Victrola Record Player Speakers Not Working? (Fix Now!)

Victrola record player speakers not working, and you’re wondering why? Keep reading!

When the built-in speakers of your Victrola record player are not working, there are quite a few different possibilities to inspect.

They range from the used “Mode” and the power supply, all the way to your stylus, the vinyl record, and of course the alignment of the tonearm’s cartridge.

Here’s a quick list of everything you can try:

We’re about to unwrap everything!

Victrola Record Player Speakers Not Working – [Quick Fixes]

We’ve prepared 8 working steps for you to try, so let’s get started!

1. Power Cycle the Victrola Player

A quick and easy step to begin with, whenever there is no sound from the built-in speakers of your Victrola record player is to perform a power cycle.

So, using the On/Off & Volume knob, turn off the record player and then disconnect the power adapter from the electrical outlet.

With the adapter disconnected, wait for 60 seconds for a full power circulation and then reconnect the device back.

Note: We strongly recommend plugging your Victrola record player directly into the outlet and avoiding all sorts of extenders, dividers, and power surge protectors.

2. Disconnect Any Bluetooth Units

So, if you have recently paired a smartphone or other Bluetooth device to your Victrola record player, now is the time to disconnect it, by “Forgetting” the connection.

This happens from the Bluetooth menu of your input device, which should stop the wireless connection and its input.

To forget your Victrola record player’s Bluetooth profile, follow the steps:

• Android: Settings → Connected Devices → Connection Preferences → Bluetooth → Victrola → Forget/Unpair.

• iOS: Settings → Bluetooth → MY DEVICES → Victrola → Info button (i) → Forget This Device → Forget.

When your input device is no longer connected to your Victrola player, play your record and test whether the built-in speakers will now start working.

If not, keep reading…

3. Switch Player to “PHONO” Mode

The next and most important step to undertake is to verify that your Victrola record player is set to “PHONO” mode.

This is the mode that you need to use whenever playing vinyl records, since if you use other modes such as Line-In or Bluetooth the record player will wait for different input.

When using Bluetooth mode for example, even if the vinyl record is spinning, the speakers will remain silent as the record player will wait for wireless input.

• The same goes for the Line-In mode, which is designed to acquire input from the LINE-IN jack.

You can locate the Bluetooth, Line In & Phono knob on the right side of the tonearm, right next to the Auto & Manual Stop switch.

So, rotate the knob and verify to select “PHONO” mode!

Important: After changing the mode, reconnect your Victrola record player and test the speakers!

4. Crank Up the Volume Controller

It’s not excluded that the built-in speakers of your Victrola record player are working just fine, but the volume is way too low and you simply can’t hear them.

The Volume knob is located above the “HEADPHONE” jack, in the bottom-right corner.

So, find the On/Off & Volume knob, on the suitcase-styled Victrola player and rotate the knob to the right, towards the “MAX” label.

Alert: Playing the Victrola record player at a volume that is too high can damage the built-in speakers.

5. Unplug ALL the Connected Inputs

If the Victrola suitcase record player speakers not working, perhaps there is a connected output device and that’s why the speakers remain silent. 

So, if you have RCA or 3.5 mm AUX devices connected to one of the outputs of your Victrola record player, you need to disconnect them. 

• The 3.5 mm AUX jack is located below the On/Off & Volume knob, and is labeled “HEADPHONE”.

• The RCA output of your Victrola record player is located on the back, red (R) and white (L), and is labeled “OUT”.

In short, if you have an external output speaker, connected to one of these two ports, unplug it now and test whether the built-in speakers will start working.

Reminder: If you still hear no sound, without connected output devices, restart your Victrola.

6. Check Needle/Record & Cartridge

Sometimes, even if the Victrola player’s platter is spinning, something with the stylus, record or cartridge might be wrong.

So, in this step, we’ll walk you through a thorough inspection of all the vital factors that might prevent the built-in speakers from working and help you troubleshoot.

6.1 Stylus Inspection

Starting with the stylus, we recommend checking whether the “needle” touches the grooves of the vinyl record player.

If not, then you need to balance the tonearm by using the counterweight on the back by setting it exactly to 1.5.

In addition, we recommend cleaning the tip of the stylus to ensure that there is no dust/debris.

Tip: You will need an Allen wrench to release the counterweight and rotate the numbered ring!

6.2 Record Inspection

The next thing to inspect and preferably clean is your vinyl record.

In fact, if you have another vinyl record to test with, feel free to do this now, which will suggest a lot about the speaker’s fault.

If you hear sound from a different record, then the issue is with the old record.

If not, go ahead and gently clean the grooves of your record, using a microfiber cloth to ensure that they are smooth.

6.3 Cartridge Inspection

Sometimes the cartridge, which houses the stylus is not aligned properly, and the needle can’t pick up the vibrations from the record grooves.

When this happens, it’s likely that the speakers will remain silent, hence you might need to perform an adjustment via the alignment protractor.

Here’s how to adjust the tonearm and cartridge accordingly:

1. Turn off the Victrola turntable and remove the record.
2. Insert the alignment protractor on the platter’s spindle.
3. Put the tonearm, precisely in the center of the grids.
4. Verify the cartridge is parallel to both lines on the grid.
5. If not, release and align the cartridge until it’s parallel.
6. Info: To release the cartridge you must undo the screws.

When ready, verify that the tonearm is perfectly balanced to (1.5) from the counterweight, put your record, and check whether the speakers will work.

Info: Your Victrola record player must have supplied the alignment protractor!

7. Switch to a Different Power Source

The entire problem with the built-in speakers of your Victrola record player could be coming from the electrical supply.

So, if you haven’t tried already, connect the device to a different and tested power outlet, by using a direct connection.

Sometimes, insufficient voltage can prevent the speakers from working, so reconnect the Victrola record player to a different outlet to exclude this possibility.

If this doesn’t help, there is one last thing to attempt!

8. Use an Output Device (Workaround)

So, if the Victrola record player’s built-in speakers just won’t start playing, perhaps they are faulty, but this is not a reason to stop using your turntable.

In fact, there are two more different ways to listen to your vinyl records, without engaging the built-in speakers of your Victrola record player.

• You can either use RCA OUT or 3.5mm AUX Jack (HEADPHONES).

8.1 How to Connect via RCA?

To connect an output speaker via RCA, you need an RCA wire and an RCA-compatible device.

You must connect the Left and Right (white and red), respectively, into the RCA OUT ports of the Victrola record player and on your device.

8.2 How to Connect via AUX?

The 3.5mm AUX output is very easy to establish.

You need a speaker that supports an AUX jack connection, that you must plug into the “HEADPHONE” AUX port on the Victrola record player.

Note: When you have connected an external speaker, the Victrola record player will no longer use the built-in speakers, and you can enjoy your music.