A few months ago we bought you the news that IKEA had teamed up with EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia to create a new turntable. Now, the flatpack giant has revealed that the OBEGRÄNSAD record player will be available globally from October, priced at $159.99 (around £140 / AU$240).
The USB-powered, belt-driven deck doesn't have built-in speakers – but it does boast a built-in pre-amp, RCA ports and Bluetooth speaker connectivity (IKEA says the device will work with the company’s ENEBY Bluetooth speakers costing £50 / $70 / AU$79).
You also get a replaceable Audio Technica AT3600L cartridge and needle with a conical diamond tip that supports 33 and 45RPM (per The Verge). No further technical details are known at this point, but with the US launch set for 1st October, there's not long to go.
The minimalist record player is one of more than 20 products that make up the IKEA and Swedish House Mafia OBEGRÄNSAD range. The collaboration, which includes a DJ console and record shelves, aims to make life easier for "those who produce, perform, play, or listen to music".
Speaking about the launch, Swedish House Mafia said: "We wanted to simplify the process for people to create music. Hopefully, our collection inspires and enables more people to be more creative within their home, and it does not have to be restricted to only music making. It can be so much more."
Back in 2018, IKEA attempted to release a turntable with Teenage Engineering but it failed to make it into production. "In the previous project, we tried giving a specific design to all parts," said IKEA Product Design Engineer Carmen Stoicescu. "But with OBEGRÄNSAD, we tried to limit the molds. We wanted to make it simple, mechanical."
Not that it would have been IKEA's first foray into musical hardware. The company's 1973 catalogue offered customers a Renn-branded piano, hi-fi system and record player.
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