The Best Stereo Speakers for a Turntable Setup

The easiest way to get a turntable singing on a tight budget: these are POWERED (42W built-in amp) with dual RCA inputs, so a record player with its own phono stage plugs straight in. No built-in phono preamp, so pair with a turntable that has one or add a $20 box.

A PASSIVE pair (needs an amp) that throws a bigger, deeper soundstage than its size suggests, thanks to a generous 6.5-inch mid/bass driver in a 12.5-liter cabinet. At 88dB sensitivity it's happy on a modest integrated amp and loves the warmth of vinyl.

Andrew Jones-designed PASSIVE bookshelves (amp required) with a 6.5-inch aramid-fiber woofer that gives records real weight and body. The front-firing port lets you place them near a wall without bloating the bass, ideal for a shelf beside the turntable.

POWERED (50W RMS per channel) with hand-tuned aramid woofers and silk tweeters, this is a true plug-and-play hi-fi for a desk or small room. No phono input, so feed it from a turntable with a built-in preamp or a separate phono box.

The cleanest one-box turntable answer: POWERED with a built-in phono preamp, so any turntable connects directly, no extra gear. A 5.25-inch Kevlar woofer and 1-inch silk tweeter per side plus a sub-out give you room to grow.

PASSIVE (amp needed) and unusually efficient, so even a modest tube or integrated amp drives them loud and lively. The 1-inch LTS titanium tweeter on a Tractrix horn and 6.5-inch Cerametallic woofer deliver the dynamic, foot-tapping punch that makes rock and jazz LPs come alive.

POWERED with a built-in phono preamp and that signature horn-loaded tweeter, so a turntable plugs right in and you get Klipsch's lively, detailed character with zero separate components. HDMI-ARC means the same pair handles your TV too.

The floorstander on this list: PASSIVE 2.5-way towers (pair with an amp) whose twin 5-inch drivers give vinyl genuine scale and low-end reach without dominating a medium room. A cultured, easygoing balance that flatters older and warmer pressings.

The premium pick: PASSIVE (amp required) and built around KEF's Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology that kills 99% of rear-driver distortion for an uncannily precise, holographic soundstage. Worth a serious amp and your best pressings.