Ikea Volta Page: Goodbye Sonos, the new era of the economic and personal bluetooth speakers begins

Ikeaalways synonymous with democratic and accessible design, it is ready to redesign the concept of music at home. After eight years of partnership with Sonosthe Swedish giant of the furniture officially abandon the collaboration with the audio giant premium band to embrace a completely new approach: Cheap bluetooth speakers, smart and accessible to everyone.

A change of course that marks the end of an era, that of Symfoniskthe line of wi-fi speaker integrated into lamps and shelves, and the beginning of a philosophy that focuses simplicity, speed and popular prices at the center.

The future of the sound in the Ikea house will be Bluetooth and integration with Spotify

“Our goal is to make the sound accessible, functional and pleasant, without adding complexity“, Said Granath, Ikea Range Manager for lighting and consumption electronics.”This is what distinguishes us, and it is what we will continue to work on while we form the next chapter of what the sound can represent at home“.”

The new strategy of Ikea which starts again with many new devices that fully embody the vision of the Swedish giant.

The most curious novelty is undoubtedly Blomprakta Bluetooth speaker integrated in an LED lamp. The design is minimalist, with clean lines, perfect for adapting to any environment.

Blomprakt will arrive on the Ikea shelves a October to a price of less than 100 euros (less than 120 dollars), a net cut compared to the costs of the products born from the collaboration with Sonos. Just think that the Symfonisk lamp, a symbol of that collaboration, now sold for about 270 dollars, is almost three times dearly.

The real novelty is functional: in fact in addition to Bluetooth 5.3Blomprakt integrates a button called Spotify Tapa function already introduced in 2022 with the Rybpeby, the first Outdoor speaker-lampoor of Ikea.

Just press the button for resume music exactly from where it had been interrupted Or, by pressing it again, starting a new song in line with your taste by making the music streaming service choose.

The positive note is that a premium subscription will not be neededa free Spotify account will be sufficient. For those who do not use Spotify, just connect their device via bluetooth to start immediately listening.

Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi, the Ikea paradigm change

The transition from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth is not only a technical question but a paradigm change towards greater transparency, simplicity and immediacy of use, Ikea claims.

Bluetooth allows immediate configurations, without apps or Wi-Fi networks to be configured. In addition, thanks to the support for Bluetooth 5.3, the new Ikea speakers can be connected to each other for oneMulti -room experience (even if in mono, without stereo).

In addition, each speaker can connect simultaneously to two devices, allowing you to quickly switch from a smartphone to a tablet and so on.

Democratize the sound after the farewell to Sonos

Ikea’s choice is the daughter of a clear philosophy or that the sought -after design and sound technology, and not, must be accessible to everyone.

“When you are forced to sell a speaker for more than 200 euros, exclude a large slice of the public,“Granath says and it is precisely in this direction that Ikea has decided to push, promising to launch up to ten new speakers already in January Together, all with price of less than 100 euros.

Moreover, many of these will be the result of the collaboration with Tekla Evelina Severin (also known as Teklan), Scandinavian designer famous for the use of color.

In this Granath declaration we also read between the lines of the end of the marriage between Ikea and Sonosannounced last May and who closed himself without dramas.

“We reached what we had set ourselves and everyone had their plans for the future. It was not dramatic”Minimizes Granath.

Behind this separation, however, a deeper theme is hidden: according to what was also affirmed by various insiders, the growing complexity (and the high price) of Symfonisk products required more laborious Wi-Fi configurations and costs than that they no longer reflected Ikea’s vision.

The representatives of Ikea said that from the partnership with Sonos the company has learned a lot in terms of product development and distribution chain; Lessons that the giant will try to put at work with its speakers.

The company will not limit itself to proposing pure speakers, but aims at a house where objects become multifunctional.

The projects and challenges of the future

In the interview a The Vergefrom which the declarations reported so far, Granath has shown a preview of a New portable bluetooth speakerpowered by battery, with a flat circular design that “floats” on a small tray.

An object that can become emptied, container for keys and wallets, or even saucer to contain frufarsecca.

The idea, according to Granath, is Create objects that integrate harmoniously into the housewithout looking at intrusive technological gadgets but rather that they can fulfill various tasks.

For those looking for a Premium Multi -room audio experience on Wi-Fi, Ikea suggests waiting for further developments related to the Matter protocolto which the company is contributing together with the Alliance standard connectivity. But, according to the declarations, the times will not be short

It is also not excluded that Ikea is also experimenting with new proprietary technologies. When asked about any research and development works on the mysterious speaker standards LegatexpGranath is limited to a smile: “I prefer not to answer“.”