By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
IKEA is the Swedish brand that is known for making sensible and practical furniture that you have to build yourself. IKEA also makes fixtures, batteries, cookies and accessories. Did you know that IKEA makes Bluetooth speakers?
The IKEA Eneby lin of speakers are appealing retro-inspired Bluetooth speakers starting at $60.00 for the 8 x 8 Eneby 20 and $100 for the larger 12 x 12 Eneby 30. Unlike the majority of IKEA products, the Eneby speakers come assembled. You have the option of connecting an included handle (they provide the tools and there's also an optional $20 battery pack that's worth buying if the speaker is going to be moved around.
The Eneby 20 is the perfect size for carrying around the house or filling up a dorm room with music. IKEA has created an intuitive interface with one button that serves to power the speaker, work the volume as well as put it in Bluetooth pairing mode.
I like the inclusion of a 3.5 mm AUX cable which makes the Eneby 20 eminently more useful. I an connect an ancient DiscMan to play CDs, connect my old iPod as well as various other devices that don't have Bluetooth.
Once set-up the Eneby can connect to up to 8 different devices via Bluetooth. I connected the Eneby 20 to an old DiscMan CD player and was blown away by the quality of the audio, the loudness as well as the overall clarity this speaker produced.
The Eneby 20 has the same quality as a vintage guitar amp or hi-fi speaker. The sound is full, organic and well distributed. Too bad you can't create a stereo pair with two Enebys because they would make spectacular companions to a turntable or smaller home audio system.
There's loudness but no distortion, full volume and delicate nuances that had me digging up my CD collection just so I could re-listen to some of my favourite tracks. Of course, the idea is to hook this up via Bluetooth so you can stream from apps, that works well, too.
IKEA has created a tremendous line of speakers built for the modern age, but which demonstrate the values of classic hi-fi equipment. Great wood and fabric construction, 20 W of amplified sound and versatility in connectivity.I've tested all the smart and assistant powered speakers out this year and IKEA's $60 Rnrby 20 speaker it the one that's got me excited the most. It is practical and an outstanding value.
Anyone looking for a stylish and great sounding Bluetooth speaker should give the Eneby a look and a listen. It also blends in nicely with IKEA furniture,
Rating: 4.5 out of 5