Ikea is expanding on its Bluetooth speaker lineup with a bigger, slightly less quirky iteration of its $10 Kallsup. The Badkruka is a $60 Bluetooth speaker that you can connect wirelessly to your phone or laptop but also to your home theater, thanks to the ability to pair two of them for stereo sound.
Since this is also being positioned as a speaker that you may want to use for gaming or for a home theater, Ikea made the choice to include an optical port so you can connect to other sound gear via an included optical cable. Like the Kallsup, there is also multi-speaker support so you can use them across rooms.
The size and price of the Badkruka aren’t the only things that separate this speaker from the Kallsup. Easily the biggest difference is the fact that it’s not portable. The Badkruka is wired-only, meaning there is no rechargeable battery inside. There are also (sadly, to be honest) less quirky colorways. Right now, the Badkruka is available in black and pink, both of which are fairly understated compared to the Kallsup’s color options, which include a bright yellow-green and a vibrant pink.
With that more adult presentation come some perks, though, including new EQ modes for different genres of music and support for Spotify Tap. Even if the Badkruka looks slightly less fun than the Kallsup, I see what Ikea is going for here, and I dig it. You’re getting similar Ikea design sensibilities with a bigger sound and versatility with your home theater. Just don’t get it in black if you own a Steam Machine, because you may end up confusing the two.
Source: Gizmodo