Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar.
Sennheiser’s first consumer product to feature its “Ambeo” 3D surround processing technology is a $2,499 soundbar. It’s a monster — nearly 4 feet wide and 14 inches tall, and weighing in at 54 pounds. Inside there are 13 drivers powered by 13 100-watt amplifiers.
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is not a subtle beast. It’s designed to be the centerpiece of your home theater system, and it’s aimed squarely at people who want to experience exciting, immersive sound without sacrificing style or convenience. The bar has five HDMI inputs (one with ARC), one optical digital audio input and an Ethernet port for firmware updates.
It ships with an HDMI cable and optical digital audio cable. You can control the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar with the included remote control or via your TV remote (if it has HDMI-CEC functionality). The bar’s vertical cabinet is covered in black fabric that wraps around both ends of the bar, but along the back panel there
Sennheiser is a company that needs very little introduction. Founded in 1945 in Hanover, Germany, Sennheiser has since grown to become a global leader in the audio space with products that are synonymous with build quality and sound performance. The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is their latest product, a smart soundbar that aims to set new standards for immersive home cinema experiences with 3D audio.
Who is the Sennheiser Ambeo for?
Anyone who’s looking for a serious upgrade to their TV’s audio system. It is compatible with all major smart TV brands, and can accept both analog and digital audio signals from your TV, player, or game console. And if you already have a 5.1 surround sound setup at home, you can use it as a pre-amplifier, feeding it the 5.1 signal from your AV receiver and then having it do the 3D conversion for you to multiple separate speakers. Or if you want to take things up a notch, you can even feed it a 7.1 signal and have it create an astonishingly immersive 9.1 listening experience!
How does the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar sound?
I love the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar but I’ve been sitting on this review for a month, trying to work out how to say it.
So let’s start with the easy bit. It sounds bloody amazing. But what does that mean in real life? Well, the Ambeo Soundbar is a 3D sound system, with 13 drivers and five amplifiers in a single speaker, that can be placed under your TV. It’s designed to simulate surround sound without needing loads of speakers dotted around your room.
It has two ways of doing that: one is called Virtual Surround+, which uses psychoacoustics to simulate surround sound. Basically, it plays some sounds directly into your ears and delays others so they bounce off the wall behind the soundbar. It does this using Dolby Digital and DTS processing, which are both available for free on Netflix and other streaming services.
The second way is called Soundbar+ Subwoofer Mode, which uses three front-facing speakers paired with four upwards-firing speakers to turn your entire room into a speaker. This works with anything you play through it – even music – so basically you can sit inside a speaker and listen to your favourite song!
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is a high-end soundbar with a high-end price tag. It costs $2,500, which is way more than the average person spends on a TV in two or three years. It offers an impressive array of features: support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround sound, HDMI eARC connectivity, built-in Google Assistant, Chromecast and AirPlay 2 support, and Bluetooth. The bar’s clamshell design has the left and right speaker channels facing the front of the room while the center channel faces up towards the ceiling to reflect off it and create a sense of height.
Should you buy the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar?
If you’re a sound enthusiast who’s interested in audio gear and the art of high-quality sound, then you’ve probably already heard about Sennheiser’s Ambeo Soundbar. Despite being an incredibly powerful piece of tech, it’s not hard to see why the Sennheiser is so popular among audiophiles; it sounds amazing.
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar packs 13 speakers into its huge frame, delivering a total of 13 channels. The soundbar also features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to make sure you get the most out of your home theater setup.
The best part about the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is that it really does deliver on its promise of providing great sound quality. But with a price tag that puts it out of reach for many consumers, is it worth buying?
If you can afford its $2,500 price tag, yes.
I don’t say that lightly: normally I’m a picky audiophile when it comes to home theater equipment. I’ve been fairly critical of other Ambeo products from Sennheiser before, like the Ambeo Smart Headset and the Ambeo VR Mic.
But this soundbar is something else.
It’s not for everyone. If you’re on a tight budget, don’t want to spend $2,500, or aren’t interested in surround sound — then no, it’s not for you. But if you want a convenient easy-to-install high-end surround sound system for your living room and have the money for it? Yes!
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is one of the best and most convenient ways to get great surround sound at home right now. You just have to be willing to pay for it.