New Danish HiFi Brand in Collaboration with the World’s Largest TV Manufacturer
CANVAS HiFi and Samsung launch The HiFi Frame – where art, design, sound, TV, and technology merge CANVAS HiFi and Samsung proudly present The HiFi Frame – a new icon that unites CANVAS HiFi’s award-winning sound technology, Samsungs market-leading TV design, and a unique artistic collaboration.
The HiFi Frame is designed to fit seamlessly with all of Samsungs flagship TVs. The result is a perfect integration, where sound and picture appear as one complete work of art in the home.
"The HiFi Frame is a combination of the industry’s best sound and best picture in a single design that complements our most exclusive TV series. It is aimed at consumers who demand both experience and aesthetics at the absolute highest level," says PM and PR Samsung, Knut Eirik Rornes.
A Special Partnership with Carsten Beck
The new concept also frames a creative collaboration with Danish artist Carsten Beck, known for his geometric and tactile works. In the meeting between CANVAS HiFi front cover and Samsung’s premium TVs with Art Mode, a dialogue emerges between the analog and the digital:
Beck’s physical works on the HiFi Frame are mirrored in their digital counterparts in Art Mode – merging art, sound, and technology into a curated expression.
"This is not just a soundbar and a TV – it is a new way of thinking about home entertainment. The HiFi Frame is an invitation to a universe of design, simplicity, and cultural relevance," says CANVAS CEO, Laust Nielsen.
A New Standard for Home Entertainment
With The HiFi Frame, CANVAS HiFi and Samsung set a new standard: a product where design, technology, and art enhance each other – transforming the home into a gallery of sound, image, and aesthetics.
Canvas HiFi Unveils Another Industry First✅️
CANVAS is proud to introduce a world premiere, of what we believe is a world-first in soundbar innovation, at Munich High-End: A completely new crossover and tuning system, developed by their Chief Technology Officer, Benno Baun Meldgaard. Renowned for his award-winning loudspeaker designs with Gamut, Raidho, Scansonic-HD, and Gryphon, Benno brings true high-end audio expertise to the CANVAS soundbar.
At the core of this breakthrough is Benno’s proprietary “stepped slope” crossover technology. This design ensures seamless integration between drivers, followed by a steeper acoustic slope that significantly reduces out-of-band distortion. The result is exceptional phase and impulse alignment, delivering precise sound staging and timing—performance typically reserved for reference-grade loudspeakers.
The new Organic Master Tuning follows Benno’s signature psychoacoustic approach, fine-tuned not in a lab, but in a real living room. This method focuses on how sound is actually perceived, rather than
just how it measures.
The outcome is a natural, open, and highly detailed listening experience—
unprecedented in a soundbar. This added clarity and openness also means the system is more revealing, especially with recordings of lesser quality. To accommodate different preferences, we’re not replacing our current, more
forgiving Neutral Master Tuning. Instead, both tunings will be available, with an upcoming app allowing users to switch between them at any time. (Neutral or Organic Master Tuning.This level of flexibility is made possible by the exceptionally powerful DSP processor built into every Canvas soundbar.
For existing Canvas owners, there’s no need to take action: The new Master Tuning will be delivered automatically via our Over-The-Air (OTA) update system, at no additional cost.
Canvas continues to push the limits of soundbar technology by delivering uncompromising audio performance and high-end design to every home.
+ A modestly-priced premium model which ticks all the current 4K requirement. Fast loading as opposed to the first Blu-ray player back in 2007. – Colour depth and dark scenes can be richer.
Sound: 9/10 Picture: 7/10 Value: 8/10
THE 4K (or UHD) quality display hype has been the buzz in the AV industry for the past few years. With TV and projector models jumping on the bandwagon, the display hardware has gone through various stages of enhancement.
The industry now seems to have settled for 4K with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision, running via HDCP 2.2 protocol. AV receivers (AVR) nowadays are also well-equipped with HDMI ports that are 4K bypass-capable. However, as the display hardware and AVR blossom in sales, consumers are still deprived of software and player availability. It is even more disappointing that Malaysia is also deprived from this while consumers in Europe and USA have been enjoying 4K sources as early as Q2 this year.
But lo and behold – the Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Bluray player is available here finally. This player lets AV enthusiasts complete their dream home theatre set-up. As most enthusiasts will be equipped with 4K TVs or projectors alongside with Dolby ATMOS/DTS:X capable AV receivers, this last piece of the jigsaw will make you want to re-watch your movie collection. This player supports HDR and will output both Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X audio.
Like any modern player, the UBD-K8500 is also equipped with various network-based apps like YouTube via its network connectivity. Those with existing Samsung SMART TVs will be happy to know that the remote control unit that comes with the player will integrate seamlessly with your TV and most common AVRs (at least I know it works fine with Denon) and allow you to control your whole entertainment set-up.
SETTING UP
There is the standard power cable, remote and manual. The player is light enough so you can slot it into your AV rack with ease. The connectivity offered is basic but this is all you need for the 4K viewing experience. It has two HDMI outputs (one main and one audio-only), one optical output and one LAN network port.
With regards to 4K connectivity, a quick lesson on the requirement. In order for consumers to enjoy 4K, the whole connectivity chain from the source to the TV or projector (including the AVR if you are connecting via one) must have HDMI ports that are HDCP 2.2 compliant. This is a technology designed to prevent illegal copying of 4K Ultra HD content. Hence, before purchasing this player, check all your existing hardware.
For this review, the player was connected via a Denon X6200W AVR into a Samsung UA65HU9000 65-inch Curve TV. I also connected the player to the Samsung ATMOS soundbar recently reviewed. Please check your TV manual which HDMI port supports HDCP 2.2 and ensure it is connected to this port. No calibration of any sort is needed from this player as it detects any error in the visual chain and displays it on the TV. Unfortunately, my TV does not support HDR, hence a message is displayed saying that only 4K display will be shown without HDR.
Do note that while 4K UHD Blu-ray has no regional coding on it, standard existing Blu-ray discs are still subjected to regional coding on this player. For the unit sold by Samsung Malaysia, it is coded to Region A, similar to the USA.
THE EXPERIENCE
With The Revenant 4K UHD Blu-ray disc, the opening scene of the river flowing through the mangrove woods displayed significant detail compared with a standard Blu-ray disc. Ripples on the surface of the water were very smooth flowing with clear reflection of the tree branches above.
Coupled with a good ATMOS track, this Samsung player provided a full package of visual details with quite an impressive ATMOS experience. However, I would prefer a richer black when for such scenes – the Samsung player seems a little bit shy to emphasise this.
Moving on to Man of Steel, this movie is known to have quite a grainy visual with rich colour texture. During the scene where Superman is saving people from a burning offshore platform, the fiery body of Superman looks vivid with a good similarity of real fire.
The challenge with 4K which targets to display a life-like picture is that it can start to show the CGI’s unrealistic effect if it was not done properly. The Samsung player managed to produce quite a stunning realistic visual.
The visual on the Star Trek 4K UHD Blu-ray disc that was used to review the Samsung soundbar recently also looked quite vivid in its entirety. The attack scene at the Enterprise base showed quite a disperse colour hues during the explosion but retained its detail definition of different colour schemes. However, again it suffers a bit with black texture. Dark scenes seem to be a little bit lifeless.
It is a pity that I could not review this on a HDR-capable TV but having seen these same movies on a HDR capable projector, rest assured that it can only be better than what I have experienced.
As for other functions, the player has a few built-in Samsung apps which are quite standard these days. If you already have a high-specification TV, there is minimal use of the apps.
THE LAST WORD
As the first 4K UHD player available in Malaysia, Samsung nailed it with zero glitch during playback of these three movies. No skipping or jitter nor did I have to reboot due to system crash. I particularly like the curve chassis that matches my TV, while the simple front fascia with no LCD screen lends it a stint of elegance. The soft buttons for main functions like eject and play also shows that Samsung put in quite some thought to the design.
At the moment, this is the only 4K UHD Blu-ray player available in the official local market. Although there is no other alternative, this player will offer a good step-up and introduction to 4K UHD excitement for any AV enthusiast, providing you own a full 4K chain. It will provide you with a different perspective of watching movies at home not only for visual, but also for ATMOS and DTS:X enveloping surround sound.
Gear
Samsung HW-K950 ATMOS Soundbar, Samsung UA65HU9000 65-inch Curve TV, Denon X6200W AVR, PMC Twenty.23 and C front and centre speakers, SVS Prime Satellite rear speakers SVS Prime Elevation height speakers, SVS subwoofer
This is a mirror from audiofi.net where my review was initially posted.
+ Centre-channel clarity, engaging subwoofer, effective up-firing ATMOS speakers and flawless wireless connectivity. ATMOS effect well delivered with an immersive sound.
– Lack of calibration software and not much of a two-channel music experience.
Sound: 8/10 Value: 8/10
DOLBY ATMOS has been around for a few years and is now quite a stable platform, and it is increasingly common for moviemakers to mix their surround audio effects in this format. More and more movies are now screened in an ATMOS audio mix, either in the cinemas or on Blu-ray discs.
While cinema-goers are now spoilt with a more immersive sound, home theatre enthusiasts face the space challenge of setting up at least five speakers, a subwoofer and four ceiling speakers to achieve the minimum 5.1.4 ATMOS set-up requirement. This becomes a bigger challenge if the set-up is to be installed in the living room.
Samsung has come up with an alternative all-in-one, space-saving ATMOS soundbar, complete with wireless connectivity for the subwoofer and a pair of rear surround units with a built-in ATMOS up-firing speakers.
The Samsung HW-K950 Soundbar provides the minimum 5.1.4 channels through its intuitive speaker design. The soundbar unit houses the front-firing channels (centre, left and right) and a pair of front up-firing ATMOS drivers. The rear surround speakers are equipped with the rear up-firing ATMOS drivers and to complete the set-up, a subwoofer is also part of the whole equation.
What is really interesting about this package is the wireless connectivity between the soundbar unit and the rear speakers and subwoofer. A total of 15 drivers are built into this whole package, providing a wider dispersive effect.
The system provides a whopping 500 watts RMS and is equipped with six DSP modes to choose from. It does not stop there. For two-channel audio, there is also Bluetooth connectivity. It also supports Spotify, Deezer etc, streaming as well. The system is capable of handling HD Audio up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution and supports Samsung’s multi-room application.
Those with an existing Samsung SMART TV and Blu-ray/4K UHD player will be happy to know that the remote control unit that comes with the HW-K950 will integrate your existing equipment into the system and allow you to control your whole entertainment set from one remote commander.
SETTING UP
It is recommended to have two people to unbox this system. Mainly due to its length, it is awkward to handle the unboxing alone. Do take note that “wireless” refers to the audio connectivity from the soundbar to the rear speakers and subwoofer. You will need three AC points for the subwoofer and the rear speakers. So, do ensure you have plug points where you intend to set up the rear speakers and subwoofer.
Connectivity between the components is easily set up. Just turn on the soundbar, subwoofer and rear speakers and all of them will automatically detect each other. Once connected, a blue LED lights up indicating successful pairing.
Similarly with Bluetooth and online music streaming services such as Spotify. Using your mobile phone or tablet, just follow the step-by-step instructions and you will be enjoying wireless music within a few minutes.
There are two HDMI and one optical input at the rear of the soundbar. However, there is only one HDMI output to the TV but it is equipped with Audio Return Channel module (ARC).
I connected the newly-launched Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Blu-ray player to this soundbar to experience not only ATMOS, but also 4K visual on my Samsung curve TV.
The biggest challenge setting up this soundbar system is the calibration. Modern AV receivers usually come with auto calibration modules which calibrate all speaker components to adapt to the room environment in order to produce the optimum surround effect. For this review, the calibration had to be done manually by increasing or lowering the volume for each speaker to achieve 75dB on the sound level meter app on my phone.
It is highly recommended to follow the guidelines by Dolby on the up-firing ATMOS with regards to height and the material used for the ceiling. The recommended ceiling height is between 7.5 and 12 feet and the maximum is 14 feet. The ceiling material should be reflective.
LISTENING
Watching the Star Trek 4K UHD Blu-ray disc, I was really surprised by the clarity of the centre channel from the sound bar. Even in a chaotic attack scene with powerful LFE, the dialogue from Spock and Captain Kirk was exceptionally clear.
The ATMOS effect was, of course, the highlight where the sound effects of falling objects tumbling down wreckages and laser beams being shot downwards were not only immersive but quite realistic and in sync with the whole movie experience. The rear ATMOS sounded a little thin at the beginning compared with the front ATMOS but a slight volume adjustment managed to overcome that. Sitting in the middle gave me the feeling that I was actually surrounded by the actual attack scene.
The performance of the subwoofer was also unexpectedly very engaging. Since it is wireless, I decided to site the subwoofer at the rear to test its wireless connectivity and effectiveness. Throughout the movie, the subwoofer worked tirelessly, delivering a rumbling bass effect that vibrated my sofa and the floor. Any explosion scene will grab your attention as the subwoofer will shake your seat. The effect dispersion could be felt across my viewing area.
Moving to a Superman: Man of Steel, the surround experience was even more engaging than Star Trek. The scene where Superman rescues people from a burning offshore platform provided me with even more engaging immersive effect. It was also directional (versus just a blanket noise effect); hence it related to the image being viewed. The swooshing sound of Superman flying from top right (rear) to bottom left (front) can be easily heard, giving me the directional perspective of the movie I was watching.
Moving to two-channel audio for music listening resulted in a different reaction. The sound is quite lifeless. Even after I tweaked certain parameters, I just could not enjoy listening to the system. With the audio channel now focused on the front, I could not get the same level of enjoyment when watching movies.
On Andrea Bocelli’s Time To Say Goodbye, the emotion of the song could not be delivered as well as from proper floorstanding or bookshelf speakers. For heavy metal or rock tracks such as Metallica’s Enter Sandman, I was expecting a heavier impact but the guitar solos sounded flat and the drumming, box-ish.
THE LAST WORD
If you are looking for a simplified, no nonsense home theatre soundbar for your home, the Samsung HW-K950 is one worth auditioning. It is a Dolby ATMOS certified system and does not fail to provide the immersive ATMOS experience but in a smaller package.
Of course, you should not compare it with a full-fledged AVR-mega-huge-speaker set-up but for its intended audience, this Samsung system managed to deliver its main objective. Yes, the two-channel music performance is not up to par but with this level of ATMOS delivery, you will be watching more movies than listening to music.
A word of caution, though – I do believe this system works well in a moderately-sized room and not for bigger halls. In order to ensure you can experience the ATMOS effect, it is recommended that you use this system in a venue that follows the ceiling height and material recommendation by Dolby.
Gear
Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Blu-ray player, Samsung UA65HU9000 65-inch Curve TV
It was the time of the year again where audiophiles, headfi-ers and AV nutheads locally and neighbouring countries would be in JW Marriot hotel to attend the Kuala Lumpur International AV Show, organised by 3DotEvent. Its a 3 days (22nd to 24th July) event and Yes! It was done after hari raya and fasting month.
Due to work commitment, I could only attend on Saturday 23rd July. I arrived at 1015 am and met up with Mr. Dick Tan first, looking sharp in a suit as usual.
Again this year, I was given the chance to be in the show as a press member. Thanks Mr. Dick Tan. I went down to the GF to kick start my visit cum exploration. A bit disappointed that I was not allowed to enter a second time after I went out for lunch. Was stopped by an unfamiliar staff saying that Press was only allowed in on Friday 22nd July. But at the same time, he didn't really know where and who he needs to clarify with that I was there on duty. He kept asking me to go to the registration booth. It was embarrassing and I kind of lost the mood to listen to more systems. But I kept calm and after about 5 minutes, a senior staff came out and explained to him that its OK for me to go in. A brief explanation from the senior staff indicated that there were incidents where the Press member passed their tag to others to gain free access!
My personal objective:
To demo 4K display and purchase a UHD BD player
To finally get into an Dolby ATMOS and DTS-X set up and demo SVS Elevation Speakers on its debut here
To demo the combo of Kronos (and its new PSU) with Absolare amps
To demo Musical Fildeity ENCORE system
To find bargain LPs and Bluray discs
The prizes for the lucky draw. I never win though :(
Samsung
A big disappointment for me and the FB Komuniti Blu Ray Disc of Malaysia as we have to continue to wait for the availability of a UHD BD player. Samsung had a player on demo here but still no news on the launch date in Malaysia.
The usual bargain section of Desa Home Theater was also there but it looks like the discount level is not as attractive as last year. Maybe due to the weaker currency we have now.
I was a bit skeptical on this room at the beginning, knowing that the sound in last year's bigger room was not as per my expectation. But, Steve Chua has managed to set up this Naim Statement system with much improvement that made me quite impressed with Naim. Bass was taut, mids were crisp and the highs was just sweet and luscious. Steve have managed to transcend this system to a level that shows more of its potential. Congrats Steve Chua.
For those who follow my blog, should know by now what Musical Fidelity means to me. Year in year out, I feel slight disappointment not to see MF in its true glory in this AV show. This year, A&L presented the Nuvista top notch series of MF, coupled with Dali speakers. For a CD based system, I find this set up was quite the sound that I am very familiar with but much more meaty. However, I was looking forward to hear the latest product of MF which is the ENCORE all in one system. Unfortunately, A&L did not manage to get this on time for the show.
Another British brand that I miss dearly in the past few years. This year they came back with a bang. The AVR can really shake one's booty with its powerful bass reproduction. I thought that they installed 2 subwoofers in the room. Turn out to be NO subwoofer at all. However, they should have gotten a bigger room to properly display its true potential.
Another brand that needs no introduction. One of those brands that you will not mistake it for another. From its casing design to its sound signature. Clean, transparent and honest music reproduction.
Three rooms! Audio Art took three rooms to set up 2 hifi systems and 1 home theater system.
The Heco and BMC already impressed me last year. And this year, it just got better especially with Eric Suh explaining to me about of the Heco design. The first combo of Heco and BMC sounded really authoritative, good control on low and high notes with quite an upfront mids. Was also surprise that they managed to present the system with high clarity in this small room. Kudos on their effort in acoustic management.
HECO Concerto Grosso
With David Kestez and Eric Suh - Who is briefing who?
Behold the glory of BMC!
At this price, it can match a number of more expensive speakers!
The Heco Direkt speakers - my new obsession. I want them to be in my house.
Simple and retro design with punch and poise that can match a number of traditional shaped speakers.
I was fully impressed with the capability of these retro looking speakers. With high WAF and adaptability to a living room deco, these pair could sell itself. The sound was mesmerizing with high clarity, sufficient bass production and sweet luscious presentation of vocal. Very much the sound you would want to listen to with no fatigue and relaxing mood.
Max Loh and Yoon Tat did it again this year. With an unorthodox approach of subwoofer+speaker+amp wiring set up.For those who managed to experience the surround sound of this SVS and Denon system, you might be wondering on how the bass was produced with such punch and impact bass kick. All I can say, the sub was not connected directly to the Denon sub out as the normal practice. Contact Max for further info on this unorthodox set up.
And of course.... the debut of SVS Elevation Speakers...which yours truly already have a pair as front upfiring speakers for my recent Dolby ATMOS and DTS-X upgrade. ..... and the sound is truly amazing. These are not just acting like presence speakers. Its actually reproduce the atmos signal as it was intended for.
The two usual headphones distributor Jaben and Star Pickers Audio made various headphones and headphones amps available for demo and testing. I had another listen of the Audeze EL8 as I was eyeing for it since last year. But again this year, I some how got put off by the 'non-responsive' staff of Star Picker for a second year in a row. Requested for the cable to the headphones and waited for 10 minutes and they just entertained some other visitor who came in after me. The same thing happened last year. Maybe I have to be active again in the headfi scene before getting some basic respond.
To drown my sorrow of non existence of UHD BD player and ownership of Audeze EL8, I ended up with some retail therapy on the various LP stalls. 25 pieces.... and still listening to them.
PMC Twenty5.24 with Bryston Electronics by AV Design
This is what I call simplicity at its best. James Tan and Tony Low have never failed to impress me with how they set things up. These newly launched speakers have definitely leaped into a higher level compared to its predecessor Twenty series. Made me thinking of upgrading my Twenty.23 to these. The slim PMC cabinet and its transmission line technology sounded big even in a decently sized room. No struggle at all to deliver substantial, rich and luscious sound.
Yes Tauke James, PMC is also in my heart.
..................And on the AV side, this is where I experienced the the true 4K experience. AV Design imported a UHD player from US and feed it into the latest JVC 4K projectors and displayed it on to a high curve projector screen. This video does not justify its true magnificent display, but you can imagine how frustrated I am that UHD player have yet to be launched in Malaysia.
Happy to see the participation of the Malaysian company APS that provides engineered racks and stands for your audio needs. I reviewed one of their speaker stands a few moons back and I can say that if I ever go back to bookshelf speakers, I will get an APS.
The Mighty KRONOS Pro, ABSOLARE 845s, SKOGRAND and Frank Powerbank - HiFi Creations Increased the Performance Bar
This must be the new benchmark of audio set up in a show, at least for Malaysia. Not only the sound stage but the overall professional, high class, luxurious look of the room as well. With a guest reception area separated from the main listening hall, it made me feel like walking into a prestigious red carpet event.
Victor Pheh of HiFi Creation have thought through almost every aspect of the show. From having the principal of the Kronos and Absolare brands to the usherettes that woo the visitor with their charm. On the technical side, the power management was done with a series Malaysian pride Frank Powerbank.
The sound from Kronos Pro reminded me of the few months I had the Kronos Sparta in my house for a review. Only that this sound even much much more engaging. Very unfortunate that they had issues with the Absolare amp but the level of commitment from the principal was outstanding. He brought in the technician from Turkey immediately to get the unit fixed and it was up and running again on Saturday by 5 pm. I had the opportunity to listen to both set up of Kronos; with Magnet power amps and Absolare 845. I have yet to hear any set up that can match this level of sophistication. Some might argue that the system can sing even much better with other speakers, but the Ocean Five speakers still had a unique musical expression. The overall presentation was musical, airy and excellent sound staging. And not forget to mention that this is and still is the quietest turn table I have ever experienced. I do miss having the Sparta in my house. With the new power supply for the Kronos Pro, it upped the ante to a level that is near perfect in my book.
Congrats to Victor, Louis Desjardin, Kerem Kucukaslan, Frank Voon and James Chin.
Yes....it is a hard work for the press!
Yes Victor, I had the Kronos Sparta in my house and now I am missing it!
Devialet went really big this year with a few visitors went home with this BB8-look-alike sensation. It can go loud effortlessly. filling up a big venue with pure excitement and good sound.
Canvas continues to push the limits of soundbar technology by delivering uncompromising audio performance and high-end design to every home.
