An Ikea bookhelf speaker for Stereo and Surround Sound: From the Sonos One to the Five Speakers of the Symfonisk

Ikea and Sonos have collaborated to develop a line of speakers called Symfonisk that can be a good gateway to the world of Sonos. The versatile bookshelf speaker sells for under $120 and is one of the best deals in the entire portfolio. This stylish unit is great for so many different use cases: it’s a great option for anyone getting started with Sonos, delivering sound quality that’s basically on par with a Sonos One in a different form factor that some people might prefer. There are ways to use two bookshelf speakers for stereo audio or as surround speakers. Ikea has a lot of accessories, including a floor stand and wall brackets.

Despite its relatively compact size, the Sonos One produces a nicely balanced dynamic sound. Similar to many other speakers on this list, it is possible to adjust its performance with the Trueplay feature. Once the One is in position, just walk around the room with an iPhone and the Sonos app will take microphone measurements that are used to optimize its audio profile.

Most people can get by with a single Sonos one, but you can also link two of them together for stereo and use them as rear surround speakers for any of the soundbars. If you’re not a fan of putting mic-enabled gadgets in your home, the Sonos One SL lacks the mics but is otherwise identical to the regular One. It sounds exactly the same but ditches the hands-free voice capabilities. You’ll save a little bit of money compared to the regular Sonos One, too.

Sonos’ original Bluetooth speaker isn’t “portable” in the same sense as the much smaller Roam, but it’s easy enough to lug around different rooms of your home or haul out to the backyard for a party. The speaker is 6.9 lbs., but it has a handle molded into the back of the speaker for easier carrying.

Sonos advertises up to 10 hours of continuous playback when the Move is off its wireless charging base. If you want to listen to music on the go, you can use the Sonos app. But with the Move, you can also flip the switch on the back to Bluetooth mode and pair a phone, laptop, or any other audio source to listen that way.

The Five has one unique feature that makes it stand out among its competitors: a 3.5mm aux input that can be used to plug in a Record Player or other audio device of your choice. The only other Sonos devices with line-in functionality are the Amp and Port.

The Low-Density, Mid-Size Sonos Ray Beam: What’s It Worth for a Home Theater System?

You can only expect so much from the tiny Roam in terms of sound quality. It outputs clean, detailed audio and can fill small rooms, but its bass and presence is not comparable to that of something like the Sonos Move. You can always link the two Roams and use a more realistic stereo listening experience.

With its optical-only design and no HDMI connection, the entry-level Sonos Ray is best suited for smaller rooms or secondary TVs. You don’t get any Dolby Atmos support with this $279 soundbar, and it doesn’t have a dedicated center channel for dialogue. The Ray provides balanced, crisp audio and large sound for its small size. If you don’t mind spending a little more, the Ray isn’t a bad deal since it sounds good for both movies and music. I’d recommend saving a bit more for the Beam if you have any plans to build out your home theater system with additional Sonos speakers, however.

Stepping down to the mid-level Sonos Beam doesn’t mean you’ll be settling for lackluster sound. While it lacks proper up-firing height speakers for Dolby Atmos content, the second-gen Beam does an impressive job of virtualizing those channels in a way that’s convincing to your ears — especially in small- to mid-size rooms. When watching movies or audio delay while gaming, you don’t have to worry about lip sync issues, because eARC is included.

While the second Beam is similar in size and weight to the first, it features a perforated plastic grille instead of the hard-to-clean fabric of the original model. And priced at $449, it’s certainly easier on your wallet than the flagship Arc.

The Importance of Picture Frames in Adding Color to Your Home Audio: The Case of the Symfonisk and Era Speakers

A new level of bass response can be added to your home theater setup with the help of a premium sub. It is compatible with many speakers, such as the One and Five.

It can’t fully match the loudness and sheer power of the flagship Sub, but the more compact Sub Mini still kicks out plenty of boom that will make you feel the low-end bass from your couch.

The speaker is a very good one, but it still looks like a speaker. If you’re looking to camouflage tech in your home so that it blends in with other decor, that’s where the Symfonisk picture frame speaker shines. The power cord coming out of the bottom is what distinguishes it from other artwork on your wall. If you don’t love the default pattern, Ikea sells various replacement art panels, including the Mona Lisa, Starry Night, or this record player print that I’m a fan of.

Behind the front piece of art are Sonos drivers and waveguides that help distribute sound from the picture frame speaker throughout a room. You can mount two picture frame speakers together on the same wall for surround sound if you want, and it’s one of the many possibilities. They fit into the room better when the TV is off.

But the same cannot be said for the Sonos One, which is all but certain to be replaced by the upcoming Era 100. Sonos has discussed pricing that speaker around $250, a slight price increase compared to the $219 One. But customers should be gaining several improvements for the extra money.

A spatial audio sound is intended by the Era 300. The only way it can handle the content that is streamed from Amazon is via wi-fi, which is bad news for people who like to stream their content from Apple Music or Tidal. Other services and formats will eventually be added to the fold by Sonos, if the past is any indication.

Both Era speakers will offer support for AirPlay 2, and will come with a number of other features. Sonos will separately sell a line-in adapter for USB-C audio and a “combo adapter” for plugging in over ethernet; there’s no built-in jack on either device.

As you can see from the photos, The Verge’s original mockup of the Era 300 remains accurate, and while the Era 100 borrows design traits from the One, it has a rounder overall shape. Sonos has tweaked volume controls with a new, indented bar that should be easier to feel for and slide your finger across.

The speakers will both include a new speech bubble button on their controls, as well as a switch on the back that will cut off power to the mics completely. It is not known at this time if the Google Assistant will continue to be supported. Sonos’ internal marketing materials directly mention Alexa, but not Assistant. Sonos Voice Control and Alexa can work concurrently, so it’s possible that Sonos is giving Google’s service less of a spotlight for that reason.

Do you know more about upcoming hardware from Sonos and other companies? I have revealed many of their devices before the official announcement. These include the Roam, Ray, Sonos Voice Control, Sub Mini, and now the Era line.

Trusted sources make this reporting possible, and if you have more to share on what’s ahead from Sonos, Bose, Sony, or another tech brand, you can message me confidentially and securely with Signal at 845-445-8455. Alternatively, you can reach me via email at [email protected] or through Instagram or Twitter DM.

The Era 300 is fitted with a total of six speaker drivers, each powered by a discrete block of Class D amplification. The size and composition of the drivers, along with the specific amount of power, is something that we don’t know.

A pair of low-frequency woofers face left and right, and their job is to provide the necessary wallop and punch to the sound. All the drivers sit behind carefully designed waveguides in an attempt to spread sound as wide as possible in order to reduce the perception of a sonic point source.