Speakers from Ikea and Sonos

by time news

Syou did it again. Whenever Sonos and Ikea forge plans together, the end result is a wireless loudspeaker with the family name Symfonisk, which moves into the furniture multinational’s range. Now the latest Symfonisk is here. His older siblings, a cuboid box in the grid dimensions of the Kallax shelves and another model with a rounded figure that also functions as the base of a table lamp, are happy about the new playmate, which Ikea is offering at a price of 179 euros.

This time symphony number three turned out to be knee-high, flat and rectangular – like a picture that would prefer to hang on a wall. That’s how both parents thought. And once again they followed their well-established division of labor. Sonos contributed the technical development and acoustic coordination, Ikea the design. Why not? Loudspeakers don’t always have to follow box thinking. On a wall, you can devote yourself to sounding and decorative tasks at the same time. There they can be fixed with the supplied hooks or leaned against it. There are other fixings in the delivery box, including a flexible safety strap and non-slip magnetic angles for the necessary grip.

The new ones, however, are not as flat as mute products of the visual arts. After all, with a depth of 5.5 centimeters, they are a bit thicker than a modern television, but even the most delicate speakers need a bit of volume. The exchangeable front paneling is primarily responsible for the decorative part. Ikea offers white and black standard versions with a subtle mesh pattern, but already has a dozen other motifs ready, from the graffiti look to the mighty deer to the large-leaved rose. Even more cover variants, each price 30 euros, are to follow. We recommend adding neutral and single-colored versions to the range.

Two chassis, a three-centimeter dome tweeter and a bass-midrange driver with a diameter of nine centimeters sit in the flat, plastic-made body. The part of the sound radiated into the interior of the housing reaches the outside world via a flat bass reflex channel. The music transfer works via the WLAN. The Sonos app registers the loudspeaker in the system and organizes access to the music. This can come from data storage in the network or from one of the many streaming services that are under the Sonos roof. The app also organizes the interaction with other devices in the system. A second wall loudspeaker could complement its conspecific to the stereo set. When the two hang on opposite walls, they can also be used as surround speakers in the home theater system, for example in conjunction with the Sonos Arc soundbar.

For multi-room sound reinforcement, the Symfonisk loudspeakers can be combined with everything that the Sonos range has to offer. The app doesn’t always have to direct the music. Apple devices can also spark the speakers directly via AirPlay 2. We found the Sonos calibration function Trueplay to be particularly helpful, because close proximity to the wall is a problematic position for loudspeakers. Trueplay adjusts the sound if necessary – with test signals that an iPhone or iPad picks up and evaluates with its microphone. What was the result? Not a spectacular HiFi, but pleasant, coherent sound for discreet entertainment. In any case, it is much more pleasing than the loudspeakers’ moderate price suggests.

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