There is a new and cheap way to buy Sonos wifi speakers and I bought it from IKEA.
Symfonisk bookcase speakers are the second of two new products created in partnership with Swedish furniture manufacturer Ikea and the American premium multi-room audio expert Sonos.
With five Symfonisk table lamps, the new bookshelf speaker (two hardback book sizes) leverages Ikea's design knowledge to surpass Sonos' best-in-class wifi speaker platform. As a result, the cost of entering the low cost new Sonos ecosystem was only £ 99 and reduced Sonos Play by £ 50.
If the table lamp is a more obvious piece of furniture, then bookshelf speakers are at least more traditional audio products on the surface. The plastic case comes in a gray fabric speaker grill or black in white. The small Ikea-Sonos fabric label highlights the front of the top, and the LED is between the three buttons at the bottom to manage the pause / play and volume.
It can be used as a regular Wi-Fi speaker, access the power socket from anywhere, and set up and operate using Sonos' excellent systems and apps.
That means other Sonos-compatible speakers, simple multi-room operation, the ability to stream from various 121 music services or Apple AirPlay 2, voice control via Google Home or Amazon Echo, long history of software and feature updates.
You can also pair the two for stereo separation and use it with the Sonos TV speaker system as part of the 5.1 surround sound setup.
But you can also use IKEA's brackets to mount the speakers in a rack or turn them into small shelves that can hold up to 3 kg of stuff. The rear of the speaker has two holes for mounting brackets, and the power and Ethernet sockets (optional) are equipped with cable guides embedded in them.
There is no rear base port or vents. In other words, you can experience full sound as long as the front fabric panel of the speaker is not blocked.
How does it sound
When it reached the cost of only 99 pounds, I had to cut something out and the quality was sound quality. Symfonisk speakers are not as good as £ 149 Sonos Play: 1 or £ 199 Sonos One or actually £ 150 Symfonisk table lamps.
But still, with all the clarity and punch you'd expect from a sonos, it creates a sound that fills the space, so there's no bass and abundance you can get with expensive speakers.
The sound is quite directional, so it's suitable for placing at one end of the room like a regular speaker instead of a center speaker like many smart speakers.
observe
There are rubber feet on the bottom and sides, so you can put them in the horizontal or vertical direction.
You can completely remove the fabric speaker grille to reveal the speaker cone and bass port.
price
The price of Ikea Symfonisk wifi bookshelf speaker is black and white or 99 pounds.
For comparison, Symfonisk table lamp speakers cost £ 150, Sonos Play: £ 199 for 1 speaker, £ 199 for Sonos One, £ 499 for Sonos Play: £ 399 for Sonos Beam.
verdict
Thanks to Ikea it was never cheap to buy a Sonos wifi speaker ecosystem. The Symfonisk wifi bookshelf speaker is less than the audio peak volume of the Sonos Play: 1, but it is the third most affordable, better matched with home furnishings, and can be mounted in a variety of interesting ways.
Replacing wall-mounted speakers with floating shelves is a wonderful way to hide technology and eliminate clutter in the process. This allows you to create a superior, cost-effective and easy-to-mount rear speaker for your Sonos 5.1 home cinema system with beams.
You can certainly use 100 pounds of speakers, but thanks to the Sonos system you may have a hard time finding a speaker that works well. Symfonisk wifi bookshelf speakers are your first step into the highly scalable Sonos ecosystem, or the second speaker ideal for another room.
Advantages : Easy installation, flexible mounting, good sound, Sonos control, broad support for music service, pairing, low cost, optional Ethernet.
Disadvantages : Play: No sound by 1, no Bluetooth or line input, no built-in smart speaker function
Other reviews
The article includes an affiliate link, which allows readers to click and buy for a small fee. All our journalism is independent and unaffected by any advertisers or commercial initiatives. By clicking on the affiliate link, you agree to the setting of third-party cookies. Additional Information.
.
