntable:
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Sonos Line-In Adapter: This is the crucial piece of the puzzle. Sonos devices are designed to integrate with their ecosystem, and for analog sources like turntables, the Sonos Line-In Adapter is specifically engineered to bridge the gap. It converts the analog audio signal from your turntable into a digital signal that Sonos can understand and play.
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RCA to 3.5 mm Stereo Cable: This standard audio cable will connect the RCA outputs on your Pioneer turntable to the input on the Sonos Line-In Adapter.
It’s also important to consider whether your Pioneer turntable has a built-in phono preamp. Most modern turntables, including many Pioneer models, come with a preamp. If your turntable lacks a preamp, you’ll need to add an external phono preamp between the turntable and the Sonos Line-In Adapter. However, based on user feedback, many Pioneer turntables already include this feature, simplifying the setup process.
Some users might mistakenly attempt to use a USB-C to RCA connector, especially if they see a USB-C port on the Sonos Era 100. However, as one user discovered, these USB-C to RCA cables are often designed to output an RCA signal from a USB source, not the other way around. Sonos requires an adapter that inputs an analog RCA signal and converts it to a digital signal for Sonos to process. This is precisely what the Sonos Line-In Adapter does.
To clarify the connection process, you’ll connect the RCA to 3.5 mm stereo cable to the RCA outputs on your Pioneer turntable (the red and white connectors).
Avoid using a USB-C to RCA connector as this is generally not the correct way to input analog audio into Sonos Era 100 speakers.
Next, you’ll connect the 3.5mm end of the cable into the Sonos Line-In Adapter. Finally, plug the Sonos Line-In Adapter into the USB-C port on your Sonos Era 100.
Once everything is physically connected, you’ll need to configure the Line-In source in your Sonos app to start enjoying your vinyl records through your Sonos Era 100 speakers.
By using the Sonos Line-In Adapter and an RCA to 3.5mm stereo cable, you can successfully connect your Pioneer turntable to Sonos Era 100 speakers and rediscover your vinyl collection with the convenience of your Sonos sound system.
