If you look at Sonos and Ikea, the companies are quite different. While Sonos generally focused on higher-quality and higher-priced products, Ikea is known for its budget-friendly items. Last year, however, the two companies showed us a possible design for a budget speaker line. Now, Sonos and Ikea have confirmed that the Symfonisk line of smart speakers should be available in August.
The Symfonisk lineup of smart speakers will be built by Ikea but powered by Sonos, while being compatible with other speakers from the company. In a video outlined below, both Ikea and Sonos representatives spoke to what this line will represent: speakers built so you think about the sound, not how big the speaker is.
Ikea and Sonos announce Symfonisk smart speaker line for August release
The biggest thing outlined in the video released to Variety from Ikea and Sonos about Symfonisk was design. Ikea has many years of interior design under its belt, and Sonos is one of the best in the smart speaker business. By the two companies joining forces, the end product should be fantastic.
Sara Morris, Sonos’ product manager, said in the videos, “You need to take up space to make sound.” That’s very true. If you’ve ever heard a large speaker next to a small one, the larger speaker is much more room-filling in the end than the one without as much space. This is why most people just live with “adequate” sound because they don’t want massive speakers taking up space in their house. With this partnership, we’re hoping to see speakers that are built into Ikea furniture, like desks, home theater systems, and more.
Sonos has a high entry price for its nicer speakers, and this could really benefit them in the long run. By partnering with Ikea, somewhere that people already go to spend thousands when redoing their entire home, adding a few hundred more to get quality speakers is a no-brainer. Plus, the speakers in the Symfonisk lineup will work with your existing Sonos products, making everything an extremely smooth experience.
One of the speakers that Ikea and Sonos debuted last year was designed like a shelf, so you’d have quality audio but still retain the functionality of being able to store and display your items. This would be perfect for me because I’m currently looking to add shelving to my office and having a Sonos speaker built-in would be absolutely stunning.
There is no pricing or exact release date available quite yet, but we do know that Ikea and Sonos plan to launch the Symfonisk line of smart speakers sometime this August.
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