Ikea Symfonisk wifi bookshelf speaker review: almost the cheapest Sonos speaker

Missing loudspeaker

Sonos has been using a minimalist design approach, which has prompted more than one observer to compare it to Apple. Its speakers keep a low profile, and its shape and shell pay little attention to where it belongs: sound. Symfonisk Bookshelf took this minimalist approach to a new level, packaging himself as camouflage and further helping it disappear into the decoration of the room. 

When placed vertically, it is the height of a roll of paper, and when you look at it, you will see a flat fabric-covered grille. The appearance covers the good IKEA black or the IKEA white, the loudspeaker box wall is very thin, can hardly be seen. On the shelf, in a row of tall books, there is only a small Ikea / Sonos fabric label and a tiny white LED lamp at the bottom. 

Like almost all Sonos speakers, the Bookshelf has no input or output, no USB, no Bluetooth, and only one Ethernet Jack in the back. It does not use an external AC adapter, which means that only the slender power cord can still be hidden from sight. Even if you can't completely disguise it, Ikea's contribution to the power cord is that it is woven with fabric. It doesn't magically make it disappear, but it's still a good decoration. There are two grooves on the back of the bookcase speaker that can pull the cable vertically or horizontally, depending on the direction of the speaker. A small rubber foot at the bottom and left of the cabinet protects it and prevents it from sliding anywhere. 

A real bookcase speaker

Although it can skillfully occupy bookshelves, this is not why it is called bookcase speakers. Instead, it is the ability of speakers to become bookshelves when they are connected to a wall using an optional wall-mounted bracket or wall hook. 

You want the wall hanging bracket made by IKEA to be well designed, so it is. Fasten it to the wall with two or more screws and then fasten it to the bookcase speaker with four small hexagonal bolts. The speaker does not rotate vertically, which may seem careless, but doing so may undermine its ability to level with the wall in bookshelf mode. A sloped version of the bracket would be a good choice for those who want to aim at the speakers from one corner to enter the room. 

The bracket is equipped with a thin layer of rubber film that you can place on top of the cabinet to protect it from a small number of objects in the storage space. The instructions are very specific: there can be no liquid, no open fire. With the load-bearing capacity of the 4.53KG, it is suitable for small photo frames, home keys and mobile phones. 

When it comes to mobile phones, it would be cool if the bookshelf adopted IKEA's Qi wireless charging system, but the first edition hasn't had that kind of luck yet. When hanging on a bookcase speaker, one of the things you need to deal with is the power cord. If you choose a black model, it is a black power cord and a white speaker is white. Given that IKEA has a record of spare parts in its stores, it may even buy white ropes in the future, which will help it disappear from light or white walls. 

If you choose to use a wall-mounted installation, make sure you have the right screws and wall anchors to work, and the bookcase speakers don't look light. If not installed correctly, accidental downward forces may easily tear it off the wall. 

The real SONOS sound

Can the $99 speakers take into account the bookshelves and provide the desired sound quality for Sonos products? Rest assured, although Symfonisk Bookshelf may not look like a normal Sonos device, it still sounds good. 

It needs to be clear that bookshelves are not as powerful or comprehensive as Play:1 or Sonos One. However, once you have completed Sonos's Trueplay tuning, adjusted the equalizer to your liking, and turned up the volume, the bookshelf effortlessly fills a clear medium-sized room. Is it perfect? No. It is affected in the intermediate frequency range and tends to flatten the human voice. If you really push the volume up, some of the small vibrations in the cabinet will become obvious. 

No matter where you want to put it, the living room, bedroom, and so on, add a pair of surround speaker, Symfonisk Bookshelf prices to the existing Sonos home theater settings in an affordable way.Functionality and a sound in each room at home are strong competitors. 

Symfonisk Bookshelf will be available exclusively on the Ikea store and on the Ikea.com website on Aug. 1.

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