With regards to getting essentially the most immersive audio presentation from a standalone soundbar, nobody has managed to outclass Sennheiser’s Ambeo. And contemplating that system’s sky-high $2,500 value, you’d anticipate it to ship a chic house theater expertise. At IFA 2022, Sennheiser is including to the Ambeo lineup by introducing the brand new Ambeo Soundbar Plus. The value is barely decrease however will doubtless nonetheless go away this one out of attain for a lot of shoppers. It prices $1,499.95, and preorders start right this moment.
The Plus mannequin is marketed as “the world’s first 7.1.4 standalone soundbar.” Sennheiser’s authentic Ambeo will stay on the market and is now being rebranded because the Ambeo Soundbar Max. It’s nonetheless bigger than the brand new Plus, so the identify is smart in that regard. The phrases “extra compact” are talked about a number of occasions within the firm’s press launch, so Sennheiser is actually making an attempt to underline that distinction. It’s not a tiny soundbar by any means, however it comes off as much less imposing than the Max.
However even at a smaller measurement, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus provides the identical fascinating 3D sound output as the unique, a secret sauce that Sennheiser created in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Built-in Circuits IIS. Learn any overview of the unique Ambeo Soundbar Max, and yeah, the encompass sound impact is genuinely spectacular.
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“Ambeo self-calibration reads a room’s acoustic properties after which positions seven digital audio system across the listener, plus 4 extra overhead,” Sennheiser’s press launch states. “Customers get to expertise the depth, influence, and spaciousness of a film theatre at house — with out the fuss of additional cables or satellite tv for pc audio system.”
That’s proper: Sennheiser (once more) isn’t providing any type of satellite tv for pc audio system for the Ambeo Soundbar Plus. However it is asserting a brand new, standalone subwoofer to associate with it. The $699.95 Ambeo Sub pairs an 8-inch woofer with a 350W class-D amplifier, and the corporate claims it might probably ship “audiophile-grade bass right down to 27Hz.” You may wi-fi hyperlink as much as 4 Ambeo Subs collectively in a single house theater setup. The Sub is designed to self-calibrate and leverage built-in mics to optimize efficiency for a room’s distinctive acoustics.
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The Ambeo Soundbar Plus’ listing of supported audio codecs contains Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and 360 Actuality Audio. Sennheiser says house owners will be capable to “upmix stereo and 5.1 content material to create thrilling 3D sound experiences that make it sound just like the artist is within the room.” As with the Ambeo Soundbar Max, you additionally get a wide selection of built-in streaming integrations, together with Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Join, Tidal Join, and Google Chromecast. These options had been added in March with the launch of Ambeo OS.
Clearly, Sennheiser is completely satisfied to proceed competing within the ultra-premium soundbar market towards the perfect from Sony, Sonos, Bose, and others. The corporate isn’t (but) eager about producing a soundbar for underneath $1,000, not to mention something budget-priced.
Each the Ambeo Soundbar Plus and Ambeo Sub can be stocked in shops on September twenty second.
