Is that art making music? Samsung and Ikea's frame speakers, reviewed

Berlin (dpa) — Picture frames with speakers built in have been around for a while and Samsung has now entered the market with its Music Frame. How does it compare to the one from Swedish furniture giant Ikea?

The Samsung Music Frame hides six speakers behind the picture: two small ones for high and medium tones on the left and right, and two bass speakers on the back. The sound comes out through a narrow gap around the front glass, while the bass is emitted to the rear.

The sound is clear and there are no annoying distortions. Despite its compact size, the device delivers a relatively full sound without the bass booming or speech audio sounding too intense. However, the performance is not enough to replace a full-fledged stereo system with floor-standing speakers.

The Samsung Music Frame can also play songs with Dolby Atmos 3D sound from Amazon Music HD and the streaming service Tidal.

Depending on the title and mix, the soundscape extends beyond the frame, but doesn’t reach the size and three-dimensionality of the Apple HomePod or the Sonos Era 300. Those models offer finer resolution and deeper bass, but, perhaps, don’t look as good as the Music Frame.

Ikea Symfonisk — one speaker but still decent sound

The Ikea Symfonisk, in contrast to the Samsung Music Frame, has only one speaker. Despite this limitation, it delivers astonishingly good sound with clear highs and pronounced bass.

Even so, compared to the Samsung device, the Ikea speaker is noticeably quieter. However, it can be wirelessly paired with a second Symfonisk to form a stereo pair.

Ikea relies on speaker software and an app from speaker pioneer Sonos. The Symfonisk works using wi-fi — a Bluetooth connection isn’t possible. The speaker is compatible with AirPlay 2 so you can stream music directly from Apple devices.

You can also transfer songs from the Spotify app directly to the speaker using Spotify Connect. The Ikea device can also be combined with other Sonos speakers and soundbars.

The Samsung speaker offers a little more flexibility in terms of connectivity and music sources. It can be supplied with music using Bluetooth or wi-fi.

In addition to AirPlay 2 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, the Frame also supports Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Amazon Music HD. It can also play the sound from Samsung TVs.

The Music Frame is controlled using the Samsung SmartThings app, which can also be used to adjust the sound settings. Amazon Alexa is also integrated, which means that you can also select music using voice control.

Use your own image or buy a print

The Samsung Music Frame is square and measures 35 x 35 cm. The frame is 5.5 cm thick and weighs 4.6 kg. If it’s hanging on the wall, the only thing that indicates that it’s an electronic device is the power cable.

The cable can be better hidden if you place the frame on a shelf or sideboard using the stand provided. This also applies to the Ikea speaker, which is a bit larger (41 x 57 x 6 cm).

With the Samsung Music Frame, you can use the included images or any other picture that you cut to the right size. In contrast, the Ikea Symfonisk only offers a limited selection of interchangeable front panels with predefined images. The almost 20 images include world-famous paintings by the likes of Klimt, van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci.

In conclusion, the Samsung Music Frame offers more features, better sound quality, and a more flexible design, but is also significantly more expensive than the Ikea model at €449/$400.

The Ikea Symfonisk is a good choice for price-conscious buyers who are looking for a stylish wi-fi speaker with decent sound. It costs €250/$270. Additional picture panels can be bought for €40/$44.