IKEA Symfonisk Lamp Gen 2: Sonos One Rival?

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In this video, we look at the newly released IKEA Symfonisk lamp (Gen 2) to take a look at what's new, give our thoughts on the new design and compare how it sounds with the previous Symfonisk Lamp and the Sonos One to help you decide if this could be the product for you!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:32 What's new?
02:06 Design
04:58 Connections and control
06:36 Sound performance (vs Symfonisk Lamp G1 & Sonos One)
11:31 Would we buy?
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[@EstaLuz]

I don't usually expect much when it comes to reviewing the sound quality on youtube reviews but wow, you guys did a great job reviewing this speaker. Thanks for that !

[@brandonbandstra226]

The timers on left screen ✓ brilliant

[@badbradmx]

Something I really think they should do (IKEA) is make a fake one of these lamps so to speak. Like mentioned In the video many people use them as bedside lamps, for the sake of symmetry people tend to have the same lamp on both sides of the bed, however 2 of these in the bedroom is excessive. So enter the fake one. It's just a lamp, that looks like the speaker lamp, but doesn't function as one. This allows the look without the cost.

[@smarthomesounds]

Nice idea. Will be interesting to see if they do anything like this.

[@SingleTrack66]

Why is having a stereo pair of speakers in a bedroom excessive ? I don’t get the latest generation of music listeners. They either listen on a tinny sounding phone or else need 7 speakers.. you have two ears all you need is two speakers that are over there to portray what it actually sounds like to listen to a live musician or band that are playing ‘over there’

[@badbradmx]

@@SingleTrack66 it's a bedroom. What are you doing in your bedroom? Having a rave? We use them for background while doing things, if I'm choosing to listen to music I'm usually driving or wearing headphones. Sonos is perfect for background music while cleaning, doing stuff around the house or having people over, I do not need Atmos in my bedroom.

[@DanielHanson343]

@@SingleTrack66 I 100% agree , growing up I have always had stereo of some sorts in our homes and I can not stand uneven sound , I need at least 2 speakers to even out the sound even a very low volume.

[@SingleTrack66]

@@DanielHanson343 😂 it made me laugh when the guy above actually confirmed what I had said. He thinks he needs Dolby atoms to properly listen to music or else he just lets it play out of a single little box in the corner.

[@sphinx5151]

Very informative and great content as always. Have this now on my birthday list! 😎

[@mishmishb]

Very high quality and comprehensive video as always 😃 really love the content and hope you keep growing!

[@ys-cal]

I bought two to use as rear speakers of my Sonos surround system and they are perfect. Avoid looking at the back of two speakers when I’m standing in the middle of the living room.

[@_eskargo]

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?

[@TheDamnhook]

How do the lamps perform as rear channels vs. a one sl in a surround setup with a sub? There even more interesting trade offs: one sl is much more compact, the bookshelf way cheaper and the lamp als can sync light to a Philips Ambilight TV with an hue inside .

[@JenniferLaveryFBE]

The new one sounds better, and I love some of the design changes. But I think they've made the gen 2 body more speaker shape, but the gen 1 had a more traditional lamp shape. That's the only thing I really wish they'd have kept.

[@cesaros15]

Do you know if i can pair the lamp and another speaker (the book like one) as rears?

[@pclsanchezi]

Awesome video! May I ask you something. My system is Sonos arc+suv+ 2 symfonisk lamb g1. I was thinking to improve this system and I don’t know if make sense with 2 Sonos one or 2 Sonos five. What is your recommendation. I’m going to see the different with my actual system. Thank you in advance for you awesome work. I don’t buy anything without your review a before about that

[@Ryankelby]

People complain about no Bluetooth compatible but it’s a huge benefit to avoid transmitted interference. It’s annoying when the sound cuts in and out on other wireless surround speakers like LG and Samsung. The Symfonisk Lamp and Bookshelf are superbly immersive as rear surround sound speakers. There’s no cut outs and the bass delivers good bass. I don’t even need the $749 subwoofer. Definitely worth buying the Lamp or Bookshelf as a pair. Of course if you have the money then buy the Sonos One SL’s.

[@rmm361]

So if you had two speakers strictly for use for surrounds, which is the best pick? Gen2 or Sonos 1?

[@kevinhawthorne5257]

Great Video!

[@BearFreedom6969]

Can I use two of these as rear speakers with Sonos Amp connected to pair of hifi speakers??

[@JesseShauffer]

Does the power button disconnect the hue bulb from Wi-Fi?

[@chrisahrens3927]

What version of WiFi is in the Gen 2 lamp? 2.4 GHz or 5GHz?

[@alexandrineroy2469]

Hi, could i use this speaker with an apple tv?

[@Blake.Bowman]

Would these be okay to use as "rear " speakers (Sitting on side tables beside the couch) in a surround setup? They would be paired with a Sonos Arc and a Sonos Sub

[@yayhunter]

That’s how I use mine. They are paired to my Beam in my bed room, but also my Arc in the living room with my Sub

[@daigakuus1382]

I've got a newbie question: I just bought a Sonos Beam 2 for watching movies and listening to music in a very small bedroom. I'm thinking I might add a single IKEA Symfonisk Lamp Gen 2 or a single One SL speaker directly behind my bed and a little above me. I understand people usually buy their rear surround speakers in pairs, but would a single speaker behind me add any "listening" value? If so, would the IKEA Lamp or the One SL be better? Thanks

[@fishfinners]

One SL sounds better imo

[@brandonbandstra226]

Liking your hair clean like that! Cheers

[@Gragon]

hollup. No BT?? no 3.5? How do I hook it up to my pc? Or my phone? How one plays music from these speakers??

[@patrikohrn8505]

From what I understand it is possible to use this lamp as a rear speaker to your surround sound. What i cant figure out is if it is possible to use 1 one sl and 1 lamp. Everywhere i look there is always 2 lamps or 2 one sl:s. Please give me your thoughts on this!

[@ephektz]

He legitimately explained this in the video. Watch the video, in the future? You must have two of the same speaker.

[@patrikohrn8505]

Did he really? Didnt he just say that the gen 1 and 2 symfonisk are not capable with each other and nothing about the one sl and symfonisk?

[@ephektz]

He did mention it, yes, as that’s always been a constant within the Sonos ecosystem. A stereo pair must always be two of the same speaker. Honestly, you’d never want to have a pair of two different speakers in any setup (Sonos or not) as it would completely screw up imaging.

[@mjdoc]

may I know the name of the hue please

[@alexanderrucker7861]

Great review. I dunno what's up with the shade on the new one, looks like a failed high school art project.

[@Tyler_Memo]

Wow . Can actually hear the different between Gen 1 and Gen 2 .

[@juanpecan7089]

Which is better?

[@savillecreations8046]

Thanks for all the videos. Just wish you were in my home state of Utah, USA. But I still watch your videos to learn everything about Sonos as I am a new fan of the Sonos products. Could these new speakers be paired with a Sonos Beam gen 2 and sub in a bedroom for surround sound? I do currently have an Arc, sub and surrounds in our tv room. Main disappointment is these lamp speakers don’t have Alexa. Could be a killer for me. Thanks again.

[@smarthomesounds]

Hi there, thanks so much for your support! Yes, you can set up these Symfonisk lamps as surrounds to the Beam no problem at all. Regarding voice control, this will be handled by the Beam anyway so in that particular situation, you may not need the Symfonisks to have voice control built in, unless you want the ability to move them in the future and benefit from voice control. Hope this helps!

[@savillecreations8046]

@@smarthomesounds excellent. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me.

[@random-vids112]

@@smarthomesoundsCan you still hook these up into the alexa app as smart speakers even though you cannot put in voice commands so that for example i can use the living room echo and control my lamp audio in the same room

[@AlexManMe]

How about the shelf?

[@ikku4321]

I would like to see a furniture integration that isn't locked to a ecosystem. Only thing that stops me buying this lamp right now. Speakers used to be a long term investments, not mentioning the longevity of a living room design. I couldn't take a risk to design my room with a gear that I can easily be locked out in two years time. It's frustrating when your smartwatch looses some of it's functionalities after update, when your living room can do the same it's next level. If only these speakers could be used with any amplifier, they would be bulletproof as hardware.

[@dkodko11]

Wish this speaker lamp was like the old Apple Home Pod with 360-degree sound.

[@MrTantilov]

Hi Can this lamp speaker ( Gen 2) be integrated with Gen 1 Sonos speakers and therefore be controlled with Sonos S1 App?

[@smarthomesounds]

Hi there, yes this can be integrated into the same Sonos S2 system but not S1 unfortunately

[@hellslayer9638]

It maybe just me , but gen 2 sounds a little bit fuller with bass and treble blending pretty good

[@danielrodzen4915]

Great video 👍 I was looking for a such comparison. Question: Can you group Ikea Sonos frame and Sonos lamp together into stereo mode? I'm surprised that one cannot do it using gen.1 and gen.2 of the lamp

[@Felix-st2ue]

Without having them to test this, I'm 99,9% sure you can't. You cannot do this with and other two Sonos speakers. So there is no reason why you should be able to do it with this combination.

[@danielrodzen4915]

@@Felix-st2ue thank you for a swift response. It's a pity it won't work cause my plan was to set up TV with Sonos soundbar + picture on one side and the lamp on the other. I will stick with a bar and two picture frames then.

[@travisong]

I’m having such plan too. But too bad It can’t work that way.

[@danielrodzen4915]

@@travisong What's the configuration you have in mind?

[@travisong]

@@danielrodzen4915 Beam 2 + Picture frame and lamp as rear surround.

[@aestechtv]

Is the Symfonisk Shelf worth buying in 2022?

[@nollindwhachell]

I didn’t mind the look of the Gen 1 but my wife absolutely hated it, so she didn’t want it in the house. Gen 2 is getting closer to a "mid century danish lamp" (search images online) but still not quite there in my opinion. Perhaps an IKEA hack could create a more authentic look without degrading the sound much (but too bad about the sound change in Gen 2). Nice to see the other feature changes though, like the on / off button and light bulb. Thx for the update.

[@finleykendall7718]

Hi there, would I be able to group it with my Sonos one ? Thanks :)

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes it would appear in the Sonos app as another speaker so you’ll be able to group it to your One no problem 😊 thanks for watching.

[@craigwoodgate7120]

I have linked mine to my Google audio nest speaker so I can use voice controls

[@robertwright6067]

Does anyone know if Hive smart-bulbs work with this?

[@random-vids112]

If they work on a normal dumb lamp they should work with these speaker lamps

[@zgredas86]

For me gen 1 looked better, but it was really hard to find a shade replacement

[@rigopex3999]

i love the knob!!!

[@davidsmisc1351]

@@rigopex3999I bet you do.

[@mikk01975]

As a person who just bought a ton of IKEA smart bulbs and the Dirigera hub (working great, by the way), it felt feird when you advertised a bulb from a third party company. But maybe the IKEA didn't really have a solid option two years ago?

[@ErickNS1]

like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, kzbin.infoUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....

[@essa6315]

That open top on the glass shade looks like a dust magnet

[@lucamariani3939]

Is it Airplay 2 compatible?

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes this speaker is Airplay 2 compatible. Hope this helps.

[@Datapoint90]

Was NOT a fan of the first lamp. But the updated lamp is clean!

[@yayadagnoko1810]

Great video! I wonder if you can pair the gen1 and Gen2 for a stereo pair

[@robinsenful]

No you can't. They would require to be the same gen.

[@YogiTheBearMan]

Does it still have an ethernet port?

[@RCS117]

ikea Symfonisk sub ottoman/coffee table :)

[@greymack]

The connectivity or lack of kills it for me and their lack of support for Android severely dents it's appeal and imo should have been made more of in your review after all there are more Android users in the UK than IOS. Also the look, I just don't think they've nailed it....yet.

[@Nishy.M]

What was the name of the song at 8:20?

[@rmata7]

If I wrote you a song - Melanie Bell

[@Nishy.M]

@@rmata7 thank you!

[@laemert09]

What about a LIFX BULB

[@marsery]

Thanks for the review because on the Ikea website it is not that clear. I'm tempted however the obligation of playi,g in wifi instead of having the option of playing music from a USB key or played from a IMAC music library ..if one has ditched the mobile hone( no use) and ipad no longer paying the internet /phone stuff ..so i like it but without a mobile phone or an ipad one can not use it ..would be so much better to be able without wifi and from a Imac or Pc or an USB key

[@MrVisde]

I wish IKEA would design these to use standard size lamp shades. While the 2nd gen is an improvement in styling, it still looks a bit off.

[@haydenl4719]

Really good looking light but no bluetooth? really?

[@onestopshop]

The bookshelf speaker went up $20 🙄

[@platoscavealum902]

👍ℹ️

[@johnmc3862]

Nice design but as an audiophile these are not compatible with any other system, I returned gen 1.

[@rebs4jezus]

Really you figured out a Sonos speaker does not work outside a Sonos ecosystem? MIND = BLOWN

[@jeroenkoot2011]

Kinda find the the gen1 better looking then gen2, the gen1 blends way better in to all forms of interior say more classic once while the gen2 looks way to modern and would look misplaced

[@Vladyyy]

Gen 2 just looks like some kid rolled-up a weeks worth of homework and stuffed it into an empty fishbowl.

[@robertedgar7191]

I thought the Gen 1 was the best sounding of the 3, I was all for buying a Gen 2, which is better visually, but the sound has put me off

[@jefm3598]

No Bluetooth???! Wtfffff

[@vondahe]

Setup can be a breeze and it can be impossible. IKEA apparently don’t know how to do it, either, so the only help they offer is to use the Sonos app which is about as help as a blow-drier under water. Renaming and reassigning speakers - forget it. Everything is as fiddly as Linux without a screen. The sound is good but everything else is an unpublished novel by Kafka.

[@SatoriZei]

plants are sensitive to vibration. Forget it. Bad idea !

[@ephektz]

That thing is hideous.

[@maxholland5567]

I love lamp

[@TheIntranetExplorer]

​@@maxholland5567I too love lamp

[@SergiuLungu]

iOS exclusivity always make me not to buy product.

[@robert.wigley]

The new design is a total downgrade. The Gen 1 is better in every way. Better looking. A proper switch on the side. The smaller light socket on Gen 1 can easily be adapted to take a bigger (smart) bulb, so that's a non-issue. Controls on the front (which you never mentioned are moved to the back on Gen 2). And mainly it actually looks like something interesting, rather than the bland nothingness of Gen 2. Sonos really should have whacked IKEA designers over the head on this and asked them "what the hell are you thinking!?"

[@coni-ne5km]

I hate it, hate it, hate it! It is the absolute biggest mistake I have ever made when I bought this horrible system. I wish I could return it. Heck, I'd even give it away.

[@qj1247]

What's wrong with it?

[@Brjoszka]

these camera changes are cringe