IKEA is certainly moving with the times, as witnessed by the popular lamp and bookshelf speakers and the new Symfonisk Picture Frame.
Aad Munsterman and Rob Coenraads
The Symfonisk Picture Frame consists of a base unit (white or black) of 48 x 32 x 5.5 cm, over which a plastic frame of 57 x 41.5 cm falls, containing a speaker cloth with printed artwork. By default, this is a neutral work of art, additionally twelve others are available. The base unit houses Sonos’ smart speaker technology.
It is not a speaker that you connect to an amplifier, but one that produces sound based on WiFi streaming. Control can be done from the Sonos app or from an Apple tablet or phone with AirPlay2. The ‘painting’ has mains connection via the supplied 3.5 m long power cord. On the back of the front panel are three buttons for volume and standby.
The sound is widely distributed, the sound quality is excellent and meets the well-known Sonos standard: a balanced sound from high to low without exaggeration of certain keys. The volume is limited, but sufficient to fill a room well.
All in all, a nice solution to make loudspeakers less prominent, and that for a very nice price.
Product: IKEA Symphony Picture Frame
Price: € 179, prices art frames: from € 20 to € 29.90
Pros
* nice model smart speaker
* excellent sound quality
Cons:
* no high volume
* no Chromecast
* limited number of frames available