Wired vs. Wireless Speakers: What's the Difference?

Most turntables are still analog at their core, which means your speaker choice actually matters. It affects the signal path, the sound, and honestly, how much of a pain it is to use your setup every day.

A lot of people start with all-in-one systems or plug-and-play turntable kits. But at some point, you hit a wall. You start wondering if it’s worth upgrading to real speakers. You hear about Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi, or see that your turntable doesn’t even have a preamp and BOOM: you’re down the rabbit hole.

This guide breaks down what actually changes when you pair a turntable with wired vs wireless speakers. We’ll go over connection types, sound differences, and what to watch out for in real-life setups. We won’t try to push one over the other—we just want you to see what each option unlocks (and what it complicates), depending on how you listen and live with your system.

How Wired Speakers Work With Turntables

Wired setups keep the entire signal path analog. The stylus tracks the groove, the cartridge turns that movement into voltage, and that voltage runs through a preamp into your speakers—no digital conversion, no compression artifacts, no added processing that could mess with the tone.

From there, it splits into two paths: active or passive. Active speakers have amps built in—so as long as you’re sending them a line-level signal, they’re plug-and-play. Passive speakers need an external amp, which adds a few steps but gives you more control. You can dial in speaker matching, crossovers, and room EQ right from the amp stage. There’s a reason most audiophiles and studio users still go wired: zero latency, zero compression, and no signal dropouts. As long as you’re handling gain staging and grounding properly, the setup’s stable and repeatable every time you power it on.

Here’s how the routing typically works:

• Turntable with built-in preamp → RCA → active speakers
• Turntable without preamp → external preamp → amp → passive speakers

If your turntable doesn’t have a preamp, you’ll need one to bring the signal up to line level. Some setups also need a grounding wire to kill hum—especially with vintage gear. A lot of newer turntables include switchable preamps, which helps streamline things and avoid extra boxes.

Victrola’s Stream Onyx and Stream Carbon both include RCA outputs for clean analog routing. The Eastwood Hybrid does too if you’re looking for something a bit more affordable, so you can run it into basically any wired setup—whether it’s a home Hi-Fi rig or studio monitors. All of them support full-range stereo playback without conversion.

 How Wireless Speakers Work With Turntables

Wireless setups add a digital step after the preamp.

The turntable still reads the groove and generates an analog voltage, but that signal gets converted to digital before heading to your speakers.

Bluetooth is the most common format. Once the signal hits the preamp, it’s turned into a digital stream using a codec - usually SBC, AAC, or aptX - and sent to the speaker. That speaker decodes the stream and plays it back. The quality depends a lot on the codec and the Bluetooth chips in each device. Compression artifacts can show up, especially with cheaper hardware or older versions.

• SBC - Standard Bluetooth codec, lowest quality, high compression, universally supported
• AAC - Used mostly by Apple, better fidelity than SBC, performance varies across devices
• aptX - Qualcomm’s codec, lower latency and higher quality, requires support on both ends
  

Wi-Fi works differently though.

Systems like Sonos don’t pair directly—they stream audio over your home network using protocols like UPnP. You control everything from an app that many people love, but some people dislike being tied to. The bitrate is usually higher than Bluetooth, and multi-room syncing is baked in. You’re essentially streaming your vinyl, just like a digital playlist, but the source remains your turntable.

To run a wireless setup, your turntable needs to support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi output, and your speaker has to support that same input. If they don’t match, you’ll need a hub or adapter to bridge the formats. Some setups also work with hybrid gear that includes both analog and wireless outputs, which makes things easier.

Here’s how that looks with some of the more popular Victrola gear:

• Stream Carbon - Wi-Fi out, designed to stream directly to Sonos
• Re-Spin - Bluetooth out, connects to any Bluetooth speaker
• Journey Glow - Bluetooth plus a built-in lightshow and internal speaker
• Revolution GO - Bluetooth out and built-in battery for portable listening

Audio Quality Comparison: Fidelity, Latency, and Stability

Wired setups keep the signal fully analog. There’s no compression, no digital conversion, and no latency—unless something’s wrong with a cable, what you hear is what’s coming off the record. The only things affecting fidelity are your turntable components, the quality of your cables, and the way your speakers handle frequency response.

We touched upon some of these points above, but let’s weigh the pros and cons a bit deeper.

Bluetooth adds compression. SBC is the default and most compressed, AAC is common on Apple devices, and aptX (when supported on both ends) gets closer to CD quality. Latency averages around 150ms, which isn’t a dealbreaker for music but can throw things off if you’re watching video or cueing tracks. Some speakers also add DSP on top, which can stretch that delay even more.

Wi-Fi is a step up from Bluetooth across the board. You get higher bitrates, near-lossless quality, and better range. Dropouts are less common, but you’re now relying on your home network—so interference from crowded channels or thick walls can still get in the way. The upside is you also get features like multi-room audio and tighter syncing between zones.

Setup and Convenience: Day-to-Day User Experience

Wired speakers mean dealing with actual cables, but once everything’s connected, they’re usually the most reliable. No pairing, no signal drops, no reconnecting every time you turn them on. They make the most sense for fixed setups where you want consistency and don’t need to move things around. If you don’t plan on bouncing around apartments of homes every couple years and have a bit more control over the listening environment, this is probably the way to go for you.

Wireless speakers, on the other hand, cut the cord and give you more freedom with placement. They’re great for small spaces like dorm rooms or apartments, travel setups, or anyone trying to keep things clean. Many models have built-in batteries or lightweight designs that make them easy to move. The tradeoff is setup—you’ll usually need to pair them through an app, update firmware, or deal with some learning curve upfront, which might seem like light work to younger generations but may be daunting for others.

Regardless of format, you still need power.

Wired active speakers plug in. So do most wireless ones, unless they’re battery-powered. Victrola’s Revolution GO has built-in speakers and a rechargeable battery, so you can play records off-grid or connect it to a Bluetooth speaker if you want to cover more space.

What Setup Makes Sense for You?

Wired works best for:

• Dedicated listening rooms with proper Hi-Fi gear
• Producers or engineers who sample from vinyl
• Anyone adding a turntable to an existing stereo or studio setup

Wireless makes more sense for:

• Kitchens, shared apartments, or setups that move around
• First-time buyers who want something simple to use
• Party zones or multi-room playback with minimal cables

You can also mix the two. Our Stream Carbon, for example, can send an analog signal out via RCA while streaming wirelessly to Sonos in another room through the Stream app. That kind of hybrid setup is solid if you want physical media in one space and synced audio throughout the house.

Avoiding Compatibility Headaches

One of the most common problems is mismatched connections—like trying to send audio from a turntable with no wireless out to a speaker with no analog in. No shared format means no signal.

Here’s what to check before plugging anything in:

• Does your turntable have a built-in preamp?
• Can it transmit over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?
• Do your speakers accept RCA, 3.5mm, Bluetooth, or app-based Wi-Fi input?

Matching outputs to inputs is non-negotiable. The Stream Onyx supports both RCA and Wi-Fi. The Re-Spin only works over Bluetooth. And not all wireless speakers handle audio the same way—some use Bluetooth, others only stream via apps. If timing matters (for video or DJing), check the codec and latency specs too.

Futureproofing and Upgrade Potential

Wired systems scale more easily.

You can swap DACs, upgrade amps, or upgrade speakers piece by piece. It’s more modular. Vinyl lovers can change individual components as their system or preferences evolve, which, though it’s oftentimes a more expensive option upfront, can mean these systems are more of an investment in your sound instead of just purchasing something that will get replaced later on.

Wireless speakers update via firmware. You get new features through software, and brands like Sonos let you build multi-room setups over time. But you’re locked into an ecosystem to some extent. Expansion usually means staying within a specific brand or protocol family.

The Stream Carbon is designed to sit in both worlds. It outputs RCA and streams to Sonos, making it a good anchor for flexible systems. It’s one of the few models built to scale horizontally across formats without extra adapters or conversions.

The Big Takeaway? Match the Format to Your Listening Priorities

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. It depends on what your setup is built for.

Suppose you're dialing in a listening room or studio setup where sound quality matters, wired gear with proper gain staging will give you more control and better consistency. If you're in a shared space or you're moving gear around a lot, wireless speakers are easier to live with. You're mostly trading off fidelity for flexibility.

Victrola gives you options either way. You could start with something like the Re-Spin and its built-in speaker, then move up to a Stream Carbon running RCA to a pair of M1s—while also streaming to Sonos in the next room. You can even add outdoor playback with their Rock Speakers or link up to one of their Bluetooth-compatible furniture pieces. The idea is to build a system that aligns with how you actually listen day-to-day, not one that forces you into a rigid format.