Remember, Sennheiser makes professional-grade mics as well as headphones and this soundbar. There’s also a 2.5mm input for the classy calibration microphone.
#SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR PLUS#
For older TVs there’s an optical input, plus – always useful – is an analogue audio input in the form of RCA sockets.
#SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR TV#
The HDMI output supports eARC – the extended version of the audio return channel, which means that the TV – if it also supports it – can feed Dolby Atmos from Netflix shows back down the wire to the AMBEO. All are version 2.0a, which means support for UltraHD video, passing through Dolby Vision and all that good stuff. The Sennheiser is fairly well endowed with physical connections, with three HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. So this needs inputs and outputs to manage other devices, such as Blu-ray players and so on. Soundbars are designed to replace home theatre speaker systems, but in a smaller form. The manufacturer doesn’t talk much about the amplification, merely specifying it at 500W maximum. Yet Sennheiser claims a frequency response of 30Hz to 20kHz, and not just in that vague aspirational sense so often used in measured performance but at -3dB points like proper hi-fi speakers. Interestingly, the enclosure appears to be sealed, with no bass reflex ports or passive radiators – and of course no subwoofer. A small monochrome OLED display centred near the bottom of the soundbar provides visual feedback to the listener.
#SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR DRIVERS#
Yes, Sennheiser somehow managed to squeeze all thirteen drivers in. Between the centre tweeter and each of the outer ones are three bass midrange drivers. The other three are in the expected positions, firing directly out into the room, one at the left end, one at the right and one in the middle. Two of the tweeters are on the angled ends of the AMBEO, firing slightly forwards. Some Dolby magic sauce is applied to the signal sent to these height channels to enhance the height effect. It isn’t simply a matter of speakers bouncing stuff off the ceiling. I’ve discussed this with Dolby Laboratories over the years. If you have a ceiling within reasonable range, they should do a decent job of emulating ceiling speakers. More drivers than a bus depot, then! The two full-range ones are on top, angled slightly forwards to act as Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. Plus there are five 25mm aluminium dome tweeters, plus two 89mm full-range units. Let’s count them there are six bass/midrange drivers, each 100mm in size.
Why so heavy? Perhaps it has something to do with the thirteen, yes thirteen, drivers contained therein. Its weight is almost worryingly high – indeed it’s pretty much the same as an LG 55-inch OLED TV. That’s a couple of hundred millimetres less wide than a typical 65-inch TV, and just a touch wider than a typical 55-inch TV… That height is on its feet if you’re wall-mounting, reduce it by 10mm. It weighs 18.5kg and is 135mm tall, which is likely a touch too tall for benchtop placement with many low slung modern TVs. That’s twice the price of premium models from the various Korean and Japanese makers – and while its rivals come with wireless subwoofers, the Sennheiser relies entirely on its own, built-in bass drivers. Still, costing £2,199, it needs to be good. This is the first that actually does a respectable job of producing Dolby Atmos/DTS:X surround sound without the use of separate surround speakers. It’s easily the best one I’ve used – and I’ve tried dozens over the years. Having heard the AMBEO, my answer is yes.
So it’s not like I’m naturally against the brand, but can a humble soundbar really deliver the sonic goods? I love my stereo and my surround sound – but surely this isn’t either? Before you start throwing around accusations of bias, I must disclose that my favourite wireless earbuds are Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 2s, while I still don my oldest over-ear headphones, Sennheiser HD 535s, which are now over twenty years old. When it comes to serious sound, this can’t possibly work – can it? The problem with Sennheiser’s AMBEO Soundbar is that it’s a soundbar.
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