A complete hi-fi system, with a turntable, HDMI ARC for the television and Bluetooth for the phone, costs less than many people imagine. With Vulkkano, a Spanish brand from Valencia, a serious setup comes together for €350 to €550. With Vestlyd, a Danish brand with a very different design, it stays under €1,000. This guide explains what each step up buys you, when a subwoofer makes sense and how to choose between the two.
Vulkkano: active speakers that replace the amplifier
Vulkkano was born in 2017 in Valencia, out of Zococity, a company founded in 2012 that was among the first to import active speakers into Spain. The goal is to make affordable equipment for people who enjoy good sound, without the advertising bill that inflates the price. The range in our store follows that logic: active speakers with everything on board, two turntables with a built-in phono preamp and a compact subwoofer.
The starting point is the A4 ARC MKII, at €139 a pair. These are bookshelf speakers with 60 W RMS, a silk dome tweeter, a 4-inch woofer and an MDF cabinet. The inputs cover the essentials: HDMI ARC, optical, RCA, USB-C and Bluetooth, with a subwoofer output and a remote. Over HDMI ARC, the TV remote controls the volume. They suit a small living room, an office or a bedroom.
From the A4 to the A5, and to the T40 and T50
The A5 ARC MKII costs €189 a pair, €50 more than the A4, and it is the step we recommend most often. Power rises to 100 W RMS and the woofer grows from 4 to 5.25 inches. In practice: bass with more body, more volume without strain and a wider soundstage. The connections are the same, so the choice comes down to the size of the room and how loud you listen.
The T40 ARC (€99) and the T50 ARC (€119) are the brand's desktop format, with 40 and 50 W and the same list of connections, HDMI ARC and subwoofer output included. They make sense next to a computer or on a narrow shelf.
Turntables: TD10 or TD20
The TD10, at €159, has belt drive, an Audio-Technica cartridge, 33 and 45 rpm and a built-in phono preamp: it connects straight to the RCA input of the active speakers with no extra box. The TD20, at €229, keeps the phono preamp and steps up where it counts: an Audio-Technica VM95E cartridge with an elliptical stylus, adjustable anti-skating, a metal platter with a rubber mat and an MDF plinth. The elliptical stylus tracks the groove more accurately and instrument separation improves. For anyone who is going to buy records in earnest, the extra €70 is worth it.
To keep things simple, we put together two ready-to-play bundles: the Sistema Vinil Vulkkano (TD10 + A4, €249) and the Sistema Vinil Vulkkano Plus (TD10 + A5, €299). With the TD20 and the A5 bought separately, the system comes to €418. With a subwoofer, €547.
When the subwoofer makes sense
The SUB 8 costs €129: an 8-inch woofer, 80 W RMS, an adjustable crossover between 40 and 250 Hz and a cabinet of 28 by 28 by 31.5 cm. It connects to the SUB OUT of any speaker in the range. It is needed in two cases: movies, with effects below what an A4 or a T40 can reproduce, and a large room with the A4. With the A5 in a normal room, for music, many customers do fine without it. Our advice is to start without a subwoofer and add one later.
Vestlyd: another design, another scale
Vestlyd was founded in 2021 on the west coast of Denmark, by the North Sea, and takes its inspiration from the large monitors of the 1970s: a coaxial tweeter mounted in the center of the woofer, and priority given to impact, sound pressure and the feeling of a live concert over looks. The brand calls them Power Monitors.
The M6C Active, at €899 a pair, bring that idea into an active cabinet. Each speaker has two 75 W class D channels, a 1-inch titanium tweeter and a 6.5-inch woofer, with a response of 43 Hz to 24 kHz. The connections go further: HDMI eARC, XLR, optical, USB-C, Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD and an RCA input that accepts line or MM phono, so they work with a turntable that has no phono preamp. The M8C Active (€1,149) move up to 8-inch woofers and 36 Hz, for anyone who wants to skip the subwoofer in a large room.
The difference from Vulkkano is not only price. The M6C weigh 16.5 kg a pair and were built to play loud with wide dispersion; the Vulkkanos are discreet and fit on any shelf. A pair of M6C with a TD10 comes to €1,058; on their own, with the television and the phone, €899.
| Model | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vulkkano T40 ARC | Active desktop speaker, 40 W | €99 |
| Vulkkano T50 ARC | Active desktop speaker, 50 W | €119 |
| Vulkkano SUB 8 | Active subwoofer, 8", 80 W RMS | €129 |
| Vulkkano A4 ARC MKII | Active bookshelf speakers, 60 W RMS | €139 |
| Vulkkano TD10 | Turntable with phono preamp | €159 |
| Vulkkano A5 ARC MKII | Active bookshelf speakers, 100 W RMS | €189 |
| Vulkkano TD20 | Turntable with phono preamp and VM95E cartridge | €229 |
| Sistema Vinil Vulkkano | TD10 + A4 ARC MKII | €249 |
| Sistema Vinil Vulkkano Plus | TD10 + A5 ARC MKII | €299 |
| Vestlyd M6C Active | Active coaxial speakers, 4 × 75 W | €899 |
| Vestlyd M8C Active | Active coaxial speakers, 8" woofer | €1,149 |
Why we chose Vulkkano and Vestlyd
Both brands spend little on advertising and put the money where you can hear it: silk or titanium tweeters, MDF cabinets, Audio-Technica cartridges. Vulkkano proves that €189 is enough for a pair of speakers with HDMI ARC that act as a whole system; Vestlyd shows what a small brand can do when it designs for sound. At my HI-FI HOUSE, in Lisbon, both are in the listening room, connected to a television and a turntable, so you can hear the difference between the A4, the A5 and the M6C before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an amplifier to connect a turntable to active speakers?
No. Active speakers already have the amplifier inside. The turntable only needs a phono preamp, and the Vulkkano TD10 and TD20 have one built in. The Vestlyd M6C and M8C even accept a turntable with no phono preamp, in MM phono mode.
What is the difference between HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC on speakers?
For stereo television sound they do the same thing: the TV sends the audio over one HDMI cable and the TV remote controls the volume. The eARC on the Vestlyds has more bandwidth for higher-resolution formats, but for series and movies in stereo the ARC on the Vulkkanos is enough.
Is it worth buying a subwoofer with the Vulkkano A5?
For music in a normal room, it is not required: the 5.25-inch woofer with 100 W RMS gives enough body. For home cinema or a large room, the SUB 8 at €129 adds the bass the speakers cannot reach. Since the A5 has a SUB OUT, it can be bought later.
Read also Active speakers with HDMI ARC and Your first turntable: how to choose (and what to avoid).