The best of both worlds for soundbars and speakers? Canvas hi-fi’s new bar pushes the definition by packing huge 8-inch drivers into a frame that fits under your TV – and the company boldly says it’s ‘the world’s first audiophile soundbar’

Canvas announces new Canvas L “audiophile soundbar”
Danish design with custom sizes that fit TVs from 65 to 115 inches
Four 8-inch bass speakers, spatial sound and 1,500W amplification

What is the difference between a soundbar and an “audiophile soundbar”? According to home cinema company Canvas HiFi, the latter delivers “the emotional engagement, scale and precision of high-end hi-fi” – and the company claims its new Canvas L soundbar is “the world’s first audiophile soundbar”.

This will no doubt come as news to the likes of KEF, Bang & Olufsen and Focal, who all make soundbars designed for the most discerning and affluent listeners. But the Canvas L does things a little differently, to be fair.

The reason it’s an interesting new option for home theater fans with good ears and deep pockets is that it’s a hybrid of sorts between the regular speakers (which audiophiles would usually recommend over soundbars anyway) and the soundbar form factor. How? Well, cramming speaker-sized drivers into a soundbar-like device, how else?

Canvas L soundbar: key features and prices

Canvas L is a striking thing in a range of sizes that mount via the VESA mount for TVs from 65 to 115 inches. Behind the tasteful front panel (available in wood or fabric) is an ultra-rigid braced cabinet, again more like what you’d expect to see in a regular speaker.

Most importantly, the frame houses two large custom eight-inch woofers from Scan-Speak (each with an eight-inch passive radiator), two four-inch midrange drivers also custom-built by Scan-Speak, and two 29mm SB Acoustics ring radiator tweeters.

There’s 1,500W of integrated Class D amplification to power all of this – that’s 300W per bass speaker, 200 W per midrange driver and 50 W per tweeter. The frequency response is a claimed 25Hz to 40,000kHz.

Canvas L soundbar revealed in a sound test room

(Image credit: Canvas HiFi)

The sound has been tuned by high-end loudspeaker designer Benno Baun Meldgaard, and the built-in digital signal processing has the BACCH+ 3D Spatial Audio algorithm.

Licensed from Princeton University, the BACCH 3D+ processing promises an ultra-realistic spatial presentation “with width, depth and height normally only experienced from large standalone speaker systems.” However, there is no mention of traditional spatial audio support via Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. The Canvas L also features spatial correction via its iOS app.

The inputs are HDMI eARC; stereo RCA; coaxial for up to 24-bit/192kHz audio; 24-bit/96kHz TOSLink; and both wired and wireless networks. Canvas L supports Roon, DLNA, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect.

Pricing for the new Canvas L has yet to be revealed – expect more details when it’s shown at High End Vienna on June 4, 2026, ahead of a release towards the end of the year – but the existing model is $4,999 / £3,299 / AU$5999 in its 65-inch incarnation, so I expect higher comfort than the speaker. True audiophile.

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