Hi-Fi questions, answered plainly.

Only into the input marked PHONO. On any other input the record plays far too quietly and with no bass, because a turntable's signal is tiny and needs a booster called a phono stage first.

If your amplifier has a subwoofer output, one cheap cable is all you need. Most amplifiers don't have one, so in practice you run ordinary speaker wire from the amplifier to special inputs on the back of the sub, right next to the wires going to your speakers.

Level the turntable, balance the tonearm so it floats, then set its weight to the number printed on the cartridge, usually between 1.5 and 2.5 grams. Twenty minutes of work, and records will sound right and last longer.

Two lengths of ordinary speaker wire from any electronics shop. For a normal living room, 2.5 mm² thickness is plenty, and the only real rule is connecting plus to plus and minus to minus on both ends.

Almost always a ground loop: two of your devices are plugged into different wall outlets while also connected to each other by a cable. Unplug your other devices one at a time; when the hum stops, you've found the pair.

Impedance is how hard a speaker is to drive, measured in ohms. Almost all home speakers are 4 to 8 ohms and almost every amplifier handles that happily. Only unusual speakers or old tube amplifiers need you to check.

A DAC turns the numbers of digital music into the electrical signal your amplifier understands. You already own several: there's one inside your phone, your TV and your laptop.

A phono stage is a booster box: it lifts the turntable's whisper-quiet signal up to normal strength and fixes the tone balance. Without one, records play quietly, sharply and with almost no bass.

Search the model here first: what it is, what it typically costs used, and what's for sale right now. Then inspect before paying. Hum, one dead channel, a worn record needle and prices that look too good to be true are the classics.

Three things and some wire: something that plays the music (a streamer, CD player or turntable), an amplifier, and two speakers. Spend about half your budget on the speakers; they shape the sound most.

Move your speakers first: pull them off the wall, form a triangle with your listening seat, angle them toward you. That costs nothing. Then, in order: speakers, amplifier, source. Cables last, and barely matter.