Customer Ratings & Reviews

If this was in a much smaller room, it would work ok but. i found you needed to be 4’ away to essentially be in its bubble. The sound was far too centralized at 7.5’ away meaning there was no longer channel separation. I have a full 5.1.4 system and was trying this while i was waiting for a replacement receiver. The volume control has massive swings and i could not find a happy medium. Either too quiet or extremely too loud.

Intermittently sounded incredible, but had moments of loud static and audio rarely synced up when people were talking.

For the money I was expecting a little more, the bass was disappointing.I return it and purchase Samsung’s HW-Q990D

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.

No manual, no power cord, no remote, no help. Haven’t used. Bought an open box excellent Sennheiser. Excellent is supposed to give you everything as new. As you can see from the above that did not happen. The solution Best Buy is taking is to confirm this in an email that should appear 24 to 48 hours later in my inbox. After that, I don’t know what happens because this is the stage I’m at. Pretty disgusted

Nice soundbar; however, did not provide optimal speach clarity which was needed.

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

I bought this soundbar and the subwoofer as a potential replacement to the ambeo $2500 model. Unfortunately, the prior model is much better! This new model lacked the clarity in speech and weak base. Go with the $2500 model!

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.

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.

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.

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

I owned a sonos arc before this and returned it, because of connectivity issues and poor tech support. Meanwhile this thing has been everything I've ever wanted, the Dolby Atmos on this thing is next level I'm hearing sounds out of this thing that i only hear in my music studio when I'm mastering a song! The unit itself bumps too, a very nice detailed low end. I just ordered the sub so im guessing its only going to get even better!!! Clarity is next level almost like i took a Q tip and cleaned out my ears for the first time. I bought a mini for the bedroom, its just as good for the size of my 20x16 bedroom and will get another for the work out room. FYI - grab some 2.1 HDMI cables and make sure your fire stick or tv is Dobly Atmos compatible or else you won't be able to achieve the capabilities for how far you can push these units. The app is very capable as well, there's a lot you can do inside the app, well thought out by the engineers at sennheiser, having had the sonos app i found it to be boring and pretty plain Jane. The Sennheiser soundbar plus is absolutely flawless in my opinion. Go buy one! You won't regret it!!!

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.

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).

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 20x15' 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).

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.

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.

I was deciding between the Sennheiser and Sonos Arc Ultra to replace my current system with an onkyo reciever 5 wired speakers and a Klipsch powered sub.. I went with the Sennheiser since it is a snap to use the klipsch sub I have. The sennheiser bass is not too bad without the sub though. The Atmos effect is not perfect but very convincing given i can remove the clutter of wired speakers around the room. The Ambeo plus plays very nicely with my Sony A90j Oled. You do need to review the settings on your tv to ensure that it will pass atmos signal along to the soundbar. I connected using the eARC hdmi connection. I am using a fire cube for my streaming and all of this works great together. Call me impressed at the sound quality from this soundbar.

Great sound quality but is better with the sub. Use in a large room the is not ideal for the atmosphere part of this soundbar but other then that is it good