Ikea Symphonic – Test: Brilliant from Ikea + Sonos

Many eagerly awaited the results of the collaboration between furniture giant Ikea and "the world of Apple's smartphone speakers", Sonos. Last year, the two companies announced their collaboration and, earlier this year, we had a glimpse of the potentially fruitful collaboration of the Symphonic series.

Originally, Symphonic consists of two products: a desk lamp and a bookshelf.

We have both to test and can reveal that it is unlikely that you are disappointed.

What is Sonos?

For Norwegians, Ikea is probably a better known brand than Sonos, an American company producing multi-room speakers. Multi-room means you can set up multiple Sonos speakers in different rooms in your house to play music on one or more of them, so the music follows you from room to room.

The company also produces home theater solutions in the form of sound boards, which can be supplemented with the Sonos subwoofer and rear speakers.

You can stream music from your phone or computer through the Sonos app, but you can also use Spotify Connect to send music to the speakers and control it that way.

The Sonos app also supports a multitude of streaming music services in addition to Spotify, such as Apple Music, YouTube Music and Tidal, audio book services such as Audible, Fabel and Storytel, podcasts and radio via NRK and TuneIn. Visit the Sonos website for a complete overview.

You can also stream audio from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly with AirPlay 2 to a compatible Sonos device, such as Sonos One, Sonos Beam, and the new Ikea Symphonic.

Set up on 1, 2, 3

In addition to their price, Symphonic is particularly interesting because they can be integrated with other speakers Sonos. Therefore, if you have a Sonos system before, you can complete it with Ikeas.

Initially, the speakers are controlled via the Sonos app. However, some items indicate that they will also be visible in Ikea's Home Smart app in the fall, and Ikea plans to launch a remote control. It is also Ikea who is responsible for distribution. So you have to go to an Ikea department store or visit the online store to buy the speakers.

The configuration is also easy to play, whether you do it via a PC or a smartphone, as we usually do from other Sonos speakers:

You plug the speaker into the power outlet, wait for the indicator light to start flashing green, and then search for a new speaker through your computer or mobile phone application. If you set up Symphonic speakers through an iOS device, you can also configure TruePlay, which adjusts the sound image to the room using the device's microphone to measure how the sound is reflected by walls and other surfaces.

During setup, you can choose to add the speakers to one of the current Sonos rooms. This option will only be available if you already have a system or want to create a new one.

If you use a Sonos soundboard or use Sonos Amp and have two desktop tablet speakers, you can, by the way, add them as rear speakers in a circular audio setup. This is not possible with the speaker of the desk lamp, but you can connect both models in stereo pair.

One thing to note is that none of the Symphonic speakers have built-in microphones for voice assistants, such as Sonos One and Sonos Beam. However, it is quite possible to manage them with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa via the respective services. If you have an iOS device that supports AirPlay 2, you can also use Siri.

Symphonic table lamp

"A smart speaker with a lamp on the top", that's how we describe the design of the speaker of the desk lamp. In fact, the section of the speakers, fabric that you can remove if you prefer, can remind a little Apple HomePod in that it is rounded up and down. Otherwise, the design of the smartphone speaker market will vary little, please contact us.

At the foot of the speaker of the desk lamp you will find three volume and play / pause buttons. You can press the play / pause button two or three times to skip to the next or previous song.

The lamp part itself consists of a matt glass bottle that gives the light a muted feeling. In other words, it is a lamp that you use to create the mood rather than to illuminate the room.

The lamp also supports E14 bulbs and a maximum of 7 watts LED.

If you have an Ikea wireless bulb, you can of course control it through the Smart Home app.

The design did not impress us, especially the white, the taste is very subjective, but we find that the model in black and gold is much more beautiful.

Physical goals and prices

Inside are the following loudspeaker elements:

• Two class D digital amplifiers
• A tweeter
• A mid-woofer

And how is the sound? Surprisingly good, actually. In the blind tests, we have trouble distinguishing between the speaker of the desk lamp and a Sonos One, which we consider a sign of good quality. The Symphonic desk lamp speaker offers a balanced soundscape with good midrange detail and clear vocals in the highest frequency ranges – as we like it.

If you find that there is a little or maybe too little bass, you can adjust them up and down in the Sonos app.

The sound can also be increased relatively high, but at the highest levels, the sound image becomes slightly lower and many details disappear. This is not the speaker that you make out at a party, but rather the one on which you stand, for example, the nightstand to get a quality sound in the bedroom .

Two things to consider:

• None of the Symphonic speakers are designed for use in wet rooms. Do not use them in the bathroom or outside.
• At the rear of the speakers you will find power outlets and wired, if you prefer a wireless configuration.

Symphonic Library

Despite the "lack" of lamp, the library speaker is the most flexible of the first two products in the Symphonic series. You can have it lying or standing, place it in a bookcase – it should just be missing – secure it to the wall – Ikea sells hooks as an accessory – and use it as a bedside table – it supports a weight going up to 3 kilos.

The selection of the buttons is similar to that of the speaker of the desk lamp. At the back are a power outlet and an Ethernet connector.

Physical goals and prices

Inside are the following loudspeaker elements:

• Two class D digital amplifiers
• A tweeter
• A mid-woofer

The speakers are generally the same, but we believe that the speaker of the desk lamp offers a little more fullness and clarity. In fact, we find that the shelf speaker works best in double teams, which may explain why Ikea sent us two pieces – besides testing it in a circular sound system, of course – in order to be able to test the full potential of his interlocutor.

Even if we stack objects on the speaker from the shelf or place them in a shelf with other objects, it looks surprisingly good, even if it works best in open solution.

Otherwise, it is a bit difficult to place this speaker in a segment because it has no direct competitor. The desk lamp speakers belong to the same class as Sonos One, Apple HomePod and Bose Home Speaker, but it is even worse to find a similar alternative to the shelf model.

conclusion

We can only say that we are very impressed by the first products of the Ikea and Sonos partnership. The companies have created a good mix between the good and balanced sound of Sonos, a seamless configuration and easy control via the app, as well as the attractive design and prices of Ikea.

The sound may not be as sharp on the shelf model, but for use in kitchens, home offices or bedrooms, it does the job more than enough. well.

If you're looking for a smart home speaker, look for something that combines quality sound, consistent setup and extensive music service support, and AirPlay 2 at a price as good as the library speaker. . You get the Sonos One at a lower cost than a desktop lamp speaker, but you "miss it".

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