The marriage of classic vinyl warmth and modern wireless convenience has become a reality with Bluetooth-enabled turntables.
If you're eager to free your vinyl experience from the shackles of cables and wires then this guide will walk you through the simple steps of wirelessly connecting your Bluetooth turntable to Bluetooth speakers.
Why Connect Via Bluetooth?
Before we explain how to pair your turntable & speakers we'll quickly cover why you might want to connect wirelessly and cover a few key things you should know.
- Turntable Location: One of the most common reasons to choose a Bluetooth turntable is down to placement. If you want to place your turntable on a sideboard in your living room, but the speakers are either side of the TV on the opposite side then you can simply connect the two via Bluetooth and enjoy your vinyl without having to run a cable around the room.
- Headphones: Whilst this particular guide is all about Bluetooth speakers, another key reason to choose a Bluetooth turntable is their ability to connect to wireless headphones for private listening.
Bluetooth is very useful in a lot of situations, it does sound good but remember that you'll lose some detail and accuracy compared to a cabled system.
To achieve a wireless setup you're going to need:
- Bluetooth Turntable (or a Turntable + Bluetooth Transmitter)
- Bluetooth Speakers
Now that we've covered the "why", lets cover the "how"...
How To Pair A Bluetooth Turntable with Speakers
Before you begin, ensure that both your Bluetooth turntable and Bluetooth speakers are compatible with each other.
Bluetooth turntables will usually connect to any Bluetooth speakers or headphones provided the device doesn't need a PIN code.
Most modern Bluetooth record players and speakers support standard Bluetooth protocols so you'll find that most Bluetooth turntables will connect to most Bluetooth speakers!
Step 1: Set Up Your Turntable & Speakers
The first step is completely set up your turntable & speakers ready to start the pairing process.
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Turn on Bluetooth on Your Turntable:
- Fully set up and power on your Bluetooth turntable.
- Fully set up and power on your Bluetooth turntable.
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Activate Bluetooth on Your Speakers:
- Fully set up and power on your Bluetooth speakers. Make sure it's set to Bluetooth mode and that no other devices are connected to it (i.e your phone).
Step 2: Pairing Your Turntable with Bluetooth Speakers
Once Bluetooth is enabled on both your turntable and speakers, it's time to establish a connection.
PRO TIP: Before you start this process, I strongly urge you to place the turntable within 1-2 metres of the speakers and then turn off ALL other Bluetooth speakers around your home if you have any.
The turntable will connect to a Bluetooth broadcast but it won't always pick the one nearest to it. Ideally you want only the turntable and your speakers on.
Once you're ready to start follow these steps...
Put Your Speakers in Pairing Mode
Refer to your speaker's manual to understand how to activate pairing mode.
Typically this involves holding down a Bluetooth button until you see a flashing light or, as mentioned previously, it may just automatically broadcast when nothing is connected.
Initiate Pairing on the Turntable
You'll then need to turn on the Bluetooth on your turntable.
This is usually by pressing the Bluetooth button on the front or side of your turntable.
Most turntables will flash Blue when in pairing mode and go solid blue when paired to a speaker or headphones.
Wait for Confirmation
Once paired, your turntable and speakers will confirm the connection, usually when the flashing blue light turns solid.
This connection usually takes place within 30 seconds but sometimes can take longer so be patient.
Step 3: Testing
Hopefully you found it reasonable easy to make the connection, if not then skip this section and look at troubleshooting below.
With the Bluetooth connection established, it's time to test your setup.
Play a Vinyl Record
Place a vinyl record on your turntable and start playback.
If all has gone well your speakers should spring into life and you're up and running!
How To Pair A Bluetooth Turntable with Headphones
You can also follow the above procedure to pair your Bluetooth turntable with your Bluetooth headphones.
This can be great for private listening, late night listening or just for convenience.
The entire procedure above still stands, don't forget to turn off any Bluetooth speakers otherwise your turntable will try to connect to the speakers and won't be available to your headphones.
Read More: How To Use Headphones With A Turntable
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is Bluetooth As Good Quality As Wired?
A. No, by using Bluetooth you are sacrificing sound quality to achieve practicality. Plugging your turntable into your speakers will always provide the best sound and ease of use but means you'd need to keep the turntable and speakers close by.
Q. Does It Automatically Re-Connect After Powering Off?
A. When you power off your turntable and speakers the Bluetooth connection will drop. Provided that nothing else is paired to the speakers, the turntable will automatically re-connect to the speakers once both devices are turned on, in range and available to pair to.
Troubleshooting
In case you encounter issues, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Make Sure Your Phone Isn't Connected
Mentioned previously, but it's the most common issue when setting up.
If you've connected your phone or tablet to the speakers before you try to set up your turntable then you need to ensure that it's disconnected before setting up.
Check Bluetooth Range
Ensure that your turntable and speakers are within a reasonable Bluetooth range.
Typical Bluetooth range is 8-10 metres so if you're placing further away then that you're going to get range and quality issues.
Sound Quality Issues
There have been some rare occurrences where the sound quality is very poor and intermittent even after all troubleshooting has been carried out.
This is usually down to some incompatibility between the two devices and isn't something you can resolve.
If this happens then your best option is to plug the turntable into the speakers, or upgrade your speakers.
Every Bluetooth turntable & speaker bundle we sell here has been tested and is known to work perfectly.
Reset The Bluetooth
If your connection isn't working then the final step is to disconnect all Bluetooth devices from the speaker, completely forget them from your phones settings.
Then perform a factory reset on your turntables Bluetooth (check the manual on how to do this) and start the process again from fresh.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've (hopefully) successfully wirelessly connected your Bluetooth turntable to your Bluetooth speakers.
Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the nostalgic warmth of vinyl without the constraints of cables.
Embrace the seamless fusion of classic analog charm and modern wireless convenience.
