It’s decoration. Swedish furniture giant Ikea and audio firm Sonos are once again pushing the song with Symfonisk, a new connected speaker to hang on the wall like a painting. This is the third collaboration between Ikea and Sonos after a lamp-speaker and a bookshelf speaker also named Symfonisk, both launched in 2019.
The Ikea assembly plan provided in the cardboard box may not be needed to hang the Symfonisk wall speaker on your living room wall. Much easier and faster to set up than a Billy bookshelf, the device of fairly compact size (57 x 41 x 5.6 cm) hangs horizontally or vertically. Two holes to be drilled are still necessary for its installation, but it is also possible to place Symfonisk on a piece of furniture, against a wall. In this case, two small rubber feet prevent the speaker from slipping.
With its 3.5 meters in length, the fabric-covered power cable can accommodate Symfonisk anywhere. A power outlet is necessarily nearby. Offered as standard with removable fronts (white or black with patterns), you can also afford another front among 12 models available (sold from 20 euros to 20.99 euros). These optional facades further create the illusion of a painting. The one representing a vinyl turntable is quite neat, but you can also opt for a facade representing a butterfly or flowers. Bravo for the decor!
Obligatory passage
Impossible to override: it is necessary to download the Sonos S2 application, and to create an account to configure Symfonisk. For people who already have Sonos devices, it’s easier: they just need to add the new speaker to their configuration and, thus, strengthen the multiroom network of their household. Disadvantage: Symfonisk only works in Wifi and not in Bluetooth.
Impossible for a guest to pair their smartphone with the speaker if they want to share their latest sounds. The speaker can be controlled either from its owner’s smartphone or from the Play / Pause button on the back. But by activating the latter, it is impossible to launch anything other than the last playlist or radio played on the speaker. This is a recurring constraint at Sonos, which could have integrated Bluetooth on Symfonisk, as with its Roam and The Move speakers. For a product supposedly very general public, it is regrettable.
Sonos sound
Good point nevertheless, and it is essential here: the sound quality of Symfonisk is there. Its two loudspeakers attached to a vent fulfill their mission. We thus find the Sonos signature with a fairly dynamic sound, precise in the highs, rich in mediums and rather balanced. Thanks to the True Play function, you can even calibrate the speaker according to the configuration of the room in which it is located.
If the sound of the speaker is naturally not too loaded in bass, it is possible to measure the presence with the (too much) modest equalizer on board in the application. This also allows you to adjust the treble level, but no more. These small adjustments made, the sound is quite good. It will hold the rope up to two thirds of the maximum authorized volume. After this milestone, a little distortion can be felt on some fairly bassy songs. But here we are getting closer to the quality of a Sonos One speaker. The “On a Cloud” playlist found on Apple Music gave us a great demonstration of Symfonisk’s musical capabilities.
The new Ikea / Sonos speaker is therefore not a bad match. It is even possible to wire a second speaker to a first speaker for its power supply (with the Förnimma cable sold separately). We only regret a very (too) plastic construction which, despite the good general appearance of the product, more reminiscent of an Ikea product than a Sonos device. Sold for 179 euros, the Symfonisk is still cheaper than the first Sonos living room speaker, the Sonos One SL, sold for 199 euros.