Sonos and Ikea created a floor lamp speaker that might be perfect for surround sound

Sonos and Ikea created a floor lamp speaker that might be perfect for surround sound

Sonos and Ikea today announced the latest addition to their collaborative Symfonisk product lineup: It's a new floor-standing lamp speaker. The $260 Symfonisk floor lamp speaker will be available in January at Ikea's stores and website.

In terms of design, just imagine a second generation Symphonisch lamp speaker, with long legs that flare out from the bottom and extend to a circular base. There really isn't much to it. If you liked the tasteful style of Last Lamp, you'll love this. If you thought this was ugly as sin, the floor lamp version probably won't change your mind. Right now, the standard Symphonish lamp retails for $179.99, so the floor lamp option comes at a premium.

"Many people want to have multiple light sources at different levels and parts of the room to create the right mood. The challenge of not having enough space for a table inspired us to create the floor lamp," IKEA K Stjepan Begic said in a press release.

The Symfonisk bookshelf, lamp, and wall art speakers can each double as rear surround speakers for any of Sonos' soundbars. As the photo above shows, this may be the primary use case for a floor lamp: The legs keep the speaker at a good height for surround purposes, and you don't need to provide your own stand. That said, you'll pay more than you would for the One SL speaker—a popular alternative to the Sonos satellites.

The new speaker comes with a bamboo lampshade, but you can buy replacement designs that use different textures and materials. I feel like this thing could really use a shelf about halfway down the legs; That's a lot of empty space. But it is what it is.

The press release announcing the new floor lamp speaker states that "IKEA and Sonos will continue to challenge each other to find new solutions to improve life at home through great sound integrated into home furnishings products "

Sonos has a busy 2023 ahead; The company has said it will enter a new product category sometime next year, and The Verge also revealed that Sonos plans to release a high-end desk speaker, codenamed Optimo 2, in 2023.

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