Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker initial review: What's the £99 speaker like?
![][1]
[Sonos][2] and Ikea have collaborated to create the Symfonisk range, which includes a speaker that doubles up as a shelf, and a table lamp that has a speaker as its base.
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker doesn't have the catchiest of names but it is a speaker well worth keeping in mind when it launches this summer. At £99, it's the cheapest way to get your hands on Sonos, offering a stepping stone to [the company's experience][3] and its excellent features but what's it like?
## Clever design
* Vertical or horizontal
* Shelf can hold up to 3kg
* Black and white colour options
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker has a simple, sophisticated design that reflects both companies and the result is fabulous.
It's an unassuming speaker that will blend into most home décors and it looks great. The outer casing is plastic, much like [the Sonos Play:5][4] and there is a similar design language too, with soft edges and curved corners for an elegant finish.
![][5]
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker is a little wider than [the Sonos Play:3][6] in terms of size, but not as tall, offering a slim body that can be positioned vertically or horizontally, as the Sonos Play:3 can.
In the vertical position, the Symfonisk speaker will sit on a bookshelf or a piece of furniture, blending seamlessly into its surroundings. For the Ikea fans out there, it fits perfectly into the squares of the popular Ikea Kallax storage range.
Horizontally, the speaker can be wall mounted to double up as a shelf that can withstand up to 3kg of weight and the brackets come with a silicone band that goes on top of the speaker to reduce vibration. There are also hooks available, allowing users to hang the Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker on the Ikea hanging rails so there is some serious placement flexibility with this device.
![][7]
The front of the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker has a lovely, soft-to-touch material covering the speaker grill, offering a Scandinavian touch, while very subtle Sonos and Ikea branding is present on a small tag. The white model has a light grey material, while the black model has a dark grey material. Both look excellent in the flesh, but the white model is our favourite of the two.
Three circular physical controls sit to the side of the bookshelf speaker on the material front and there is an LED status light too, as [all Sonos speakers][8] offer. The light indicates when the speaker is on and it's also used in the setup process.
![][9]
The control buttons consist of a Play/Pause button and volume buttons, just like [the Play:1][10] and Play:3 and the same features you'd get on a typical Sonos speaker are present too, such as pressing and holding the Play/Pause button to bring that speaker into a group of Sonos speakers already playing music for example.
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker requires mains power, with the power socket on the rear. The design has been considered here too though with a gap for the lead in both orientations, allowing for the device to sit flush to the wall or flush to the furniture it is placed on.
## Same Sonos experience
* Controlled via the Sonos app
* Apple AirPlay 2 compatible
* Trueplay tuning
* Stereo pairing
Controlled via the Sonos app, the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker offers almost all of the features available on standard [Sonos speakers][8] and it is set up and controlled in the same way a standard Sonos speaker would be.
This not only means the ability to group the Symfonisk speakers with any Sonos speaker for a seamless [multi-room audio][11] experience, but it means you can play different music to different speakers simultaneously too.
Sonos offers access to over 80 [music streaming services][12], along with the ability to play music from a local device, including your phone or computer so there's no shortage of ways to access music, though you will need an account for each streaming service.
![][13]
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker is also [Apple AirPlay 2][14] compatible, like the more recent Sonos speakers, and it supports [Trueplay][15] too, meaning you can tune it to its surroundings using the software feature in the Sonos app and an iOS device.
It's also possible to stereo pair the Symfonisk Book Shelf speaker too. This latter feature is excellent as it means if you had a [Sonos Beam][16] and [Sub][17] in your living room for example, you could add two Symfonisk Book Shelf speakers to create a 5.1 system.
Currently, the cheapest way to get a Sonos 3.1 system involves buying two Play:1s to pair up to the Sonos Beam or [Sonos Playbar][18] but the price of the Symfonisk Book Shelf speaker means you could almost buy two for the same cost as one Play:1.
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker doesn't have microphones inside so there is no voice control available like [the Sonos One][19] or Sonos Beam. That said, you can still control the Book Shelf speaker through Alexa or [Google Assistant][20] with a Sonos One or Sonos Beam, or an [Amazon Alexa compatible device][21] or Google Assistant compatible device like [Google Home][22].
In terms of other features, the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker will work with [the Ikea Trådfri smart home system][23] eventually too, allowing you to create Scenes. The Sonos element of the scene creation may not be available in time for launch, though it is expected soon after.
With the scene feature, those with Trådfri smart lights and/or the blind, will be able to schedule a morning scene for example, which will automatically start brightening your Trådfri smart lights, raise your Tradfri smart blind and turn your music on.
## Sound and performance
* Class D digital amplifier
* Mid-woofer
* Tweeter
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker might be small in comparison to other Sonos speaker but that's not to say it won't deliver in performance.
![][24]
It's not as powerful as the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Table Lamp Speaker, nor as the Sonos One, but the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker still packs in some serious punch for its compact size. There was great range in our demo, with a healthy dose of bass coupled with plenty of detail too. There's decent volume too and the Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker sounded excellent as two surrounds, paired with a Sonos Beam and Sonos Sub in our demo.
We listened to the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker in a controlled demo room though so we'll reserve final judgement on performance until we review it, but based on what we've heard so far, this is one great sounding shelf and a great way to start a Sonos collection.
[1]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/748x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image1-surfk869mj.jpg?v1
[2]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/buyers-guides/sonos/135761-best-sonos-speaker
[3]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/139397-sonos-tips-and-tricks-get-the-most-out-of-your-multi-room-speaker-system
[4]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/135399-sonos-play-5-review-smart-sophisticated-superb
[5]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image4-skut5rryph.jpg
[6]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/72505-sonos-play-3-wireless-speaker
[7]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image7-3bozjsegg8.jpg
[8]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos
[9]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image10-anupxhes8q.jpg
[10]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/124312-sonos-play-1-review-the-perfect-sonos-starting-speaker
[11]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/136462-multi-room-audio-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-get-it
[12]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/buyers-guides/126892-best-music-streaming-services-apps-and-sites-spotify-vs-apple-music-and-more
[13]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image2-bk9zptu5dy.jpg
[14]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/apple/141261-apple-airplay-2-what-is-it-how-does-it-work-and-what-devices-are-supported
[15]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/135396-what-is-sonos-trueplay-and-how-does-it-work
[16]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/144759-sonos-beam-review-soundbar
[17]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/72876-sonos-sub-review-all-about-that-bass
[18]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/73146-sonos-playbar-review-an-excellent-wireless-multi-room-and-tv-speaker-solution
[19]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/142469-sonos-one-review-the-smart-speaker-we-ve-been-waiting-for
[20]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/google/137722-what-is-google-assistant-how-does-it-work-and-which-devices-offer-it
[21]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/buyers-guides/amazon/142414-best-alexa-speakers-amazon-echo-alternatives-and-alexa-powered-smart-speakers-to-buy
[22]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/google/139617-google-home-review-speaker-smart-assistant
[23]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/146503-ikea-tradfri-review-smart-lights-plugs
[24]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image3-bskb51cixo.jpg
URL: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/147718-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-review
[Sonos][2] and Ikea have collaborated to create the Symfonisk range, which includes a speaker that doubles up as a shelf, and a table lamp that has a speaker as its base.
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker doesn't have the catchiest of names but it is a speaker well worth keeping in mind when it launches this summer. At £99, it's the cheapest way to get your hands on Sonos, offering a stepping stone to [the company's experience][3] and its excellent features but what's it like?
## Clever design
* Vertical or horizontal
* Shelf can hold up to 3kg
* Black and white colour options
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker has a simple, sophisticated design that reflects both companies and the result is fabulous.
It's an unassuming speaker that will blend into most home décors and it looks great. The outer casing is plastic, much like [the Sonos Play:5][4] and there is a similar design language too, with soft edges and curved corners for an elegant finish.
![][5]
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker is a little wider than [the Sonos Play:3][6] in terms of size, but not as tall, offering a slim body that can be positioned vertically or horizontally, as the Sonos Play:3 can.
In the vertical position, the Symfonisk speaker will sit on a bookshelf or a piece of furniture, blending seamlessly into its surroundings. For the Ikea fans out there, it fits perfectly into the squares of the popular Ikea Kallax storage range.
Horizontally, the speaker can be wall mounted to double up as a shelf that can withstand up to 3kg of weight and the brackets come with a silicone band that goes on top of the speaker to reduce vibration. There are also hooks available, allowing users to hang the Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker on the Ikea hanging rails so there is some serious placement flexibility with this device.
![][7]
The front of the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker has a lovely, soft-to-touch material covering the speaker grill, offering a Scandinavian touch, while very subtle Sonos and Ikea branding is present on a small tag. The white model has a light grey material, while the black model has a dark grey material. Both look excellent in the flesh, but the white model is our favourite of the two.
Three circular physical controls sit to the side of the bookshelf speaker on the material front and there is an LED status light too, as [all Sonos speakers][8] offer. The light indicates when the speaker is on and it's also used in the setup process.
![][9]
The control buttons consist of a Play/Pause button and volume buttons, just like [the Play:1][10] and Play:3 and the same features you'd get on a typical Sonos speaker are present too, such as pressing and holding the Play/Pause button to bring that speaker into a group of Sonos speakers already playing music for example.
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker requires mains power, with the power socket on the rear. The design has been considered here too though with a gap for the lead in both orientations, allowing for the device to sit flush to the wall or flush to the furniture it is placed on.
## Same Sonos experience
* Controlled via the Sonos app
* Apple AirPlay 2 compatible
* Trueplay tuning
* Stereo pairing
Controlled via the Sonos app, the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker offers almost all of the features available on standard [Sonos speakers][8] and it is set up and controlled in the same way a standard Sonos speaker would be.
This not only means the ability to group the Symfonisk speakers with any Sonos speaker for a seamless [multi-room audio][11] experience, but it means you can play different music to different speakers simultaneously too.
Sonos offers access to over 80 [music streaming services][12], along with the ability to play music from a local device, including your phone or computer so there's no shortage of ways to access music, though you will need an account for each streaming service.
![][13]
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker is also [Apple AirPlay 2][14] compatible, like the more recent Sonos speakers, and it supports [Trueplay][15] too, meaning you can tune it to its surroundings using the software feature in the Sonos app and an iOS device.
It's also possible to stereo pair the Symfonisk Book Shelf speaker too. This latter feature is excellent as it means if you had a [Sonos Beam][16] and [Sub][17] in your living room for example, you could add two Symfonisk Book Shelf speakers to create a 5.1 system.
Currently, the cheapest way to get a Sonos 3.1 system involves buying two Play:1s to pair up to the Sonos Beam or [Sonos Playbar][18] but the price of the Symfonisk Book Shelf speaker means you could almost buy two for the same cost as one Play:1.
The Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker doesn't have microphones inside so there is no voice control available like [the Sonos One][19] or Sonos Beam. That said, you can still control the Book Shelf speaker through Alexa or [Google Assistant][20] with a Sonos One or Sonos Beam, or an [Amazon Alexa compatible device][21] or Google Assistant compatible device like [Google Home][22].
In terms of other features, the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker will work with [the Ikea Trådfri smart home system][23] eventually too, allowing you to create Scenes. The Sonos element of the scene creation may not be available in time for launch, though it is expected soon after.
With the scene feature, those with Trådfri smart lights and/or the blind, will be able to schedule a morning scene for example, which will automatically start brightening your Trådfri smart lights, raise your Tradfri smart blind and turn your music on.
## Sound and performance
* Class D digital amplifier
* Mid-woofer
* Tweeter
The Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker might be small in comparison to other Sonos speaker but that's not to say it won't deliver in performance.
![][24]
It's not as powerful as the Sonos Ikea Symfonisk Table Lamp Speaker, nor as the Sonos One, but the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker still packs in some serious punch for its compact size. There was great range in our demo, with a healthy dose of bass coupled with plenty of detail too. There's decent volume too and the Book Shelf Wi-Fi speaker sounded excellent as two surrounds, paired with a Sonos Beam and Sonos Sub in our demo.
We listened to the Symfonisk Book Shelf Wi-Fi Speaker in a controlled demo room though so we'll reserve final judgement on performance until we review it, but based on what we've heard so far, this is one great sounding shelf and a great way to start a Sonos collection.
[1]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/748x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image1-surfk869mj.jpg?v1
[2]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/buyers-guides/sonos/135761-best-sonos-speaker
[3]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/139397-sonos-tips-and-tricks-get-the-most-out-of-your-multi-room-speaker-system
[4]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/135399-sonos-play-5-review-smart-sophisticated-superb
[5]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image4-skut5rryph.jpg
[6]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/72505-sonos-play-3-wireless-speaker
[7]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image7-3bozjsegg8.jpg
[8]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos
[9]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image10-anupxhes8q.jpg
[10]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/124312-sonos-play-1-review-the-perfect-sonos-starting-speaker
[11]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/136462-multi-room-audio-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-get-it
[12]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/buyers-guides/126892-best-music-streaming-services-apps-and-sites-spotify-vs-apple-music-and-more
[13]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image2-bk9zptu5dy.jpg
[14]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/apple/141261-apple-airplay-2-what-is-it-how-does-it-work-and-what-devices-are-supported
[15]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/news/sonos/135396-what-is-sonos-trueplay-and-how-does-it-work
[16]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/144759-sonos-beam-review-soundbar
[17]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/72876-sonos-sub-review-all-about-that-bass
[18]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/73146-sonos-playbar-review-an-excellent-wireless-multi-room-and-tv-speaker-solution
[19]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/142469-sonos-one-review-the-smart-speaker-we-ve-been-waiting-for
[20]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/google/137722-what-is-google-assistant-how-does-it-work-and-which-devices-offer-it
[21]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/buyers-guides/amazon/142414-best-alexa-speakers-amazon-echo-alternatives-and-alexa-powered-smart-speakers-to-buy
[22]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/google/139617-google-home-review-speaker-smart-assistant
[23]: https://www.pocket-lint.com/smart-home/reviews/146503-ikea-tradfri-review-smart-lights-plugs
[24]: https://cdn.pocket-lint.com/r/s/660x/assets/images/147718-speakers-review-hands-on-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-product-images-2-image3-bskb51cixo.jpg
URL: https://www.pocket-lint.com/speakers/reviews/sonos/147718-sonos-ikea-symfonisk-book-shelf-wi-fi-speaker-review
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