Built-In, Custom-Fit Soundbars Are the Next Big Home Audio Trend – Here’s Why Experts Are Divided
At ISE Barcelona, I'm seeing first-hand how wonderfully bespoke tech blends into the home, but is it future-proof?
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The latest cut-to-size soundbar from TruAudio is, on paper, an interior designer’s dream. Matched precisely to a TV screen's width, it represents a growing trend in home tech where devices are part of the space itself.
This week, I've seen this theme sweeping across the massive ISE exhibition space in Barcelona, the world’s leading AV and systems integration trade show, where global tech brands showcase the future of smart spaces.
From speakers embedded in ceilings to custom-fitted systems, technology is increasingly being treated like bespoke furniture. It can be measured, specified, and installed with the same care as a fitted kitchen, tailored to a homeowner’s taste and lifestyle.
Why Bespoke Home Tech Is Suddenly Everywhere
TruAudio's SB-ADAPT soundbar is custom-fitted to TV screen sizes.
Today, homeowners want sound systems that vanish into plasterwork, lighting that responds automatically, and screens that sit flush with cabinetry. Brands and installers have responded by offering highly customized solutions that promise invisible performance.
Technology, traditionally, has been the outlier. Although brands have designed gorgeous-looking devices, from the Sonos Arc Ultra to the Roomba 705 Max Combo, we are still left with cables, blinking lights, and an overall aesthetic that doesn't match the meticulously crafted interiors we dedicate our time to perfecting.
The rise of bespoke and built-in tech is, in many ways, a direct response and solution to this problem, as I've seen at ISE Barcelona this week.
The TruAudio bespoke soundbar, for example, is part of this rising trend. Rather than forcing a homeowner to design around a fixed product, the product is cut-to-size to adapt to its surroundings, fitting any TV screen between 53 and 90 inches.
Elsewhere at the exhibition, brands from Samsung to DALI are showcasing their own offerings of bespoke tech, notably the CANVAS HiFi Frame, a TV screen with a soundbar built into a luxurious paneled frame beneath, that's precisely the same size, with 12 designs to choose from (pictured below).
It's said to achieve 'HiFi-level' sound without a HiFi system, while marrying to your home's interior in a beautifully unique fashion.
And the concept tracks. Interior design has shifted dramatically over the past decade, with homeowners now investing more time and money into creating cohesive, considered spaces where nothing feels accidental and anything that can be hidden is.
The Case for Cut-to-Size and Built-In Home Tech
There's no denying the appeal of bespoke tech that can be cut-to-size. After spending months planning layouts and color schemes, the last thing that homeowners want is a bulky speaker system dominating the room. A custom-fitted soundbar preserves the design intent.
It also gives homeowners more autonomy. Instead of choosing from a handful of standardized designs – the Bose Smart Ultra is available in just black and white, for example, and only in one size – people can decide how their technology looks, its size, and how it integrates into daily life. That level of control mirrors the tailored approach to kitchens, wardrobes, and furniture that many homeowners take.
Bespoke tech reinforces that your home is a long-term project. Just as people invest in custom cabinetry, integrated tech feels like a permanent upgrade that's aligned with your taste and lifestyle.
When done well, the results can be stunning. Rooms feel calmer, and entertainment systems feel luxurious. You're experiencing the technology without it disrupting your style.
The Problem: Technology Ages Fast
A list of the TruAudio SB-ADAPT soundbar's specs, all of which could be improved in the next few years.
Unlike furniture, technology has a short lifespan. Not to say that the products will become useless in a few years, but it's a space that is consistently being upgraded, whether through software updates or developments in hardware.
Every time I've excitedly purchased a speaker or headphones, I find that within four years or so, they start to sound worse, and when compared to newer releases, can actually sound outdated. Every spec listed for the TruAudio SB-ADAPT (pictured above) will continually be upgraded in newer models.
Jennifer Ebert, Editor of Homes & Gardens Digital, explains the hitch with bespoke, built-in tech well. She says, 'There’s something undeniably beautiful about technology that is seamlessly woven into the fabric of a home – a sleek speaker hidden in a wall, lights and sound systems that respond without a thought.
'Yet, for all its elegance, one must tread carefully: Technology, unlike the timeless charm of a well-chosen chair, ages swiftly. What feels cutting-edge today can feel dated tomorrow, and once built in, it is rarely as easily replaced. Style may last generations, but tech, not so much.’
That potential obsolescence is where my hesitation stems from. If you upgrade your TV and the dimensions change, your bespoke soundbar may no longer fit. Suddenly, that carefully specified system feels like a compromise.
Worse, it can trigger an emotional sense of loss – the feeling that your beautiful setup is no longer complete, and will need action to rectify. What was already an initial purchase is now even pricier.
In more extreme cases, such as in-wall speakers pictured below, replacement becomes a construction project. Professionals may need to cut into plaster and reroute wiring, escalating the financial and environmental impact.
DALI's speakers that blend into your wall can add luxurious functionality to your home's sound system, but need professional intervention when installed or replaced.
Modular Still Wins
Modular sound systems are easier to install, replace, and sell to second-hand buyers.
Most mainstream soundbars and sound systems are modular by design, and in my view, this is a more future-proof way of building an entertainment setup.
For example, the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is the foundation, and can be upgraded with the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer and the Sonos Era 100 speakers when you're ready to create a more dedicated system.
This approach reduces waste. When you upgrade, these speakers can be sold to second-hand buyers, without having to try to find somebody with the right taste, dimensions, or wall fittings to make use of your cut-to-size or bespoke tech.
And honestly? Audio tech is a beautiful feat of engineering, with its muted colors, matte grills, fabric speakers, and large dome tweeters. Why not show it off?
Next, learn how to highlight a soundbar in your living room to make it stand out, or see which gadgets take the top spot after rigorously testing the best vacuums and the best non-toxic air fryers.
