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After a successful trial with its Symfonisk connected speakers, Ikea continues its quest for sound with an unexpected return to basics. The Swedish giant is indeed presenting the Obegränsad, its first and future turntable, resolutely minimalist.
The return to vinyl fashion in recent years has not escaped anyone, and certainly not Ikea, which took advantage of Milan Design Week to unveil its new audio product: a turntable by the sweet name of Obegränsad. Just as was the case for the design of the Symfonisk connected speakers, the Obegränsad is the result of a collaboration, not with Sonos, but this time with the three DJs of the Swedish House Mafia group.
The work of the partners has therefore given rise to the Obegränsad turntable, a model that materializes without too much surprise in a particularly minimalist way, the technical details of which have not yet been revealed. Judging by the visuals, the furnishing giant’s love for the purity of its design can be seen in this Obegränsad with a particularly monolithic appearance, revealing the bare necessities: a platter that can accommodate 33 ⅓ and 45 rpm records, an arm in “J” coupled to a headshell with MM cartridge (most likely an Audio Technica AT3600L) and a lever to lower or raise the playback head. The turntable does not seem to have specific settings, which will limit the possibilities of changing cells.
Ease of use being essential, the Obegränsad directly embeds a phono preamp and a female RCA output to connect the turntable to its current equipment. The presence of a USB-C port, used to power the turntable, is still quite a curiosity.
For the moment, Ikea has not communicated a precise launch date or price, and has simply indicated a marketing for this fall. The release of this turntable will be accompanied, among other things, by that of a desk of the same name, specifically designed to accommodate a pair of speakers. To be continued…