Audio Advice Live has grown from an ambitious regional gathering into one of the most important consumer audio and home theater events in North America, and its rise mirrors the rapid expansion of the retailer behind it. Audio Advice now extends well beyond its Carolina roots, with new locations in St. Louis, Miami, and Las Vegas as the company pushes into major new markets. Playback Distribution is matching that ambition in Raleigh by taking over three rooms and showcasing the expanding breadth of its high-end audio, networking, furniture, subwoofer, acoustic treatment, and television audio brands.
Vienna Acoustics Grand Sonata Makes Its North American Debut
The first room alone brings together Advance Paris, Quadraspire, Silent Angel, Velodyne Acoustics, Vienna Acoustics, and Vicoustic around the North American debut of a new loudspeaker arriving directly from the High End show in Vienna.
The centerpiece is the Vienna Acoustics Schubert Edition Grand Sonata floorstanding loudspeaker, priced at $5,495 per pair, driven by the new $7,999 Advance Paris Nova A-i190 integrated amplifier and supported by dual Velodyne Acoustics MiniVee X subwoofers. Having recently reviewed the Advance Paris A10 Classic, I am especially interested to hear how the considerably more ambitious Nova performs in a carefully treated room.
Playback Distribution also represents TEAC, and eCoustics has four TEAC reviews scheduled for publication this month, making its three-room presence one of the more relevant distributor showcases for our readers at Audio Advice Live 2026.
PMC Prophecy 7 Meets the Advance Paris A12 APEX
Playback Distribution’s second Audio Advice Live 2026 room brings together Advance Paris, Esprit, Quadraspire, MJ Acoustics, PMC, Silent Angel, TEAC, and Vicoustic in a system that covers streaming, CD playback, vinyl, amplification, loudspeakers, isolation, cabling, and room treatment. Rather than relying on one attention-grabbing component, the room is designed to demonstrate how the distributor’s growing collection of brands can function as a complete and carefully matched audio system.
The $9,499-per-pair PMC Prophecy 7 floorstanding loudspeakers are driven by the new $4,999 Advance Paris A12 APEX integrated amplifier, with the $1,399 ACD APEX CD player and $999 Silent Angel Munich M1 streamer handling digital playback. Vinyl playback comes from the turquoise-blue TEAC TN-400BTX turntable which Ryan Waniata is currently testing.
CANVAS HiFi Wants to Make the Soundbar Disappear
Playback Distribution’s third Audio Advice Live 2026 room introduces its newest partner, CANVAS HiFi, with a live demonstration aimed at listeners who want better television sound without turning the living room into an equipment showroom. The Danish company combines high-fidelity audio with Scandinavian industrial design, creating a more elegant alternative to conventional soundbars, separate loudspeakers, and the usual pile of black boxes beneath the television.
Room 1618 will feature a 65-inch Samsung Frame television paired with a CANVAS HiFi system, alongside the original 55-inch CANVAS model. eCoustics has covered CANVAS HiFi extensively since its arrival, following the company’s effort to combine immersive television sound with furniture-grade design, and this will be our first opportunity to experience the system as part of Playback Distribution’s new North American partnership.
Final pricing is still being determined, but Audio Advice Live attendees will be able to hear both solutions and decide whether CANVAS can deliver on its promise of making premium television audio considerably easier on the eyes.
The Bottom Line
Playback Distribution’s three rooms are unique because they showcase complete systems rather than one lonely statement product sitting under enough lighting to interrogate a suspect. Vinyl, CD, streaming, amplification, loudspeakers, subwoofers, networking, furniture, acoustics, and television sound are all represented, including a North American debut and Playback’s new CANVAS HiFi partnership.
Audio Advice Live matters because attendees can hear how these products perform together in properly assembled rooms, which is considerably more useful than staring at specifications and nodding politely like everyone at a Southern family reunion.
Related Reading:
- Best In Show At Audio Advice Live 2025: Audio, Video And Home Theater
- Audio Advice Buys Miami’s Sound Components In Major South Florida Expansion
- CANVAS HiFi Names Playback Distribution Its Exclusive U.S. Distributor
- Fidelity Imports And Playback Distribution Head To The Great White North With True North Distribution Launch In Canada
- Velodyne Acoustics And Playback Distribution Debut New U.S. Distribution Partnership And SPL-X Series Subwoofers At CEDIA 2025
