Put the turntable where you can lift the lid and reach the platter without stooping or reaching over anything, on a surface that is level, rigid and rated for the weight. On top of the console is the simplest answer. Inside works if the bay is tall enough for the dust cover to open, which is usually the constraint that decides it.
B&A offers a pull-out shelf, finished to match the console, with slides that lock both retracted and extended. It is installed during the build and can be relocated afterwards, and it fits any B&A media console.
On top, or inside?
On top is easiest. The top is rated at 200 lb, it is the most rigid surface on the cabinet, and there is unlimited headroom for the dust cover. The trade-off is that the turntable is then sharing the top with whatever else lives there, usually a television.
Inside a bay keeps the top clear and the record player out of the dust, but the bay has to be tall enough for the lid to open, not merely tall enough for the deck to sit. That is a much bigger number than people expect, and it rules out most cabinets.
On a pull-out shelf is the compromise: the deck lives inside, and comes out to be used.
Dust cover clearance is the number that decides it
Measure the height of the turntable with the dust cover fully open, from the surface it stands on to the highest point of the raised lid. Compare that with the interior bay height, and remember that a hinged lid also needs room behind it.
| Model | Overall | Each gear enclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Majestic | 70 or 82 w × 22 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 17.25 h × 20.25 d |
| Monarch | 70 or 82 w × 24 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 17.25 h × 20.25 d |
| Horizon | 72 or 82 w × 24 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 19.375 h × 20.5 d |
| Haven | 72 or 82 w × 26 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 20.5 h × 20.5 d |
| Pennington | 74 or 84 w × 22 h × 22 d | 19.75 w × 16.75 h × 19.5 d |
The Haven has the tallest bays in the B&A range at 20.5 inches, followed by the Horizon at 19.375 inches. If a fully open dust cover exceeds the bay height, the deck goes on top or on a pull-out shelf.
Why a pull-out shelf is usually the right answer
A pull-out shelf lets a turntable live inside the cabinet and still be usable: it slides forward, you change the record with full headroom, and it slides back. B&A's pull-out shelf option is finished to match the console, uses slides that lock in both the retracted and the fully extended position so the deck cannot be nudged off, is installed during the build, and can be relocated by you afterwards. It fits any B&A media console.
The locking slides matter more than they sound. A turntable on a shelf that can drift is a turntable that gets knocked.
Phono cable wants its own route
A moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridge produces a very small signal, and the cable carrying it to the phono stage is the most susceptible run in the system. Keep it away from power cords and transformers, run it through the cabinet's wire chases rather than looping it past the mains, and cross power cable at an angle where it has to be crossed. The cable management guide covers the layout.
Stability and levelling
A turntable needs a level surface and a support that does not flex. Level it on the plinth once the console is in its final position, and check it again after the console has settled on a carpet. If footfall through a suspended floor is reaching the deck, that is a floor problem rather than a furniture problem, and the usual fixes are a wall shelf or isolation under the turntable itself.
See the consoles or ask about a pull-out shelf with your build.
Frequently asked
Can I put a turntable inside a B&A media console?
Yes, if the bay is tall enough for the dust cover to open fully. Bay heights run from 16.75 inches on the Pennington to 20.5 inches on the Haven. Where the open lid is taller than that, put the turntable on the top or on a pull-out shelf.
Does B&A offer a pull-out turntable shelf?
Yes. It is finished to match the console, uses slides that lock both retracted and fully extended, is installed during the build, can be relocated by you afterwards, and fits any B&A media console.
Talk to the person who builds them
Send your component list and the space you have. Brian will tell you which console fits, or whether it needs to be built to a different size.
Figures on this page are B&A's own published specifications, taken from the current product pages and the ordering and warranty terms. Equipment clearances should always be taken from your own component manuals.