If you've been toying with the idea of buying a wi-fi speaker but aren't sure where you could squeeze it into your home, a new product range from the innovative folk at Ikea might just provide the solution.
The Swedish homeware giant's new SYMFONISK range, which has been developed with the help of wi-fi speaker company Sonos, includes a table lamp and a floating bookshelf, both of which have a wi-fi speaker built in. This means you can connect the speaker in the lamp or the shelf to your wi-fi network and play music stored on your smartphone or from streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music through them.
Space saving
The SYMFONISK bookshelf can be wall-mounted like a floating bookshelf, and is sturdy enough to hold up to 3kg - that's the weight of around 12 paperback books. It can also stand vertically on one end like a traditional speaker if you want to mix things up.
Just like a regular Sonos speaker, the speakers in the SYMFONISK range can be set up and controlled using the Sonos app, which is free to download and use. It's available for iPhone, iPads and Android smartphones and tablets. If you already have a collection of Sonos speakers dotted around your home, the SYMFONISK speaker will fit right in, as you can add it to a group of speakers so that they all play the same track at the same time.
Verdict
Ikea says it expects the two SYMFONISK products will go on sale in August, although an exact date has not yet been confirmed. The price of the lamp-speaker has yet to be revealed, but the book-shelf with integrated speaker will cost £99. This seems like good value for money, as the cheapest speaker in the Sonos line-up will set you back around £140.
Here at the GHI, we love a good space-saving solution as much as next person. We're not sold on the power cable trailing down from the bookshelf when it's wall-mounted, though, as it may spoil the overall look of your home.
But as Sonos’ existing range of speakers sound great and are one of the simplest ways of listening to music in your home straight from your smartphone, we're looking forward to putting the SYMFONISK products to the test to see how they compare.
For the latest household advice, GHI taste tests, tech and money-saving hacks, sign up to our weekly newsletter HERE!
WE EARN A COMMISSION FOR PRODUCTS PURCHASED THROUGH SOME LINKS IN THIS ARTICLE
Honor 7S
