Mac Format - UK (2019-12)

macformat.com @macformat DECEMBER 2019 | MACFORMAT | 85

£99.99 FROM IKEA, ikea.com FEATURES AirPlay 2, Wi-Fi

A decent Sonos

speaker and refined-

looking bookshelf

in one. We like it.

HHHHH

Quirky design

Bold audio

Cheap for a Sonos

Some fine-tuning

required

VERDICT

might be surprised to learn that the same

character is most definitely there. The audio

is bold and focused in its delivery, with vocals

especially belting out more animated tunes

with comparable energy. The balance is

generally good as well, though we had to

tweak and fine-tune it to take out some bass.

The speaker can handle quiet very nicely

too. It’s not meant as a slight when we say this

speaker would be ideal for background music,

simply that it can handle hanging back just as

much as it enjoys getting involved.

It’s also fully integrated into the existing

ecosystem, and will link to any other Sonos

kit you have. It is fully controllable within the

app, will receive all the same updates as the

company’s other products, and you can even

pair two together to perform in stereo.

You’re not going to get a better sounding

multiroom speaker with Sonos’s sonic

signature for less than three figures –

not to mention one that you can use as

a floating bookshelf. ANDREW MURPHY

T

he Sonos IKEA Symfonisk

bookshelf speaker is the

cheapest Sonos speaker

currently available. It’s half the price

of a Sonos One and two-thirds the price of

the Sonos IKEA Symfonisk lamp speaker

opposite. The bookshelf speaker can be wall

mounted and hold up to 3kg of books, Apple

devices, ornaments, or whatever else you

decide to put on it. As well as being wall

mounted it can also just sit vertically or

horizontally, and at the size of a long brick

it can be easily tucked away.

It’s typically IKEA in its refined yet

distinguished design. Connections at the rear

include wired internet and, without the need

for any pairing button or such (there’s AirPlay

2, though no Bluetooth), the front is clean

except for the play/pause and volume controls.

Bold and focused

While this speaker-cum-shelf is never going

to rival the Sonos One for sound quality, you

Er, storage and sound in a great bit of furniture

Is it a shelf? Is it a speaker?

Well, it’s a pretty super

speaker shelf...

Sonos IKEA Symfonisk

bookshelf speaker