IKEA Symfonisk Bookshelf vs Sonos Play:1 (with frequency response testing)

[@jasonz2964]

I love the straight to point style. Much appreciated.

[@PeterPee]

Thank you!

[@angeloak2590]

Mr. Peter Pee, I have been on You Tube for years! When I came to your channel and you gave your opinion in the beginning, I actually made an account to tell you how much I admire your approach and though is sounds strange, in your own way you are supporting the free will of the user! People stay because they choose not to wait for the big reveal! Thank you!

[@ern05_04]

Peter, your reveiws and comparisons are top notch, I love the way you give your verdict straight off the bat as I do not always have the time to listen to the full video, but being able to get the lowdown and then revisit the video later in the day really works for me. Thanks so much!

[@PeterPee]

Hey! Thanks for the validation of my approach! And yes the idea for you to come back later when you have time. I don’t enjoy it when I have to watch the video to just have the answer at the back especially when it is just a simple answer.

[@DukePaul]

Exactly the review I was looking for. I have a Beam and Sub pair and will now get 2 Symfonisks for the surrounds. 👍

[@peterfranchk]

Super good video! I like that you put the conclusion upfront then go into details! the content is to the point and precise! Liked and Subscribed!

[@PeterPee]

Glad you liked it! Thank you for the support!

[@jermssssssss]

Thanks for the review Peter, quite conclusive for my use case. Will probably be getting the Symfonisks for my Beam surround. More worth it!

[@PeterPee]

I agree with the price performance ratio!

[@bluemy03]

Hi Peter, thanks for yet another great video. I have both the Symfonisk and Sonos One SL. I can say from my ear - Trueplay brings the Symfonisk very much closer with the Sonos One. I find the sound hollow without Trueplay - but really good after tuning. Looking forward to the video with Trueplay.

[@PeterPee]

Makes me want to do that video soon! I’m curious too!

[@bluemy03]

@@PeterPee hi Peter, feeling bored enough yet for a trueplay re-review? 😂

[@madomugi3222]

Keep doing the tireless work to help the needful. Will be heading to My local IKEA.

[@PeterPee]

Go for them!

[@sary251.]

As always, a very helpful video with an exceptional comparison method. Thank you Peter 👍🏼

[@PeterPee]

Thank you for your compliments!

[@philj0nes]

Really well done! Lots of information, very clearly explained with plenty of insight along the way. Thank you!

[@PeterPee]

Glad it was helpful!

[@patrickvincentinting9780]

Thanks to this quick and straight to the point review. I will want to get another speaker for my stereo pair. Thanks again.

[@PeterPee]

Yes you should! I highly recommend a pair for stereo!

[@alterschwede1591]

Thanks for the great video! It was very useful for me to see a comparison like this. Yours are always very objective and detailed, which i appreciate greatly. Because i own a pair of them, i would be very interested to see in detail how they do with the sonos sub paired to them and how they perform as surround speakers. Please keep up the great work, i really enjoy your videos!

[@PeterPee]

Glad it was helpful! I wanted to do the Symfonisk bookshelf review with a sub but haven’t got time to get round to it yet!

[@bbingtube]

Okay just pulled the trigger and go the beam + sub and will go ikea route cuz it matches my couch. Thanks 👍 great reviews my friend .

[@PeterPee]

Awesome! Thank you for your compliment! The ikea symfonisks are great value.

[@Vatraxos000]

Hello Peter , I really enjoy your videos and your instructions . I am quite new to the sonos system and i would lke o ask you the following . I have the beam gen 2 and the mini sub. Thinking as surrounds to buy the ikea bookshef because of the cheaper price. What do you think about it ? Thank you very much in advanced

[@badhooch]

I have the arc and sub g3, want to get surrounds, the couch is roughly centred to a 5.5m (square) room. Will these bookshelf speakers still be good as rears if located 3m behind from listening position?

[@PeterPee]

Yeah, they will work just fine. Loud it will be. Surrounds are less demanding. Unless you are stepping up to the Era 300, then different story.

[@badhooch]

@@PeterPee as in the era 300's will be overkill or just not ideal?

[@domenicfp]

I was thinking of this Ikea option for my Beam gen 2 until I move to my new home in 16-17 months when I get the Fives instead. Then we can move them to a bedroom. This is a great option for a temporary inexpensive option. Thank you again for this great video. This is why I love the Sonos ecosystem. Then I will upgrade to Arc or newer.

[@SuperD00D]

Play One sounds so much better lol. You sure the Symphoniks would suffice as surrounds for my arc/sub combo? Like I wouldn’t notice much of a difference? And would I be able to put the surrounds on the left and right of my couch wall mounted, or would speaker stands behind the couch be way better? I’d prefer the wall mounting if possible. Thank you! If you answer this I’ll try to hit up that coffee fund lol.

[@EzequielLFriscia]

Hey there, I recently found your channel and Im about to hit the trigger in some surrounds speakers; if I go with the Sonos One Gen 2 instead of the Ideas (Id have to spend around $250 more), will I get a better performance? Will use them for both movies and music. Thanks !

[@hardilazizgill]

I want to keep one speaker on each side of the bed for music. Which will the better for a room with a queen size bed?

[@Bellroysg]

Recently got into the sonos family with the purchase of the beam during 11/11 sale. Looking forward to add surrounds with these in the future

[@PeterPee]

You will definitely reach there much earlier than you originally plan to.

[@Bellroysg]

@@PeterPee are these something that ikea would have on sale eventually?

[@taman82]

Great review Peter. The IKEA Symfonisk sounded a bit more muddier with all the bass and drowned out the mid-high tones whereas the Play:1 tended to have a more control bass, with the high frequency notes still sounding crisp. Can't wait for you to do a test when you pair these IKEA Symfonisk with the ARC and SUB

[@PeterPee]

Cool. I guess that’s why they stopped porting the Sonos play:5 after gen 2 onwards!

[@cloudsmiles1]

Thank you for a great channel! I'm interesting to get into the rabbit hole of Sonos and appreciate your videos a lot. As I understand the Sonos One SL replaced the play 1. I have a question about the sound quality. Do you know if there is a difference in sound quality between the Sonos One SL and the Play 1?

[@PeterPee]

Hey! Thanks for the kind praise. Sonically, I have not found a difference. But I want to do a very precise test in the near future to find out once and for all using a proper setup and frequency sweeps.

[@cloudsmiles1]

@@PeterPee Thanks for your reply! The reason I am asking is if I should buy a pair of used Play 1's or just go for the SL. I look forward to if you do a solid test with them. Thanks again for a great channel! =)

[@bradhemmingsen3900]

Hi Peter, how are you sending test signals from REW to the sonos speakers for the frequency response testing?

[@kuwarashta9941]

Does adding One SLs stereo pair to the Sonos arc and sub gen 3 combo make a difference to the overall loudness of the system. I feel the loudness of the system in terms of dialogue and music playback is limited. Would adding the ones make a difference or is it just for overall sound effect?? Hoping to get an answer

[@PeterPee]

It is more for overall effects. Unless, your room is very big right now and you are trying to fill the room with just the Arc, then the ones will help to bring sound to the rest of the room.

[@mhouston2968]

It's a pleasure listening to you. Good job 👍

[@PeterPee]

Thanks for listening and supporting the channel!

[@PatrickGuerrisi]

is the sonos one better for outdoors? I just mean for dust and condensation when cold

[@carldrejhammar8692]

New to you'r videos, love them. Thanks allot Peter!

[@PeterPee]

Welcome to the channel and hope you find what you need. If you need anything please reach out video the comments section!

[@patrickmeylemans9627]

How do you measure? REWvI assume, how do you send the sweep signal? What is the mic placement?

[@PeterPee]

Mic is placed 8 inches away from the speaker (directly in front). I placed it close to eliminate as much of the room noise as possible. The software yes, it is REW and I used Airplay to cast the sound to the speakers.

[@patrickmeylemans9627]

@@PeterPee I measured a set of play5's in stereo with the tweeters In the middle. The calibrated mic in the listening position at least 5 meter away from the speakers. The first measurement was with airplay and the results where not wat I was hearing. No bass at all and a gigantic peek round the 16Khz. Then I replaced Airplay with a cable to the line-in of a SONOS hub (streamer) and these measurements where what I was hearing. Very good curve +/- 5dB between 35-15000Hz.

[@colinjaccino9350]

Smyfonisk opens up some interesting comparison options. Lowest end Sonos Surround setup: Beam + 2x Symfonisk vs other common configurations. 2x Symfonisk + Sub - does the Sub compensate for the differences between 2x Symfonisk and 2x Sonos One? Also, I found that going from 1x One to 2x One, I got a much better sound stage and more convincing bass. Does pairing the Symfonisk provide the same vastly improved experience?

[@PeterPee]

Yes, you definitely want a pair of them. The sound stage grows tremendously.

[@_eskargo]

Peter, do you know if different symfonisk products (ie: bookshelf with the picture frame or lamp) can be paired together to be used as surround speakers?

[@PeterPee]

No, not across the lamp and picture and bookshelf. They have to be the same type.

[@_eskargo]

@@PeterPee thank you so much for taking the time to reply my question

[@dbtalks20]

So Peter, if we are on budeget.... Sonos Arc + pair of symfonix at back makes a complete home theater surround sound system?

[@PeterPee]

Yes, I would do that on a budget. I’d say you get 80-90% of the performance.

[@plimajr]

Hey Peter ! I placed my both Symphonisk speakers facing up (one on the left is sitting n the floor, hidden by a plant - my wife demanded that - and the other one on the right is also on the floor, next to the sofa. The sound from both of them is pretty noticeable when Im watching a movie, but do I loose performance becausebof this setup ?

[@PeterPee]

It’s in a surround setup as rear speakers right? Honestly it’s not ideal but if there are “requirements” forcing you to do so, it’s ok la. At times I also have my Sonos play:3s on the floor when they are performing surround duties.

[@Jon-wq9ie]

Hi thanks for a great video. In my country the refurbished Sonos play1 is actually 1.5 times the price to the symfonisk. Do you think it worth an extra 50 usd to get a Sonos play1 compared to the symfonisk? Is it that much better? For that price I can almost get two symfonisk instead

[@PeterPee]

No. At that price difference, get the Symfonisk.

[@maverick-40]

What would you recommend as rears for the ARC - Sonos Play 1 refurbed (99 USD) vs Ikea Bookshelf (99 USD) vs Sonos One SL (on ebay for 150-ish USD). I think looks wise I prefer the One SL > Ikea Bookshelf > Play 1s

[@PeterPee]

To be honest with you, all three of them performs equally well as surrounds. If cost is an issue, go for the Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf. If looks matter more to you, then spend the extra $100+ for the pair and go for the One SLs.

[@maverick-40]

@@PeterPee Thanks Peter. Thoughts on Vizio Elevate vs Sonos Arc + 2 x One SLs (no Sub)

[@mslizzy03]

Very good info. I just found your channel and love your voice! You sound like you'd be the cool guy in a movie lol

[@PeterPee]

Wow, thanks! And welcome to the community here!

[@angzander8536]

How about the ikea Sonos lamp speakers?

[@PeterPee]

I didn’t get that cos they are too big and hard for me to place them. In other words, running out of space at home for the speakers!

[@qazsedcftgbhujmkolp4401]

I like your videos, but what is the point of testing Sonos speakers without Trueplay? Also, I think you should have said that you didn't use Trueplay up front.

[@charliezobel511]

Hi Peter another great vid, I must admit I have been wondering whether I should get a pair of these Ikea bookshelves as my rears instead of the One SL's. I couldn't wait for Black Friday so picked myself up the Arc yesterday, but am definitely waiting till then to pick up the Sub. As you know I am a total Sonos newbie so I have got a question for you, until I get some new rears is there an quick easy way to switch the One SL's from home cinema rears to stereo speakers and back+forth or do I have to totally change all the configurations in the app every time I do so?

[@PeterPee]

It’s not easy. You have to change the configuration all the time. And Trueplay setup is lost every time you switch. It’s really irritating.

[@charliezobel511]

@@PeterPee Thanks for the quick reply mate, and you answered another question I meant which was about the Trueplay. Hmmm so I'll just have to leave it set on home cinema and start saving my pennies to acquire a couple of Five's for music in the Living Room, once I've got the sub that is 🤦‍♂️ I'm now already beginning to understand why someone in a forum I was reading said "Sonos expansion is more addictive Class A drugs" lol he was right.

[@PeterPee]

And usually by the time you realise, you’re in too deep. Class A drugs indeed!

[@charliezobel511]

@@PeterPee I need to keep telling myself there's no rush for the Five's as believe it or not at the moment I've got the Arc and the One SL's upstairs, set up in our bedroom connected to a 55" C9. Whilst downstairs in the lounge we've got a 65" Q9FN sitting on a Canton DM100 which is in the corner as it's a awkward shaped room, very long and narrow with wooden beams. We are going to redecorate it soon, hopefully before Christmas, so once that it done I suppose I'll have work out what will be the best way to rearrange everything for optimum surround sound and worry about the Five's next year lol

[@PeterPee]

If it’s for movies, you won’t miss the Fives much. If it’s for music, the Fives are the ones to get. And for music, you won’t miss the arc much.

[@airwolf1337]

small addition: if you have a airplay capable sonos device in your network, like a play:5 2nd gen from 2016, the sonos play:1 can be in the same group and play airplay content! because the audio is sent over sonosNET mesh network to the play:1. i have 7 sonos devices in my house and i love them!

[@PeterPee]

Yep that’s correct too! And you can also control the volume of each independently so if you’re not wanting to hear the speaker with the airplay capability you can mute it as well.

[@DavidCheok]

Waiting for the review of the picture frame ikea used as main and surrounds

[@TomasHolcik]

I just wanted to add to this review that basic per single frequency response is not everything. In this video it looks like they are nearly the same, but in my testing (an year ago) Ikea Symfonisk has problems on higher volumes with more complex music. Sonos One is able to tune down some frequencies to not sound distorted, Symfonisk bookshelf ignores it and sounds garbled and not firm. I agree, that Ikea Bookshelf is perfect as a surround speaker where it rarely will play at higher volumes, it's a great speaker for the kitchen or kids' room, but I would not recommend it as a main speaker for listening to music.

[@airwolf1337]

i think the shown frequency response is only valid for a certain level of sound. played more quiet or louder the FQ response can change. and also the distorion. for example my sonos play:1, tuned with trueplay, have some bass distrotion at low volumes, if loudness is on and the bass is at like +2. the small woofer is trying hard to deliver stunning deep bass, but with the cost of a lot of excursion with some side noise, with certain songs.

[@PeterPee]

Good point. Thanks for sharing. And yes volume changes will affect frequency response. All these speakers use DSP to control sound profiles and it will tend to boost certain frequencies at lower levels and cap certain frequencies at higher levels. That’s just how modern powered speakers work. Which is also why when I do testing and measurements, I always set it to 50% volume even if it’s a little loud for my taste. But at least it ensures that we are comparing with fewer variables.

[@teddbear5700]

Thank you very much ! Just discovered you, and your explications are very helpful ! Subscribed

[@FilipCools]

Not sure if the Sonos Play:1 is already compatible with Sonos S2. If would recommend a Play One or Play One SL instead.

[@PeterPee]

Yes, the Play:1 is compatible with S2.

[@FilipCools]

@@PeterPee Nice! I didn't know. Thanks for clarifying 👍

[@MrPaulstrokes]

Can you please cover a video with all Sonos 3rd party compatible speakers?

[@ohadzamor]

Can you please also do a comperison between the play:1 and the lamp speaker? Thanks

[@PeterPee]

Looks like everyone wants to know about the symfonisk lamp. But I really can’t find space for them at home.

[@ohadzamor]

@@PeterPee Yeah.. Well.. The play:1 vs bookshelf was predictable. You have shared great inputs though..

[@PeterPee]

Yeah it’s one of those things that you can tell the difference by ear alone. But I was also curious how much of a difference it is la.

[@tenminste]

If pair with beam, how ikea symfonisk preform vs play 1 as rear speaker?

[@PeterPee]

The play:1 will perform better but not by much. Considering that the Symfonisk bookshelf is $99, “It’s A Great price performance ratio.

[@gitlyndon]

I have both of these, I’d say the Symfonisk is about 70%-80% as good sound as the play:1. For me the key is airplay 2 compatibility - a big consideration for any Apple users. We have our Play:1s as surrounds, which are slave to the Beam, so can stream via Airplay to them as a group. But as single speakers, I’d go the Symfonisk for the AirPlay 2 capability.

[@PeterPee]

Yep. You are absolutely right. The airplay 2 compatibility is missing from play:1 and that could be a deal breaker.

[@ricric9521]

Like the response graphs

[@spun3774]

Is the response curve with Loudness option on/off or n/a?

[@PeterPee]

The loudness option is on.

[@eArbalest]

Great video -- very informative! Do any of your videos detail your testing procedure (especially for generating those frequency response graphs)? As I move to wireless I'd like to test my old passive speakers as I get rid of them. Hopefully I can find some opensource software for this.

[@MacMelmac]

Trueplay is a must with both IKEA and Sonos. Sonos One gen 2 doesn't sound 150 eur better, but it has a better WiFi coverage and can be placeed further away from the router.

[@PeterPee]

Hmmm. Thanks a bunch for sharing. That’s a good point which i have not considered.

[@israellai]

I always trueplay my IKEA bookshelves and chairs as well. Just kidding. I don't have an iPhone

[@jlgodoy3981]

Great review, thanks!!

[@veao7]

Can they be paired together?

[@PeterPee]

No, they need to be paired with their own model only. Play:1 with another Play:1, Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf with another Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf.

[@ern05_04]

I think the Symfonisk should be marketed as a the "go to" surround speaker for the Sonos ecosystem. There is no point having a Play 1 or One for the surround duties as Peter states, I have always felt that the Play 1/One are wasted as surrounds anyway. So for half the price the Symfonisk is a win win.

[@PeterPee]

For the record I’d say the 1/one can potentially sound better as their bass extends better. But the truth is the maths prevails here. The symfonisk derives probably 95% of the performance at 50% of the price.

[@MathewCap]

Let my know if your ever gonna do the Symfonisk Lamps. I highly recommend them over the Bookshelf, because it's more balanced in my opinion with a cleaner treble. The Bookshelf doesn't do well one reproducing a clean sound. Ive only heard the Lamps done with trueplay and that does a lot for them, so maybe the bookshelf just need that done to.

[@PeterPee]

Thanks for the advice! I’ll try out Trueplay and see if that warrants a recording or video. As for the symfonisk lamps I might not do so in the near future as I don’t quite have space for them at home now!

[@georgenewlands9760]

Thanks for the review Peter. I’d just add that if you use Sonos Ones as surrounds with, in my case, a Playbar you lose the microphone function anyway. So for dedicated surrounds the One SL are a cheaper option. I bought two Ones before I realised this.

[@PeterPee]

Hey George, I am pretty certain the ones can still use the mic for voice assistance. You might need to check your settings.

[@georgenewlands9760]

@@PeterPee Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. The Sonos web site currently says that the microphone will be disabled in voice activated products when set up as surrounds with the Beam. It doesn’t specifically mention the Playbar (not making it anymore?) but I remember reading that it was the case with the Playbar too.

[@PeterPee]

That is strange. Because I have used the Sonos ones with the Sonos amp before and the ones were taking my voice commands.

[@PeterPee]

It could be that the beam is already voice capable so they disable the surrounds voice capabilities.

[@georgenewlands9760]

@@PeterPee Hi Peter, I bought an additional One SL so that my surrounds now consist of a One and a One SL...no voice control through the surrounds. I placed the other Sonos One on my upstairs landing and linked it to the Sonos system with Amazon Alexa activated. It works great and I can use voice control for music and control lights etc. In the “services & voice” section of the Sonos app I can only see the landing speaker and, as I said, that works great. The lack of voice control on the surround set up isn’t an issue as I also have an Amazon Echo plus that handles that. I really just commented on your review because the SLs are £20 cheaper than the Ones here in the U.K. That said, if the microphone function should work I’d like to know how to do it. Could it be something in the Amazon Alexa settings?

[@luznette]

Thank you so much!

[@saynomore192]

Informative video and nice Swedish pronunciation of Ikea 👍

[@PeterPee]

Haha. So is it “E” or “I”?

[@saynomore192]

@@PeterPee The standard English pronunciation is usually more like "Eye-ki-ya" while the Swedish is "Ee-key-a" - like yours :)

[@WJR86]

Thanks for another great review Peter. I have several Ones throughout my house as well as a Beam and Sub (gen 2) in the living room. I love the Sonos system and your channel has been terrific in helping me make decisions on what to purchase and how to set them up. I’m an iPhone user and airplay to works pretty well most of the time, but I wish my speakers worked a little more cleanly with Siri. It would be nice to be able to “hand off“ music and podcasts too. Have been thinking about trying and Apple HomePod to be able to send calls and texts more easily and was wondering whether they would play nice with Sonos? I also wonder how the Mini would compare to a stereo pair of the Symfonisk speakers since they’re at the same price point? Have you tested the Apple HomePod or HomePod mini for performance and/or compatibility with Sonos?

[@PeterPee]

I have not gotten my hands on the HomePod Mini but I've had the HomePods for a while. The HomePods have great bass but the sound is darker and much more veiled. I didn't like it. That said, Airplay 2 will of course work flawlessly. But Sonos S2 app will not see the HomePods. But you can use other apps, like Apple Music to cast to Sonos. Just not the other way round. Airplay 2 is, ironically, the more open of the two.

[@WJR86]

@@PeterPee That is ironic... I may try a mini just to see how I like the handoff and Siri. Will probably use it mostly for podcasts so I'm not too concerned about the sound quality. Thanks again for the input Peter!

[@MrZACATECANO100]

Glad I own one SL q

[@Watch4Me]

Here early. I have become a wireless audiophile. Thanks for education

[@PeterPee]

I hope you find liberation in the wireless world! Less cables = less stress and mess.

[@AG-wd6io]

Beam 2 + 2 Symfonisk OR Beam 2 + Sub Mini

[@Lowbattery_fpv]

Perfect!

[@markwest-sooby]

A great video. Thank you.

[@jalalhobbs]

I have 2x Symfonisks with my Arc. I watched this video before buying them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHOXYmaJbbB3o9E which is a teardown that shows both. I'm a big fan of what you're doing.

[@TravionMusic]

How do you like them. I got my Arc about a month ago, and will be buying surrounds very soon

[@muddy31]

sonos play 1 beats the symfonisk by a large margin. symfonisk just sound so messy and cheap

[@platoscavealum902]

👍ℹ️

[@Fordtruck4sale]

The One is cat proof the Ikea is not, settles it for me