WIRED Links 149 Ikea Kallsup Speakers in Wall of Sound Experiment
WIRED conducted an experiment in its London office by linking 149 Ikea Kallsup Bluetooth speakers to create a "wall of sound." The test pushed the limits of the speakers' chaining feature, resulting in a loud but low-fidelity audio output. Ikea confirmed this was the first attempt to chain so many units.
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The experiment
In a hands-on test, WIRED linked 149 of Ikea’s $10 Kallsup Bluetooth speakers in its London office to explore the product’s wireless chaining capability. The setup, dubbed a "wall of sound," aimed to push the limits of how many speakers could sync simultaneously. Out of 150 speakers shipped, only one failed due to transit damage, leaving 149 operational units.
The chaining process took roughly 30 minutes, demonstrating the simplicity of Ikea’s design. However, WIRED noted that issues arose as the number of linked speakers exceeded 100, though the setup ultimately held together.
How the setup performed
Each Kallsup speaker features a 1.8-inch driver and a 3-watt amplifier, totaling 447 watts of combined output for the 149-speaker array. While the volume was described as "brain-numbingly loud," the audio quality lacked depth, particularly in bass. WIRED compared the experience to a single large 22-inch driver but without the fidelity of higher-end audio systems.
For context, WIRED contrasted the Kallsup wall with the LG Xboom Stage 501, a dedicated party speaker. The Xboom delivered a fuller, deeper sound with far fewer components, highlighting the trade-off between volume and quality in Ikea’s budget-friendly design.
Ikea confirmed to WIRED that no prior attempt had been made to link 150 Kallsup speakers. The product is designed as an affordable, simple audio solution rather than a high-performance system.
What this means
Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.
This experiment highlights how consumer tech products can be repurposed or tested beyond their intended use cases—whether for viral attention, practical exploration, or technical curiosity. For founders and operators in hardware or consumer electronics, the Kallsup’s chaining capability underscores the importance of designing products with scalability in mind, even at a low price point. However, the trade-offs in audio quality also serve as a reminder that hardware limitations—such as driver size and amplifier power—can’t always be overcome by quantity alone.
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Sources
- WIRED · 2026-10-25
We Linked 150 of Ikea’s $10 Speakers to Make a Wall of Sound
This story is an original summary drafted with AI by Lazyfounder from the reporting listed above and checked by automated validation. Facts are attributed to their original publishers; sections marked as analysis are Lazyfounder's. Where a source is in another language, facts were machine-translated and quotations are reported, not reproduced. Read the original coverage via the links, and see our AI policy and corrections policy.
About the author
Editor, Lazyfounder
Tarun Mottlia edits LazyFounders, covering Indian startups, funding rounds, AI and product launches. Every story on the site is AI-assisted and checked against its cited sources before publication.
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