IKEA Vape – Test – Tek.no.

Vappeby is a good cheap Ikea bluetooth speaker

But maybe Spotify integration is mostly a gimmick.

Furniture giant Ikea has moved further into the tech industry in recent years, with “smart” curtains, lighting, and sound products, to name a few.

Currently the latest addition from the Swedes is the Vappeby, a Bluetooth speaker with a built-in light source – or a small lamp with a speaker, depending on how you see it.

Vappeby arrives – in typical Ikea style – as a small building set. The bearing bar is loose and must be secured with four Allen key screws (included). It’s undeniable that it’s a bit unfamiliar when it comes to the speaker, but it’s done pretty quickly anyway.

Another thing worth noting is that it does not come with any charging block, just the charging cable of the type with USB-A at one end and USB-C at the end connected to the speaker. This is something that has become very common on mobile phones, but is still a bit unusual when it comes to a speaker.

At the same time, I know at least I have had enough shipping blocks before, so it can be appropriate to keep the price and environmental footprint as low as possible. By the way, the speaker cannot be charged with more than 10 watts of power, so charging the battery with a power of barely 24 watts takes two hours – at least.

In terms of design, the Vappeby is a very interesting little thing. Here at home, Darth Vader has often been mentioned in the speaker’s mention, and there may be something to it. I think it’s very interesting in design, and the matte blue plastic (also available in gray) is relatively resistant to grease and fingerprints.

However, our test version actually received a small, perfectly visible scratch on the front, so how nice the speaker will look after a few months, we don’t dare say much about it. It can be a bit annoying if the strap is fixed and can’t be tilted down when needed. Compared to Bluetooth speakers, the Vappeby is also too big to fit easily in a bag or bag.

This speaker you have in the garden is probably more basic than the speaker you’re lying in the bag for all your summer activities. The speaker is also IP65 certified, which means it should withstand some rain, splashes, and possibly a trip while you’re showering, but it shouldn’t be submerged in water. Some of the competitors are IP67 and so can be submerged in water, but we wouldn’t think it’s a huge loss.

It must be said that the function of the lamp is more decorative than very practical. The maximum brightness is a weak 20 lumens, which is approximately equivalent to one and a half lumens. The design of the lamp also means that only the surface under the lamp is lit, so it needs to be almost completely dark for you to get any practical benefit from it.

You also have the option to choose half brightness, which is of course less impressive. The light itself is controlled by a button located on the back of the speaker – a button that is sometimes difficult to find with your finger. If the speaker is standing on a somewhat slippery surface, it can also be difficult to press the buttons without using your other hand to hold the speaker in place. The underside covered with a bit more rubber than the spokes probably helped here.

On the front you will find a scroll wheel that controls the volume and also acts as a play/pause button. Unfortunately, you can’t skip a song forward or backward, as most other speakers do.

However, one of the main news about Vappeby is that it is the first speaker with Spotify Tap functionality. This means that you can press the power button on the speaker to start playing back from where you left it on Spotify – of course given that the speaker and the source device both have a Bluetooth connection.

If you press twice, you will be presented with something else that Spotify thinks you can do under the same category. The small downside is that you actually have to launch the Spotify app on your phone to use Spotify Tap, and strictly speaking, the feature doesn’t do much other than the regular play/pause button. The exception is if you have audio from another app running. Then, you can use Spotify Tap to quickly switch to Spotify.

The sound from the speaker in this price range is reasonably good. Vappeby plays full-bodied, warm, and with plenty of bass. It can perhaps be objected that bass is too weak and loose, and the treble and mid range aren’t as well defined as on some more expensive speakers – but it’s hard to calculate when the speaker costs 699 kr.

The small additional reinforcement located at the bottom of the log is also suitable for outdoor use. This is fun and engaging to listen to, and it probably costs at least twice that price without us reacting negatively to the sound quality. Unfortunately, we no longer have the test winner from last year’s Bluetooth speaker test, but still the impression is that the Vappeby isn’t insanely far from the JBL Charge 5 in sound quality. The JBL probably has a slightly deeper and fuller bass, but it also costs more than twice that.

Vappeby also keeps the control reasonably good even if you turn the volume up to the maximum. It’s so loud that it could easily fill a medium sized room inside, but if you expect to bother the whole garden with this, you’ll probably have to reconsider. It’s also worth noting that the speaker plays “down” into the surface it’s standing on, so it’s also likely to affect the sound to a certain extent. The advantage is that the speaker works in a 360-degree angle, so you get the same sound reproduction no matter which side of the speaker you’re on.

The battery life is reported to be between 11 and 13 hours at half the volume and the light at half the power. It seems to fit relatively well with reality. We haven’t tested how long the amplifier lasts with sound at full blast, but you can probably count on about half. The only annoying thing is that you don’t get the speaker battery on the phone, as is usually the case with bluetooth devices.

There’s also no way to check how much battery is left, other than the small LED on the scroll wheel on the front lights up red when the battery is close to empty. It’s a bit annoying.

Ikea’s Vappeby seems to be a good, affordable alternative to bluetooth speakers, as long as you can live with the fact that the form factor isn’t quite as practical as the “pint” size competitors.

It plays fully and very nicely, especially considering that it costs no more than 699 kr, is relatively durable on the battery and has a light job as a little extra seasoning. It must be said that a lamb-vababy is not enough for more than just creating a little comfort around the porch, garden table or on the picnic blanket in the garden. Therefore, the brightness is simply too weak.

Spotify Tap which was the main argument when launching the speaker has to be said to be rather useful, and it’s a bit annoying that you can’t skip or repeat a song using the buttons on the speaker – although of course no problem if you have a phone anyway Mobile nearby.

All in all, the Vappeby is a fun little case that works better than its moderate price tag suggests — whether you want to use it indoors or outdoors.

Powerful bluetooth speaker with great sound

JBL Charge 5

from 1788:-

JBL’s Charge latest version doesn’t have a light, but it has a much more powerful design than the Vappeby’s, so if you’re looking for a speaker at the park or the beach, you might want to consider this one or its little brother, the JBL Flip. The Charge 5 has a powerful sound with plenty of bass, acts as an emergency charger and has good battery life. But it also costs a lot more.

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Sonos can be used indoors and outdoors

Sonos Room

from 1990:-

If you want a significantly more portable speaker, the smaller Sonos is a good alternative to Vappeby. It has both wifi and bluetooth, is water resistant up to a meter and above all is much smaller and lighter in weight. However, the price is much higher.

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Good bluetooth speaker with its own light bar

Sony SRS-XB33

from 1079:-

If you want a speaker with a built in light, you can also look at this one from Sony (or the sequel SRS-XB43). It has party lights built in behind the speaker grill, they work well and are also much more powerful than the Vappeby. But it is not convenient.

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