The popular ready-to-assemble furniture brand IKEA has partnered with renowned sound system maker Sonos to develop yet another product under the Symfonisk series. Previously, the companies have collaborated to develop the Symofonisk Bookshelf Speaker and the Symfonisk Table Lamp Speaker. Now, they have released their third project in the market and it is an aesthetic picture frame that doubles as a wireless speaker.
Dubbed the Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker, the 22-inch by 16-inch picture frame comes with a super-aesthetic look along with “room-filling” speakers inside. It is essentially a premium picture frame to cater to bourgeois-class consumers who aim to give a classy touch to their homes.
Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker
Although Sonos does not specify any technical details about the speakers, the company does mention the use of a special diffuser that enables the speaker to spread high-frequency sounds all around a room. The tweeter is paired with a mid-bass woofer that delivers performance similar to other Sonos speakers like the Sonos One or the aforesaid Table Lamp Speaker.
At the back of the picture frame-cum-speaker, there is a wire guide that lets users choose an exit route for the 12-meter power cable, depending on the wall placement of the frame.
And yes, users can hang the picture frame on their walls, both in portrait and landscape orientation, using a magnetic hook. Or else, they can attach a set of retractable rubber feet at the bottom to place the Symfonisk Frame Speaker freestanding on a flat surface.
The control buttons such as the volume rockers and the play/ pause buttons are placed on the backside of the frame’s edge. Despite their hidden positioning, users can still easily access the buttons while using the device.
Now, if you happen to buy two Symfonisk Picture Frame Speakers, you can even daisy-chain them together and connect the entire unit into one power outlet. Moreover, as per Sonos, the Sonos Arc, Playbar, Beam, or Playbase soundbar owners can configure the newest addition as a set of surrounds for their devices.
The frame-speaker unit connects to your smartphone over Wi-Fi and you can control the device via the Sonos S2 app, which is available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. It supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 that allows you to stream music directly from Apple devices. Moreover, the device supports Spotify Connect that enables it to stream music directly from your Spotify account.
Price and Availability
Coming to the price, the Symfonisk Picture Frame Speaker is priced at $199 (~Rs 14,750). It comes in two color variants – White and Black, and also supports various interchangeable fonts to best suit your home decor needs.
The device is currently available to buy on Ikea’s official online store. However, the company will ship the device only to those living in the States.
