CANVAS HiFi Names Playback Distribution Its Exclusive U.S. Distributor

The Danish TV audio specialist is expanding beyond direct sales, giving American buyers a chance to hear, install, and service its premium systems through authorized dealers. Spending $5,000 or more on a TV audio system you have never actually heard requires confidence, disposable income, and a rather trusting relationship with international freight.

CANVAS HiFi is attempting to make that proposition somewhat less adventurous.

The Danish manufacturer has appointed Playback Distribution as its exclusive U.S. distributor, opening the door to a broader network of specialty audio dealers and custom integrators across the country.

That might not sound as exciting as a new amplifier, larger woofer, or proprietary acronym involving spatial audio, but it could be one of the more important developments for the brand in the United States.

CANVAS is not a $399 soundbar that can be carried out of Costco between the paper towels and frozen dumplings. Its products are large, heavy, configurable audio systems designed to visually integrate with televisions ranging from 55 to 85 inches; and eventually even larger screens with the forthcoming CANVAS L.

For American consumers, the ability to hear one before buying it, confirm that it will work with a specific television, and have somebody else install the thing properly has considerable value.

Related Stories:

What Playback Distribution Brings to CANVAS

Playback Distribution was founded in 2023 by industry veteran Rob Standley and represents a growing collection of premium audio brands, including Advance Paris, Amphion, AudioSolutions, AVID HiFi, Esoteric, PMC, TEAC, Velodyne Acoustics, Vicoustic, and Vienna Acoustics.

That portfolio gives CANVAS access to dealers already selling expensive loudspeakers, electronics, subwoofers, room treatments, and custom-installed home-theater systems.

More importantly, Playback already has the sales, logistics, dealer-support, parts, warranty, and customer-service infrastructure required to support products that are considerably more complicated than their minimalist appearance suggests.

CANVAS combines loudspeakers, amplification, DSP, streaming, room correction, television mounting, and interchangeable furniture-grade front panels in one rather substantial enclosure. When everything works, the result can be visually striking and far less intrusive than a conventional collection of speakers, racks, amplifiers, and cables.

When something does not work, buyers will probably prefer calling a local dealer rather than holding an international video conference while kneeling behind a 77-pound audio system with a flashlight between their teeth.

CANVAS has already sold directly to American customers, with shipping and import costs included in its pricing. The Playback agreement adds something the direct-sales model could not easily provide: local demonstrations, professional installation, and support from somebody who has actually seen the product outside of an Instagram reel.

What Is CANVAS HiFi?

The original CANVAS is an active stereo speaker system built into a structure designed to align visually with a television. Calling it a soundbar is technically convenient but somewhat misleading.

Most soundbars use multiple small drivers packed into a shallow enclosure and rely heavily on digital processing to create the impression of a larger presentation. CANVAS takes a more traditional loudspeaker approach.

The system uses two 6.5-inch SB Acoustics bass and midrange drivers, two 29mm silk-dome tweeters, and two passive radiators inside a 24-liter braced MDF enclosure. Four channels of Class D amplification deliver a combined 250 watts, while a Burr-Brown DAC and Analog Devices DSP handle digital conversion, crossover functions, and signal processing.

CANVAS also uses BACCH 3D crosstalk cancellation to produce a wider and deeper stereo presentation without rear speakers or a conventional Dolby Atmos speaker layout. Room correction can be performed using an iPhone microphone or the company’s optional Zen Microphone.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC, optical digital, analog audio, Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Roon, and DLNA.

Magnetically attached front panels are available in multiple fabric and wood finishes, allowing the system to match different screen sizes and room designs. The television, despite the rather persuasive product photography, is not included.

CANVAS L Is the Larger Prize

The distribution agreement also gives CANVAS a stronger U.S. foundation ahead of the arrival of CANVAS L, which the company unveiled at High End Vienna 2026.

CANVAS L is considerably more ambitious than the original model. It uses custom Scan-Speak midrange and bass drivers, SB Acoustics ring-radiator tweeters, four 8-inch woofers, matching passive radiators, and 1,500 watts of Class D amplification.

It also adds BACCH 3D+, upgraded DSP, room correction, HDMI eARC, analog and digital inputs, and compatibility with televisions ranging from 65 to 115 inches.

A 115-inch television is not something most people install casually on a Tuesday evening after dinner. Products of that size and price need dealers and integrators who understand wall construction, television mounting, cable routing, network configuration, room acoustics, and why drilling into a water pipe tends to end the demonstration rather abruptly.

CANVAS expects the L to reach authorized retailers during the fourth quarter of 2026. European pricing begins at €5,999, while final U.S. pricing and configurations have not yet been announced.

Why This Matters for U.S. Buyers

CANVAS has generated considerable attention at CES, High End Vienna, and other international events. It has also earned multiple eCoustics Best in Show selections.

The problem has been access.

Reading about BACCH processing and Scandinavian industrial design is one thing. Hearing whether the system actually produces a convincing stereo image from beneath a television is another. And it’s something that has left a very positive on members of the press who have been able to try it at home. This sounds nothing like the soundbar systems you’ve tried so far — and for these prices, it needs to be significantly better.

That does not mean a CANVAS display will suddenly appear in every audio showroom from Manhattan to Missoula. Dealers will still have to decide whether local customers are interested in a premium product that occupies the space between an active loudspeaker system, a soundbar, a television mount, and a piece of Danish furniture.

But CANVAS is precisely the kind of product that benefits from being demonstrated in person.

Playback Distribution gives CANVAS a better opportunity to explain that proposition to American consumers—and allows those consumers to decide whether the performance justifies the price before an extremely large crate appears in the driveway.

Pricing & Availability

CANVAS HiFi products are now available in the United States through Playback Distribution’s network of authorized dealers.

Current U.S. pricing begins at approximately $4,999, depending on the size, finish, front-panel material, and configuration.

Final U.S. pricing and availability for CANVAS L will be announced closer to its expected fourth-quarter 2026 launch.

For more information: canvashifi.com

Related Reading: