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Ikea SYMFONISK Picture Frame Speaker Review

thewas

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IKEA is about the worst place to go if you know exactly what you want(at least the ones near me are). The whole store seems designed to make you shop for an hour. It's an experience.
Mind you at least in my country there are (often quite hidden) shortcuts which take you to the final storage space in few minutes.
 

MCH

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If you own a Sonos Connect (or Sonos Port as they call it now), you can feed it with analog audio from TV via RCA, then play the sound to any Sonos device including this SYMFONISK. But don't expect perfect sound quality with this solution.
Hi, do you or anyone else have direct experience doing this? I am very curious as there are very few solutions to transmit an analog source via wifi. When you say "not perfect sound quality" does it mean that you think it is not suitable for decent music listening? What about the latency? Will it be a problem when you also have wired speakers in the same (big) room? Thanks for your thoughts
 

MCH

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The people i know that are regular ikea customers don't mind all that arrow following and ending up buying 10x what they planned to, what is more, they even seem to enjoy the "experience". Also i think people tend to check the technical details in the internet, there is plenty of information about anything ikea sells.
Now, going there as a newbie only to buy this speaker and expect to find someone that explains you every detail? - dont do that! They invest their very limited personnel available in explaining things way more complex as designing a complete kitchen with their software and stuff like that. And good that they do so!
 

ralph

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Just got myself a symfonisk, for now I'm planning to use it as a fancy clock watch. Sound is good and the Sonos app is a nice surprise from what I am used to regarding apps controlling devices. Wondering whether i could get away with two of these for stereo in my living room. But then what to do with my hifi equipment :)
 

Ralferator

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Just got myself a symfonisk, for now I'm planning to use it as a fancy clock watch. Sound is good and the Sonos app is a nice surprise from what I am used to regarding apps controlling devices. Wondering whether i could get away with two of these for stereo in my living room. But then what to do with my hifi equipment :)

Sell your hifi equipment and spend the money for traveling and restaurants ;o)
 

SDX-LV

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That is a good point. My thinking was that I could use them as rear speakers in a 5.1 system, or atmos height speakers but I guess there are better options out there.
KEF T series is probably the better option you are looking for, only so far no reviews by Amir or Erin to confirm the expectations. I actually requested a review of the small T101 specifically for use as Atmos speaker. :)
 

Thomas_A

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I have a bad feeling these things will all follow the same trend. SONOS is not going to promote this product like they do their own. And for Ikea, this is like a lamp shade to sell. They had two dedicated areas for these that were nicely done. But not a single person in sight to explain or show anything. Audio will not sell this way.

IKEA have never had personel-driven sales. Things sell anyway. I think the Eneby 20/30 have sold quite well and the generation 2 indicates that they will continue for a while. But I agree that their audio stuff needs some kind of ads. Otherwise they will be short-lived.
 

thebabyparrot

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Imagine this speaker with a built in DSP to fix the errors in frequency response. This could be end game for a lot of us.
 

Toslink

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Just got myself a symfonisk, for now I'm planning to use it as a fancy clock watch. Sound is good and the Sonos app is a nice surprise from what I am used to regarding apps controlling devices. Wondering whether i could get away with two of these for stereo in my living room. But then what to do with my hifi equipment :)

I think it's certainly possible to use them as primary speakers in a living room. Lots of "you" variables come into play as to whether it's entirely correct (or mostly correct, as no solution is "perfect"). The size of the room plays a big part. My sense from listening to the IKEA speakers is they have smaller amplifiers than the Sonos: One / Play: 1 speakers, limiting top end output. But from a sonic standpoint, they can do the job. And, yes, the app is quite good. That's one of their strengths. I also enjoy having the desktop app for control, and use it far more frequently for everyday use than the mobile app. The mobile app contains the "system management" options, so it can't be done away with entirely.
 

Tangband

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IKEA have never had personel-driven sales. Things sell anyway. I think the Eneby 20/30 have sold quite well and the generation 2 indicates that they will continue for a while. But I agree that their audio stuff needs some kind of ads. Otherwise they will be short-lived.
This speaker would be nice as surrounds in a lifestyle home theather. Are there any line-in:s ?
 

m_g_s_g

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The table lamp speaker is now discontinued, so it lasted less than 2 years? Hopefully the bookshelf and picture frame will sell better.
Ikea recently redesigned the bookshelf speaker packaging (much smaller now), and introduced grilles with new colours. I don’t think they plan to discontinue them anytime soon.

Sonos really shines in the bathroom (and kitchen). My play:1 are still going strong after more than 10 years (yes, daily showers :)). You can tune radio stations in the morning or quickly pair your speaker to your TV (hooked to a Sonos amp f.i.) not to miss a second from your movie/sport match if you happen to need it…

The cable + plug can be a problem, though.
 

cbracer

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introduced grilles with new colours. I don’t think they plan to discontinue them anytime soon.
I believe the grilles of different colors are also on last chance buy at my ikea, as they are discontinued. You also can't find them on their web site for sale. So if you see them and may be interested, buy them now.
 

Wes

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Imagine this speaker with a built in DSP to fix the errors in frequency response. This could be end game for a lot of us.

no bass

but the Ikea lamp speaker could sit on top of the Ikea bass module side table
 

Spocko

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As already mentioned these messurements does not show how the speaker measure in its intended use. In-, on- or near-wall speakers needs to be measured in place or using other maths.
This is indeed a flaw that renders the measurements useless if they do not reflect the speakers' real world performance.
 

cbracer

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My sense from listening to the IKEA speakers is they have smaller amplifiers than the Sonos: One / Play: 1 speakers, limiting top end output. But from a sonic standpoint, they can do the job.
According to the youtube tear down, the Ikea bookshelf has the same amp+processor board as the newer Sonos One, which is sealed and the bookshelf is ported. I listened to the Sonos One demo at Home Depot and it sounded like a small speaker. Lots of youtube reviews on Sonos. I haven't heard the picture frame or the Play 5, so maybe those would change my mind about trying some.
 

Toslink

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The Play 5 is effectively (3) Sonos: One speakers in a single enclosure. It's got a BIG voice from lots of cone area. And, paired with the Sonos Sub...it would put a smile on 95% of listers ears. As to the Play: One's sound, yes, in a store or large environment, they don't impress. But, in a home--especially when there's a stereo pair--they punch far, far above their weight. My personal view is they're too cheap. They outperform just about any $179 speaker out there, then there's the fact they include amplification, room correction and the streaming.
 

Honken

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Well here, not far from the birthplace of IKEA, every IKEA store has a giant sign by the entrance that shows you how to navigate their store (including the shortcuts). How anyone could get lost in there is beyond me. Not sure if this is the case anywhere else, but here they have entrances that lead directly to their warehouse section as well as their pickup point.

As for the speaker, I listened to it at the local store this weekend. Sounds better than that lamp thing for sure and I think it is something that I could recommend to my friends, it is a bit hard to tell in a store setting. The lack of inputs and adjustable EQ makes it a nonstarter for me though.

It seems to sell well at least here, it was sold out at my local store.
 
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