Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf vs Klipsch R-41M

You need surround speakers to go with it, possibly even a subwoofer too. So with these, we mounted them in our living room, one on either side and add...

I have a Sony STR-DH190 and a pair of Klipsch R-41M's. I don't like how I can't stream through Wifi and have to use Bluetooth. I'm not a fan of Bluetooth audio.

The $179 Symfonisk Table Lamp doubles as a lamp, while the $99 Symfonisk WiFi Bookshelf Speaker, reviewed here, can be used as a wall shelf. Sonically, the speaker delivers a powerful punch for the price, including some impressive bass depth. It can also be incorporated into exisiting Sonos systems, making it the least expensive Sonos-compatible speaker available and earning our Editors' Choice.

While it performs well overall, it can struggle with the lower frequencies at medium to high volumes. Of course, a lot will depend on what you're playing through them. In a desktop set-up, with near field listening, you may find them to be more than adequate, but at the core of a home theater set up, or with bass heavy music like Travis Scott's, "Highest In The Room" or "Butterfly Effect," without a subwoofer, you're going to notice the R-41M's limitations pretty quickly, especially at higher volumes. While they're reasonably capable performers by themselves (with an amplifier, of course), and much better than most active speakers in the $100-$300 range, they're not particularly neutral or consistent

Those looking for really pounding low notes might be a bit disappointed but the frame sounds great with most music genres. The Sonos One still sounds a little better all-round but it is very close.

I guess the dynamic range and power of the speakers is what's expected of them at this spec and price. In terms of auditory impact, not impression, sounds like a 1990s CD before they re-mastered them. I use the Yamaha S202BL receiver, volume turn to 50 and above in order to "feel" anything. My turntable is a cheapo ION MP3 converter with built in pre-amp, maybe I need a better record player? Anyhow, what's really weird is that when connecting (via the loose copper speaker wires) to the speaker sockets on the Yamaha, the red and black go into the respective holes of the Yamaha, only ONE SIDE of EACH SPEAKER work (either only R or L)

The Ikea Symfonisk is a Sonos speaker w/o Alexa built in so primarily a wifi/Bluetooth speaker. I was able to play music through it from my Google Echo but not simultaneously with the Echo connected to other devices. Maybe I am doing something wrong but have not figured out how to do it and I am an engineer so beware. It is far less useful to me because I can not stream music simultaneously to other powered speakers speakers connected to the AUX output of the Echo

All in all they're quite nice at this price point. They fit where I need them. I used banana plugs to connect the speaker outputs - in fact I also ordered some plugs to make up my own speaker cables when I ordered the speakers. First time I've used banana plugs that I didn't have to solder

If you can push your budget by a C-note and a half≈, absolute top sound of the gods, hardware that will make your neighbours complain:

1 surround into my small apartment office (12x12 or so) and currently have Klipsch r-41m and r-25c because I got a steal of a deal on them. ($100 for the setup new in the boxes, can't beat that).

Assuming you're talking about the Symfonisk bookshelf speakers, bigger *is* better, and the Ones have a slightly bigger driver. But you're not going to notice any appreciable difference in surround for most movies and TV shows. You might notice a slight difference in music with surrounds set to full, but I doubt it. The Symfs' primary deficit relative to the Ones is slightly weaker bass response, and that's going to covered up by the Sub

Bought some new speaker wire with banana plugs to use with these speakers, the posts are compatible with 5 different means of connection (most new speakers are). The bad: the bass port is on the back, so it needs to be out further from a wall or the back of the shelf. Not a deal breaker because it’s still a small medium sized speaker, and I’m not getting much bass from them anyway. This might be the way I have it set up, I’m using a Yamaha rxv667 which I love but some of the settings are hard to get into and tweak

I just got the Ikea symfonisk lamps as surrounds and they are awesome. They also are more living room friendly aesthetically.

My plan was to wall mount the speakers closer to their original positioning using the keyhole mount on the back. This is where I found possibly the one flaw with the design of these speakers. They are rear ported, so they needed additional spacing between the speaker and the wall to allow for the rear port to have sufficient space. I placed a set of rubber feet attached by adhesive to the back of the speakers at the bottom of the back panel to get the needed clearance

How does it sound?The Symfonisk range offers its own sound that's similar to the excellent $200 Sonos One smart speaker, with a few differences. The One has a slightly recessed midrange while the Symfonisk Bookshelf and Lamp are a little more open sounding, though less refined.As a single speaker I found that the Bookshelf is brighter than the One, and comparatively lacking in bass. The midrange is expressive though a little ragged with brighter recordings, but it sounds better than a wireless speaker at this price should

I have these on my desk, and I think that's a perfect application for them. Being 4" drivers they're not really suited for a large room or at the forefront of a theater system, though they would make good satellites for a surround setup. They hold up great at lower volumes and are in a fairly compact box suitable for a desk. Speaking of the box, it's definitely adequate, but not the highest quality ever