Sweden's finest purveyor of flat-pack furniture (and latterly audio kit) has casually updated its Sonos collaboration IKEA Symfonisk bookshelf speaker with a second-gen version that’s already available in the Netherlands.
As noted by Dutch tech webiste, Tweakers, the new design hasn't been formally announced, yet an IKEA spokesperson has confirmed the new model, adding that the speaker has been updated with "a faster processor and more memory".
The claimed power consumption is also lower in standby, at about 2.05W compared to 2.55W of the older model, according to the spokesperson.
Unlike the latest iteration of the Symfonisk lamp, which sports a brand new design over the original IKEA Symfonisk lamp speaker, the second-gen. bookshelf offering (not to be confused with the traditional notion of bookshelf speakers, this solo speaker can actually be used as a shelf) is admittedly a more minor update, featuring the same design that can be placed vertically or horizontally plus support for Sonos’ multi-room speaker network and Apple’s Airplay 2 (as well as up to 3kg of bedside reading material).
Tweakers reports that alongside the faster processor, more memory and lower power consumption when in standby mode, IKEA has also added a longer power cable, which should prove handy for anyone trying to mount it slightly further away from a wall socket.
Arguably the biggest change for users will likely be the button layout. Here, IKEA has lightly updated things, swapping the volume up and play / pause buttons so that the two volume buttons are now next to each other – yes, 'big' is probably a stretch, but it's a difference nonetheless.
Aside from these tweaks, IKEA doesn’t seem to have altered with the popular recipe too much. The new Symfonisk, like the original, still comes in both black and white colourways and refreshingly, it can be paired in stereo with the first-generation model – nice to see.
Since technically it hasn't even been announced yet, it’s unclear when IKEA will launch the new Symfonisk bookshelf speaker globally, but the second-generational model is already available from the firm's Netherlands site, priced €100.
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