Ikea Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker Review

Worth When Reviewed

$199.99

Finest Costs At present: Ikea Sonos Symfonisk Image Body Speaker

Up to date 15 Could 2023: This assessment has been amended to replicate the addition of latest art work designs to the official image body vary, and a brand new unofficial customized possibility from Symfonx.

The image body is the third installment within the Symfonisk sequence, the collaboration between flat-pack furnishings large Ikea and sound specialists Sonos.

Very similar to the 2 Symfonisk audio system that got here earlier than it – one constructed right into a lamp, the opposite designed to fit neatly right into a bookshelf – the image body is designed to mix into the house with out trying ostentatiously techy.

The identify is a contact deceptive as a result of by any affordable measure this isn’t an image body – however it’s a speaker designed to appear to be a chunk of artwork hanging on the wall.

Regardless of that, sound high quality is spectacular and compatibility with the remainder of the
Sonos ecosystem makes this a great purchase as both a standalone speaker or an growth to an present Sonos setup.

Design and construct

• Wall-mounted
• Swappable designs
• Can’t show your individual pictures

The image body speaker is a slim, rectangular block that measures 41 x 57cm – not fairly wall-filling, however clearly designed to take a distinguished place in a room. Ikea additionally contains set-up directions for provocatively leaning the body in opposition to one thing as a substitute of mounting it, however I’m actually undecided why you’d, until you’re renting and never allowed to drill holes in partitions.

I’ve already stated that it’s not, strictly talking, an image body. That’s as a result of you’ll be able to’t mount your individual art work, photographs, or prints on it, and are as a substitute restricted to Ikea’s pre-existing vary of designs.

The 2 default choices are a minimalist design of dots and features, out there in both white or black – with the body’s physique colour-matched to your selection. The material prints are replaceable, and at launch Ikea confirmed off a variety of fourteen totally different designs, out there for $22/£30/€30 every, although not all have gone on sale worldwide.

Since launch Ikea has added to the vary with a trio of designs primarily based on well-known artworks: Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Starry Night time, and Gustav Klimt’s The Tree of Life. Every of the three comes with a novel soundtrack from composer Franz Edvard Cedrins, impressed by the unique portray.

The excellent news is that changing or swapping the image is simple – it’s so simple as popping the material mesh out from the physique, because it’s solely held in by light-weight plastic pegs. The dangerous information is that as a result of the material picture is hooked up to a plastic body, there’s no simple method to adapt this to incorporate your individual art work.

Fortunately, third-party corporations have stepped in to do what Ikea and Sonos up to now haven’t. Corporations like Unisk and Symfonx have expanded the vary of choices out there, permitting you to both order from an expanded vary of designs and even have your individual pictures printed onto material covers for the body.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

I attempted out Symfonx, having certainly one of my very own photographs printed out on a customized material panel. It’s simple sufficient to add a picture, with clear directions on file measurement and high quality. I did discover the ultimate model very barely muted in comparison with the photograph I submitted, so bear that in thoughts when choosing a design.

The Symfonx panel is lighter weight than the official ones, and attaches with magnets reasonably than plastic pins. It’s just a few minutes’ work to swap the design over, although I did discover that a few the magnets didn’t appear to carry as strongly because the others, so there are two spots the place the print doesn’t fairly sit flush in my body – that’s a reasonably minor grievance within the grand scheme of issues.

Sound high quality additionally appears fully unaffected, and there’s nothing to cease you from swapping again to the way you had it earlier than if you wish to promote the body on in a couple of years.

At $79/£65 that is dearer than any of the official choices, however to me that’s a premium price paying for the sake of a customized design, reasonably than Ikea’s bland resort artwork.

The one different factor price noting is that – at 60mm – the body is pretty thick, so will jut out of the wall just a little. That makes it just a little extra apparent that that is greater than it appears, however the phantasm nonetheless holds – I’ve had loads of guests greatly surprised the second music begins taking part in from the art work.

Setup and set up

• Requires drill and screws
• Digital setup is straightforward
• Energy two audio system from a single energy wire

There are two parts to the setup right here: bodily and digital.

The bodily aspect is simple sufficient, however will demand some DIY know-how – and gear. The body comes with a steel bracket for wall-mounting, however due to its weight – 3.8kg – it will want greater than a nail hammered into the wall.

Correctly securing the bracket would require a drill and screws (not equipped), so that you’ll must be comfy giving {that a} go – and have the appropriate to, as not all renters are allowed to drill holes within the partitions. Silicone rubber toes will at the very least cease your wall getting scratched whereas additionally dampening vibrations from the speaker.

You may suppose that every one the drilling is why Ikea affords the choice to simply prop the body up in opposition to a wall as a substitute, however even for this the corporate recommends screw-mounting, presumably to cease the body knocking itself over with vibrations.

The body is designed to be positioned in both panorama or portrait orientations, and has some complete cable routing to maintain leads tidy – although you’ll nonetheless have to take care of a dangling energy lead until you drill an additional gap to route it by your wall, or chase out the wall to a socket decrease down and re-plaster. For further neatness, an affordable
extra energy cable will allow you to daisy chain two Symfonisk image frames collectively, each drawing from the identical energy socket.

The excellent news is that if you may get previous the gentle hurdles of getting the factor up on the wall, the digital half of setup is painless. You’ll wish to use the Sonos S2 app, and as soon as signed up it solely takes a few minutes to get the speaker onto your Wi-Fi community (an
Ethernet port can also be included, should you desire, although will provide you with an additional cable to fret about), with pairing dealt with by a fast faucet of your telephone in opposition to the spot on the speaker the place the ability LED is seen.

Sound high quality

• Surprisingly robust sound
• Barely skinny bass

This received’t be among the best audio system you’ve ever heard, but it surely doesn’t must be. The most effective audio system you’ve ever heard are most likely large, cumbersome, and fairly clearly techy – three issues that this isn’t.

I will say that the sound high quality that Sonos has delivered right here is outstanding given the body’s slim type issue. It may possibly’t sustain with the
Sonos Playbase I’ve powering my TV audio, and can doubtless lag just a little behind the
Sonos One – however not by a lot.

On the default tuning the bass is pretty skinny, with the propulsive bassline of ‘Out of Sight’ by Run the Jewels falling wanting the pulsating oomph it calls for. The Sonos app’s primary EQ – simply treble and bass sliders – compensates for this considerably, however has its limits.

The speaker’s strengths clearly lie within the greater registers, the place the corporate’s vivid, crisp sound profile shines by. In the event you stick largely to pop and rock you’ll take advantage of this speaker, with punchy vocals chopping by an open, balanced soundscape.

Sensible options

• Appropriate with Sonos S2 app
• Wi-Fi or Ethernet solely – no Bluetooth or aux
• Not a sensible speaker

Like most Sonos audio system, the Symfonisk makes use of Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) to attach, reasonably than Bluetooth – and there’s no possibility for an aux lead both. You possibly can play most
streaming providers over the speaker by the Sonos app – together with Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and even oddities like Plex, meditation app Calm, and numerous on-line radio providers. Spotify Join and AirPlay 2 help make it even simpler to stream.

iPhone and iPad homeowners may also use ‘Truplay’ to tune the speaker to the room it’s in for optimised audio, although sadly there’s no equal function for these of us on the Android aspect.

It’s price noting that there aren’t any microphones right here, so this isn’t technically a sensible speaker – although it may be linked to and managed by different sensible audio system and digital assistants.

Due to the Sonos app you’ll be able to hyperlink this as much as different Symfonisk and Sonos audio system for multi-room audio, syncing the sound seamlessly throughout your house. You may also join it to a different Symfonisk image body to create a stereo pair in the identical room.

The app may also be used for the fundamental audio choices talked about above, and to regulate the speaker. In the event you desire, bodily buttons behind the body’s rim management play/pause and quantity – although these received’t be a lot assist should you mount the speaker excessive up on a wall.

Worth and availability

The image body speaker is offered completely from Ikea – both in-store or on-line. At £179/€179/$199 it’s the most costly Symfonisk but – you might purchase a pair of the bookshelf audio system for a similar value, whereas the lamp is nearer to the body however nonetheless runs just a little cheaper.

Arguably the nearer comparability is that it’s proper up in opposition to the £199/$199 Sonos One, the core speaker within the firm’s vary. That may ship higher audio high quality than the image body, albeit with out the discreet type issue.

Verdict

The Symfonisk image body is one other certified success for the collaboration between Ikea and Sonos. It may possibly’t fairly match the sound high quality or simplicity of the lamp – nonetheless the very best product within the vary – however what the 2 corporations have pulled off right here is undoubtedly spectacular.

The most important hang-up is the restriction to Ikea’s restricted vary of pre-made image designs, which perversely means it might’t really substitute a daily image body in your house until you occur to like a number of the prints on provide right here or are prepared to pay further for a third-party resolution to convey out the speaker’s full potential.