Every year, CEDIA likes to recognize individuals who have helped shape both the organization and the wider professional smart home industry through its Lifetime Achievement Award and Fellows program. For 2026, CEDIA is celebrating three of its members for careers defined by innovation, leadership, and long-standing service.
Peter Lyngdorf has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award (LTA), and Dave Tkachuk and Gordon van Zuiden have been named this year’s Fellows.
CEDIA 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award
In writing on Lyngdorf’s Accomplishments, here’s what CEDIA had to say:
“As a prominent Danish entrepreneur and audiophile, Peter Lyngdorf has left an indelible mark on the world of sound and remains committed to exploring new frontiers in audio technology.
“He is an innovator in high-performance audio who has consistently reshaped expectations of what is possible in residential sound reproduction. From founding HiFi Klubben, the successful retail chain now spanning more than 100 stores, to establishing influential product brands including Steinway Lyngdorf, Lyngdorf Audio, and DALI, and co-founding Purifi, his work has helped drive some of the most significant advances in loudspeaker, amplifier, and room-correction technology.
“Among the most notable is Equibit technology, which transforms the PCM audio data on a CD or any other digital source into the PWM signal of a switching power amplifier and drives the loudspeakers directly – a milestone in high-end audio as the world’s first truly digital amplifier. The breakthrough originated with Lars Risbo, whose idea Lyngdorf brought to life by funding and helping develop the technology. Lyngdorf applied the same conviction to room correction, leading the development of RoomPerfect™ alongside its chief architect and creator, Jan Abildgaard Pedersen – the world’s first 3D room-mapping technology and one of the largest patent filings in audio history, with over 50 claims for new technology. That enduring interest in amplification later carried into Purifi, which he co-founded to pursue its patented near-zero-distortion amplifier technology and transducers.
“Lyngdorf’s influence extends beyond engineering breakthroughs. Through strategic partnerships, including the creation of Steinway Lyngdorf in collaboration with Steinway & Sons, he helped elevate residential audio and home cinema into the luxury market, demonstrating how cutting-edge technology and craftsmanship can work together to create world-class experiences.”
CEDIA 2026 Fellows
In naming its Fellows for 2026, CEDIA had this to say about Dave Tkachuk and Gordon van Zuiden:
“Dave Tkachuk’s life and career have always centered on technology, engineering, and music. Since 1981, Tkachuk has been deeply involved in the design and engineering of residential and commercial AV technology systems. He spent twenty years as president of Tkachuk Associates and later held senior design and engineering roles with several AV integration firms. Tkachuk is also the founder of Symbol Logic.
“Drawing on decades of experience as an installer, designer, engineer, consultant, instructor, and product developer, Tkachuk has worked to improve the way AV projects are planned, documented, and delivered. He has instructed installers, written articles, taught courses and workshops, and contributed to industry education and standards. He served as co-chairman of the CTA/CEDIA Systems Documentation Work Group for the development of the AV Architectural Drawing Symbols Standard, ANSI J-STD-710, and has worked with CEDIA committees on technology and certification. He was named CEDIA’s 2011 Volunteer of the Year.
“Gordon van Zuiden was the Founder and President of cyberManor, one of the nation’s first custom electronic integrators to focus on IP network-based technologies for the home.
“van Zuiden was the past Chairman of the CEDIA Technology Council and served on CEDIA’s Board of Directors for six years. He developed the certified CEDIA ESD course on Digital Home Electronic Solutions and has consulted on the development of COMPTIA’s HTI+ Network Certification program. For over 20 years, he has been a monthly columnist on home networking topics for Residential Systems. van Zuiden has taught courses or been a panelist on digital home entertainment and networking solutions at national trade shows, including CES, CEDIA Expo, EHExpo, CE Pro Summit, NKBA|KBIS, IEEE, and internationally in digital home expos in Russia, the Netherlands, and Mexico over the last decade. He has also been a consultant to industry manufacturers and integrators across the United States, teaching full-day seminars on the applications and benefits of networked home technologies.”
What the Recipients Had to Say
“Throughout my career, I have believed that technology should always serve the listener,” said Lyngdorf. “Every innovation has been driven by one simple goal: helping people experience music and film as naturally and authentically as possible in their own homes. When we introduced our first multichannel systems in North America, we knew the CEDIA community was the right partner because exceptional products only reach their full potential in the hands of exceptional integrators. To receive this recognition from the professionals who have brought our innovations to life for so many homeowners is truly one of the great honors of my career. I see this recognition not as the end of a journey, but as encouragement to keep asking what is possible.”
“Becoming a CEDIA Fellow is an extraordinary honor, and I am both thankful and humbled by this recognition,” said Tkachuk. “For the past 25 years, I have had the privilege of working alongside many outstanding, hardworking, and dedicated professionals who share a commitment to excellence, education, and providing the tools our integration industry needs to positively impact the lives of families around the world.”
“I am honored and humbled to receive the 2026 CEDIA Fellow Award,” said van Zuiden. “Throughout my career in home integration, CEDIA’s volunteers and staff have been more than colleagues — they have been my extended professional family. When I look at the remarkable individuals who have been named CEDIA Fellows over the years, I am deeply grateful and proud to have my name added to that distinguished list.”
All three honorees will be recognized at the CEDIA Smart Home Awards global ceremonies.
