Sennheiser – AMBEO Soundbar | Plus 7.1.4 Channel Soundbar Dual Built-in Subwoofers with Advanced Streaming Connectivity – Black

Customer Reviews (50)

1. 

   gopher206 – January 20, 2023

   Rated 2 out of 5

   Buyer beware! eARC may not work for you if you have a Samsung QLED Neo TV with this soundbar. Contacting Samsung was a dead end as they state its not their issue. Sennheiser took two weeks to respond to my support inquiry and at the end of it did not have any answers.

   The soundbar would not turn on 99% of the time with the TV no matter what settings were enabled on the TV for eARC. It did work 2 times but was intermittent and even then the Samsung smart remote would not control volume up and down. Certified 8K hdmi 2.1 48Gbps cabling was used end to end on HDMI port 3 of the Samsung as designed.

   Returned it for a new 8k Denon receiver and works perfectly to the TV w/o changing any other settings.

   I expected more from Sennheiser, especially for a premium priced soundbar setup.

   Note – this is not a Best Buy problem or issue but product related.

2. 

   Srini131975 – January 21, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Great sound and connections. Very good sound technologies.

3. 

   avag – January 30, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Background
   Got this as an enhancement to a 55” television that has limited audio capabilities. I opted for a soundbar because I wanted something simple and straight forward to set up, and I wanted it to just work without anyone having to anything special to enjoy it.

   Size and placement
   I had concerns with this soundbar when I ordered it. My primary concern was the size as the TV stand I use is about the smallest possible for the 55” TV I am using it with, and I was worried there wouldn’t be enough room in front of the TV to actually place the soundbar. The stand is only 42 inches wide. My 55” TV is 48.5 inches wide, so it actually hangs over the sides a bit. I actually bought a specific TV because of this, One which has two positions for the legs that allows them to be set in from the edges a little bit just to make it fit. A Vizio 55” TV that I bought couldn’t use this stand. This all turned out to not be an issue. I did have to push the TV back a bit to make room for the soundbar. In fact I had to push it back as far as it could be pushed. In the end, everything did just fit. The soundbar is about 41.5 inches wide, so it just fits the width of the 42” cabinet, so it looks good. The speaker is also the exact height to the bottom of the TV, about 3 inches, so it just covers the area under the TV hiding it from view, but is not in the way of the TV screen at all.

   Front to back, from the back of the rearmost leg of the TV to the front of the speaker bar required a depth of 15 inches on the TV stand. This was needed to accommodate the legs of my TV which extend about 3.5 inches from the front of the TV, but are less than 42” apart, which prevents the speaker from being pushed closer to the TV than the legs. This also means the speaker is about 3.5-4 inches in front of the TV. If you have a pedestal stand, or the legs of your tv are less than 42” apart, you will need to have at least 5 inches between the front of the legs/pedestal and the front of the cabinet.

   This is definitely the largest soundbar I could have fit into my setup. Anything bigger would not have fit.

   Hookup
   Physically connecting between the TV and the soundbar was very straight forward. Accompanied with the soundbar in the box was an HDMI cable, a power cable, and the remote. I ran the two cables under the TV to connect them. As the soundbar completely covers the opening under the TV All of the connections are completely hidden.

   All in all, once everything was connected and it was placed in front of the TV, it looked really nice. The soundbar itself is quite subtle and looks elegant.

   The only issue I had with connecting the soundbar to the TV was using the correct HDMI ports, on both the TV, and on the soundbar. Installation instructions included with the speaker were very clear, the problems I had were user error. I needed to connect them to the HDMI port on my TV that supported ARC. I assumed that would be HDMI1 and I also assumed HDMI1 was the primary HDMI port on the back of my TV. My TV has 4 ports, 1 on the back, 3 on the sides. It turned out the primary port on the back of my TV was actually HDMI4, and HDMI1, which supported ARC was on the side. I also connected it to the wrong HDMI port on the soundbar. There are 3 HDMI ports on the back and I had it flipped which order they were in. Before figuring that out, I was trying to select the ARC option under sound in the TV settings, but while it was shown on the menu, it was not selectable. Once I figured out I was plugged into the wrong ports and got the cable connected between the correct two ports, it just worked automatically. I didn’t actually have to change any settings.

   Note above I stated I connected it to the ARC port, not the eARC port. This apparently means I won’t be able to take full advantage of all of the features of this soundbar.

   Setup/Calibration
   Now that I had the physical connections in place, I installed the SennHeiser app on my phone. I told it to discover new devices and it prompted me if I was trying to set up headphones or a soundbar and I selected the soundbar option. The app then showed the soundbar as being discovered. Note, I had not connected it to my Internet yet at that time, so it had to have detected it through bluetooth. It then prompted me for my wifi password. After giving it the password, it detected a software update and I told it to proceed with installing it. This took quite a while, and after some time, the device disconnected. I wasn’t really sure what was going on. Was it still updating, rebooting, had it not come back up correctly? I just didn’t really know. It had an option to forget the device, so I tried that and then I tried to rediscover it and it couldn’t detect it again. It kept saying no device was found. I presume it was still going through the upgrade process, but there wasn’t any sort of progress indicator or anything. Eventually, after some time, something happened. Like my TV switched inputs or something. I woke my phone back up and it had rediscovered the device. I switched back to the FireTV device on the TV, and selected the soundbar again on the app. It searched for an update, but this time stated it was already up to date. I went through a few more steps using the app, including performing its sound calibration which only took a couple of minutes.

   Despite the little minor hiccups, with cable misplacement and software updating, the whole process was pretty quick. I would say from the time I opened the box to the time the calibration was complete was probably only about 20 minutes.

   Performance
   There were a few demos on the app that played some sample sounds through the system. They were interesting and all sounded good, but I really wanted to hear how it sounded, for what I expect will be my primary use case, and that is watching TV, and not just television, but movies, so I switched over to Disney+ to look for something I thought might have some good sound effects to test it out with. I picked Star Wars, Rogue One.

   First Impression- With the understanding that I am not even taking full advantage of all of its capabilities because I don’t have a subwoofer and I don’t have eARC capability, it sounds great… to me. I preface this with the fact I am not an audiophile. Maybe when I was younger I was, or maybe I wanted to believe I was, but today, I am definitely not. If I were, I am not sure I would have even been looking at a soundbar. I went with a soundbar for exactly what this gave me. Easy setup, great sound with little hassle. No amplifier needed, no speakers and no wires. Just sit it in front of the TV and plug it in. However, I still appreciate good sound when I hear it and this sounds great to me. It was rich and deep. I was surprised actually at the deep rumblings I could hear considering there is no subwoofer connected. To put it into perspective. I have a dog who is not particularly fond of thunderstorms. When the scene in Rogue One came on where the rebel base was being destroyed, she didn’t like it and she left the room.

   Chromecast, Alexa and other built in Services
   A feature it has, which I was not aware of when I ordered it, but which I will certainly use, is integrated Chromecast. My TV already has integrated Chromecast, so I could have just cast to the TV and had the sound go through the TV to the soundbar, but having it integrated directly into the soundbar lets me cast to the soundbar directly while leaving the TV turned off. I didn’t have to do anything to set this up. I just selected Cast from my device, saw the name I gave the soundbar when I set it up and selected it.

   I tested Chromecast above using Amazon Music. But then I saw, the soundbar supports Alexa directly. I am heavily invested in the Amazon Ecosystem. I tried speaking to it, but it didn’t work at first. I went back to the App on my phone. The microphone in the soundbar that enables Alexa is apparently disabled by default. I went through the setup process, provided my Amazon Credentials and enabled the Microphone. I also gave it control of the firetv stick I have connected to this TV, which I usually control with an echo speaker in the room. It transferred me from the Sennheiser app to the Alexa app to do this, and after doing this, I was able to play Amazon Music and it came out of the speakers. However, controlling the Firetv, it only seemed to be able to turn it on an off. Anything else seemed too complicated for it. It is definitely not as capable as the Echo speaker. I also tried telling it to play one of my playlists. It couldn’t do that either. It seemed audibly telling the built in Alexa to play my music is not possible, but playing it through the Alexa App works fine. I ended up turning the built in Alexa back off and switching control back to my Echo Speaker. It would be cool if it worked, being able to control the TV with the soundbar. Would seem that would be a great feature, but it doesn’t seem functional at the moment.

   It apparently also supports Airplay if you are an IOS user, and a few other services as well.

   Summary
   This was just what I needed. So simple to install. It greatly improves the movie watching experience, making it so much more immersive. Also, up until a couple of years ago, I had a 100” screen projector theater setup. With the projector setup, I had to jump through quite a few hoops to get the projector connected to an amplifier and then connected to external speakers. The projector just couldn’t produce enough sound to be watchable on its own. External sound was not an option, it was a requirement. I don’t have that setup anymore, but I can see how this would be a fantastic option for that kind of setup because this could be mounted directly to the wall under the screen being projected to. It would be so clean and simple with only one cable to connect it. Now that I have this, I may revisit having a setup like that again. Very happy with this device.

4. 

   pb22 – February 1, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   After listening to the sound that comes out from this Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus all i can say is this is really a state-of-the-art audio system as described by manufacturer, this has been designed to deliver a truly immersive and high-quality sound experience. With its 7.1.4 channel configuration, the soundbar offers a true surround sound experience, putting the listener right in the middle of the action. The AMBEO technology further enhances the soundstage and provides clear voice and detailed sound that is a real treat to the ears.

   The soundbar has two built-in subwoofers that are designed to deliver powerful bass and enhance the overall audio experience. The subwoofers are optimized to work with the soundbar and provide a smooth, distortion-free sound, making the AMBEO Soundbar an ideal choice for music, movies, and gaming.you can connect around 4 external wireless subwoofers to this and comes with all latest HDMI 2.1, RJ45, USB, Optical and RCA Ports

   The AMBEO Soundbar features advanced streaming connectivity options, allowing users to easily stream audio content from their smart devices, gaming consoles, and other sources. The soundbar supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, built-in chromecast and AirPlay 2, making it easy to connect with different devices and enjoy audio content wirelessly. The soundbar also supports high-resolution audio formats like DTS-X Dolby Atmos ensuring that users can enjoy their favorite songs and movies in the highest quality.

   One of the nicest feature this soundbar have is room calibration it will take couple of minutes to analyze the space calibrate and fill the whole room with best sound

   In terms of design, the AMBEO Soundbar is sleek and modern, making it a perfect addition to any home entertainment setup. The soundbar is finished in black, giving it a sophisticated look, and the compact design makes it easy to integrate into any living space. The soundbar is also designed to be user-friendly, with simple controls and an intuitive interface, making it easy to adjust the audio settings to suit your preferences and the remote comes with this soundbar is of premium quality come with lot of presets too, The Smart Control app is a life saver you can control all the functions of the soundbar via this app

   One of the standout features of the AMBEO Soundbar is its ability to create a virtual 360 surround sound experience without the need for additional speakers. This makes it an ideal choice for those who want a premium sound system but do not have the space for multiple speakers. The AMBEO technology uses advanced algorithms to create a spacious and realistic soundstage, putting the listener right in the middle of the action.

   This soundbar also have handsfree voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple and Google Assistant and also can be integrated with Spotify, Tidal etc

   In conclusion, the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is a premium sound system that offers an immersive and high-quality audio experience. With, advanced connectivity options, and sleek design, the soundbar is a great choice for those who want a premium sound system for their home entertainment setup. The soundbar’s ability to create a virtual surround sound experience without the need for additional speakers makes it a versatile and convenient choice for lot of music lovers

5. 

   Doug G – February 1, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   The AMBEOS soundbar could not have been easier to set up. The only connections required are the power cable and an HDMI cable (provided) to the ARC port on the TV. I found the Sennheiser app on my Android smartphone very intuitive and easy to use. It connects to the bar using BLE and from that point I could connect the soundbar to my Wifi network and I was all set. I did not have a subwoofer, but that looked like an easy setup as well. A firmware update was applied during the setup; it was taking a very long time and I was getting concerned there was a problem, but it finally completed and the setup finished. The setup includes doing a “room calibration” that optimizes the sound based on the size and shape of the room and what’s in it.

   There are a number of controls and settings, and most are available in three ways: buttons on the soundbar, the remote control, and the app. When connected to the ARC port, the TV can also control the volume.

   This replaced a decent but not high-end soundbar and the difference in sound was immediately apparent. It’s a very rich sound and I was also impressed at how much more clearly dialog comes through, even without using the voice enhancement option. And this is with standard streaming sources without advanced audio features.

   Our TV is not a recent model and doesn’t support some of the advanced sound codecs that the AMBEOS uses. So to see what the soundbar would really do, I connected our Blu-ray/DVD player to one of the HDMI inputs on the soundbar itself instead of to the TV. The soundbar was then fully handling the audio and forwarding just the video to the TV. When I put on a DVD with Dolby surround sound I was completely blown away. Sound seemed to be coming from points in the room where there is no speaker. However they do it, it is impressive!

   Another convenient feature that I made use of is that the AMBEOS appears as a Chromecast device on my network. I was able to add it using the Google Home app and it’s now possible to play music with a command as simple as “Play music on my soundbar”. This is a lot easier than connecting to it directly with Bluetooth since most music apps support the casting feature.

   Sennheiser has obviously paid attention to the smaller details as well. For one thing, the way the product is packaged in the box is very well done, with everything well protected and easily located. Another example is the remote that they provide. They have added weighting internally to give it some heft so that it doesn’t have the “cheap” feel of most small remotes. It’s very well done and has individual buttons for most of the commonly used features. The exception is the multi-function button at the top of the remote that can act as a mute or pause/play button depending on what audio connection is active, and has other functions if pressed more than once or held. Confusing to say the least.

   One negative issue is that it takes about 15 seconds (seems longer!) after turning on the TV before sound starts coming out of the soundbar (our previous soundbar came on almost immediately). Another problem is lack of documentation. The startup guide the type that is getting common, with a lot of Ikea-esque pictograms and not much verbiage. The best bet is to download the full user guide, which has everything you need to know, but is more difficult to find on the web than it should be. This is about the only way you would know what the various light colors and patterns on the control panel mean. In addition, their web site is a bit thin on offering tech support and seems more geared to standard customer support issues such as with orders. This product is a lot more complex than their traditional headphone range and they might want to provide a better tech support contact interface, especially at this price point.

   The sum-up is that, for a company not known to have many products in this market space, Sennheiser has done an outstanding job with this product with just a few opportunities for improvement.

6. 

   Jeff W – February 1, 2023

   Rated 4 out of 5

   It probably goes without saying that built-in television speakers are atrocious. Nothing hurts the home theater experience like watching a movie on a 70″+ 4K television while listening to the audio produced by the television’s built-in speakers.

   When you have the option, a receiver with a full 7.1 hardwired Dolby Atmos speaker setup is obviously the way to go. Considering the investment in such a system, however, in addition to the challenges with installing everything in an already finished room, soundbars have become a very nice option for improving the home theater experience through improved audio.

   This is the first soundbar I have ever owned. Prior to this, I actually used two Apple HomePods linked together through my Apple TV to provide audio in several of my rooms. I was hoping that a soundbar would provide a more elegant and less cumbersome or problematic solution as I would occasionally have issues with the HomePod stereo pair failing and hearing audio from only one speaker at a time.

   To begin, the unboxing process was stellar. Given that perception often defines our reality, I was very impressed with the quality of the box and how the soundbar was meticulously packaged. The directions were provided using icons and they seemed pretty clear… Use an HDMI cable to plug the source audio and video into the soundbar and then run a second HDMI cable from the soundbar to the television. That’s all there is to it! Unfortunately, however, the ease of such a setup eluded me. I could plug the Apple TV into the soundbar and I could hear the audio. As soon as I plugged the soundbar into my television, however, the audio stoped and I had no picture.

   After about 30-45 minutes of troubleshooting (which was a little annoying given the cost of this soundbar), it appeared as though the problem was with my 70″ Toshiba television. From what I could tell, the television was returning (or trying to return) an audio signal back to the soundbar through the ARC (audio return channel). There are three HDMI inputs on the television and this occurred regardless of which input I used. Further, in using the smartphone app (which I will talk about in a little bit), every time I plugged the TV in, the soundbar automatically switched inputs internally from the Apple TV (which had audio) to the television (which did not have any audio). I could try to switch the input back to the Apple TV manually through the app, but the soundbar always switched itself back over to the television. There was no way for me to “lock” the input from the Apple TV. When I switched the exact same setup to a computer monitor with an HDMI input and, subsequently, another television in another room, I did not experience any problems at all and things worked as simply as they should have from the start. As a result, I was a little annoyed that the primary television I was planning on using along with this soundbar appeared to be incompatible with the soundbar. (I even changed all of the settings on the television to turn of ARC and other remote device control features to no avail.) I was hoping that maybe a firmware update to the television would help, but there were no upates available (I was running the most current version of the television’s firmware).

   With that problem out of the way (given an apparently incompatible television), the setup process was relatively simple using a smartphone app that you need to download through the appropriate android or Apple app store. The soundbar will perform a self-calibration in the room and I would recommend sitting in the center of the room while that is occurring because it absolutely blew me away how a soundbar at the front of the room can simulate surround speakers around the room. I heard sounds coming from the sides and behind me while it was calibrating knowing full well that the speakers were directly in front of me. Honestly, it was a little wild and impressive.

   Once setup, the soundbar worked seamlessly with my Apple TV and television, allowing me to control everything through the single Apple TV remote. When I turn everything on, the Apple TV, soundbar, and television all turn on. When I turn them off, everything turns off. When I adjust the volume through my Apple TV Siri remote (or my iPhone through the simulated remote), the soundbar volume adjusts accordingly. I also like the feature that will accentuate the dialogue through the center channel of the soundbar to help eliminate problems with the music, sound effects, and other audio overpowering the movie’s or show’s spoken dialogue. There are also settings through the smartphone app that allow you to select the type of listening experience you want, whether it be music, a movie, or you can let the soundbar determine that automatically for you. A limitation I noted, however, is that it is not possible to manually adjust these settings. The treble, bass, and other similar settings are not customizable (or, if they are, I have not been able to find where they can be customized).

   While this unit includes subwoofers, they are relatively small and, in my opinion, the bass produced by the soundbar is pretty paltry. It is possible to hook up a separate, stand alone subwoofer to the soundbar, which is something I am planning on doing because, when watching a movie, there really is no bass that helps you “feel” the audio as one would expect from a full home theater setup.

   So, in summary, one problem is that, until you purchase the soundbar and try to hook it up, you will not know if your television is incompatible with the soundbar. Assuming your television is compatible, however, the setup is very simple using the smartphone app and the soundbar performs its own customization and calibration for the space in which it is installed. The audio is crisp and clear, and the surround sound is incredible (in my opinion) for a system that has the speakers all sitting in one location at the front of the room. As far as audio quality is concerned, the soundbar sounds great but lacks that deep bass that you can feel when listening to music or watching a movie. If you are going to pick up a soundbar like this, I would highly recommend also buying a stand alone subwoofer to plug in to it to address that shortcoming.

   Again, this is my first soundbar, so I do not really have other soundbar experiences against which I can perform a comparison. Given that I previously used full-size (not mini) HomePods in a stereo pair for home theater audio, however, there really is no comparison. The audio sounds just as good, but the surround sound from the soundbar is simply superior to anything produced by the HomePods. (It is also possible to connect to the soundbar through bluetooth, I believe, which provides additional listening options that are not necessarily available through Apple-centric HomePods.) The soundbar does allow for two different HDMI inputs as well, so it is possible to use it across more than one audio source. (It is also a nice feature that the brightness of the lights on the soundbar can be adjusted as well, especially in a darker room.)

   So, what is my final verdict? If you have the ability to install separate, discrete surround sound speakers (including a subwoofer) within your room with a receiver, that is your best option for the best movie or television audio experience possible. Given cost and other limitations of doing so, however, having a soundbar is not a bad compromise that still remains light years ahead of using whatever built-in speakers you have in your television. This unit is expensive and provides great sound, but the bass is lacking and you may want to also buy a subwoofer to supplement the unit. After all of that, including the television challenges I experiences, I am still very happy with the soundbar (even though I am now using it in a different room because I am not replacing the 70″ Sharp television hanging on the wall in my other room).

7. 

   Matt – February 2, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   This soundbar blew away my expectations. When I finally got it setup and all the settings tuned correctly I felt like that old ad where the guy is being blown back in his chair from his speaker system. The depth and range of the sound coming from the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus soundbar is truly something to behold for yourself. In this review I will talk about my likes (of which I have many) then my dislikes (of which I have few). A lot of the other reviews mention it in comparison to the Ambeo Max soundbar, but my review will focus on the Plus as that’s what I have.
   Initial setup of the soundbar is incredibly easy. I plugged it in, pulled up the Sennheiser Smart Control app and it walked me through the rest of the setup. It updated the soundbar to the latest firmware, asked me if I wanted to pair a subwoofer (more on that later), then tuned the soundbar to my living room. It was ready to go within about 5 minutes. The first thing I wanted to test out was Dolby Atmos as I have never had a system that has it. If you don’t know what it is, Dolby Atmos is a technology that creates the illusion of a full surround sound system by implementing speakers that fire up into the air and ricochet off your ceiling into your ears.
   It works supremely well when the content you are watching supports it. I inserted my 4k blu-ray of Dune 2021 and, while this is not Sennheiser’s fault, had to download an app that adds Dolby Atmos support on my Xbox Series X. After installing and checking the setting that Atmos was available I was whisked away to planet Arrakis (sorry for the nerding out). The separation, the feeling of having surround sound speakers, the sheer amount of bass even with the dedicated (and separate purchase) subwoofer had me so excited to watch other content. I shifted from action to drama with Tár (2022) swapping the bombastic action for the execution and minutiae of orchestra conducting. It too blew me away.
   My soundbar before the Ambeo Plus was totally solid and similarly priced. It was about 4 years old though so it didn’t have Atmos tech inside. The other issue is that even still to this day they don’t support Chromecast “casting.” In a house of android users, being able to cast audio is so important as it is so much simpler than bluetooth connecting. Ambeo supports all the big audio streaming systems, Chromecast, Airplay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and can be used as an Alexa device. Unfortunately at the time of review, it cannot be used as a Google Assistant device, it can only be controlled by a Google Assistant Speaker. That is to say, almost all the modern amenities you would want are here.
   Overall, I can’t get enough of the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus. It is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to upgrade their soundsystem, but don’t want to set up a bunch of speakers around the room. It’s essentially plug and play for a fantastic experience. While I have small quibbles with the device, I can still heartily recommend this product.
   Pros:
   Truly incredible sound
   Dolby Atmos works supremely well
   Despite no subwoofer in the box, there is wall shaking bass
   Easy to set up
   Great design
   Support for almost all important audio streaming services
   Alexa support
   Cons:
   No sub in the box (although it’s really not necessary)
   Can’t be used as a Google Assistant Speaker
   Have to check settings of your other devices to make sure there is Atmos support (not Sennheiser’s fault)

8. 

   Casey – February 2, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is an exceptional feature loaded sound bar. I have spent the past week testing out the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus and have had an overall amazing time testing it out. I feel that when paired with a good subwoofer or even just left alone, this set-up for the price compared to other sound bars currently available simply can’t be beat.

   When opening up the Sennheiser AMBEO Plus, I was very impressed with the packaging and how well they were able to fit everything inside a relatively slim package compared to other sound bars I have gotten in the past. The soundbar itself and even the remote both feel very well made. Everything involved in the set-up process was very straightforward. Included in the box is of course the soundbar, the remote, a HDMI cable, power cable, and set-up guide. I also liked that there are plenty of ports for connecting other speakers/subs if you choose to.

   Originally, I had tested it for a few days just straight out of the box without downloading the app or updating the firmware. Even out of the box you will get an amazing experience out of any type of content. After downloading the app, it became clear that I really should have done that from the start. The app takes you through more of the set-up process including room calibration, which brought even better sound out of this thing, and any pending firmware updates. With the app, you can control things like the volume, AMBEO function, Preset Sound configurations, turn on Night mode, etc. Your phone can basically become your remote. If neither are good enough, there are touch controls on the top of the soundbar itself, which is a nice “touch”….

   I personally believe that where the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus really shines is with Music. Movies and Shows/Podcasts still sound great and it delivers a nice and full sound and everything is crystal clear, but for some reason, at least to my ears, Music on this soundbar really stood out. Maybe once I add a dedicated sub, that will change and movies will stand out and it will give more of a movie theatre feel to it.

   In conclusion, I think for those of you looking for a very solid option in the ever expanding sound bar market, the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is a great option that should be able to hold its weight for years to come. I personally may add a sub just for the extra bass and vibrations, but even without one, I think most people, myself included, will be very happy with the sound that it produces out of the box.

9. 

   TechO – February 3, 2023

   Rated 5 out of 5

   TL; DR SUMMARY:

   If you are searching for a high end “immersive soundbar” that lives up to that claim look no further. The Ambeo Plus’s virtual surround is on par with a similar quality multi-piece A/V audio system without the clutter or spoiling the family room’s décor. Every channel is crisp, and discrete, especially the center, which in lesser soundbars can produce a slight echo or vibration quality. The bass is impressive for a soundbar. It’ll penetrate your bones if fed a well recorded soundtrack. If you still want bigger booms, there is Sennheiser’s optional wireless sub, or add any brand wired sub.

   The Ambeo Plus practically stands alone in its premium tier. The closest competitor might have a better spec sheet, like HDMI 2.1 inputs, which the Ambeo Plus lacks, and that could be a legitimate difference if you are a regular PSP 5 or XBOX X gamer. But for best-in-class TV/Movie surround virtualization and sound quality plus good Wi-Fi music streaming options from just about any device too, Ambeo Plus is the one to get. One caveat though, make sure you compare your room with Sennheiser’s ideal set up in the Ambeo Plus manual, which is on its site. The Ambeo Plus is fantastic but to perform as designed it is demanding when it comes to placement.

   FULL REVIEW:

   I was optimistically excited when Sennheiser launched this more affordable “little brother” to its well-regarded, but luxury priced, Ambeo Max soundbar. After a few break-in days then putting it through its paces, to my ears, it’s no hype. Sound-wise it exceeds my expectations what a sound bar can do, though it’s not without a few annoyances, which I’ll discuss as I get into this review.

   To suggest the Ambeo Plus is affordable might raise an eyebrow. I get that, but, let me explain. If one bought A/V separates (receiver, speakers, sub) to match the sound quality and (phantom) surround the Ambeo Plus delivers the cost would be equal or more than the Ambeo plus. Minimally, a respectable A/V receiver is $500 alone; a Center Channel speaker, $200, etc., etc. It’s easy to suddenly find your cart total in high four digits. And even if the cost is similar, the beauty of the Ambeo Plus is you get all that immersive audio without having a collection of “wall wart” speakers cluttering your living room. That’s such a 20th Century look. (I know because I was a mere kid in the 80’s and my stereo was the proud centerpiece of my room). Speakers are functional, not decoration.

   For sure there are the lower priced soundbars, which are excellent for their tier, but they truly sit below the Ambeo Plus. The only other legitimate competition the Ambeo Plus has is from a company that rhymes with Tommy James and the Shondells hit song from 1968, Mony Mony. So, yes, the Ambeo Plus is expensive, but it’s also a good value too, assuming one can place it as Sennheiser suggests achieving that sweet Ambeo virtualization effect. If you are looking for a premium “theater experience” sound bar, not just a mere upgrade to your TV’s speakers keep reading.

   Before I get into my impressions of Ambeo Plus’s performances, a few details about build quality specs, and the set-up experience to give an idea what to expect when you get it home. If this doesn’t interest you scroll down to the performance section below.

   The Ambeo Plus itself is low-key handsome. It’s slim-ish, unlike big brother Max, but it’s no shrinking violet. It makes its presence known by being heard rather than seen, which to me is a good thing. Its length mirrors a 55” TV with about 3” height, 5” depth. In this tight package are 9 speakers: Left, Right, Center at front, one on each side and four up-firing. So, correct placement of the Ambeo Plus is vital or the sound will be unbalanced, possibly muffled, with muted surround effects. There is a placement diagram in the manual, which is available on Sennheiser’s web site. It’s a must to study it before you buy to ensure Ambeo Plus will play well with your room’s layout. Briefly, it should be centered to a wall and have clearance on all sides, not inside a cabinet or cubby.

   The case is sturdy, attractive ABS plastic, the type found in an upscale car. A touch-sensitive control panel is on top, but, of course, the remote or app are the intended main control methods. I mostly use the app for control because, while the rarely used top control panel is backlit, the remote is not so it’s impossible to see the controls in the dark. That is my first quibble. Just as egregious, press a button on the remote and there is no on-screen display to guide the user. So, for example, press the “up” volume button and there is no on-screen display to show you the actual volume level. (Oddly, if you use your TV’s remote to control the volume the TV’s native OSD does pop up.) On the other hand, the app displays all the volume levels, modes, etc., and is obviously back-lit too so you can see it in the dark. So thankfully there is the app. More on the app in a bit.

   Compared to most other sound bars the Ambeo Plus offers a generous array of inputs for direct connection of A/V devices like streaming media or Blu-Ray players, though the two additional HDMI ports are only 2.0, not the more recent 2.1 — disappointing given the Ambeo’s cost and premium stature. But these are basically extra ports that add to whatever your TV offers, so not a huge deal. The ARC/eARC out that connects to the TV is HDMI 2.1, of course, so if you have, say a game console that uses HDMI 2.1 you can hook direct to your TV’s HDMI 2.1 (if it has one) and not skip a beat.

   Audio-only inputs include coaxial optical, Stereo RCA, & mono RCA (for a sub). There is also a USB-A port to power a media player, if required. Bluetooth 5.0 and, more importantly Wi-Fi 6 for streaming from Spotify, Amazon Music and Tidal at the best audio resolution available from your respective accounts with each service. Streaming direct from your Apple device is also available via AirPlay 2. Google Chrome is also here. Another quibble: I don’t know why Sennheiser did not incorporate the latest Wi-Fi 6e standard given the importance of Wi-Fi connectivity to this product as well as it’s likely longevity in users’ homes.

   When you first open the box you’ll find… no plastic packing materials. Two thumbs up to Sennheiser. There is a tiny bit of plastic wrap protecting the soundbar’s trim, but that’s it. Everything else is brown paper and cardboard.

   OK, for the included accessories, everything you need for a basic set up via HDMI ARC/eARC is here: an 18Gbps Premium High Speed HDMI cable, an IR-remote control (button battery pre-installed), power cord, and various manuals. There is also a QR code link to the Sennheiser Smart Control phone app (iOS and Android) that needs to be downloaded for set up.

   Set up with the Sennheiser “Smart Control” app is straight forward and almost automatic. I used the iPhone version, but I imagine the Android experience is similar. After checking the usual data-use permission boxes the app configures Ambeo Plus’s Wi-Fi and Airplay 2. Then Ambeo Plus’s built-in microphones “reads the room” and calibrates itself for optimal surround. The Smart Control app is the “brains” of the soundbar. It’s loaded not just with basic controls that mimic the physical remote control, but also options to tweak the audio scenario pre-sets including a four frequency-range equalizer. There is also an option to adjust only the center channel volume. But my favorite button turns off the “AMBEO” indicator light on the front to eliminate that distraction in darkness. Be prepared to experiment with all these sound options after set-up so you know when to push what button. It’s a shallow learning curve, but there is a learning curve.

   Performance impression:

   Also included in my box, probably yours too, high anticipation and expectations. To my relief I was not disappointed. Pun intended: it’s clearly a well-engineered speaker system. I was truly amazed that a compact-ish group of speakers like this could fool me to believe I had actual speakers on my wall and ceiling. That’s the Ambeo sound advantage. If you have the kind of room the Ambeo plus demands, it’s well worth the price of admission.

   I’ll divide my impressions up between TV/movie audio and music. I’ll start with TV since theater-like surround is the chief reason to buy the Ambeo’s Plus. Ambeo Plus can decode all the major codecs, old and new, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H, Dolby Digital and DTS.
   When it’s fed a well mastered soundtrack the Ambeo Plus in a “neutral” mode is appropriately invisible but very effective. Example, this slim speaker box disperses convincing sound that convinces you are accompanying Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick as he races his jet through the canyon to his target. You hear and feel every hard breath, every woosh, every boom exactly where the action happens even though all the physical speakers are in front of the TV.

   But the not-so secret sauce is Sennheiser’s Ambeo 3D phantom surround. This is an optional mode that works in tandem with any source material. To my ears there is a noticeable difference with Ambeo on and off for TV and movies, not with the sound quality, but with the perceived surround effects. It is not a panacea for poor audio sources, and it’s not always necessary, sometimes even unwanted. But I found myself wanting it on more than not. In non-technical terms, it’s the difference between a cake without icing and with icing. Both are delicious but the icing cake has a more dynamic taste that lingers. Sometimes, however, it’s too much, or too little, but you adjust the icing to please for the perfect slice.

   The Ambeo effect adds that boost of intricacy and surround realism. Unlike other phantom surround technologies I’ve heard before, Ambeo aims the sound effect to where it should be rather than making a broad shot. Like any added effect sometimes adjustment is needed. For that the app has toggles to tone the effect down or up as

10. 

    Jacbo14 – February 3, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    PROS

    + Truly Amazing Surround Sound From A Single Bar
    + Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Sound Incredible
    + Ambeo Mode Opens Up The Soundstage Significantly
    + Audio Fidelity is Class Leading
    + Ability to Pair Multiple Sennheiser Wireless or Wired 3rd Party Subwoofers
    + Auto Calibration For Your Room With Built-In Mics
    + Dedicated Center Channel and Clear Voice Enhancements
    + Night Mode
    + Lots Of Customizability With Multiple Audio Modes And EQ In App
    + Relatively Compact Footprint
    + Minimalist Design

    CONS

    – When Using Ambeo Mode With Some Sources, The Audio Can Sometimes Sound “Processed”
    – For The Best Experience, You Will Definitely Want To Add A Subwoofer (Extra Cost)

    WHAT WOULD MAKE IT BETTER

    – Lights on The Top Of The Soundbar That Indicate The Codec Playing (e.g. Dolby Atmos or DTS:X) Aren’t Really Visible When Seated (Need to Use The App To Verify). Add Them To The Front Instead
    – The Ability To Buy & Add Optional Dedicated Wireless Surround Sound Speakers Would Be A Nice Add-On For One More Level Of Immersion If People Wanted Them

    THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

    The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus soundbar is a great choice for anyone looking for a compact and high-quality audio solution. It is truly a standout in terms of audio quality. Not only does it support high-end audio codecs such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but it also offers an immersive, multi-dimensional audio experience with its Ambeo 3D audio capabilities. The ability to add (up to 4) Sennheiser wireless subs, or your own dedicated wired subs from a 3rd party, is amazing for immersion. Sometimes the sound can get a little too “processed”, especially when upmixing stereo or lower channel sources using the Ambeo mode, but in most cases the sound is incredible, and with a few setting adjustments, can easily be tailored to your own preference. After over a week of putting this bar through its paces, I am still frequently amazed by how effective it is at doing exactly what it says it is going to do. It has been a lot of fun pulling out my favorite movies, games, and music to see how I could push this bar, and in almost all cases, it handled them in a way that defied my already high expectations. It does work best when fed the highest end codecs or high-resolution audio, but in all regards it is still a heavyweight performer. It isn’t cheap for a single soundbar, but with the sheer audio fidelity and shockingly good surround sound performance, you’d be hard pressed to find a better all around solution for the price. I highly recommend this if you are in the market for a high-end all-in-one soundbar solution.

    THE BREAKDOWN

    As an amateur home theater enthusiast, I have a lot of experiences with soundbars at all levels of price, size, and brand. I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, but I do think I have a pretty discerning ear for sound quality, and can be a bit picky when it comes to my own home set-up. In this regard, I already own the older Sennheiser Ambeo Max soundbar, which is still incredible, but is undeniably big, bulky, and not at all subtle. So when sennheiser announced a smaller, more refined, Ambeo Plus soundbar, I was really excited to see how the brand could take the incredible performance of the Max and bring it to a more affordable, more room friendly, and updated design. In almost all regards, they delivered with huge success.

    Unboxing

    To start, unboxing and setting up the bar is easy. You do get a sizeable quickstart guide with the bar, but really it comes down to connecting everything (including a sub if you bought one or are bringing your own), powering it up, downloading the app, and then performing the self calibration. The self-calibration uses built-in mics in the bar, so you don’t need an external mic, and takes about 3 minutes to complete. The app has a nice display to walk you through what it is doing during calibration, and if you need to re-calibrate, the process is very seamless. Once calibrated you have a few demos available in the app to showcase the performance of the bar (including DTS:X and Atmost demos), which is a good first introduction into what the unit is capable of.

    App & Remote

    Speaking of the app, beyond calibration & demos, you can adjust pretty much everything you would want to via the app. This includes sound profiles (e.g. movie, music, neutral, adaptive, etc.), adjust the center volume and clear voice setting, night mode, EQ your sound profiles, adjust the strength of the Ambeo virtualization, adjust your subwoofer volume, view what codecs are playing and how many channels they use, firmware updates, and more. In general the app is responsive and works well, but I always prefer reaching for the remote when I can over my phone. Thankfully, the remote is pretty nice, with the ability to adjust most common things you would be changing regularly (like sound profiles and night mode) all from the remote. The only weird thing that takes some getting used to is the multi-function button, which does act as a mute for TV, and play/pause for music, but does take away having a dedicated always available mute button for all cases.

    Design

    As for the actual design of the bar, it isn’t small per-say, but is certainly more in-line with soundbar sizes today (and is much smaller than the massive Ambeo Max). Its about 41” wide, 3” tall, and 4” deep. Its wrapped in a cloth cover that looks good, and has a matte black cover with the sennheiser logo and touch controls that looks very sleek. Behind the metal grills you can see the up-firing drivers and built-in subwoofers. There is an LED lightstrip on the top that acts as the visual cue for things like volume, input, firmware updates, calibration status, voice assistant, and much more. There is a little guide that comes with the bar on how to interpret the different light color and pattern cues of the LEDs, but generally it isn’t too bad to get the hang of. It isn’t quite as nice as a dedicated screen on the front of the bar to give you information, but does look a bit more modern and once you get used to it, tells you most everything you need to know. There are also little LED indicators on the top that turn on if you are sending Dolby Atmos or DTS:X context to the bar, but they can really only be seen when standing over the bar, so their utility is less relevant when just sitting down to enjoy some content. To view codec info, more often than not you will want to use the app. All around, it is a nicely designed soundbar that is more understated than most, including its big brother the Ambeo Max.

    Sound Quality

    While the soundbar may be more understated in design, it is definitely not when it comes to what counts most: the sound quality. I have heard lots of soundbars do virtual surround sound, but this one truly needs to be heard to be believed. It doesn’t just make the sound “bigger”, but it genuinely feels like there are speakers in your room you didn’t know were there. I won’t go as far as to say it is as accurate or high fidelity as having dedicated surround speakers all over your room, but there are times where you wouldn’t know the difference. This is most noticeable with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X movies. One of my favorites to test is Ready Player One, during the opening race scene. It genuinely sounded like a train was flying past the left side of my room, and that king kong was overhead. When I played the opening chase from No Time To Die, you could hear gunshots whizzing around the room like it was full of speakers. My room is not perfectly symmetrical, with the right side opening up to a hallway, but I still very much had the impression of surround sound on both sides of me, even in spite of less surfaces to reflect sound off of than an ideal room would have.
    Likewise, music sounds great on the Ambeo Plus, with clear vocals and an ability to really scale the sound beyond the small footprint of the bar. Where the sound only really begins to falter a bit for me is when upscaling stereo or lower channel sources up to 7.1.4 with the Ambeo mode. At times the sound can almost be too “processed” sounding, and you lose some of the detail from those stereo tracks. Thankfully, you can easily turn off the Ambeo mode and set the bar to “Neutral” for a much more faithful representation of the tracks in those cases.

    One of my favorite features is the ability to add your own subwoofers to the bar. I have two subs I used previously with my room, and they calibrated perfectly with my Ambeo Plus. Once added, the subs blended great into the soundscape, and really opened up the low-end frequencies that the Plus can’t hit on its own. It doesn’t sound bad at all without a sub, but if you really want to take things to the next level, I highly recommend adding the wireless one that goes with the plus, or a wired sub of your own. Likewise, I wish that Sennheiser sold optional wireless rear speakers you could sync to the bar. It is amazing for surround sound on its own, but with dedicated rear speakers that could sync to the bar and calibrate, it would take the bar that much higher for those of us who want the option, since rear surround sound is always the hardest to emulate with virtualization. Overall though, it really is one of the best sounding all-in-one speakers I have ever heard, and will blow you away with what it can do when given the right material. If you want the one of the absolute best soundbars on the market today, and you don’t want to fill your room with speakers, you should definitely put this one high on your list.

11. 

    BbTech – February 4, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Background
    Got this as an enhancement to a 55” television that has limited audio capabilities. I opted for a soundbar because I wanted something simple and straight forward to set up, and I wanted it to just work without anyone having to do anything to use it.

    Size and placement
    I had concerns about the size, as the TV stand I use is about the smallest possible for the 55” TV I am using it with. The stand is only 42 inches wide. My 55” TV is 48.5 inches wide, so it actually hangs over the sides a bit. I actually bought a specific TV because of this, which lets the legs be set closer to the center, but this also means the legs are closer together than the width of the speaker, so the soundbar has to be set in front of legs. Another 55″ TV I had couldn’t fit on this stand. This all turned out to not be an issue. I did have to push the TV back a bit to make room for the soundbar. In fact I had to push it back as far as it could be pushed without the legs going off the back, but in the end, everything did just fit. The soundbar is about 41.5 inches wide, so it just fits the width of the 42” cabinet, so it looks good. Anything bigger would have hung over the sides. The speaker is also the exact height to the bottom of the TV, about 3 inches, so it completely covers the area under the TV, and the legs, hiding them from view, without obstructing the TV screen at all.

    Front to back, from the back of the rearmost leg of the TV to the front of the speaker bar required a depth of 15 inches on the TV stand. Because it has to be placed in front of the legs, the speaker is about 3.5-4 inches in front of the TV. If you have a pedestal stand, or the legs of your tv are less than 42” apart, you will need to have at least 5 inches between the front of the legs/pedestal and the front of the cabinet.

    This is definitely the largest soundbar I could have fit into my setup. Anything bigger would not have fit.

    Hookup
    Physically connecting between the TV and the soundbar was very straight forward. Accompanied with the soundbar in the box was an HDMI cable, a power cable, and the remote. I ran the two cables under the TV to connect them. As the soundbar completely covers the opening under the TV All of the connections are completely hidden.

    All in all, once everything was connected and it was placed in front of the TV, it looked really nice. The soundbar itself is quite subtle and looks elegant.

    The only issue I had with connecting the soundbar to the TV was using the correct HDMI ports, on both the TV, and on the soundbar. Installation instructions included with the speaker were very clear, the problems I had were user error. I needed to connect the soundbar to the HDMI port on my TV that supported ARC. I assumed that would be HDMI1 and I also assumed HDMI1 was the primary HDMI port on the back of my TV. My TV has 4 ports, 1 on the back, 3 on the sides. It turned out the primary port on the back of my TV was actually HDMI4, and HDMI1, which supported ARC was on the side. I also connected it to the wrong HDMI port on the soundbar. There are 3 HDMI ports on the back and I had it flipped which order they were in. Before figuring that out, I was trying to select the ARC option under sound in the TV settings, but while it was shown on the menu, it was not selectable. Once I figured out I was plugged into the wrong ports and got the cable connected between the correct two ports, it just worked automatically. I didn’t actually have to change any settings.

    Note above I stated I connected it to the ARC port, not the eARC port. This apparently means I won’t be able to take full advantage of all of the features of this soundbar.

    Setup/Calibration
    Now that I had the physical connections in place, I installed the SennHeiser app on my phone. I told it to discover new devices and it prompted me if I was trying to set up headphones or a soundbar and I selected the soundbar option. The app then showed the soundbar as being discovered. Note, I had not connected it to my Internet yet at that time, so it had to have detected it through bluetooth. It then prompted me for my wifi password. After giving it the password, it detected a software update and I told it to proceed with installing it. This took quite a while, and after some time, the device disconnected. I wasn’t really sure what was going on at this point. Was it still updating, rebooting, had it not come back up correctly? I just didn’t really know. It had an option to forget the device, so I tried that and then I tried to rediscover it and it couldn’t detect it again. It kept saying no device was found. I presume it was still going through the upgrade process, but there wasn’t any sort of progress indicator or anything. Eventually, after some time, something happened. Like my TV switched inputs or something. I woke my phone back up and it had rediscovered the device. I switched back to the FireTV device on the TV, and selected the soundbar again on the app. It searched for an update, but this time stated it was already up to date. I went through a few more steps using the app, including performing its sound calibration which only took a couple of minutes.

    Despite the little minor hiccups, with cable misplacement and software updating, the whole process was pretty quick. I would say from the time I opened the box to the time the calibration was complete was probably only about 20 minutes.

    Performance
    There were a few demos on the app that played some sample sounds through the soundbar. They were interesting and all sounded good, but I really wanted to hear how it sounded, for what I expect will be my primary use case, and that is watching TV, and not just television, but movies, so I switched over to Disney+ to look for something I thought might have some good sound effects to test it out with. I picked Star Wars, Rogue One.

    First Impression- With the understanding that I am not even taking full advantage of all of its capabilities because I don’t have a subwoofer and I don’t have eARC capability, it sounds great… to me. I preface this with the fact I am not an audiophile. Maybe when I was younger I was, or maybe I wanted to believe I was, but today, I am definitely not. If I were, I am not sure I would have even been looking at a soundbar. I went with a soundbar for exactly what this gave me. Easy setup, great sound with little hassle. No amplifier needed, no speakers and no wires. Just sit it in front of the TV and plug it in. However, I still appreciate good sound when I hear it and this sounds great to me. It was rich and deep. I was surprised actually at the deep rumblings I could hear considering there is no subwoofer connected. To put it into perspective. I have a dog who is not particularly fond of thunderstorms. When the scene in Rogue One came on where the rebel base was being bombed, she didn’t like it and she actually left the room.

    Chromecast, Alexa and other built in Services
    A feature it has, which I was not aware of when I ordered it, but which I will certainly use, is integrated Chromecast. My TV already has integrated Chromecast, so I could have just cast to the TV and had the sound go through the TV to the soundbar, but having it integrated directly into the soundbar lets me cast to the soundbar directly while leaving the TV turned off. I didn’t have to do anything to set this up. I just selected Cast from my device, saw the name I gave the soundbar when I set it up and selected it. This worked the first time, but later, it doesn’t seem to be working anymore. I can still cast through the TV, but not the speakers directly. I may have changed a setting and I haven’t figured out what yet. Sound stops playing on my device when I hit cast, but the sound doesn’t come out of the soundbar.

    I tested Chromecast above using Amazon Music. But then I saw, the soundbar supports Alexa directly. I am heavily invested in the Amazon Ecosystem. I tried speaking to it, but it didn’t work at first. I went back to the App on my phone. The microphone in the soundbar that enables Alexa is apparently disabled by default. I went through the setup process, provided my Amazon Credentials and enabled the Microphone. I also gave it control of the Firetv stick I use with this TV, which I usually control with an echo speaker in the room. It transferred me from the Sennheiser app to the Alexa app to do this, and after doing this, I was able to play Amazon Music through the Alexa App and it came out of the speakers. However, controlling the Firetv, it only seemed to be able to turn it on and off. Anything else seemed too complicated for it. It is definitely is not as capable as the Echo speaker. I also tried telling it to play one of my playlists. It couldn’t seem do that either. It seemed audibly telling the built in Alexa to play my music is not possible, but playing it through the Alexa App works fine. I ended up turning the built in Alexa back off and switching control back to my Echo Speaker. It would be cool if it worked, being able to control the TV with the soundbar. Would be a great feature, but I was not able to get it to work at the moment.

    It apparently also supports Airplay if you are an IOS user, and a few other services as well.

    Summary
    This was just what I needed. So simple to install. It greatly improves the movie watching experience, making it so much more immersive. I am very happy I chose this soundbar. For me, the smaller size, and the streaming support and integrated Chromecast and Airplay make this even better device, for me, than the original soundbar Max. I am very happy with it.

12. 

    masc360 – February 4, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    There are two things that keep this soundbar from getting five stars it was incredibly close and the sound is amazing, but before I get there let me start from the beginning.

    The packaging for the soundbar is great using recycled materials is great. It is also very minimal which makes it less of a hassle to get rid of later on.
    The soundbar is extremely nice looking and for everything it is packing inside is a very manageable size. It fit under my tv without me having to get a new stand or adjust anything and be able to use my tv remote.
    Setup was a breeze I use a pair of Sennheiser headphones so I already had the app installed after a firmware update I had the soundbar up and running withing ten minutes. Now here is where the first issue to me comes up. The soundbar has no info bar so you have to rely on a led light strip on the top of the soundbar for you information on how loud you have it and even then it hard to judge from my couch. I was able to remedy this by connecting the soundbar to the ARC on my tv and using my tv remote to control the volume. My tv then was telling what the soundbar was at, I am lucky in my case as I know not every tv does this.

    After that I started testing it out with several movies and while not perfect the Dolby Atmos sound is pretty good for a soundbar. It definitely sounds like there are more speakers around the room, but since the soundbar does not come with a sub you feel like you are missing something. For most tv watching this is fine you don’t really notice the lack of low end bass. But once you started watching movies you really miss it. The good thing is that you can use any subwoofer that would normally work on a home theater system you do not have to use the one Sennheiser sells. Once you get a subwoofer connected this is easily a five star sounding system. I can ultimately live without the info bar but not coming with a soundbar I feel like is a big miss in this range of soundbar.

    would I recommend it yes but with the caveat of getting yourself a subwoofer to complete it the sound.

13. 

    dorkhead2 – February 5, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    I decided to go with this soundbar to replace a 6 year old Polk soundbar I had. Not only did this one have more technology, but in my home I could not do true surround so was looking for a very good alternative. The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus pretty much nails what I was looking for.

    First the pros.

    The sound bar is solidly built. You can tell the quality you are getting as you open the box. It’s packaged very nicely, and the weight of the actual sound bar is impressive. Connecting all my devices was super easy and the app you use to setup is very intuitive. This soundbar configures itself by listening to your room and optimizing itself for your specific surroundings. You can even connect your devices to stream music or anything you want through the app to send a signal directly through the bar. I actually haven’t even used the enclosed dedicated remote and find myself just going through the app on my phone since you can do all the features from it and my phone is usually always next to me. On top of that it immediately recognized my Roku and TV remotes and auto enabled me being able to adjust the volume from either. First thing I did was fire up the Dolby Atmos (which this soundbar is supposed to be known for) and it did not disappoint! I tried several movies and scenes (Ready Player One & Thor Ragnarok). First off, the voice separation is amazing (movies, TV, you name it). On my old bar the scenes would get very loud so you couldn’t hear the voice then vice versa. On the Ambeo, not an issue. The voice always comes in super clear, and I never found myself reaching to turn the audio up/down and could just sit and enjoy. This is with the voice enhancement turned on, but honestly you really don’t need it, it’s just my personal preference to have the voices a little louder. Second the simulated Dolby Atmos is amazing. I literally found myself smiling while watching because it made me feel like I was back in the theater, yes, it’s really that good. It blows my mind how they did it to get all this immersive sound out of this single bar. Will it be better than a dedicated 7.1 setup, of course not, but it’s a hell of an alternative.

    Now for the cons.

    While the soundbar sounds amazing, it definitely is missing that extra layer that a subwoofer would give you. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad with just the soundbar’s bass, but pair this with a subwoofer and it will really be top of the line sound. Unfortunately though, the soundbar does not come with a sub and at this price point it’s a tough pill to swallow to shell out more money for the paired Ambeo wireless sub after you just spent a good amount on the soundbar (Not that I am not tempted because I know the pairing would be just that more amazing). It does have a dedicated sub out port so if you already have a sub you can hook it up fairly easy and the bar will recognize it. Second con is the HDMI inputs. The soundbar itself has 2 HDMI inputs and 1 HDMI 2.1 eARC input. Issue is the 2 HDMI inputs are not 2.1 so it can’t pass through video at 120fps. Since I game and have an Xbox Series X, I want to take advantage of all the features it has and not being able to just plug it into the soundbar and it work fully was a bit of a letdown. It’s an easy enough fix, just plug the Xbox directly into the TV (that has a HDMI 2.1 input) and then use the audio bypass which will send the signal to the bar. Overall, I am very pleased with the Ambeo and I have no doubt I will be using it for many years to come and watching more movies.

14. 

    isxyxyxyxc – February 5, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    great performance. With a good subwoofer addon, this makes for a great movie theater system

15. 

    TechGeek – February 5, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I was excited to get my hands on the new Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbar plus. It packs a punch with a rated 400W (RMS) in a compact design. This is at a lower price point compared to its flagship Ambeo Max but brings the same experience (almost) at a small footprint. Being an audiophile, I am always on the lookout for the best soundbars and home audio systems. I tested over fifty sounds bars in the last ten years and the Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbar plus stands out on several different levels for its price range and is well worth the money. It is packed with features and several connectivity options to connect to TV or for a standalone music system.

    Installation was a breeze. It took less than 5 mins to set it up as I already had their “smart control” app that immediately detected the soundbar and let me configure in mins. It also came with a nice handy remote. It supports Dolby Atmos, dts X and MPEG-H (common in Europe) audio along with their Ambeo 360 reality audio (3D). It has a built-in mic as well for voice activation/control.

    Design: Small footprint, low profile that doesn’t obstruct the TV viewing area. It is loaded with nine speakers which includes a dual subwoofer (top facing) to bring in the same experience as a 7.1.4 speaker system in a very compact design. The best part is its self-calibration technology that maps the rooms to customize and bring the same cinematic experience and immersive sound as a 7.1.4 speaker system. I tested it at different heights and had the best experience when it’s at your viewing level or at the chest level in a room with 15-foot ceiling. There is also a wall mount kit option available on their website.

    I watched Avatar on a 65-inch Curved 3D TV and compared the experience with my home theater room and was blown away by the audio quality and the richness in the sound. I was so pleased with the audio quality that I couldn’t resist and ordered the Ambeo Sub to bring the home theater experience to my bedroom. Their patented Ambeo technology delivers 3D sound effects with the speakers facing in all different directions to mimic the 7.1.4 effect. I cranked up the volume to max and the audio was crystal clear, I didn’t hear any muffled voices at all. The only thing that I was a little disappointed with is the bass, felt it was a little low compared to the experience you get with a powered sub-woofer. Obviously, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison given the soundbar’s design and weight limitations. I recommend adding a sub to take your experience to a whole new level.

    Quick rating on what I think it performed on the frequency range

    Frequency Range Frequency Values Comments
    Sub-bass 20 to 60 Hz – excellent (5/5)
    Bass 60 to 250 Hz – fell a little short on expectation (3/5)
    Low midrange 250 to 500 Hz – harmonics – excellent (5/5)
    Midrange 500 Hz to 2 kHz – horn like quality – very good (4/5)
    Upper midrange 2kHz to 4 kHz – sound trimbre – excellent (5/5)
    Presence 4 to 6 kHz – for clarity – excellent (5/5)

    Connectivity Options: It has a ton of connectivity options. Apart from the physical ports (HDMI, OPT, Aux, USB, and Ethernet) it also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Apple Airplay 2, Chromecast along with support for few apps such as Spotify, Tidal connect, etc. Their “Smart Control” app is pretty intuitive and comes with a few additional features such as EQ settings (preset), etc.

    Overall, I recommend it for its 3D sound effects and recommend pairing it with the Ambeo sub to take the cinematic experience to a whole new level in a compact design!

16. 

    CatCity – February 5, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    I consider myself somebody who is very experienced with sound bars, as I have lots of high end sound bars throughout my house, and am always upgrading them. This is probably the nicest sound bar I’ve ever had, but I was really hoping for more bass from this bar. It has a lot more thump than my other bars, but it still is no replacement for a sub. I’m planning to purchase the sub to accompany this, because I think it will put this soundbar on a whole new level.

    The sound is incredibly crisp and dynamic. The bar does a really good job of creating a multidirectional sound that is really pretty amazing. Still, the sound is linear in the sense that it’s coming from the front, and not behind me, and the lack of a sub is really noticeable to me in terms of what this system could be.

    This bar has a voice mode that dramatically amplifies the voice, and I absolutely love it! The voice mode is exactly what I envisioned a voice mode could be, and it’s really one of the highlights of the bar. The remote also has several preset functions that are incredibly well balanced. I typically watch sports, and the sports mode really brings out the crowd noise and creates a more open air experience. The remote is also pretty meaty, and a treat to hold in your hand.

    I’ve been using this sound bar for a little over a week and have had no issues with it turning on automatically, or Bluetooth connecting, or connecting to the app. The experience of the bar is pretty incredible, but I just can’t get over how much this bar needs the sub.

17. 

    k1zit – February 6, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The level of immersive sound that this soundbar is able to produce is incredible; especially given it’s sleek and minimalist form factor. If you’re looking for a serious home theatre audio experience but you either don’t have the space for a traditional 7.1 surround system, or simply don’t want to deal with the added complexity, this is a fantastic alternative. Over the course of the last week, I have paired this soundbar with my smart TV and have put it through its paces by playing PS5 titles, watching 4k blurays, and streaming content through platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, and YouTube. Regardless of what content I watched, the audio always sounded extremely high quality. The bass that this soundbar is capable of producing is impressive due to it’s built-in dual 4 inch subwoofers. The mids are clear and crisp due to it’s seven high-end aluminum cone drivers. The AMBEO surround sound virtualization technique that this soundbar uses is very positionally accurate and did a phenomenal job of filling the entire room. Although watching & listening standard audio format content sounded great, hearing Dolby Atmos content was on another level (you can tell when the soundbar has detected Dolby Atmos content as the “Dolby Atmos” LED will turn on). Personally, I found some of the best selection of Dolby Atmos content on Netflix which made my experience with this soundbar that much better. Watching “Extraction” and “The Gray Man” blew my mind. It truly felt like I had side and rear speakers. Bullets sounded like they were flying above me and around me. Sound effects during action scenes sounded rich and defined. Explosions sounded thunderous and boomy without getting muddled or distorted. The only sound signature that didn’t seem to be quite on par with the rest of the high end audio experience was the dialogue. While it sounded clear and crisp, the vocal reproduction didn’t have the vibrancy and richness that I was expecting from such a high end soundbar. I tried several different audio presets but it still didn’t quite meet my expectations. I stumbled across the “voice enhancement” feature and VOILA; what a massive difference! I have found that for Dolby Atmos content the “Movie” + “Voice” presets sound the best to me. Non Dolby Atmos content sounded the best to me when using “Neutral” + “Voice” or “Adaptive” + “Voice”. Keeping the “AMBEO” surround tech feature on was a must for me; especially when playing video games. The immersive experience that is lost without it is pretty significant.

    In terms of setup, it was a breeze. The soundbar has multiple inputs for all of your audio sources (eARC HDMI, 2 additional HMDI inputs, an ethernet port, fiber optical input, USB-A, composite L+R input, and a subwoofer preout). Yes, you can connect an external subwoofer to this soundbar if you truly want to take the low frequency channel to the next level. For me, the built-in dual subwoofers were more than enough to provide ample bass for my 1400 sq foot townhome living room. The Sennheiser “Smart Control” app is a must download if you get this soundbar. It allows you to properly calibrate the soundbar depending on your environment. It does so by using 4 built-in far field high-precision microphones along with it’s proprietary algorithm to detect things like sound reflection and refraction. Just make sure the room is quiet, sit back for a few minutes, and let it do it’s thing. The app also allows you to select all the different features that are found on the remote like the audio presets, volume, sources, etc. Speaking of the remote, it is very high quality! It has a very good heft to it and I love the included rubber feet; they do such a good job of keeping the remote stationary that they almost feel like magnets! Despite how superb the remote feels, the only minor cons that I have with this soundbar have to do with the remote. The first minor annoyance is that Sennheiser decided not to illuminate the buttons. It would be great to see Sennheiser put a sensor on the remote that illuminates the buttons when it’s picked up. The second minor con is that there’s no dedicated mute button. While you can use the circular multi-purpose button located at the top of the remote, you have to hold it down for a few seconds and then it takes a few more seconds for it to mute/unmute. This is a viable solution but I would have preferred the ability to instantly mute.

    Overall, this is hands-down the best soundbar I’ve ever heard. There’s no comparison with the sub two-hundred dollar Yamaha soundbar that it’s replacing in my living room. The difference in high quality audio was instantly noticeable. A very welcome surprise was how amazing music sounded with this soundbar. I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with music playback on this thing. Listening to Diana Krall and Sarah Brightman on the “Music” preset gave me a similar experience to when I heard Super Audio CDs for the first time back in the day. The vocals are so rich with depth. Mids and highs are crisp and clear. Instruments are easily discernable and sound so natural. Other genres like electronic, reggae, and classical also sounded fantastic! If you’re looking for a high end and hassle-free audio experience for both movies and music, you’ve gotta check out this Ambeo Soundbar Plus!

18. 

    Techenthusiast1 – February 6, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus is the best soundbar I have ever owned, and I have owned many over the years. This is a high-end 7.1.4 channel soundbar that offers a premium audio experience for your home theater. With its advanced 3D audio technology and 9 built in speakers, it creates an immersive soundstage that truly makes you feel as if you’re part of a movie or tv show that you’re watching. This soundbar gets loud and delivers great bass with the built in subs and you have the option of adding an external subwoofer if even louder bass is desired.

    The soundbar is compatible with a wide range of devices and supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and MPEG-H making it suitable for both movie and music playback. It has Bluetooth, Airplay 2, and Chrome Cast built in so you can stream music directly from a smartphone. The build quality is excellent, with a sleek and stylish design that will complement any living room. Setup was easy as it is done through an app on your smartphone.

    Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus for all the movie watching and music listening I did with it. I recommend this without any reservations.

19. 

    ShanGus – February 6, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Extra points to Sennheiser for keeping things green by not packing this speaker in any styrofoam.

    I ran into a couple of issues for both of my use cases. Trying to get the speaker connected via Bluetooth on my iPhone, was not as simple as a pair of headphones. Pairing wasn’t so hard, but I had to make some extra adjustments to get any sound to come out. On my older Samsung TV, I also had to make a settings adjustment for ARC to work properly with the speaker. In both cases everything appeared fine but the speaker would provide feedback both with a red light and error noise. However, once I got them working, I had no issues controlling the speaker with either the remote or via the mobile app.

    You can easily crank the volume on this speaker to the max – which is quite ear-splitting – with no distortion as far as I could hear. I will say though that if you’re expecting bass you can feel, you will want to pickup a subwoofer. I tried to make adjustments via the app to attempt to pull more bass out of the unit but it just wasn’t there to pull. If you do add a sub, you’ll note there’s no shortage of ports on the back of the speaker for various connection types.

    The remote is straightforward, letting you do most of the things you can do with the app instead outside of tweaking the different styles. Pro-tip: don’t try to pull the plastic tab for enabling the batteries – you need to open the unit up and remove it. Speaking of the styles, you will definitely hear a difference in each offering, and on top of that, Ambeo takes the output to a new level. Ambeo just provides a more room-filling experience than what you get when it’s turned off. I’m not sure there’s a time I would disable it.

    The Smart Control app worked flawlessly for controlling the unit once it was setup, and is the only way to further tweak the default styles. However, I did choose to upgrade the firmware on the unit when I first got it. I don’t know if the app hung up or what, but I waited an hour while it attempted to do so over Wi-Fi, restarted the app, and it was available shortly after.

20. 

    Electrosoft – February 7, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar is the type of soundbar that shines without an external subwoofer but when you
    add your own decent subwoofer the soundbar itself tends to lose some of its advantage.

    For a bit of background I previously used a tried and true very expensive wired 5.1 surround sound system for over 15 years till bit by bit over the years my rear channels gave out and eventually my receiver started to fail. All I was left with was an absolute monster of a subwoofer (500w) and a couple of left/right speakers. It was at this point I converted to a soundbar setup. The only requirement being it had to have an aux subwoofer port to continue to use my excellent subwoofer.

    I have used three soundbars starting with a very inexpensive Vizio sub $100 soundbar before upgrading to a $250 Yamaha Yas-108 4 years ago and now the Sennheiser AMBEO. All three soundbars have an external aux port for a subwoofer. My review will reflect on price:performance along with compared to a proper, wired 5.1 setup.

    Arriving neatly packaged with a professional presentation, setup was quick and painless. It offers optical and HDMI in options which was nice and connecting it to my Sony 65″ Z9F took less than 5 minutes (if that). It is not small by any stretch of the imagination and is much bigger than my Yamaha which in turn was much bigger than my Vizio.

    There is a firmware upgrade and using a Smart Phone and their app is pretty much mandatory but available free of charge.

    You use the app to not only update your firmware but also to “map” your viewing room (it works in tandem with the bar itself) and let it know you use an external subwoofer if so desired. The app is pretty easy to navigate.

    Once I had everything setup, I flipped on my AppleTV and started testing recently viewed programs that included Foundation, Carnival Row and Avengers Infinity War.

    PROS:

    One FANTASTIC feature of the Ambeo is the dialogue enhancement. One complaint I had about the previous two soundbars was absolutely dialogue enhancement and truly bringing it to the forefront for listening. The Ambeo makes it so front and center it stands clearly distinct from all the other ambient sounds without overpowering them. To me this is the star of the show. Dialogue is clear and distinct regardless of what is going on.

    Many small, nuanced audio details I could only pick up with a good set of headphones are now easily discernable with the Ambeo vs non-existent or sometimes muffled with my other soundbars. The Sennheiser shines with mids and highs and clarity. The seperation is top notch.

    Compared to the other soundbars, running the Ambeo by itself it more than passes the stand alone basic bass test and is worthy. It doesn’t rattle and produces what I would call strong, average bass with decent punch. It doesn’t compare to a competent, true, externally powered subwoofer but it provides enough to where if you are unable (or unwilling) to connect an external subwoofer, you will still get a good overall soundscape. It is nothing earth shattering, wall shaking or floor rumbling but will get the job done.

    The room mapping does allow the Ambeo to project and seperate the soundscape to some degree providing and richer and more immersive experience when viewing programs.I found many of the space scenes in Foundation were projected much more properly than my other soundbars.

    The Ambeo is clearly heads and tales above $80-$300 soundbars for highs and mids and lows in stand alone fashion with no external sub woofer.

    The remote is nice and oversized and solid to hold and use.

    CONS:

    The problem is once you do connect a good subwoofer, much of the bass advantage disappears as my same sub hooked up to my previous two soundbars provided equal amounts of punch and kick negating much of the advantages of the Ambeo low end reproduction. Running the Ambeo without an external sub and the difference is like night and day (Sennheiser does offer an external subwoofer for this model too) in regards to a true bass experience when watching cinema or listening to music. If you are considering a soundbar of this class and price, you might want to figure out if you plan to use an external subwoofer.

    Even with the firmware upgrade, I found myself sometimes having to turn it off and on several times to either work or recognize my Sony Z9F signal. I never had this problem with my Yamaha.

    While it maps your space for sound projection and immersion, I never once got a true surround sound experience or effect even remotely comparable to my true 5.1 setup. I can definitely hear and appreciate the sound processing and seperation and it is far better than my other soundbars but for a true surround sound experience you are going to need to purchase a real 5.1-7.1 setup. There just is no substitute.

    With all its advantages, it is still $1400.00 for a soundbar and I was getting 80% of what the Ambeo provided for 20% of the price with my Yamaha. The Ambeo is for someone where price is no object and you start heading into the, “I want the best of the best,” echelon of Soundbars.

    SUMMARY:

    So where does that leave the Ambeo? While I love the voice enhancement, excellent high, mids and stellar sound, it can’t compete with a real 5.1 system nor a real external subwoofer. If you are expecting a true surround sound experience or “deep and kicking bass” you will be disappointed. I found myself routinely enjoying it while also questioning if it was worth the premium price when a lower end sound bar coupled with a decent external subwoofer would offer much that is offered at less than half the price?

    On the other hand, if you’re looking for a competent all in one soundbar that provides fantastic highs, mids and lows for what they can pack into an under the TV soundbar and do not desire that extended theatre like bass or true surround sound experience, you can’t go wrong with selecting this Sennheiser Ambeo. Setup is a breeze, updating and calibration is quick and painless and it works fairly easy and straight forward and is most definitely a step about the lower tier sound bars on the market.

21. 

    Akire – February 7, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    This soundbar has met and exceeded all of my expectations. The sound is amazing! From music to movies, regular tv to gaming, the sound produced is top notch quality. Nothing gets muddled or lost. Every single sound that is included is heard with such clearness and crispness. I have never had any speaker, soundbar, or headphones that come close to comparing to this quality. I especially love the presets on the controller, they really add just the right setting for what you are watching, whether it is news, movies, music, etc. Additionally, the “night” mode is so helpful as my husband and I like to watch tv and movies when the kids go to bed and there are always scenes that become loud while voices are drowned out. With the “night” setting there is never any startling overly loud sounds, and the vocals remain perfectly audible, so we do not have to have subtitles on. I also love that I can hear music from the next room perfectly without having it obnoxiously loud for anyone who is in the living room, which is usually the case.

    Included in the box were the soundbar, controller, eARC HDMI cable, power cable, and manuals. Set-up was simple and easy. Connectivity is seamless, we have tried both optical cable (not included) and the HDMI (included). We found that the HDMI produces better sound quality compared to the optical cable, but of course that is to be expected. The speaker turns on whenever the tv turns on, this setting can be changed through the app. It also allows the tv and cable remote to control the volume without any extra steps, it connected automatically. Bluetooth connection is also quick and simple.

    The soundbar has a calibration setting that sends out sounds and detects the layout of its location in order to provide the best sound quality. It is rather fun to see it in action and it really allows the soundbar to provide a surround sound quality to the room.

    One issue I ran into was after changing the sound settings on my tv. The soundbar kept losing sound after a few minutes. I would turn it off and back on and it would work for a few minutes but then the same cycle would ensue. I solved it by using the “reset soundbar” setting on the app.

    The app works as it should and the soundbar responds immediately to the setting changes made through it. It has the same settings as the controller in addition to more involved settings such as: network, calibration, codec, input, LED brightness, updates, and several more.

    Overall, every aspect of this soundbar has surpassed and elevated my expectations of what quality sound is. I cannot recommend it enough, it is absolutely worth it!

22. 

    Alrobmoe – February 8, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    I’ve had multiple Dolby Atmos soundbars over the years, but this is the first supposed “audiophile” quality soundbar that I’ve used. I’ve always thought that the sound couldn’t really be that much better, but boy was I wrong. This thing blew me away. The Ambeo combined with Dolby Atmos really makes if feel like the sound is coming from all around you. I tested it out by watching Wakanda Forever, and I felt like I was in a movie theater. Just amazing.

    I’ve also been underwhelmed with the way music sounds through other soundbars I’ve owned, but this really makes music pop, especially Dolby Atmos tracks. I usually listen to music with headphones while I’m at home, but I can’t stop playing music on the Ambeo plus. I feel like I’m a music bubble.

    Another thing I’ll highlight is how easy this was to setup via the app. The firmware update went through pretty quickly (I can’t tell you how many issues I’ve had with other soundbars connecting to the internet and downloading updates) and it was easy to figure out how to calibrate the system to the room. There are a number of different sound modes you can tune it to (including turning Ambeo off, but I can’t think of a reason why I would do that) based on what you are watching or listening to. However, I find it annoying to keep switching between activities, so I leave on “adaptive” which tunes based on what you are doing. I’ve found subtle differences switching between different modes, but I’ve been very happy just leaving it on adaptive for whatever I’m listening to or watching.

    I also love the appearance of the soundbar. Most others I’ve owned use a lot of plastic and aren’t very aesthetically pleasing. The Ambeo Plus actually looks like a speaker. The Ambeo Plus also provides a lot of flexibility with 1 eArc port, and 2 other HDMI ports. I have an older TV that does not have eArc, so I was never able to get true Dolby Atmos from all sources with other soundbars. With the Ambeo Plus, I can plug my Firestick and DVD player directly into it and get the best sound quality. Another minor plus, there was zero styrofoam in the packaging. Everything was paper and cardboard, so bonus points for being environmentally friendly.

    So why 4 stars? The Ambeo Plus is definitely NOT user friendly. If you are using the phone app, everything is easy. It lets you control different modes and tells you what input you are using. However, I don’t like to have to open my phone every time I watch TV, and my kids don’t have phones (and my wife can barely use one). Good luck trying to figure out what’s going on without the app. All statuses are located on top of the soundbar, which you can’t see unless you are standing right over it, and you have to remember, and figure out, what location the LED bar is at to tell what input you are using. Also, when one device turns on, all devices seem to turn on, and it defaults to the DVD player. Then I get called over by other family members to try to figure out how to get it on the right input (the included remote is great but useless since you can’t tell what it’s actually doing unless you are standing over the soundbar, in which case, you don’t really need a remote). This is very frustrating and I can’t fathom how someone thought this was a good design.

    Another thing I’ll note, is that it probably needs an added subwoofer. The bass is fine, but it really can’t match a dedicated subwoofer that most other soundbars come with. Luckily you can add any wired subwoofer.

    All in all, if sound is the most important thing (and you don’t have small children), I highly recommend this soundbar.

23. 

    CactusMan – February 8, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I have owned several sound bars and home theater systems over the last 15 years, as well as some Sennheiser headphones and earbuds, and I am honestly blown away at what this soundbar is capable of.

    For the last 4-years I’ve been using a JBL 3.1 Soundbar in my living room, and a 10+ year old Sony HT-CT260. The Sony was a great value back in the day for the build and sound quality, having held up without issue over several moves from apartments to houses. The JBL, on the other hand, was something that I always thought sounded better on the showroom floor of Best Buy than in my house. Needless to say, I opted to replace my living room experience with one of the priciest soundbars on the market, the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus. While not Sennheiser’s flagship, that would be the even more expensive Ambeo Max soundbar, this thing did not disappoint at all.

    Out of the box you get the soundbar itself, a nice hefty remote, power cable, and a premium HDMI 2.1 cable capable of supporting eARC and UHD, HDR (including Dolby Vision). The remote even has little rubber pads on the bottom to prevent it from slipping off an armrest or coffee table. Setup was a breeze, and since my 4-year-old Sony 4K TV doesn’t support eARC, I continued setup with standard ARC and plugged both my Xbox Series X and Apple TV 4K right into the back two HDMI ports. It’s nice to know this supports the latest standards should I upgrade my TV in the future. Also, side note, the ENTIRE box and packaging, excluding the plastic handle, is fully recyclable so nicely done Sennheiser.

    Once booted up, I followed the instructions and downloaded the Sennheiser Smart Control app. This part was REALLY cool, in my opinion. The app and the soundbar’s built in microphones worked together to essentially SONAR my living room, bursting out digital soundbites and scanning how long they take to echo off the walls so that it can digitally place speakers around the room for a pseudo-7.1.4 Dolby Atomos experience. Other reviews I’ve seen call this a 5.1 system, and I agree based on the speaker setup of the unit, but in all honesty the sound beaming capabilities of this soundbar give Sennheiser a good argument for calling this thing a 7.1.4 system.

    The sound profile on this bar is phenomenal. I didn’t have a way to measure its sound curve, but to my ears, comparatively to both my JBL and Sony soundbars, this unit delivers such clear crisp clarity across all frequencies. My JBL really felt like the bar itself had very little bass and mid-range, and the sub would only really fill in the bass leaving the whole audio experience to feel a little piercing and just not at all full. That is the opposite on this soundbar, where I can clear here every frequency with superb clarity. The bass on this unit is quite substantial for its size and I was quite impressed, though I think it could benefit from pairing subwoofer to achieve a true home theater experience. For that I would suggest looking into either a wired subwoofer (which is very cool that this thing has an option for) or Sennheiser’s own Ambeo Sub that pairs wirelessly to the Ambeo Plus. Cheaper soundbars don’t generally give you the option to add a wired subwoofer, so you’re usually stuck with the one it comes with the unit, or one sold from the manufacturer designed to pair with your bar. The fact that they give you the option is very nice, especially since you’re already buying a +$1K soundbar and their wireless option at $600 retail is certainly not the cheapest option.

    The sound profiles that I used primarily were Normal, Movie and Adaptive, and I chose to leave the Ambeo setting turned on for most of my listening. The Ambeo setting is what essentially the magic behind the 3D listening experience of this soundbar. Most soundbars do a nice job with stereo and some Dolby Audio, but Dolby Atmos with the Ambeo setting turned on is just an incredible home theater experience. One of my first times booting up the unit was to play NBA 2K 2023, and the sound immersion was unlike anything I ever expected to get out of a soundbar. It literally sounded like I had speakers behind me, giving me a feeling of being in an NBA arena. Movies and TV shows sound even more amazing, and there’s TONS of content mixed in Dolby Atmos available on Netflix, Apple TV+, and tons of others. Heck, YouTube TV even supports 5.1 audio, so my general TV watching experience has been improved for content that supports it. Just incredible sound immersion.

    Some other things to consider with this soundbar:

    • I found that audio from my TV to the sound bar via HDMI ARC sounded worse than audio from devices directly connected to the soundbar. Turns out my TV had a setting turned on called Clear Audio Plus. Turning this setting off greatly improved my sound quality. There may be a similar setting on your TV to check if you aren’t getting the sound profile you are expecting.

    • I personally bought the Ambeo Sub to pair with this bar, and I would highly recommend it. This bar can support pairing up to 4 wireless Ambeo Subs, which may be overkill for some and useful for others. It just adds that little bit of low end it was missing.

    • If you do pair this with a subwoofer, or if you move, replace or add furniture in your room, then you’ll want to re-calibrate your soundbar to adjust to your new space/layout.

    • There were a handful of times the first day after setup where the app couldn’t find the soundbar on my network, but I haven’t had any issues since then.

    • You can link Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and it also supports Chromecast. I haven’t used these features yet, I already have several home assistants around the house that it seems overkill to me to have it in the soundbar itself, though I imagine if you are casting content then you could use voice control to pause or rewind content.

    • This soundbar is Apple AirPlay compatible, and I loved this feature for listing to my Apple Music library while doing chores around the house.

    • The Ambeo Subwoofer is $599, on top of the $1,500 soundbar. Other wired options are available for much cheaper, but beware of degrading your overall experience by pairing a cheap sub with a high end soundbar.

    Sennheiser is known for audio quality, and they hold true with this offering. What this soundbar offers is the ability to basically add Dolby Atmos, not just surround sound, to your house or apartment without the need for rear speakers. That is incredible. Yes, you are paying a bit of a premium, but it’s a quality known brand in this space, and quite frankly you are getting incredible sound quality and features for the price.

24. 

    A Smith – February 10, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar is really, really good.. almost perfect, actually. The surround sound quality is exceptional but, it could REALLY use a little extra bass for those moments during a movie where some intense action scene would be complimented by a quality, thundering type of bass. My simple reason for this not being a perfect 5-star worthy product is; for such a premium product/premium price, you may be better off spending the extra that it costs for the “optional” subwoofer or a Sennheiser soundbar that comes with a subwoofer. Don’t get me wrong, the sound quality this produces IS good. The vocals are clear and crisp and the additional “voice” feature really does a nice job of bringing voices forward for the listener. This feature helps understand what is being said during movies scenes that have a lot of other background noise or music. I have found keeping the AMBEO setting turned on produces the highest quality, most consistent sound for my listening pleasure. If only the bass was a little bit deeper it would be an easy 5/5! Build quality and weight is really nice, as to be expected with a premium brand/product. Overall, this is a solid soundbar that produces nice sound and does well with its room filling surround sound capability.

25. 

    Smartguy – February 10, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    THIS THING SOUNDS AMAZING! I can’t believe the sound that come out of this thing! It is plenty loud, fills the room with sound, and is easy to set up. It sounds better than a lot of wired 5.1.4 and 7.2.4 setups I’ve heard without taking up the space. It is a bit lacking when it comes to bass, but add the Ambeo wireless subwoofer for a great sounding combo. A little on the pricey side…..but you get what you pay for!!

26. 

    David L – February 11, 2023

    Rated 3 out of 5

    This product is listed as capable of more than what it is. I have two home theater surround systems, a 5.1 and a 5.2.4, both of which have true channel separation, and set up according to Dolby specs. The Ambeo sound bar claims 7.1.4. With a built-in subwoofer. This Sound Bar does not even come close to replicating the true surround systems in my house. To start off with, the bass is OK to augment dialogue, but It does not come close to replicating, low frequency, sound effects, and content. You will definitely need a subwoofer if you choose this product. As far as the remainder of the channels, I did not get much of surround or Atmos effects. Again, decent for augmenting dialogue but does not have Good channel, separation, surround or Atmos. I found that it was just a nice Sound bar.

    The set up was very simple, connect to the TV via eARC, plug in the power cord And power it on. Download the app, which was very nice and useful, and glide through the set up. It does come with room calibration and it does do something to improve the acoustics, but overall limited to what this product can deliver.

    I found the extra features through the app and different modes. Interesting, but ultimately, I found the dialogue enhance the most useful, as the other moods seem gimmicky and attempting to make this product deliver more than it can.

    One disappointing feature that I found was, due to the size and weight of the sound bar, it cannot be attached to standard sound bar mounts To a TV. It has to be resting on a console table or you can buy separate Ambio wall mounts which force you to mounted to the wall.

    The make and quality of this sound bar is solid and nice but I just found it to be over priced for what it can deliver.

    I think you can buy and Set up a true 5.1 system with the receiver for the same amount of money or a little more and get a much better experience.

    If you are truly set on a sound bar I would look elsewhere.

27. 

    nkpstudios – February 13, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    The AMBEO Soundbar Plus is the newest member of the Sennheiser AMBEO lineup just under the AMBEO Max Soundbar, BUT it is more powerful RMS-wise. With the impressive construction, the overall weight and speaker quality reassure you of your purchase as soon as you start unpacking. Pulling everything out, it is heavy right down to the remote. The I/O ports available on this soundbar are just mind-blowing and add value like no other. You essentially get another TV worth of inputs on this soundbar PLUS the versatility with adding non-brand specific subwoofers along with one RCA jack for those who can’t completely let go of yesteryear. I recommend this if you have a TV larger than 55in because if you don’t, the soundbar will make your TV look silly. The remote is simple and well laid out for anyone to manage.

    Setup was as easy as simply plugging in the HDMI to the ARC port of my TV and powering on. Download the
    Sennheiser Smart Control app for the easiest and most feature-rich customizability. In app, the bar will be calibrated and you can tweak things to your liking. This Soundbar Plus is a clean and crisp sounding bar even at higher volumes. High, lows, and mids all sound clean and distinct in the airy soundstage without blending together. Touch controls are very responsive, allowing for source control, bluetooth, volume, and Alexa activation all from the top of the bar. Now, here is where I have my first “wish”. I wish there was a way to know what is going on outside from decoding the colors of an LED bar. Keep your owner’s manual (not available in the box you must download) close so you can decode what is going on if you find yourself trying to see what codec is active.

    Sound quality is pristine and clarity is amazing BUT it is lacking in the low end which means GET A SUB!!!! If you are a bass-head, love explosions and rumbling, this will leave you wondering what is going on. Until after I updated my EQ I was disappointed with bass coming from this speaker, but it is a bar only so you should know that. This is a perfect soundbar for someone who doesn’t like a lot of bass and enjoys clear audio with HUGE soundstage. The 360 spatial effect is stunning. However, it can be a bit overdone with upscaling lower resolutions MP3 and other codecs. Watching movies often had me wondering if sound is from the TV or something you heard outside. My recommendation to improve sound here is to keep Voice Enhancement on and boost the “Foundation” and “Low-Mid” in the EQ to get the best sound for people just buying the bar.

    LOVE
    Connectivity Options – WiFi, AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Bluetooth 5.0 AAC & SBC
    Dolby ATMOS, DTS:X, MPEG-H and 360 Reality Audio
    Smart Home Connected – Google Home, Apple Homekit, and Alexa compatible.
    Alexa Built-In – This is the best Alexa you will own in your house.
    Automatic Self-Calibration
    Voice Enhancement
    Smart Control App
    Ambeo 3D Sound
    3-HDMI Ports (2 input w/ 2.0a and 1 output w/ 2.1 and eARC)
    Up to 400W Total RMS
    The app is excellent and the best way to interact with the soundbar.

    RECOMMENDATIONS
    HDMIs are 2.0a not 2.1 – for this price, all ports should be newest 2.1 standard.
    Add OLED screen somewhere to show what input/mode/codecs are active.
    Future satellite speakers for rear placement to fully immerse the viewer.
    Better Bluetooth codecs like LDAC and aptxHD could help audio quality when streaming.

    In short, this is an excellent soundbar, but if you are after a full theater experience, you WILL want to hook up a subwoofer. This brings me to my second recommendation, add satellite speakers! I have used many types of soundbars, and once you add satellite speakers to a soundbar, it is hard to go back. This may be one of the best in sound, but for the price, it lacks bass, and other systems offer more, including satellite speakers, for a more immersive experience. I cannot speak on the sound of the sub, but it will fix what I am yearning for – a deep and full bass when watching movies to recreate the theater experience.

28. 

    GVHen – February 13, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    I have 3 soundbars and this is no doubt the best. Given its price, it should be. The clarity of the sound is absolutely amazing. The Atmos feature actually does make a difference for movies even though the sound is produced by a thin, but long bar. The sound is indeed immersive, the Ambeo setting adds to movies, and there are some really good features. Details:

    – The packaging was impressive. Very nicely done.
    – The build quality is excellent.
    – The ability to raise and lower the volume of the center “channel” is excellent. Great for movies with lots of loud scenes, explosions, etc.
    – The ability to edit the 6 sound profiles is good; however it only has only 4 different “sliders” for “Foundation”, “Low-Mid”, “Clarity” and “Brilliance.” The manual describes these settings, but they are still a bit nebulous. Would like to see a full equalizer.
    – The ability to be able to change parameters via a web based interface (and not just the app) is fantastic. Just type the IP address into the web browser and all the settings are at your keyboard fingertips – so much nicer than an app if one is sitting in front of a PC (or tablet).
    – The LED indication on the bar is good (although it would be great if there was a small info LED with codecs, volume, settings, etc).
    – The ability to stream music from a PC or a NAS drive is great. It streams WAV and WMA files even though the manual is silent on those codecs (note downloading the good PDF manual is a must).
    – Spotify and Bluetooth also work well too.

    But there are some things that have precluded me from rating the bar higher than four stars.
    These include:
    – While the sound is clear, balanced and full, the bass is just ok. That is not too surprising for such a thin bar, and it isn’t bad. Sennheiser does sell an optional subwoofer for $600 or one could add a sw from another manufacturer which is great. However, for the price of this bar, perhaps a sw should have been included. Sennheiser rates this bar down to 38 Hz. While I did not personally measure it, I think that rating is a bit optimistic.
    – Would ideally like to see more than just Spotify or Tidal natively supported. Prime music, Deezer, Qobuz, Pandora, etc would be welcome (although I could cast them from my phone or PC to the unit).
    – A few times as I was testing out and exploring the features, I found that I had to restart the soundbar to get back some features. While not that of a big deal, and I don’t expect that to happen much if at all as I settle in with normal use, this really should not have been necessary.
    – Likewise after listening without interaction for a period of time, then going back to the app to modify a setting, the app would show “disconnected”. After a few seconds it would function fine – I assume it was reconnecting – but this was a minor annoyance. Perhaps a firmware update is needed (updating the firmware IS very easy and user friendly, BTW)
    – Very minor nit, but the app does not rotate into landscape mode on my Android tablet.

    Sennheiser is very clear that the bar should be used in a room that has a flat ceiling. While my ultimate use will be in a smaller room (study) with a flat ceiling (which is where I have it installed now), I did want to try it it my 20×15′ family room which has a vaulted ceiling. I watched a couple of Atmos movies and listened to some music. Now, there is no way the Sennheiser could compete with my everyday AVR and 5.1.2 setup, it did acquit itself quite well – for movies better than music which was just ok. As previously mentioned the bass was lacking. If you are going to purchase this and want some good bass, you will probably want to buy a subwoofer to go with it.

    And that is the main reason for my 4 stars. If you buy the bar and the sw, it will run you over $2K. And for that money, you may be better served to buy separates, but you would also need an amp/receiver. Having said that, setting up this bar could not have been more easy, and it is relatively compact. And it comes with very good sound for such a thin unit. In the smaller room, movies sounded very, very good with excellent Atmos and good dynamics. Music was pretty good too (but not as good as movies and not as good as a good pair of bookshelf speakers that provide good separation).

    So all in all, this is an excellent unit with great features, and is highly recommended, but it is pricey. And don’t expect the same sound as can be obtained with a decent AVR and separate speakers and a sw (albeit that could be a more expensive, is more complex, and would take up a lot more space).

29. 

    Osbrandon – February 17, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    This review is for the Sennheiser Amber soundbar plus. After using it for about 2 weeks I have come to my review. I did encounter some bugs here and I will mention those below.

    Sound: 5/5

    The sound on this soundbar sounds amazing and crystal clear. The highs are clear, mids are great but obviously much of the deep low end is missing. I connected my 10 inch klipsch subwoofer for a more immersive sound. The voices are well pronounced, clear and easily heard. There was no need to turn on voice enhancer but there is the option if needed. The ambeo mode gives a wider sound stage than having it off and when listening to Dolby Atmos the virtual surround does an amazing job with bouncing sounds off wall so that sounds are heard on your left and right. I did not get any sound behind me though. just directly from the sides and in front obviously. While watching The Last of Us, during the rain if felt like my room had rain going throughout it. Plus sounds throughout the movie sounded like it was on my sides. Video games sound great on it too. I have my pc connected to my tv. Although I have Dolby atmos selected on on my pc, the soundbar won’t play any sound from the game. This may be a bug of some sort so I have to go back to DVD sound setting on. On my old sound system with dolby atmos receiver, I was able to select dolby atmos on my windows pc. Music sound amazing on this. I think music sounds the best of all sources.

    Ease of use/App

    Setting up the soundbar is rather easy. The soundbar is quite heavy though and can be quite too tall for tvs not mounted high so it may block the IR receiver. Once connected and the app is downloaded it will guide you through the setup process and room sound calibration. After that you’re ready to start listening. The app has some cool features and can control the soundbar with the app itself. There’s also a sound equalizer to tailor how you like your soundbar. Other settings like LED settings, turning ambeo mode on/off and subwoofer settings if you choose to connect one. I have a wired subwoofer connected to my soundbar. The soundbar also features HDMI eARC so whenever I turn my tv or pc on the soundbar automatically turns on itself. What I would like to see is a source remembering setting. You have optional sound setting categories like music, movies, game etc. So when switching from movies to my pc HDMI source, I have to go in the app and change to that sound category I made.

    Price….2/5

    Now the big elephant in the room is the price on this thing. Yes the sound is amazing and the features are many but for 1500 dollars, there are many other sound bars with surrounds and sub at this price for less and still sound amazing. They may not be Dolby Atmos, but it is true surround sound which I believe is better than this 7.1.4 dolby atmos soundbar which only fills the 180 degrees sound, not 360 degrees which I much prefer. I am hoping one day Sennheiser releases surround speakers for the sound bar.

30. 

    LAspeaker – February 24, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    I think it’s over priced but is a great speaker and is quite immersive for a single speaker. I wasn’t aware that it’s only Works With Google Assistant instead of Google Assistant Built-in. So I paired a Google Mini with it but it should be able to bs built-in like the Alexa assistant.

31. 

    mmodler – February 27, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus

    I upgraded from the Energy Powerbar Elite which is about 10 or so years old. So for context it was a 2.1 that had a subwoofer. It sounded good, but it has aged a bit given the inability to work with newer codecs.

    Setup 3.5/5

    The sound bar can be hooked up a couple of different ways. You can hook it up using eARC and still have your other devices hook up to the TV, you can just use good old digital optical, or you can us eARC and have your devices plugged directly into the soundbar. I encountered some issues using eARC and having my devices plugged into the soundbar itself. I ended up just using eARC and having my AppleTV plugged into the TV instead. This may be a quirk of my “ancient” hardware.

    The soundbar needs to be setup by using an app and I found that the app was not as user friendly as I would expect. I base this upon whether or not I could tell my parents or spouse to set this up and could be confident that they could set it up. Some settings that I would think would be front and center like EQ were buried in an edit button. I don’t think the average user could dare click on something like edit due to the fear of messing something up.

    Sound 4/5

    I was pretty blown away with the sound. I watched a few tv shows that I normally watch with my son and heard things that I had never noticed before. I toggled between sound presets and found that each added their own dynamic profiles to the media that we were watching. One thing that I didn’t quite like was that there was not enough low end for my liking. I want to feel what I am hearing. I am used to having the independent subwoofer from my old soundbar and that sounded great to me. I never really got that from the AMBEO. Even my HomePod’s low end blows both soundbars out of the water. I fiddled around with the settings and never really found what I was looking for. There is a subwoofer that can be purchased to accompany the AMBEO and that may be my next purchase.

    Looks – 5/5

    The soundbar looks wonderful. It feels like a premium product which I would expect from Sennheiser. The cloth texture feels nice when I was handling the unit. The only gripe I have is that the sound level indicator is an LED strip on the top of the soundbar. It would be nice to see in a future version a sound level indicator on the front of the unit like near the LED AMBEO logo.

    Overall 4/5
    I would recommend this soundbar as it does sound amazing.

32. 

    Travi0n – May 30, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Sounds just as good as it’s big brother, what I love about this one in particular is the option to increase the center channel and turn voice enhancement on. I don’t like how Sennheiser made it too small though, and felt like the driver size could have been a little bit bigger to sound just as full as the max, but because of the patented Ambeo 3d technology, you still get pretty convincing Atmos effects and a 180 degree soundstage. SENNHEISER PLEASE RELEASE SOME REAR SPEAKERS. I’d pledge my loyalty to this company xD

33. 

    TerryR – June 2, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Awesome sound bar! highly recommend it! Worth the money! T

34. 

    CM18 – June 10, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The Ambeo Plus is a great soundbar. It is a little pricey, but when combined with the optional subwoofer I couldn’t be more pleased. You won’t get the exact same spatial surround feel. But, the upward firing drivers do give you some heigh effects and I do feel like I have side surround in certain movie scenes. Setup was a breeze and overall user friendly. Very crisp and clear dialogue. Exactly what I was looking for.

35. 

    RENER – June 11, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I love this soundbar! It sounds great for not being huge its kinda big but not huge. The crispness of the sounds is amazing and the clarity of conversations are perfect. Gaming in DTS X and ATMOS is Great.

36. 

    jrvsav – July 7, 2023

    Rated 4 out of 5

    This amazing soundbar deserves somewhere in the 4.5 to 5.0 rating range. It sounds great overall. Is a very musical soundbar. Has many adjustments, settings, options for you to fine tune your sound. IMO, it misses on two things. One a dedicated front channel adjustment/EQ beyond the Ambeo adjustment. The other is just the two rear speakers to complete the physical .4 of the equation. There rear .2 are virtual and while it does a reasonably good job with simulating rear speakers, it falls just a tad short IMO. I’ve recently checked out Samsung, Sonos, LG and a few other traditional home receiver/speakers combinations and this is as good as all and better than each in certain ways. It is pricey but when you consider it is a self contained unit, though you will need to pair it with a subwoofer of your choosing, the sound earcandy does offer considerable valuable.

37. 

    RobertW – July 7, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Great sound best soundbar for the ptice. But its not cheep

38. 

    Unknown – July 14, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Great sounds bar I’m really happy thank you Best Buy

39. 

    Lycan – July 29, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Honestly a great soundbar but I wish Sennheiser would release wireless rears to pair with it. You can have up to 4 senheiser subs with it, which is amazing, but no rears really pulls it out of the running when compared to Sonos.

40. 

    MikeM – August 11, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Awesome sound! Superb clarity

    Must say one of the best sound bars out there by far

41. 

    DavidT – August 18, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I love this sound bar. One of the biggest features is it has the pre-amp out for a subwoofer that can be attached directly. The Atmos is pretty darned good as well. I’ve never had the volume up over 43 as that’s plenty.

42. 

    SpiralWorks – September 18, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The sound is amazing! It feels like having an iMax theater experience in your home.

43. 

    qualityTV – September 22, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    We like the Ambeo when it works. Unfortunately the various techs who set up the Sony TV to the sound bar have yet to make it ‘stick’. That is, it works when they leave, we turn it off for the evening & when we turn it on the next morning they are no longer connected. I would like some from Magnolia who knows higher end equipment to set it up proncev& for all. We have purchased 4 TV’s & all the wall mounts from Best Buy but this has been disheartening.

44. 

    bill – November 24, 2023

    Rated 1 out of 5

    Order this item online After setting up soundbar I tried installing battery in supplied remote. Battery would not sit in remote property Small piece that would hold battery is misding. Remote is useless Contacted Sennheiser immediately Still no remote

45. 

    AravindBabu – December 15, 2023

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I purchased this item , and it’s not working from day2 , Worst product from Best Buy

46. 

    MarkS – January 5, 2024

    Rated 3 out of 5

    I could not get the remote to pair with the soundbar. After hours of trying, I returned the bar to Best Buy, which was a seamless experience. The bar’s sound was great.

47. 

    Unknown – January 12, 2024

    Rated 5 out of 5

    The Geek Squad representatives were true professionals, displaying remarkable expertise and caution as they installed our highly valued Samsung TV. Led by Eric, the team executed the installation process seamlessly, with great precision and attention to detail. Their work deserves the highest rating, as it reconfirms our trust in Best Buy’s merchandise. Eric’s exceptional knowledge and professionalism as a Best Buy representative must be acknowledged and applauded. If you’re looking for quality service, the Geek Squad team is the way to go.

48. 

    Jane – January 12, 2024

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Sounds great…. much better than my old Sonos Playbar. The voice enhancement works exceptionally well. Also, the setup was much easier than expected.

49. 

    Evenflow – January 23, 2024

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Great soundbar! I picked it up because of the Sennheiser name and positive reviews. I definitely was not disappointed. I auditioned the Ambeo subs as well but decided to go with my own Rel T-9i sub instead.

    After downloading the Sennheiser app setup was a breeze. The app allows you to perform a room calibration and select various options to fit your sonic preferences.

    The sound bar sounds absolutely wonderful.
    The Ambeo does a highly credible job with Dolby Atmos and 360 degree sound effects. If you are an audiophile you love the tone, rhythm and timing of this bar. Dialogue is clear and intelligible and the app gives you the option to give dialogue added emphasis. I have the Sonos Arc with sub and rears and I’d be hard pressed to select one over the other. However, If you are trying to limit the number of boxes in your room you won’t lose out with the Sennheiser.

    One caveat I’ll make is I have only listened to the Ambeo in a small media room (20×16) setup. I have the Arc system in a family room so I know it can fill a larger space.

50. 

    MrTB – January 26, 2024

    Rated 5 out of 5

    This is a darn good sound bar. I don’t get the full effect of the Atmos but that is more because of my room and the position of the sound bar in the room than than the actual Ambeo. Given that, I still am pretty happy with the sound it produces for movies and even music, even its attempt at ATMOS is my room. I have found audio syncing issues when I plug an Apple TV or Roku plugged into the Ambeo’s HDMI port and have my TV plugged into the Ambeo’s eARC HDMI. I have much better success connecting all devices to my TV and then having the TV connect to the AMBEO through the TV’s eARc HDMI output to Ambeo’s eARC HDMI input. I don’t think that that’s necessarily distinctive to the AMBEO; It looks like it’s an issue in general with soundbars?? The only drawback to connecting everything to my TV and then to the Ambeo is I can’t get Atmos surround sound on my Apple TV. But, that’s because I have an older LED TV that does not have ATMOS throughput through its eARC. A tremendous positive that is not clear in Best Buy’s description of this product is that this model does have an analog subwoofer input. It makes this and its larger AMBEO counterpart the only ( I believe only) sound bars that offer third-party analog wired subwoofer connections. That was a big deal for me as I have a nice subwoofer I can connect it to.