Canton Smart Soundbar 10 black lacquer

Canton’s first Dolby Atmos soundbar from the German manufacturer, the Smart Soundbar 10 brings the brand’s acoustic expertise to a compact 99 cm format. Beyond three-dimensional sound, it stands out thanks to its integration into Canton’s Smart ecosystem: up to seven additional speakers can be connected wirelessly to create a full home cinema system, from simply adding a subwoofer to a 7.1.2 configuration.

Eight drivers in an MDF cabinet with tempered glass

The Smart Soundbar 10 measures 99 × 7 × 10 cm and weighs 5.24 kg. Its high-density MDF cabinet is topped with a tempered glass panel that houses the touch controls on the top. This finish, available in black or silver lacquer, tends to attract fingerprints but gives the whole unit a refined look. The fine-perforated metal grille hides eight drivers laid out in a three-way configuration.

Two 19 mm textile dome tweeters sit at the ends, flanked by two 50 mm aluminium midrange drivers. In the centre, four 79 mm aluminium drivers handle the bass and, for two of them, the Atmos channels directed towards the ceiling. These work on the reflection principle: the sound is projected upwards, bounces off the ceiling, and comes back down towards the listener. The effectiveness of this process depends on the height and nature of the ceiling (a low, flat, reflective ceiling yields the best results). Passive radiators complement the bass-reflex system and allow the bar to reach 40 Hz without an external subwoofer, which is respectable for a device of this size.

The Class D amplification delivers 300 W distributed over 7 channels. Canton has opted for a fully active architecture, with each section of the spectrum having its own amplification stage.

An unusual setup menu for a soundbar

The on-screen display (OSD) differs from what most competitors offer. You access it via the supplied remote control to set the listening distance, ceiling height, bar position, then the level of each virtual channel, just as you would on a traditional AV receiver.

Canton includes test tones to manually calibrate the volume of each channel using an SPL meter or a measurement app. This feature, common on AV receivers but rare on soundbars, allows you to precisely balance levels according to the room’s acoustics.

Three EQ presets adapt the response curve to the installation: bar placed on furniture, wall-mounted, or wall-mounted with furniture underneath. You can also save three custom sound configurations accessible directly from the remote.

The Voice Clarity function improves dialogue intelligibility—an important point on this bar, which does not have a dedicated centre channel. Lip-sync adjustment and dynamic range control for night-time listening round out the options.

Dolby Atmos and supported audio formats

The Smart Soundbar 10 decodes Dolby Atmos via HDMI, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS Digital Surround and DTS-HD. Dolby Surround processing can virtualise a multichannel effect from traditional stereo or 5.1 sources.

With native Atmos content, the upward-firing speakers create a noticeable sense of height, especially when effects are explicitly mixed to exploit this dimension. With standard DTS or Dolby Digital soundtracks, the up-firing drivers remain active but spatial precision decreases compared to Atmos. The soundstage becomes more compact and front-focused. This behaviour is common to soundbars of this type, but worth mentioning: buying an Atmos bar assumes you have access to compatible content to fully unlock its potential.

Connectivity and streaming

The rear panel groups four HDMI 2.0b ports: three inputs and one ARC-compatible output. All support 4K, HDR10, HDCP 2.2 and 3D. Dolby Vision passes through without issue; HDR10+ is not supported. Connecting your sources (Blu-ray player, console, TV box) directly to the bar instead of the TV simplifies cabling and avoids ARC limitations on some televisions.

An optical input, a coaxial input and an RCA stereo input let you connect older sources. An RCA subwoofer output allows you to add a wired subwoofer from any brand.

On the wireless side, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) provides access to Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP, AVRCP) offers an alternative for playback from a smartphone. Hi-res audio is supported up to 24-bit / 96 kHz over Wi-Fi and 24-bit / 192 kHz via HDMI.

The bar does not contain a microphone. Voice control remains possible via an external device compatible with Google Assistant or Siri, or via the Google Home app on a smartphone.

A scalable system thanks to the Smart ecosystem

The Smart Soundbar 10 can operate on its own, but Canton designed it as the central element of a modular system. You can pair it wirelessly with the Smart Sub 8 subwoofer to boost the low end, a pair of Smart Soundbox 3 speakers as rear surrounds, or both. The maximum configuration reaches 7.1.2 with Smart Vento floorstanding speakers for the front channels.

Pairing is done from the OSD menu. Each added element appears in the settings and can be individually calibrated. This wireless operation avoids running speaker cables across the room, a practical argument for those who don’t want to do wiring work but wish to go beyond the limitations of a standalone soundbar.

In multiroom mode, the Smart Soundbar 10 can stream music to other Canton Smart speakers located in different rooms, or receive an audio stream from another source on the network.

Technical specifications

General information

• Home cinema soundbar compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD

Power and amplification

• Total system power: 300 W
• High-efficiency Class D digital amplification
• Multichannel configuration: 7 integrated audio channels

Acoustic configuration

• 3-way bass-reflex design with passive radiators
• Speakers:
  • 2 textile dome tweeters, 19 mm
  • 2 aluminium midrange drivers, 50 mm
  • 4 aluminium woofers, 79 mm

Audio processing and optimization

• Frequency response: 40 Hz – 23000 Hz
• Surround virtualization with Dolby® Surround
• Equalizer with acoustic correction
• Bass, midrange, and treble adjustment
• Advanced bass management
• Dialogue clarity enhancement
• LipSync
• Individual adjustment of compatible wireless speakers

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.0b ports compatible with 4K, HDR10, HDCP 2.2, CEC
  • Dolby Atmos compatible via HDMI
• Digital optical input
• Digital coaxial input
• Stereo analog input
• RJ45 Ethernet port
• Bluetooth® 4.1: A2DP, AVRCP
• USB port (service)

Video compatibility

• Resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD
• Supported formats: HDR10, Deep Colour, xvYCC, 3D

Streaming and multiroom

• Chromecast built-in
• Apple AirPlay 2
• Spotify Connect
• UPnP compatible
• Dual-band Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac)
• Canton Smart multiroom integration
• Connection possible for up to 7 wireless speakers

Supported audio formats

• MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, OGG, WAV, FLAC

Functions and operation

• Direct controls on the soundbar
• Smart Remote remote control included
• Simple setup via on-screen display (OSD)
• Auto On / Off function
• IR Learning function for control via TV remote
• Wireless pairing of compatible speakers
• Input selection and renaming
• Customizable audio presets

Construction and design

• Rigid enclosure made of high-density MDF
• Premium finish in line with Canton standards
• Surface with lacquered finish and high-quality coating
• Design optimized for a wide, immersive sound reproduction

Dimensions and weight

• Dimensions (W × H × D): 99 × 7 × 10 cm
• Weight: 5.24 kg