The collaboration between Ikea and Sonos continues with their latest launch in the Symfonisk range aimed at making technology go better with home décor and furnishings. The present launch is a wireless speaker in form of a picture frame that you can hang on the wall or prop it against the wall. Even though you can’t put any of your own pictures in the frame, it is still a good way of camouflaging devices to blend in better with your home. The Symfonisk “picture frame with Wi-Fi speaker” has gone on sale in Ikea stores in July 2021.
Flexible Mounting Options
You can mount the picture frame on your wall with the company providing the necessary hardware along with, or you can prop it against the wall. The silicone feet prevent it from slipping, while the preinstalled felt pads avoid wall damage. Depending on your preference, you can orient it vertically or horizontally. The product is mainly plastic, but the front panel with the picture is a polyester fabric. While the default artwork is not going to please everyone, Ikea does plan to offer different prints at $20 each that you can swap easily. It is unlikely that Ikea will ever offer customers the opportunity of ordering custom prints even though it promises to release new designs regularly. If the product becomes popular, there is a likelihood of an after-market development in due course.
Focus On Form Factor and Aesthetics
In terms of sound quality, the Symfonisk picture frame wireless speaker is similar to a Sonos One. By using the Sonos app, you can play all music streaming services but you don’t get either Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm jack input. You can group several Sonos speakers to play the same music in tandem or even different music in different rooms. If you are buying this product, it will be purely due to the aesthetics and form factor rather than the quality of the sound. It is a great idea if you don’t want always want tech to be thrust into your face and want home theater surround sound delivered through wall-mounted speakers.
Sound Quality That Impresses
Being in the same price bracket as the Sonos One speaker, it is natural for you to wonder about the sound quality. Despite the difference in the form factor and the fact the picture frame allows less depth, the sound quality is remarkably similar. You will get adequate bass to make your music sound good, but it will not make your walls rattle at normal volume. If you are a Mac user and don’t have desk space to spare, you can use AirPlay 2 support to pair it with your computer. In terms of the quality of the audio, the picture frame speaker is a couple of notches higher than Apple’s HomePod Mini or the Amazon Echo. Generally speaking, the volume is sufficient to fill an average room, especially if you use the waveguide in front of the tweeter to distribute the high-frequency sounds evenly in the room. You can also tailor the acoustics to the room with the Sonos’ Trueplay feature in the iOS app.