© ROOT-NATION.com - Use of content is permitted with a backlink.
I’ve reviewed a lot – a lot – of audio products, and I usually try to stay optimistic and find something good in each of them. I like innovation, I appreciate original ideas, and today’s device seems to promise exactly that – and then some. It offers an unusual form factor, a seemingly fresh concept, and, overall, a unique take on the kind of speakers we’re used to seeing in reviews. And yet, I can’t remember the last time I felt this little enthusiasm going in.
The Monar Canvas is a speaker for people who aren’t that into music – and an art piece for people who don’t particularly value art. I understand the idea of adding a screen to a speaker – rumors about Apple doing something similar have been floating around for a while. But here we’re talking about a $1299 display the size of a monitor, designed to hang on a wall and act almost like a Frame TV, showing artwork and even generating its own. And on top of that, we’re promised great sound. Sounds interesting? Definitely. But how does it actually hold up?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Design
Credit where it’s due: the Monar Canvas looks nice. It’s a large, heavy device meant to hang on a wall, and it looks clean and well put together there. It doesn’t feel like the design was an afterthought – small touches like the mini vinyl-style control on the side for adjusting volume add a bit of personality. It’s a fresh idea.
It’s also nice that you can change the look of the frame with interchangeable mats. Thanks to that, the speaker can fit into a modern living room just as easily as a bedroom or an entertainment space.
There’s really nothing to criticize here – it’s an attractive, eye-catching device that doesn’t look like anything else.
Read also: CoolGeek M1 review: Your music, framed
Sound
Naturally, the manufacturer promises powerful, impressive sound. And on paper, that seems believable: even though the speaker is flat, it’s not exactly thin, and there’s enough space inside for proper stereo drivers and two subwoofers. But this is where the design starts to work against it. Yes, it’s a speaker – but first and foremost, it’s a screen with built-in audio. And anyone who’s used a monitor with built-in speakers knows that’s rarely ideal for music.
The issue is directionality – the sound is pushed to the sides or even backwards. That’s fine for low frequencies, but the stereo drivers on the sides are disappointing. Size isn’t the problem – I’ve reviewed the Teenage Engineering OB-4, which sounded fantastic despite its form. It was a bit thicker, sure, but more importantly, its speakers were aimed at the listener, not away from them.
The sound here isn’t bad, but it’s about what you’d expect from a display. Speakers that cost half as much (and are far simpler) will sound louder, clearer, and fuller in the low end. There’s just no energy – nothing that makes you want to use the Monar Canvas as your main audio source. That said, I should mention that I’m probably more demanding about sound than most. If you mostly listen to podcasts, or if style matters more to you than audio quality, this might still work for you.
Display
The Monar Canvas uses a matte HD display with a paper-like texture and anti-glare coating, giving it the look and feel of a printed poster. The inner screen is about 19 inches, set within a larger 32-inch “canvas.” Resolution comes out to around 86 PPI with support for 16.7 million colors – fine for illustrations, though not especially impressive. It has a 4:5 aspect ratio, wide viewing angles (around 178 degrees), and runs at 60 Hz.
Despite the modest specs, it works well for static images. The built-in gallery includes thousands of artworks, turning the speaker into a sort of digital canvas that looks quite nice thanks to the matte finish and viewing angles.
Motion content is less convincing, though it’s not really the point. You won’t be watching movies on this, but for its intended use, the display is sufficient.
So what does it actually do? One of the main features is real-time song lyrics. Through a smartphone app, you can customize how lyrics are displayed, and yes – it works. Whether it’s visually appealing or something you’d use often is another question. It’s a fun idea, but it’s hard to imagine it holding your attention for more than a few minutes.
But that’s not even the main selling point. The real focus here is AI.
AI
While the AI boom is still in full swing, startups keep looking for ways to turn it into something people will pay for. Monar decided that one of the most debatable uses of AI – image generation – could help sell… a music speaker. It’s a bold idea, but it also gives the impression that someone behind it might not fully understand how people actually listen to music. The key word here is “listen” – yet most of the marketing is about what you’ll see.
So what does the AI integration actually do? While a track is playing, the system periodically generates images that are loosely (very loosely) tied to the lyrics. You can choose different styles, but the results are consistently underwhelming.
It’s hard to imagine anyone sitting down and seriously watching this. Art and AI don’t quite come together here, and this ends up feeling like one of the least compelling attempts to combine them.
It’s also worth noting that image generation isn’t unlimited – there’s a cap on free usage, and going beyond that requires a subscription.
Verdict
I’ve always supported bold ideas and experimentation. But the Monar Canvas doesn’t quite land. It’s an expensive speaker that sounds like a cheaper one, paired with a decent – but ultimately limited – display that mostly acts like a high-end digital picture frame.
Is it worth the money? Not really – unless you believe music belongs on the wall.