Cheap Bluetooth speakers are easy to find, but most portable models are built around one job: connect a phone and play music. That works on a kitchen counter, patio, or bedside table, but it becomes limiting if you also want a speaker for a TV, gaming setup, or a larger home audio system.
Price: $59.99
Where to Buy: Ikea
IKEA’s new BADKRUKA takes a more flexible approach. Priced at €49.99 in Germany, this compact, mains-powered Bluetooth speaker supports Spotify Tap, three EQ settings, stereo pairing, synchronized multi-speaker playback, and an optical input for compatible TVs, monitors, or other devices with an optical audio output. IKEA also includes an optical cable in the box.
That makes BADKRUKA more interesting than its price suggests. Rather than simply offering another inexpensive way to stream music from a phone, IKEA is positioning it as a speaker that can start small and take on additional jobs around the home.
A compact speaker for home use
BADKRUKA measures 16 cm wide, 16 cm deep, and 17.5 cm tall. Its upper cover is made from ABS plastic containing at least 50% recycled material, while the bottom section uses polycarbonate.
It is also designed as a home speaker rather than a portable, battery-powered option. That distinction matters: BADKRUKA is meant to stay plugged in, making it a better fit for a desk, shelf, bedroom, kitchen, or TV setup than for outdoor trips or travel.
IKEA describes the speaker as delivering clear, powerful, balanced midrange sound for music, movies, and gaming, and says it can fill a room with sound. Those are IKEA’s claims, however, not independent evidence of audio performance.
We have not heard BADKRUKA, so its bass extension, maximum useful volume, dialogue clarity, and overall tonal balance will need hands-on listening tests.
What can be assessed from the specifications is its flexibility. The speaker includes three EQ settings, allowing users to tailor the sound based on their preferences and what they are listening to.
For a €50 home speaker, that may prove more useful than ambitious sound-quality claims.
Spotify Tap cuts down steps
BADKRUKA includes Spotify Tap, continuing a feature IKEA has used on several of its recent Bluetooth speakers. Pressing the Spotify Tap button can resume Spotify playback from where you previously stopped. Pressing it again can select different music based on your listening history.
The benefit is convenience. Normally, using a Bluetooth speaker means picking up your phone, opening Spotify, finding what you were playing, and starting it again. BADKRUKA moves part of that interaction onto the speaker itself.
Spotify Tap still relies on Spotify and a connected playback device, so it does not turn BADKRUKA into a standalone streaming speaker. But for people who already use Spotify regularly, it could make casual listening a little faster.
Two speakers can create stereo
One BADKRUKA works as a single Bluetooth speaker, but IKEA also allows two units to be paired as dedicated left and right stereo channels. The company promotes this arrangement for use with a TV or screen, making it potentially useful for gaming and movies as well as music.
The included optical cable is particularly notable at this price. It provides a straightforward way to connect BADKRUKA to a compatible TV, monitor, or other source with an optical audio output.
Buying two speakers would bring the total cost to about €100, but that could create an interesting alternative to a basic soundbar or a pair of conventional powered speakers. Whether that stereo setup offers convincing imaging, clear dialogue, or suitably low latency for games is something IKEA’s specifications alone cannot establish.
More speakers, same music
BADKRUKA also supports IKEA’s multi-speaker mode, allowing it to play alongside other compatible IKEA Bluetooth speakers.
There is an important difference between this feature and stereo pairing. A pair of BADKRUKA speakers can produce separate left and right channels, while speakers linked through multi-speaker mode reproduce the same audio in sync.
That makes multi-speaker mode better suited to spreading the same music through several parts of a home than creating a wider stereo image.
IKEA says compatible speakers can work at least 10 meters apart under suitable conditions, though walls, placement, and wireless interference can affect that range. It gives BADKRUKA a useful upgrade path. You could start with one speaker, add another later for stereo, or combine it with other compatible IKEA speakers for synchronized playback in different areas.
Who should buy BADKRUKA?
BADKRUKA makes the most sense for someone who wants a low-cost home Bluetooth speaker with room to expand beyond basic phone streaming.
Spotify Tap adds convenience for Spotify users, while the optical input and stereo pairing make the speaker more relevant beside a TV or monitor. Multi-speaker mode offers another option for people who want the same music playing from several compatible IKEA speakers.
It is less compelling if portability is the main goal. BADKRUKA is a mains-powered home speaker, not a battery-powered outdoor model, and it is not presented as weather-resistant.
At €49.99, the most interesting thing about BADKRUKA is not an untested promise that it sounds better than other inexpensive Bluetooth speakers. It is the number of roles IKEA is trying to cover with one compact box.
Price: $59.99
Where to Buy: Ikea
If you want a simple speaker today but like the idea of adding stereo, TV audio, or synchronized playback around the home later, BADKRUKA looks unusually flexible for the price. Whether its sound quality fully justifies those features is the part that still needs to be heard.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
