A few days ago, Ikea and Sonos officially launched their latest product in their Symfonisk line. The product is a $199 picture frame/wall art speaker which will be available for purchase starting on July 15th.
The Verge had reported on this product earlier this year and Ikea themselves have prematurely posted the speaker on their website, so the launch was no surprise. The “picture frame” cannot be customised with your own images as it is just a piece or artwork. However, the font art can be removed which will reveal the speaker underneath. This art can also be swapped out for other colours and designs with styles from artist Jennifer Idrizi available.
Ikea and Sonos have thought about cable management as well. The power cable can be routed out in several different directions and there is also an included area for cord management at the back of the frame.You can also place the speaker on the floor as there are included feet as well, which can be tucked away when not in use.
The challenge in creating this collaboration according to Sonos was creating a room filling sound in a product that will be placed differently than its traditional speakers. The depth of the picture frame helped out with this and Sonos also built a waveguide to direct audio throughout a room.
Two frames can be stereo paired and can also be daisy chained so that only one power cord needs to run to an outlet which provides a cleaner look.
There are controls at the back of the frames left side. The Ikea and Sonos icons are visual indicators of where to feel for the controls. You can also control the speaker via the Sonos app and there is also support for AirPlay 2.
The only product announced so far in the Symfonisk line was the speaker but The Verge reports that there is a redesigned table lamp speaker on the roadmap with an Ikea spokesperson confirming to The Verge that, “a new lamp is part of our plans, and we will share more when the time is right.” The Ikea and Sonos partnership is an exciting one so it will be interesting to see what else is in store down the line.
