IKEA's first Bluetooth speakers don't need assembly
You can make them portable, too.
IKEA's team-up with Sonos might not bear fruit until 2019, but that doesn't mean you'll have to go without distinctly Swedish speakers in the meantime -- in the wake of launches in Sweden and mainland Europe, the furniture giant has brought its inaugural ENEBY speakers to the US and UK. To no one's surprise, they're built to blend into IKEA's minimalist decor. The two sizes (8 x 8 inches and 12 x 12 inches) conveniently fit into the company's latest shelving, while the black or gray polyester fabric on the front makes them a tad friendlier than usual. Naturally, there are stands and wall brackets to help them fit. And in case you're wondering: no, you won't need to spend half an hour assembling the speakers with an Allen wrench.
There are some clever functional additions. The smaller speakers include a built-in handle (the larger ones can use their bass port for that role), and you can add a battery pack to the compact model to make it portable for as long as 10 hours. Either model can take a 3.5mm wired cable if you don't want to go wireless.
The ENEBY line should be available in April with prices starting at $49 (£45) for the 8-inch speaker and $89 (£80) for its 12-inch counterpart. A battery pack will cost you $20 (£15). We wouldn't expect either model to supply pristine audio (IKEA hasn't mentioned performance specs), but they give an idea of what IKEA has in mind as it gets into the speaker space. It's less interested in winning over audio purists and more on creating complements to its existing product line -- you'd pick these up while furnishing your living room.
