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The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus was introduced at IFA 2022 and is the extra reasonably priced follow-up to the AMBEO Soundbar, which launched in 2019.

It is a smaller, extra reasonably priced soundbar that claims to be the world’s first standalone 7.1.4 soundbar.

Not like when the Sennheiser AMBEO launched, nevertheless, there are a number of premium-priced soundbars on the market at this time. Sennheiser is right in its claims that that is the world’s first standalone 7.1.4 soundbar. However you do have some nice different choices, together with a Samsung 11.1.4 channel soundbar system or a standalone 7.1.2 Sony HT-A7000 soundbar.

Specification

Specification	AMBEO Plus sound bar	AMBEO Max sound bar
Amplifier	9x class-D amplifiers	13 class D amplifiers
full sound energy	400 W (rms worth)	500W (peak)
Whole variety of audio system	9	13
audio processing	Quad-core 1.8GhZ SOC	Twin Core 1.2 GhZ ARM Cortex A7, 2x Twin Core 500 MHz SHARC DSP
woofers	2x 4″ cellulose cone driver	6x 4″ cellulose sandwich cones
full vary	7x 2″ aluminum cone full-range driver	2x 3.5″ Prime Dealing with Full Vary
tweeters	N/A	6x 4″ cellulose sandwich cones
ports	1x HDMI eARC (HDMI 2.1) 2xHDMI 2.0a 1x S/PDIF, pattern charges: as much as 192 kHz 1x stereo RCA plugs 1x USB connector (sort A), for powering equipment (exterior units): 5 V, 1 A;	eARC (HDMI 2.1) 1x S/PDIF, pattern charges: as much as 192kHz 1x stereo RCA plugs
subwoofer	1x Mono RCA, max. 2 volts	1x Mono RCA, max. 2 volts
Microphone	4x built-in high-precision far-field microphones	1 2.5 mm jack plug, mono
WiFi/Ethernet	IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2×2 MIMO 1 RJ-45 Ethernet connector	IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO 1 RJ-45 socket, 100/10 MBit
bluetooth	5.0 Traditional/BLE	4.2, class 1, BR/EDR, BLE
Dimensions	approx. 105.1 x 7.7 x 12.1 cm – with legs approx. 105.1 x 7.5 x 12.1 cm – with out ft	approx. 126.5 x 13.5 x 17.1 cm incl. ft approx. 126.5 x 12.5 x 17.1 cm with out ft
Weight	approx. 6.3kg	approx. 18.5kg
Worth	£1,299.00	RRP: £2,199.00 £1,799.00

Design

My preliminary take a look at was in my entrance front room, the place I’ve an previous Bose SoundTouch 300 soundbar. That was already a decent-sized soundbar, however it dwarfed it and launched some difficulties with placement.

I’ve an LG C1 OLED and the bottom provides no top, so the display screen sits nearly flush with my cupboard, and the cupboard solely has a small cavity within the heart for AV gear. The Bose was quick sufficient to work in entrance of the TV, however the Sennheiser is simply too massive, blocking a part of the display screen.

It is significantly shorter than the unique AMBEO, so so long as you could have some area underneath your TV, it needs to be high quality, however it’s one thing to contemplate when shopping for. For testing, I had to make use of a bench in entrance of the cupboard.

This has a wide selection of entrees, however they might have achieved higher. you could have the necessities HDMI eARC port, which permits the sound bar to obtain the very best high quality audio codecs from the TV. Then you definately get two extra HDMI 2.0a ports. This, sadly, signifies that you will need to join a console just like the PS5 on TV and use eARC as a result of HDMI will not assist 4K 120Hz gaming, Variable Refresh Fee (VRR) or 8K.

It additionally has a USB socket that’s devoted for energy and can be utilized to energy one thing just like the Amazon Fireplace TV 4K Max.

Then you could have line and optical enter for another gear you’ll have.

There’s an ethernet port, however they do not say how briskly it’s. The unique AMBEO makes use of 100/10 Mbit. Curiously, WiFi is quicker with WiFi 6. With simply this dealing with of audio, I doubt community connectivity speeds are a significant challenge.

Lastly, the soundbar may be linked wirelessly to the Ambeo Sub. Curiously, you’ll be able to join as much as 4 subwoofers. You possibly can additionally join this by way of RCA to a traditional powered subwoofer, which might be a lot less expensive. Only for enjoyable, I did some testing with the 50kg 500W 12″ Monolith V2.

I discover it a bit unusual you can add 4 wi-fi subwoofers, however there are not any rear speaker choices. I can not assist however assume that this is likely to be one thing that can change sooner or later, and you’ll add a mixture of 4 wi-fi audio system. Nevertheless, that is full hypothesis on my half.

Setting

Like most sensible units today, all setup was achieved by way of an app. This makes use of Sennheiser’s Sensible Management, which can be the identical app they use for Sennheiser Headphones. I like having every thing in a single app, so this was a pleasant shock for me.

Setup was easy; It instantly acknowledged the soundbar after which went via the step-by-step setup process.

For 3D audio to work correctly, you have to to calibrate the speaker for the room. Not like different audio system and sound bars, there isn’t a extra accent for this; It has 4 built-in high-precision far-field microphones.

Software Settings

There’s not a lot to do within the app, however it does have some helpful settings.

You possibly can set the middle channel in addition to add a subwoofer. It additionally has varied settings for the enter, together with issues like lip sync and CEC management.

On the principle web page, you could have voice enhancement and totally different sound mounds to select from. The AMBEO change is the principle factor you would possibly need to activate or off. This makes an attempt to create 3D audio from non-surround sound content material.

Streaming connectivity is ok and does every thing I personally need. It does not fairly measure as much as the in depth choices you get from Sonos, although. This works with Alexa and the Google Assistant. Then you could have Chromecast, AirPlay, Spotify Join, and Tiday Join.

teething issues

I had a few irritating points with this sound bar. I believe these will probably be simply mounted sooner or later.

Utilizing the OLED LG C1 and eArc, with the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max linked to the TV, the appliance exhibits the PCM solely as 2 channels. This downside has been and appears to have an effect on fairly a number of customers. It’s attainable that that is only a glitch within the app itself. I mounted the answer by connecting the Amazon Fireplace TV on to the soundbar and every thing labored completely.

I used to be additionally unable to program the Fireplace TV to regulate the soundbar. I believe that is partly as a result of it is a new soundbar, and hopefully it is a problem that will get mounted within the close to future.

Sound high quality

One of many causes I am not too keen on soundbars for my private use is the dearth of bass. The soundbars’ flat profile means there is not sufficient room for a decent-sized woofer that may produce sufficient bass energy.

This is not going to compete with a system with a devoted subwoofer, however it’s definitely greater than competent for the overwhelming majority of issues I see. Throughout my time with it, I might say that I solely felt like I wished a subwoofer after I was watching an enormous motion film like Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally. The bass was good, however I simply wished extra so I might really feel extra immersed within the motion.

I paired it with my Monolith V2 subwoofer, and this clearly improved issues significantly, however I do not assume anybody who needs a soundbar would purchase a sub that massive.

So far as {surround} sound goes, this does a surprisingly good job. I’ve at all times been a bit skeptical of those units that declare to have {surround} sound with out bodily having {surround} sound audio system. It is not so good as my devoted 5.1.2 system, however it’s a lot better than a daily soundbar or 2.1/2.0 system. It is onerous to place into phrases, however for me, it isn’t a lot you can inform the sound is coming from behind or from prime to backside, however simply the sensation that the sound is surrounding you rather than coming straight from a place. .

Sound high quality, usually, is great. This may sound loud with out sounding such as you’re beginning to have bother. I do not at all times take heed to my TV at excessive ranges, however I do recognize it for some motion pictures. There was no apparent distortion, even with the soundbar sitting on a wood bench.

do not have PS5 or Xbox Series X, however I linked my gaming PC to my TV and used eArc to get the audio again to the soundbar. As you’d count on, audio efficiency in video games is simply pretty much as good as it’s in motion pictures. The AMBEO function additionally helps make some video games sound extra immersive.

For music, it sounds nice, however I am reviewing the Audio Professional A48 lively floorstanding audio system. These are marketed as a soundbar killer, and the two.0 audio they produce is healthier than a soundbar. Specifically, the bass that the speaker can produce is way superior. Nevertheless, for those who’re wanting on the Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar, you will in all probability need the luxurious {surround} sound options for motion pictures and video games, and the Audio Professional A48 merely cannot compete right here.

Worth and different choices

The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is priced at £1299, whereas the Sennheiser AMBEO Max is £17999.

The Sennheiser AMBEO Sub is an additional £595

The Samsung HW-Q990B is about the identical worth. This has the advantage of a devoted subwoofer and rear channels.

Alternatively, there’s the Sony HT-A7000 at £1,299, which can be a 7.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar.

The Audio Professional A48 floorstanding audio system are price mentioning as a substitute. They do not have fancy {surround} sound options, however the audio high quality for the two.0 system is superior to sound bars usually. It is barely cheaper at £1200 and

Common

The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is by far the perfect soundbar I’ve ever used, however it’s additionally by far the most costly.

I’ve at all times discovered sound bars to be a pleasant improve to your TV audio, however they’ve not often competed with correct {surround} sound methods. This feels fairly totally different, I am not going to say it is higher than a devoted {surround} sound system, however the degree of efficiency is sweet sufficient to make it a viable different with out all the trouble of a number of audio system and all the mandatory wiring.

I did expertise some teething issues with this soundbar, which is not very best for such an costly soundbar. Nevertheless, I’m assured that this will probably be mounted in the end. I have been somewhat lenient with my general rating as a result of I believe these points are minor and fixable.

Final up to date on 2023-02-10 / Affiliate Hyperlinks / Amazon Product Promoting API Photos