Is Ikea's New Sonos Speaker Worth it?
When Ikea teased a collaboration with sound giant Sonos at its Democratic Design Days last year, both audiophiles and design obsessives perked their ears. In April, the two brands revealed the result of that collaboration: Symfonisk, a sound system that blends audio and design more than we could have expected. The line consists of a lamp and shelf that incorporate Sonos sound technology into them, providing a space-saving way to get good sound. But the most appealing part was no doubt the price.
The Symfonisk lamp sells for $179, while the shelf, which can either fit inside one of Ikea's famous shelving systems or hang on its own on a wall as a shelf, is $99. Considering the Sonos Play:1 is $299, that's a pretty good deal for a speaker and light.
"When smart home started, it was for a few," says Ikea's business leader for Home Smart Björn Block. "It was complicated and expensive. So we thought, 'how can we make it for the many people?'" This, for those unfamiliar, echoes Ikea's motto, "design for the many people."
With that in mind, Ikea and Sonos began a truly collaborative process with the goal of marrying the best of sound and design—for the best possible price. Well, as of last week (when Ikea gave me an advance listen), the results are in. After giving it a try, here's what I think.
How does it compare to other Sonos?
For the biggest sound nerds out there, who have outfitted their home with the $400 Sonos sound bar and several Play:1s, these are going to be a little lower quality. But, comparing one Symfonisk to a Play:1 shows just how good the Symfonisk sound is. The volume is easily enough to fill a room, even a small apartment. Pair a few together, and you have a pretty solid stereo system. Which brings us to...
Can it pair with additional speakers?
Yes. You can group Symfonisk speakers together to create a stereo effect and you can also group them with your existing Sonos speakers. Symfonisk can be controlled in the Sonos app or through Ikea's Home Smart app, which it will be beefing up with more smart home capabilities in the coming years (right now it also hosts the company's smart lights).
What about the design?
The design of Symfonisk is...specific. If you love Ikea's particular brand of cozy modernism, you'll probably like the lamp, which comes in black or white. For someone who tends to veer a bit more traditional with light fixtures, it doesn't look quite at home in my apartment. It's not so much a speaker disguised as a lamp as it is a speaker with a lamp on top of it. That said, its function as a (dimmable) lamp makes it more functional—read: worth its footprint—than having another speaker in its place.
If you're more about downplaying the tech in your home, the shelf may be a better choice. Its minimal design (also available in black and white) and small size allow it to fit easily into a shelf. If you choose to hang it as a shelf on your wall, it'll be fairly innocuous, too.
Is it worth the cost?
My ambivalence about the design aside, I answer this with an enthusiastic "yes!" Sonos-engineered sound quality at this price is a great deal, and the compatibility with both the Sonos and Home Smart apps mean the speakers will be easy to update and likely compatible with any future releases from the collaboration.
Ikea Symfonik speakers begin shipping August 3. Find them online here.
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