Which Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Should You Buy In 2023?

We all know we bang on about it reasonably a bit of, however a soundbar in reality is among the most straightforward – and least expensive – tactics to spice up your TV’s sound high quality. With even the highest TVs providing lovely deficient audio, a tight soundbar is a legitimate funding (pardon the pun), and may not crowd the room with audio system.

Sennheiser is not highest identified for its soundbars. If truth be told, till just lately, it did not even dabble within the class. Then in 2020, it went all in with the Ambeo (since renamed the Ambeo Soundbar Max), a behemoth of a soundbar with sufficient energy to fell an OLED. It used to be giant. It used to be dear. It used to be fussy over placement. We cherished it, bestowing upon it a What Hello-Fi? Award annually since release – that is 3 at the trot. That does not occur very incessantly.

Most likely unsurprisingly, Sennheiser has sought to capitalise in this luck with two extra Ambeo fashions – the Ambeo Soundbar Plus and Ambeo Soundbar Mini. That makes one giant satisfied Ambeo circle of relatives.

However now not all Ambeos are created equivalent. Right here we can run down what the diversities are between them and the way they fare so you’ll see which – if any – is best for you.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max?

The Ambeo Max is a simple product to suggest, however most effective in the correct instances.

Why simple? As it sounds very good. With 13 entrance, facet and upward-facing drivers, it delivers a beneficiant 5.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos sound. This makes it probably the most authoritative-sounding soundbars round. The dynamics in reality are outstanding for a one-box tool, as are the size and spaciousness.

Maximum soundbars have somewhat small drivers, however those are dwarfed by way of the Ambeo Max’s. As a result of those better drivers can duvet extra of the frequency vary, there is not any want for a separate subwoofer (although you’ll spouse it with the Ambeo Sub, in the event you so want).

Its design does have some quirks. The ports are at the unit’s underside, so each and every time you wish to have to get entry to them it is important to roll over the tool, which takes reasonably a bit of of house, to not point out muscle. However it is lovely beneficiant with its array of ports (3 HDMI 2.0 and one HDMI 2.1 eARC), so that you should not have to get entry to them too incessantly. That eARC port can take care of Dolby Atmos in its lossless True HD structure, whilst the opposite HDMIs can go via indicators from exterior assets in 4K HDR, together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient. There is additionally a subwoofer pre-out, will have to you suppose the Ambeo Max is not reasonably tough sufficient already and need to attach an exterior sub. Your deficient neighbours.

All main wi-fi applied sciences are supported too, supplying you with various streaming choices.

Its measurement can also be its largest problem although. For starters, you’re going to want house to deal with it, both with a big TV cupboard or room to wall-mount it. Whichever means you select, it is important to continue with warning. In a cupboard, it is so giant it could difficult to understand a part of the display on some TVs. Do not take into accounts striking it on a decrease shelf or you’re going to hinder the upwards-firing drivers that create Dolby Atmos’s top results. And if you are wall-mounting it, make certain your wall is as much as withstanding 18.5kg of soundbar completely putting off it. You even have to shop for the wall-mounting bracket one at a time.

Finally, there is the associated fee. For £2199 / $2500 / AU$4000, you’ll want to purchase a tight encompass gadget such because the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 HCP and feature sufficient left over for an AV receiver. However that, in fact, will require much more house.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max?

If you’ll come up with the money for it, and feature house to deal with it, sure, undoubtedly. It is authoritative, feature-packed and sonically, it blows the contest out of the water.

Is it the most efficient soundbar at its worth?

We expect so. Now not for not anything have we given it 3 What Hello-Fi? Awards in a row. The closest pageant is the Sonos Arc (£899 / $899 / AU$1499), which is excellent however lacks the Ambeo Max’s bass ranges, and the Sony HT-A7000 (£1199 / $1300 / AU$1699), which does not reasonably have the similar authority because the Ambeo Max.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus?

All this wasn’t misplaced on Sennheiser. Conscious that, whilst the Ambeo Max is an excellent soundbar, it is by no means for everybody, it introduced a sibling fashion in 2022, the smaller, extra standard Ambeo Soundbar Plus. However with the Max’s outrageous measurement being key to its attraction, can the Plus nonetheless stand out?

To not the similar level, indisputably, however it is nonetheless an excessively proficient, five-star soundbar.

For starters, it is a lot less expensive. At £1299 / $1500 / AU$2400, it is £900 / $1000 / AU$1600 less expensive than the Max. The Max has been discounted up to now, however at time of writing it is again up at its unique worth.

Whilst it is nowhere close to as gargantuan because the Max, the Plus may be very forged with a top quality end. And at 6.3kg, it is a couple of 3rd of the load of the Max – your again will thanks. It is also shorter and slim than maximum rival soundbars in its magnificence, making it an excellent selection for smaller areas.

Specification-wise, it is similar to the Max, however with much less energy; it has 9 audio system to the Max’s 13, and twin 10cm subwoofers. Two of those drivers and each subs face upwards to dance hold forth the ceiling for immersive audio, so do not position it on a decrease shelf of your TV cupboard as you’re going to difficult to understand those up-firers. Two of the drivers level diagonally outwards at the corners of the soundbar to create a much broader unfold of sound.

You get most effective two HDMI 2.0 ports to the Max’s 3, however the eARC port continues to be provide and right kind. In addition to  Dolby Atmos within the higher-quality True HD structure, it helps DTS:X, MPEG-H and Sony 360 Fact Audio. It boasts the similar streaming choices as its giant brother, and the similar app for tweaking playback. 

In spite of its smaller measurement, it could nonetheless fill a room with aplomb. The ‘Ambeo’ atmosphere indisputably widens the soundstage, nevertheless it does sacrifice precision within the procedure. That is very true of discussion. You’ll toggle it on or off relying at the scene (on for whilst you call for scale, off for the talkie bits), however no person of their proper thoughts will need to do this. It is a disgrace Sennheiser could not create a highest of each worlds atmosphere, however with a bit of luck a tool replace will repair this.

The Dolby Atmos dealing with is impressive. The upwards-firing audio system create a actually unique sense of top, whilst track sounds detailed and herbal, with a forged sense of dynamics.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus?

The Ambeo Plus is a brilliant selection for any individual searching for Ambeo ranges of scale with out the distance – or want – to deal with the Ambeo Max. It brings with it the spaciousness and presentation of the larger tool (albeit scaled again rather), along side many of the identical options. 

Is it the most efficient soundbar at its worth?

Now not reasonably. It is simply edged out by way of the Sony HT-A7000, a soundbar so excellent that it has gained Made of the Yr two years in a row on the What Hello-Fi? Awards. However the Ambeo Plus is a great choice to the Sony, particularly if in case you have much less house. On a smaller finances? The Sonos Arc is undoubtedly value bearing in mind, although we’d stretch to the Sony or Ambeo Plus if you’ll.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini?

And so we come to the most recent member of the Ambeo circle of relatives. Like Grasp Gee in The Sugarhill Gang, the Ambeo Soundbar Mini is the infant of the bunch, and given the pedigree of its siblings it has so much to are living as much as.

Unfortunately, it is the black sheep of the circle of relatives.

At £699 / $800 / AU$1300, it’s up in opposition to some stiff pageant, maximum particularly the Sonos Arc and Beam Gen 2. It is extra trendy than the ones fashions, however the design is marred by way of awkward port placement. You additionally lose the HDMI passthrough of its better siblings (although that is not unusual for soundbars on this segment of the marketplace).

Once more, you get strengthen for Dolby Atmos (by the use of the higher-quality Dolby True HD structure courtesy of the HDMI eARC connector), in addition to DTS:X, MPEG-H and Sony 360 Fact Audio immersive audio formats. However the Mini has no upwards-firing audio system, and so employs virtual processing to recreate the peak channels. You additionally get the similar Sennheiser app, wi-fi applied sciences, and room calibration and Ambeo sound options of alternative Ambeo fashions.

To this point, so excellent. However it is within the sound division that issues in reality fall aside. Six drivers is 3 fewer than the Ambeo Plus will get, and 7 fewer than the Ambeo Max – and it displays. Whilst the sound is apparent with various element, the soundstage is woefully slim. Projection could also be deficient, particularly for a Dolby Atmos soundbar, because it struggles with pushing sound out into the room. 

The loss of spatial separation is jarring, as sound results all compete to your consideration in a clamorous mess. And the dynamics are just about non-existent, missing any roughly punch or dynamism.

It isn’t all dangerous. The Ambeo mode does reinforce the size, and the ‘bar can cross loud with out distortion. There may be respectable readability throughout the midrange too. However at this cash? Disregard it.

Will have to you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini?

No.

Is it the most efficient soundbar at its worth?

Now not by way of an extended shot. Whilst the Sonos Arc is extra carefully priced, it is the Beam Gen 2 that in reality places issues in viewpoint. In spite of being a whopping £250 / $350 / AU$650 less expensive than the Ambeo Mini, the Beam outperforms it conveniently. Richer, hotter and extra enticing total, the Beam could also be noticeably extra Atmos-y, with higher consideration given to the spatiality of the sound and extra glaring overhead results.

How about Sennheiser Ambeo choices?

After all Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbars are not the one recreation on the town. Quite a lot of different firms make high quality soundbars at a spread of sizes and costs, together with Sony, Sonos, Yamaha and Roku.

Quite a lot of those be offering the similar Dolby Atmos characteristic as Sennheiser’s Ambeo fashions, although their effectiveness varies – compatibility with Atmos is not any signal of high quality. So you’ll want to learn one in all our critiques sooner than purchasing. 

Some fashions (comparable to Sonos’s) too can slot seamlessly right into a encompass sound or multi-room setup.

It is important to imagine the size of a soundbar, and whether or not it’ll suit your present setup. In case you are striking it in entrance of your TV, make certain it isn’t so tall that it’ll difficult to understand a part of the display. 

To peer which different fashions are to be had, take a look at our guides underneath.