Ryan, please feel free to delete my thread on this product. I was literally a couple minutes ahead of you and even eluded to the fact we'd have official word in Announcements.
Thanks for the update!
Do either have microphone arrays for voice assistant support?
Sure thing, spydrwebb. I've deleted that post.
These two don't have microphone arrays, but can be controlled using the Sonos skill for Alexa the same ways as other Sonos players.
OK, thanks for the confirmation.
Is it possible to add Symfonisk speakers to a Sonos household running an outdated Sonos software version or would the attempt to do so result in a mandatory system update process?
Hi passopp, you'll need to update your system to add them. Strictly speaking, if you were to try and add them on older software without updating, the software wouldn't even know what they are or what to do with them other than try and update to figure it out.
That's fine with me, thank you.
Can't wait to see two of the lamp speakers lighting up my hallway.
Wow. In my head, the bookshelf speaker was going to be bigger, possibly a replacement for the play:3.
So Ryan, here are my questions:
Can you give any details of the physical dimensions?
Are either of these water resistant, usable in a bathroom environment?
Do you know if ikea stores will have any kind of demo stations setup in order to preview the audio?
For the lamp in black, what is the tint of the 'lamp shade' when not on? In the picture, I cannot tell if would be black or a gold/black (perhaps a warm white is giving it a gold tint).
Still with the black lamp, if using a colored bulb, with the darker shade distort the colors at all?
Is ikea possibly going to sell shades separately than the speakers themselves. I can see the lamps still looking good with mismatched colors, or perhaps other colors if users have a preference.
Just to confirm, Sonos will not be selling these directly? If not do you know what sort of return policy ikea is offering?
Some comments:
-I can see the shelf speakers being rather popular for those who were looking for a smaller speaker for hallways and bathrooms. I'd also be curious to see how well they work as surround speakers
- I can see the lamps being great as surround speakers in a bedroom setup. You've got the nightstands already there with a lamp on each most likely. Real estate is limited, so have a lamp and speaker as same device will be nice.
Most importantly.
"I love lamp" -Brick
Can you give any details of the physical dimensions?
We're not sharing all the details today, so more to come later. Regarding the size, the bookshelf speaker is thinner than the Play:3, it has one tweeter and one mid-woofer.
Are either of these water resistant, usable in a bathroom environment?
They are not designed with bathrooms in mind, and don't have the same water resistance as a Play:1 (for example).
Do you know if ikea stores will have any kind of demo stations setup in order to preview the audio?
I believe that they will, but you might want to check with IKEA to confirm when the launch date comes nearer.
For the lamp in black, what is the tint of the 'lamp shade' when not on? In the picture, I cannot tell if would be black or a gold/black (perhaps a warm white is giving it a gold tint).
Still with the black lamp, if using a colored bulb, with the darker shade distort the colors at all?
Is ikea possibly going to sell shades separately than the speakers themselves. I can see the lamps still looking good with mismatched colors, or perhaps other colors if users have a preference.
Great questions, I don't have the details available to share on most of these today. You'll just have to stay tuned for more details around the shades and what will be available.
Just to confirm, Sonos will not be selling these directly? If not do you know what sort of return policy ikea is offering?
SYMFONISK speakers are only going to be available directly from IKEA in stores or online. I don't have specific details on the return policy at this time, but that'd be a great question for IKEA.
Thanks Ryan. I didn't really expect you could answer all of these just yet.
It would also be really cool if the fabric around the speaker (lamp) itself could be replaced with different options. The lamps have a rather modern look, which fits with ikea furniture pretty well, but perhaps not to everyone's taste. Different colors, perhaps a floral or marble pattern, would make it more attractive in a wider variety of spaces.
Ok folks...
Some were concerned that partnering with IKEA would have a detrimental affect on the Sonos brand. I was always of the "lefts wait and see" mindset.
From Ryan's initial report (very well done, Ryan ;)) the IKEA speakers will fail short in some areas based upon the statement "some features are tied to specific hardware requirements and might not be available on SYMFONISK." The bookshelf speaker with only a tweeter and mid-woofer is clearly not a Play 3 replacement.
I think that in the same manner that one can buy a Mercedes at different price points doesn't make it less but just opens the brand to a wider audience. Now if IKEA is not forced to follow certain manufactuinig guidelines and the speakers malfunction and/or fall apart after only a few months then Sonos may have a brand recognition issue to contend with.
I would think that Sonos will monitor returns and repairs to determine the cause factors to decide if maintaining the partnership is doing harm to the brand. In any case Sonos would have to act quickly if severing the partnership proves to be the best course of action to mitigate brand decline.
However, again I say...let's wait and see as anything said at this juncture is pure speculation.
Sonos UK Website
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/ideas/listen-to-the-sound-of-ikea-and-sonos-1364684982830/
Ok folks...
Some were concerned that partnering with IKEA would have a detrimental affect on the Sonos brand. I was always of the "lefts wait and see" mindset.
It is very early for sure, but I'm of the opinion that it won't be a negative. The fact that you won't be able to buy these speakers at the same location as any other Sonos speakers is a significant separation. They also do not quite have the same look and will clearly be a different line of products, even though they work together. But you are correct that it's too early to draw conclusions.
From Ryan's initial report (very well done, Ryan ;)) the IKEA speakers will fail short in some areas based upon the statement "some features are tied to specific hardware requirements and might not be available on SYMFONISK." The bookshelf speaker with only a tweeter and mid-woofer is clearly not a Play 3 replacement.
Both these products are airplay 2 compatible though, so I think it's fairly safe to say that they would get any new feature that the play:1 would also get. Then again, there may be contractual reasons that prevent certain features.
Side note: Will the bookshelf speaker now the lowest price airplay 2 compatible speaker on the market?
Regarding on board voice control, I originally though it was absent in order to keep prices down. However, I also think it has to do with the contract with Amazon and/or Google. IKEA probably would need a separate contract with Amazon, and I would bet that Amazon sees IKEA as too much of a competitor, and not enough of a strategic partner to make a deal with them.
I think that in the same manner that one can buy a Mercedes at different price points doesn't make it less but just opens the brand to a wider audience. Now if IKEA is not forced to follow certain manufactuinig guidelines and the speakers malfunction and/or fall apart after only a few months then Sonos may have a brand recognition issue to contend with.
I got the impression that these are essentially Sonos speakers, with Sonos doing the develop and using their manufacturing channels and such. IKEA is just doing the marketing and sales.
I would think that Sonos will monitor returns and repairs to determine the cause factors to decide if maintaining the partnership is doing harm to the brand. In any case Sonos would have to act quickly if severing the partnership proves to be the best course of action to mitigate brand decline.
That's an interesting point. I would guess Sonos will handle support for this (outside of sales) since they have the expertise to trouble shoot issues.
Fantastic news - really looking forward to getting these as additional units to our existing Sonos household.
The shelf will go in our small cloakroom: we want a shelf in there and a Sonos speaker, so this product is perfect!
The lamp speaker in each of our spare bedrooms - one power cord and no extra 'stuff' as it just looks like a lamp.
I hope to see bathroom compatible ones soon and maybe even standalone outdoor ones.
Anyone managed to find the dimensions of just the speaker. Just wondering how they'll look as rear surrounds hung on the wall. Cheers
Love the idea. From the IKEA website "The table lamp speaker has the same sound profile as Play:1 and Sonos One, and the bookshelf speaker delivers a lot of value – it will sound great for the many people." does this imply that the bookshelf speaker is going to be rather poor quality sound?
The price point would seem to be opening up a new market entry level for Sonos
Anyone managed to find the dimensions of just the speaker. Just wondering how they'll look as rear surrounds hung on the wall. Cheers
I haven't seen anything on dimensions, but I think you can get a good idea based on the various pictures available on the net. The table lamp is based on the play:1, so I'd assume that the body of the lamp is around the same size as the play:1. The play:1s dimensions are:
Dimensions - H x W x D
6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 in. (161.45 x 119.7 x 119.7 mm).
I'd say the bookshelf speaker is about 1.5 x the height, and half as wide....so maybe 9 in x 2.5 in.
For depth, I've seen pictures of the speaker next to a play:5, and the two look to have similar depth. The play:5 is 6 in deep.
So I would say about 9 x 2.5 x 6 inches.
So would that look good on the wall? It's subjective of course, but to me, its going to look better if placed on a shelf along with other items than on it's own. That seems to be what the designers were going for, that it would blend in more than stick out., as it looks like it belongs on a bookshelf along with other books....it's even in the name.
Love the idea. From the IKEA website "The table lamp speaker has the same sound profile as Play:1 and Sonos One, and the bookshelf speaker delivers a lot of value – it will sound great for the many people." does this imply that the bookshelf speaker is going to be rather poor quality sound?
I would guess that the quality is going to be similar to that of a amazon echo or google home (not dot or mini), maybe a bit better. They share the same price point, and going lower quality than that would probably guarantee product failure IMO. I'm curious to see how will do in smaller spaces and whether it has 'enough' to do surround duties in a home theatre setting.
I find this image rather interesting...
Hopefully this means there will be other fabric choices available beyond the white and back options some time in the future.
"Use the Sonos app for iOS to tune SYMFONISK speakers with Trueplay to customize the sound for your unique living space."
Really!? Apple pandering is strong with this one. Where is the Android love..in general. pre Google Assistant.. where is it?
"Use the Sonos app for iOS to tune SYMFONISK speakers with Trueplay to customize the sound for your unique living space."
Really!? Apple pandering is strong with this one. Where is the Android love..in general. pre Google Assistant.. where is it?
Sonos has explained this a few times before. Trueplay is only available throu iOS because there is much more uniformity of the microphones than with android phones. It has nothing to do with pandering.
"Use the Sonos app for iOS to tune SYMFONISK speakers with Trueplay to customize the sound for your unique living space."
Really!? Apple pandering is strong with this one. Where is the Android love..in general. pre Google Assistant.. where is it?
Trueplay was exclusive to iOS long before SYMFONISK, as Android doesn't play as well given the multitude of variation within its devices. Wouldn't look for Android Trueplay functionality anytime soon, it's a developer's nightmare.
Saw
this article that talks about the new ikea speakers starting to show up in Polish ikea stores. This is surely a case where the stock was put out too early, as there is no way that the speakers will work until Sonos gives the official software release. However, it's a good show of confidence that the speakers will be released in August as originally planned. I'm thinking early August, although I don't know where these speakers are made (Sweden? China?) or how long it takes to ship from factory to retail.
The article also has a link to a you tube unboxing video where in fact the bookshelf speaker is connected up and plays fine.
So looks like the software is there already (unless the poster is some form of beta tester) and an interesting new era starts for Sonos.
Nice catch, didn't look at the video. I know Sonos has updated the controller software before a product is released in the past, but thought it was still a bit early.
some of the images in this review show the speakers near things that will help give an idea of the size.
https://gizmodo.com/ikeas-100-sonos-speaker-breaks-the-mold-1836668364
