Sonos partners with Ikea and announces $99 speaker

Ikea and Sonos are partnering on a new range of connected speakers that will be available in August 2019. The Symfonisk speakers aren’t just cheap Ikea speakers with a Sonos logo. You’ll be able to control the speakers from the Sonos app just like a normal Sonos product.

Ikea and Sonos showcased two different models for now — a bookshelf speaker that will cost $99 and a table lamp speaker that will retail for $179. They will be available in black or white. The idea is to hide those speakers in shelves and lamps so you’re surrounded by speakers without even noticing them.

You can use the bookshelf speaker horizontally or vertically. But you also can mount a speaker on an Ikea Kungfors rack. It can act as a standalone shelf if you want to put a plant or some decoration on top of it.

The table lamp is quite straightforward. This object combines both light and sound. It looks like an Amazon Echo Plus or an Apple HomePod with a lamp on top. If you live in a tiny apartment, you could save some valuable space by replacing two objects with one.

The best part is that those new speakers will integrate with other Sonos speakers just like any Sonos product. For instance, you can pair two speakers to create stereo separation or pair them with a Sonos Beam to create a good sound system for your TV.

If you wanted to add a Sonos speaker in your bathroom but didn’t want to spend $200 on a Sonos One, you could consider a bookshelf speaker to hide in a corner. It might not be as powerful as a Sonos One, but customers will benefit from more options.

The Symfonisk line connects to your Wi-Fi network. This way, you can use the normal Sonos app, control music from Spotify’s app using Spotify Connect and send music to your speakers with AirPlay 2.

Today’s new speakers don’t have any microphone, so you won’t be able to control your music with Amazon Alexa directly.