The SYMFONISK series is a collaboration with Sonos to create smart sounding furniture, and it is finally available in Singapore. If you already won a Sonos product, the IKEA SYMFONISK Table Lamp Wi-Fi speaker will fit in seamlessly into your Sonos home setup. If you haven’t, this might be a great starter product to get you induced into the Sonos ecosystem.
But after all, this is still a table lamp. You can even transform this smart table lamp to be even smarter by purchasing smart bulbs from IKEA’s TRADFRI range. This makes the SYMFONISK a really unique product as it is smart on both the lighting and audio side of things.
Unboxing
In the box, you’ll find the following:
- SYMFONISK Speaker
- Glass lamp shade
- Ethernet cable
- User manuals
Build quality and design
The design is unique and unlike your typical lamp look due to its thick stem. The design grows on me and I think it looks really good on my bedside table. Build quality is no slouch as the lamp has great amount of heft due to the speaker and the glass lamp shade. Depending on the colour of the lamp you choose, the glass lamp shade also differs in colour. The unit I have is black, so the lamp shade that comes along with it is dark grey.
The speaker portion of the SYMFONISK table lamp is covered by a knit-like material, and seems to be removable. There is a round knob-like switch the turns the bulb on and off. The base of the speaker features three buttons for play/pause, volume, and pairing if necessary. And on the back of the speaker, you’ll find an Ethernet port.
Connectivity
As the name suggests, the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker only connects via Wi-Fi or through an internet connection. It does not have Bluetooth connection, and functions like a Sonos One. But since it does not have a microphone, you can view the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker as a Sonos One SL with a light bulb.
As the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker works with the Sonos ecosystem, you can take advantage of all the features in the newly revamped Sonos app. This means that you can use it with Sonos multi-room systems, control media playing from the Sonos app, or even via voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri. The SYMFONISK table lamp speaker also comes with Apple’s AirPlay 2 for easy casting of your media.
As there is no microphone on board the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker, if you want to use voice assistants to control it, you can easily purchase Google’s Nest Mini or Amazon’s Echo Dot.
Smart lighting
If you purchase a smart bulb from IKEA’s TRADFRI range, then you can make your SYMFONISK table lamp both a smart speaker and a smart lamp. With a TRADFI E14 lightbulb, you will be able to use the IKEA Home Smart app to control the brightness, turn on/off and change the temperature of the light from white to warm. The app offers a preset of 3 different lighting moods. I personally like the ‘Relax’ mood. You can also connect the lightbulb to Google Assistant so you can control the light using your voice. Check out the video below to see the app in action:
If you already own or plan to own a series of IKEA smart furniture, then you can consider investing in two devices, namely the TRADFI gateway and remote control, to achieve greater control over the SYMFONISK table lamp. Do note you need the Gateway device to control the remote control.
The remote control comes with 3M double side tape so you can stick it to the magnetic plate to the wall. And if you want the remote control to be portable, simply pop it off the magnetic plate base. Simple yet handy feature. With the remote, you can adjust brightness and temperature, as well as turning the light on/off. Check out the app below to see the remote control in action:
Sound quality
On first impressions, the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker is bright sounding and does pack enough bass but noticeably lesser than what you’ll get with the Sonos One, which has deeper sub-bass presence. That said, bass on the SYMFONISK is sufficient and impressive in its own regard due to the size of the speaker.
Midrange is clean and crisp, while treble is bright and and clear. The level of detail on the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker is good, and is expected of a Sonos product. Soundstage is rather spacious as well due to its 180º coverage of sound. The speaker can get quite loud too, but at higher volumes, you may find the small details of instruments can get clouded up in the mix.
But to be honest, I don’t think anyone would be blasting music from this speaker. I feel the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker is best used for playing background music over dinner when you’re having your friends over, while doubling as a beautiful lamp.
Conclusion
The SYMFONISK table lamp speaker is a pretty cool and interesting concept that is well made by both IKEA and Sonos. If you ever want a device that can set the mood in your bedroom via lights and sound then the SYMFONISK table lamp speaker is a great two-in-one option to have. And if you already have Sonos integrated in your house, then this just makes it a better purchase.