If there ever was a match made in heaven, it’s IKEA’s ongoing collaboration with the leaders in sound, Sonos. The two brands initially teamed up in 2017 to launch the Symfonisk collection in 2019, which debuted with a hybrid lamp speaker and a bookshelf speaker.
Now, the two have released the latest product to join the collection: the Symfonisk picture frame with WiFi speaker.
“Looks like music, sounds like art”, the new product was designed by IKEA and Sonos to “democratise music and sound in the home and bring a better listening experience” to people everywhere.
While most speakers look like just that, a speaker, the new Symfonisk speaker is flat, compact and has been designed to blend in with one’s existing wall art. It makes for a seamless addition to a gallery wall or looks just as chic when leant against a wall.
“The space-saving picture frame speaker can hang on its own on the wall as an eye-catching art piece, be matched with other art on the wall, be placed on a shelf or on the floor, leaning against the wall,” said Stjepan Begic, product developer at IKEA of Sweden, in a release.
“Each Symfonisk speaker combines the Sonos sound experience with IKEA design in surprising new ways, creating products neither company would create alone,” said Sara Morris, principal product manager at Sonos. “Sonos’ acoustic design means the picture frame speaker sounds amazing for such a compact shape, and the Sonos app means it is effortless to set up and effortless to use.”
The Symfonisk picture frame WiFi speaker comes in black and white and with a number of interchangeable fronts to offer a variety of looks to suit various home styles.
It’s compatible with Sonos’ current product range, meaning you can link it up with multiple speakers to play ambient sound around your entire home and can be controlled via the Sonos app.
The Symfonisk picture frame WiFi speaker is rolling out in IKEA stores globally from July 2021, but we’ll have to wait a little longer to get our hands on one here in Australia. IKEA says we can expect the product to land in stores and online in 2022.
There’s no word yet on the exact price of the item, but over in the US, the speaker will be retailing for USD $199 (around AUD $259) while the interchangeable fronts are USD $20 (around AUD $25).
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