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NICOLE LEE: When
you think of IKEA

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you probably think of Billy
bookcases, black coffee

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tables, or maybe Ingatorp desk.

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But it turns out IKEA sells more
than just flat pack furniture.

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Now thanks to a
partnership with Sonos,

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IKEA makes Wi-Fi
connected speakers too.

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The two debut models are a
bookshelf speaker and a two

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in one lamp speaker combo.

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And they're both part of
the company's new SYMFONISK

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line of Sonos powered devices.

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The selling point,
Sonos level speakers

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without the Sonos level price.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Design wise the speakers lean a
little more toward the IKEA end

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of the spectrum.

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While Sonos speakers
have a modern, sleek look

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the IKEA speakers
look a little homier.

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The lamp is clad in
a fabric knit shell

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while the bookshelf speakers
are squared off and blocky.

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However I don't think this
is a bad thing at all.

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I think the lamp
has a wonderfully

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soft and cozy appeal.

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And the bookshelf
speaker's shape

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allows it to fit both vertically
and horizontally in most

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shelves whether or
not they're from IKEA.

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Another bonus with these
speakers over the Sonos ones

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is that both products
can perform double duty.

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The lamp of course
functions as a lamp

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in addition to playing music.

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The bookshelf speaker
on the other hand

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can double as a wall mounted
shelf with optional hardware.

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And can hold up to three
kilograms in weight.

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One complaint I have
though is that the lamp

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lacks a dimmer function unless
you use it with a smart bulb.

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Which you might want to
do anyway since lamps

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can be controlled
via the Sonos app.

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As far as features
go both speakers

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have the same functionality
as all the other speakers

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in the Sonos lineup.

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The setup is the same.

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You use the app to do so.

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And they're compatible
with all the other speakers

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in the Sonos catalog.

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Now the important question,
how do they sound?

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Sonos mentioned
that the lamp has

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more or less the
same internals as its

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own existing Play:1 speaker.

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And in our test, that
proved to be true.

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In a side by side
comparison they both

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sounded surprisingly similar.

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The Play:1 has a slight
edge at the lower

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end while the lamp
sounds much better

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in the low to mid levels.

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But they're
otherwise comparable.

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The volume on both is
about the same as well.

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The bookshelf speaker
is a little bit

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of a harder sell sound wise.

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The bass lacks punch and
the highs are stifled.

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But the overall mid-range
is soaring and airy.

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And actually sounds much better
than most normal wireless

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speakers.

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It certainly sounds a lot
better than say a Google Home.

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But it's not better
than a Sonos 1.

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And doesn't have
the balanced audio

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of the lamp and the Play:1.

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But while I wouldn't recommend
getting the bookshelf SYMFONISK

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on its own I do think adding it
to an existing multi-room audio

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setup isn't a bad idea.

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Sonos appears to suggest
using it in the kitchen,

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as an additional
speaker on a shelf,

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or as part of a
home theater system.

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And in those scenarios where it
is just one speaker out of many

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the SYMFONISK makes
a lot of sense.

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I mentioned Google Home earlier.

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So I should probably add that
the IKEA Sonos speakers do not

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come with a smart assistant.

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There are no microphones here.

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You can still control them
with either Alexa or Google

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Assistant if you have an
existing voice controlled

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smart speaker in your home
like an Echo Dot, Google Home,

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or of course the Sonos 1.

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But you have to do that
through the device not

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the IKEA speakers themselves.

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I still think the Sonos 1 is
a better entry level speaker

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since it bundles in
fantastic audio quality

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along with a smart assistant.

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But the SYMFONISK speakers
aren't a better choice either.

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They're not any better than
the real Sonos speakers.

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But at just $99 and
$179 respectively

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they're definitely cheaper.

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As always hit subscribe
for more videos.

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And check out our full review of
this and more on Engadget.com.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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