IKEA store opens at Hyd'bad

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Folks - as the thread title states, IKEA has opened its first store in India at Hyd'bad. What's the connection to AV, you may ask - the answer is that there are inexpensive shelves and similar offerings from IKEA that can be used for housing and displaying all kinds of AV equipment and collections.

1) "Eina" shelved side-table (similar to their older line, "Corras"). It's perfect for housing 19" components of all kinds - the shelf is adjustable to accommodate various heights. It usually comes with castors/rollers, but those can be removed and replaced with nylon bushes from any corner hardware store.

2) "Lack" wall-mounting shelves in various veneers and finishes - usable for mini-component and bookshelf systems.

There are bound to be many more clever items for centre tables, cable management and so on - take a look around and post here if you find any ideas there.corras_eina.jpg
 

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I bought my "Corras" shelves (similar to the ones shown in the pic, but darker birch veneer) at a US IKEA store some 17 years ago for about $29 each. The replacement "Eina" product may be the same price or even lower - IKEA often lowers prices when there is sufficient volume and economies of scale, it's a matter of luck. They originally introduced "Poang" armchairs around 1978 at $379 each, but now they offer the same product with more options for seat cushion colours, etc., for $79 or even lower - it's being offered for Rs.4990 at Hyderabad.
 
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Do they sell as parts like abroad? Or installation is free in India? All other cheap furniture in India offer free installation while ikea never used to. Ikea's fit and finish is decent compared to cheapos at its price. Also, white furniture is as a favourite of mine and wasn't much available from other brands.

Using them as hifi stands depends on what you buy. Most of them are very light despite the look for a hifi. I have a kallax bought from abroad which I thought of using as a aphono stand but did not end up using it as it was too feather lite than it looks. I never bought a phono either. ;)
 
IKEA seems to be offering home delivery as well as assembly (using 3rd-party assemblers) in Hyd'bad, for their larger furniture offerings. I don't know if it applies to the smaller shelves like Eina and so on, but the older Corras was trivial to assemble with just a screwdriver - maybe 30 minutes work or lower, everything is pre-drilled and all hardware is included. The Corras is also fairly heavy-duty - it has lasted ~17 years for me with moderately heavy gear on the lowest level and medium-weight components in the intermediate (removable) shelves. I never used wood adhesive on the dowels either, but you can make it even stronger with wood adhesive or fevicol if you don't ever plan to disassemble it again for moving it.
 
Generally speaking, a lot of Ikea furniture is made with particle board so that is something to keep in mind. However, they also have some solid wood furniture and also have other furniture made with better quality boards, so it is a mixed bag. Usually the price will be a good indicator of the wood quality used. From my experience.
 
Worldwide, IKEA has always been brick-and-mortar, walk-in, self-pickup, check out, self-transport and self-assemble only. They've made a major change for India already, by offering local delivery and assembly (with 3rd-party contract assemblers - a bit like what some home/hardware chains in the US like Scandinavian Designs offer). Maybe they'll offer online eventually, but I wouldn't hold my breath. A big part of the IKEA experience is the shopping expedition with catalog in hand, which a lot of desis are going to find a bit like Disneyland with a desi (Samosa/Biriyani) touch. Some of the mofussil crowd may land up just to gawk at the blondes.
 
Great news indeed.
A hidden gem from Ikea is the Aptitlig Chopping Board, I use the thin ones under my speaker stands & the thick one under my TT.
tightens up the sound immensely and if you are living in a apartment, prevents the speakers bass from going to the floor below.

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/ikea_aptitlig.htm

I was going to mention this the minute I saw this topic.
Easily one of the best "audio tweaks" available on IKEA. Prices are really good as well.

https://www.ikea.com/in/en/search/?q=Aptitlig Chopping Board


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Worldwide, IKEA has always been brick-and-mortar, walk-in, self-pickup, check out, self-transport and self-assemble only. They've made a major change for India already, by offering local delivery and assembly (with 3rd-party contract assemblers - a bit like what some home/hardware chains in the US like Scandinavian Designs offer). Maybe they'll offer online eventually, but I wouldn't hold my breath. A big part of the IKEA experience is the shopping expedition with catalog in hand, which a lot of desis are going to find a bit like Disneyland with a desi (Samosa/Biriyani) touch. Some of the mofussil crowd may land up just to gawk at the blondes.
Actually, they are setting up their warehouse in Maharashtra as per one of their releases, for online sales . While they are opening more than 20 stores in India, but they dont think its enough for India, hence the online push.But its not ready yet.
 
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got the Ikea shelf to store Vinyls'. they fit perfectly.
Looks great. I was waiting for Ikea to land up in India ever since I read about people using their shelf units for vinyl storage.
I bought a four-section Kallax for the same thing, which can take individual boxes. However, the strongest box available seems to be "Lekman", which is not that strong.
 
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