Every year, the halls of IFA in Berlin are littered with products trying to solve the “black rectangle problem.” Tech companies, especially TV manufacturers, have been on a quest to make their dominant, screen-based products disappear into our living spaces. We have seen TVs that mimic paintings, speakers disguised as lamps, and projectors that promise cinematic experiences from a tiny box. These efforts are often clever, but they usually feel like acts of concealment rather than true integration. They try to hide the technology, apologizing for its very presence in our carefully curated homes, which always strikes me as a missed opportunity. A truly great design should not just hide; it should enhance its environment.
This year, a Danish newcomer, CANVAS HiFi, arrived with what might be the most assertive and elegant solution yet. In a striking collaboration with Samsung, CANVAS has introduced The HiFi Frame, a product that frames the television, quite literally, with high-fidelity audio and art. It wraps Samsung’s flagship TVs in a beautifully crafted enclosure that houses a powerful sound system, effectively transforming the entire setup into a single, cohesive piece of functional art. It presents the television and its audio not as something to be hidden, but as a deliberate centerpiece, a gallery piece for sound and image. It is an audacious move that shifts the conversation from concealment to celebration.
Designers: Carsten Beck and CANVAS HiFi
Tethering your wagon to Samsung’s flagship TV lineup is a smart, if focused, decision. This approach guarantees a level of picture quality that matches the audio ambition, creating a unified system for consumers who value both. The HiFi Frame is built to accommodate Samsung’s premium TVs from 55 to 85 inches, with a price tag that floats between €5,000 and €10,000 depending on the size and materials chosen. This is certainly not a casual purchase; it is a statement piece aimed at a market that prioritizes aesthetic cohesion and is willing to pay for it. The product’s flexibility, allowing it to adapt to various high-end Samsung models, also suggests that this is a long-term platform, not a one-off gimmick.
The acoustic engineering here is what separates this from a simple, overpriced soundbar bolted to a TV. CANVAS is making a bold claim, stating its system delivers the authority of a 12-inch subwoofer without the bulky, separate box. Inside the frame’s 24-liter cabinet, two 6.5-inch woofers and a pair of 5×8-inch passive radiators from the well-respected SB Acoustics handle the low end, while a Burr-Brown DAC manages the digital-to-analog conversion. The system also incorporates BACCH 3D sound processing, which aims for genuine spatial realism by canceling crosstalk between channels, a far more sophisticated approach than the typical simulated surround sound that bounces audio off your walls. It is a purist’s take on immersive audio.
What elevates the entire concept is the collaboration with Danish artist Carsten Beck. The front cover of the HiFi Frame, which conceals the speakers, is a physical piece of Beck’s geometric art, available in finishes like Kvadrat textiles and FSC-certified wood. This physical artwork is then mirrored digitally on the Samsung TV’s Art Mode when it is not in use, creating a fascinating dialogue between the analog texture of the frame and the digital light of the screen. It is this thoughtful layering of art, design, and technology that makes The HiFi Frame feel so complete. This is an integrated system designed from the ground up to be a single, curated expression for the modern home.
The post Canvas HiFi’s €10,000 Soundbar Makes the Samsung TV Frame Look Like Art at IFA 2025 first appeared on Yanko Design.