- 09.14.2026
- gerry
CEDIA 2026 Recap
CEDIA Expo: The Best New Audio, Video and Smart Home Technology
CEDIA Expo is a great place to see where high-performance audio, video, lighting, and smart home technology are headed next—and CEDIA 2026 delivered plenty to talk about. From massive OLED video walls and paper-thin TVs to architectural speakers, intelligent lighting, powerful subs etc., and smarter home control, we loved the products and technologies that will shape our projects in the months and years ahead.
There was also a special moment as legendary designer and engineer Peter Lyngdorf received a CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his decades of innovation in high-performance audio. Here are some of our favorite CEDIA discoveries:
Sony
Sony's BRAVIA 7 and BRAVIA 9 TVs received a stylish upgrade courtesy of Leon Speakers' Studio Frame for Sony. The system transforms compatible Sony BRAVIA displays into a more design-friendly part of the room, with four available finishes and access to more than 150 works of art. The mounting solution is great for custom installations, allowing us to incorporate the Studio Frame into projects where both aesthetics and performance matter.
Sonance
Sonance combined performance with design, including Sonance PowerPipe subwoofer technology, which earned a Best Subs award. We loved the James by Sonance Natural Collection, a series of customizable wooden on-wall speakers designed to complement the room rather than compete with it. Finish and design options allow the speakers to become part of the architecture while still delivering the performance you love.
Just Video Walls
Absolute Black: OLED at Video-Wall Scale! One of the (literally) biggest visual standouts was at Just Video Walls. Its Absolute Black display brings the deep blacks and extraordinary contrast associated with OLED to a massive video-wall format, which looked spectacular. For those dreaming of something much larger than conventional TV, this category is getting very interesting.
Theory Audio Design
Paul Hales and the Theory Audio Design team debuted their high-output SR 221.3 pro audio reinforcement speaker. It is said to be capable of an amazing 140 dB max output, and sounded great in Theory’s demo space. Our video quickly took off online, with nearly a million views across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Theory also introduced their new P9 Pendant, expanding the company's options for projects where architectural flexibility is just as important as serious performance.
AudioQuest
AudioQuest showed their the DragonFly Copper, continuing to set the standard for portable DAC and headphone amplification. On the power side, PowerQuest 202 packs eight outlets into a compact 1U chassis. One outlet is optimized for amps and other high-power products. Another is reversed to accommodate wall-wart power supplies without blocking neighboring connections. AudioQuest also expanded its high-performance cable offerings with additions to its Mythical Creatures lineup.
DMF Lighting
DMF Lighting's Lani Godfrey walked us through a variety of clever lighting solutions that showed how architectural lighting continues to evolve. Today's systems give designers and homeowners far greater control over how a room looks and feels, as natural light changes through your day. Thoughtful design, quality of light, and intelligent control are truly merging.
Coastal Source
Coastal Source introduced its new VIA Collection, an integrated indoor/outdoor lighting platform developed in conjunction with Lutron. The system offers tunable white light and precise dimming, for greater control over outdoor environments while allowing lighting to become part of a larger whole-home control strategy. Coastal Source also showed its new EVO 360 Plus modules for pathway applications.
Totem Acoustic
Totem Acoustic showcased products from both Totem and its KIN lifestyle brand, reinforcing Totem's approach to how high-quality audio can incorporate into everyday living spaces.
LG
LG's 83EW6 Wallpaper OLED TV looked stunning. The 83-inch OLED measures less than four-tenths of an inch thick, almost disappearing into the wall. A separate control box for your sources wirelessly transmits signals, so the display remains remarkably slim. The picture looked fantastic. LG Wallpaper is one of the most dramatic television designs we've ever seen.
SVS Sound
SVS showed a new Auto-EQ feature for its R|Evolution Series subwoofers, so it’s easier for you to get great bass. SVS also upgraded its wireless connectivity with the SoundPath Multi-Band Wireless Audio Adapter. This makes it easier to put a sub in your preferred location, without running a long cable. Excellent!
Nakymatone
Great sound, invisibly: Eric at Nakymatone showed us their invisible architectural audio. Invisible speakers remain popular for projects where clients and designers want great sound…but do not want visible speaker grilles. Nakymatone offers great sound, and when they are not playing, you have no idea they are there.
IC Realtime
IC Realtime makes navigating security video easy. The new Bunker helps homeowners quickly access specific security footage – in minutes, not hours. We love when smarter search tools make sophisticated technology easy for you to actually use.
Advance Paris and PMC
Advance Paris and PMC showed a fine demo room, but one product truly grabbed consumer’s attention. We captured video of a gigantic 60-inch Deus Audio subwoofer, and the response stunned us. Our reel has generated a combined 1.2 million views across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and is growing still.
Pro Luxe Lighting
The Pro Luxe Lighting team delivered an impressive presentation. As architectural lighting is an increasingly important part of luxury technology and design projects, products skillfully combining performance with aesthetics are more valuable than ever.
Josh.ai
Josh.ai demonstrated ProStudio, which helps us design and implement sophisticated automation systems – which can be delivered more efficiently, while staying intuitive and easy to use.
Focal
Focal had one of CEDIA’s true statement products: the Diva Alta Utopia, an amazing package of high-end loudspeaker engineering and active, connected streaming audio technology. Focal also showed Mu-so Hekla, an immersive all-in-one lifestyle audio system offering an interesting take on the future direction of premium audio: serious performance from one simple chassis.
Wisdom Audio
Wisdom Audio's iCS3FR Series demonstrates great sound from small-aperture architectural speakers. They deliver a specified 40Hz–20kHz frequency response (±3dB) from remarkably small ceiling openings, for room-filling sound without calling attention to the speaker itself. If you add a Wisdom subwoofer in a larger room, the system can deliver serious impact – but discreetly.
madVR
madVR’s cool new madAssist is a patent-pending AI Product Expert platform, supporting users, dealers, and integrators with madVR video processors. It can assist with everyday questions, advanced setup guidance, walkthroughs, and troubleshooting, making both setup and ownership much easier. Bravo, madVR!
Crestron
A Crestron Home demo showed us what whole-home control should accomplish: making tech easier to use. Imagine watching several sports games while being also being able to quickly pull up your home's security cameras, effortlessly. We’re impressed.
Bluesound
Bluesound has added Dirac Live as an upgrade option to nearly all their products. Dirac Live room correction can help minimize your room’s degradation of your sound, improving performance without requiring an amplifier upgrade. We were also impressed with their powerful new Pulse Sub.
CEDIA 2026’s overall theme: high performance, with beautiful design and usability. Televisions getting thinner and better, speakers disappearing into walls and ceilings, and lighting becomes more intelligent. We captured video throughout the show, so stay tuned for more product highlights, and closer looks at some of our favorite technology from CEDIA Expo 2026, and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.