A efficiency that provides up

If you happen to’re trying to spend upwards of $1000/£1000 on a soundbar, chances are high you care a good bit about how your AV system appears to be like and sounds (and have the price range to splash out).

Whereas that type of cash was beforehand reserved for correct encompass sound techniques, a rising variety of soundbars are aiming themselves at these premium worth brackets – providing the type of uplift in efficiency {that a} devoted film lover craves, with out the house, wires and know-how {that a} encompass sound setup would possibly require.

The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is a type of such soundbars, and is definitely the center little one in Sennheiser’s achieved soundbar line up. It sits beneath 2019’s frankly mammoth Sennheiser Ambeo, now renamed Sennheiser Ambeo Max, and above the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini. It affords Dolby Atmos playback (and DTS:X and Sony 360 Actuality Audio for that matter) however, not like lots of the competitors at this worth, it does so from a single and fairly compact field. However what’s it prefer to stay with? I put it by its paces to seek out out.

Pricing, specs and availability

The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is obtainable for $1200/£1149, putting it above the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini at $800/£699, however considerably under the mammoth Ambeo Max at $2000/£2100.

Design

The factor that is maybe loveliest in regards to the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus’ design is its dimension. Contemplating what is going on on behind its grilles, it is surprisingly compact, at simply 105cm lengthy, and conveniently shallow too. Measuring 8cm tall, it’s going to slide below most TVs with out problem, which makes it a heck of so much simpler to accommodate than a few of its competitors.

In actual fact, it sits simply shy of working edge to edge with my 55-inch TV – so in case your telly is that dimension or above, it’s going to complement it completely.

Sennheiser has opted for a material grille that wraps across the soundbar’s mid-section, with a high-quality plastic grille protecting the upwards firing Atmos audio system on the highest, and plastic management panel. There is a plastic base too, however all of it appears to be like nice. It is nicely designed, however smart, with gently curved edges that assist to melt its general look.

Up on the highest of the bar, that management panel affords you touch-sensitive controls for quantity, Bluetooth and enter choice, in addition to a mic mute button for once you wish to be certain the built-in voice assistants (with a selection of Alexa or Google Assistant) aren’t listening in.

There’s an LED strip on the highest that can gentle up otherwise relying on the supply you might be enjoying from, together with utilizing totally different colored lights for Bluetooth, Spotify Join and USB. It isn’t massively useful from a seated place as this gentle is just about out of sight for me, nevertheless it’s additionally not distracting, which is one thing.

You can too management the soundbar through the Sennheiser’s Sensible Management app, which is simple to make use of and actually handy, or there may be an included distant as a substitute should you want. It is fairly easy – slim and plastic with rubbery buttons that permit you to management issues like supply and quantity, in addition to flick between audio modes like Film, Music, Information, Sports activities and Adaptive, plus particular modes like Evening (which takes a little bit of the oomph out of the bass) and Voice (for choosing out dialogue higher).

I discovered sticking with Adaptive labored nicely for many content material, however you’ll be able to mess around with the modes to see which you like.

There’s additionally a button for Ambeo, wherever you select to manage the soundbar, which is Sennheiser’s customized processing for spatial audio. I will contact extra on this later, nevertheless it goals to ship a 3D audio efficiency to all soundtracks, be they Atmos (and its equivalents) or not.

Options and connectivity

The Ambeo Plus is a 7.1.4ch soundbar with a complete of 9 drivers at work behind these grilles, ship 400w of sound. Seven of these are 50mm full-range aluminium drivers, with twin 10cm subwoofers in control of the bass.

To assist obtain the very best Atmos sound, two drivers and each subs are upwards firing, with a driver at every nook to assist ship further width as nicely. The remaining three drivers are organized alongside the entrance, to assist in giving a forwards focus to issues like dialogue.

There’s the choice of including a subwoofer, both wirelessly utilizing the Ambeo Sub ($600/£549), or utilizing the wired subwoofer pre-out.

Different connections embrace three HDMI ports (one among which is HDMI 2.1 with eARC for connecting to your TV), in addition to 1 x optical, 1 x RCA, 1 x USB and an ethernet port, for hardwiring to a router.

It isn’t a nasty exhibiting of connections, with the principle HDMI enter permitting for the help of full-fat, lossless Atmos. However with the opposite two HDMI ports utilizing the older HDMI 2.0 commonplace, it means there isn’t a 4K/120Hz passthrough help for suitable video games consoles, just like the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.

The Ambeo Plus not alone on this – the Sonos Arc has no 4K/120Hz HDMIs in any respect, however Sony’s A7000 affords HDMI 2.1 on all its ports, suggesting that Sennheiser might undoubtedly have executed extra right here.

It isn’t the top of the world although – avid gamers will simply want to attach their consoles on to a suitable HDMI port on the TV as a substitute, although that is assuming they’ve one spare.

Wi-fi connectivity is nicely catered for, with Bluetooth 5.0 alongside AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Join, and all work as you’d anticipate. This implies the Ambeo Plus can double up as a reasonably achieved music speaker too – however extra on that subsequent.

Efficiency

If you first get began with the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus, you are inspired to carry out a room calibration, which is made attainable due to its 4 far-field, high-precision mics.

It is fairly explicit, thoughts you, cancelling the calibration and forcing you to restart if a canine barks or it hears somebody speaking – which is kind of irritating should you get half manner by when this occurs. It solely takes a couple of minutes, fortunately, however you’ll want to guarantee your surroundings is lethal quiet for it to finish efficiently.

You do not want any further equipment to get it accomplished although, simply sit in your listening place and depart the remaining to the bar. It’s going to hearth out a variety of unusual sounds into your front room to raised perceive it, tweaking its sound accordingly on the finish to make sure the soundbar sounds its finest.

And sound its finest, it does. What the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is able to from an all-in-one design is nothing in need of very good, and from the second it’s plugged in, it transforms the audio coming from my TV.

I’ve simply obtained common daytime TV on after I first plug it in, and even with that, the distinction is obvious. Issues aren’t simply louder (and I imply, room-fillingly loud, once you want it), however dialogue is clearer, there’s larger element at play, and there is instantly more room within the combine.

Change to one thing that’ll profit from its capabilities although, and the Ambeo Plus will take full benefit of the chance. Watch any Atmos content material on Netflix, and the Ambeo Plus jumps into motion, serving up constancy, scale and immersion by the bucketload.

There’s an actual sense of peak right here, from these upwards-firing channels, and width too, which creates a very expansive soundstage. There are limitations, after all, and also you’re by no means going to really feel like sound is coming from really overhead or behind you – however for a single field, it is as cohesive a soundstage as I’ve heard.

There isn’t any lack of punch right here, and the Ambeo Plus makes the dealing with of beefy motion scenes look simple. You may discover low-end wallop to spare, however that is all the time dealt with with supreme management and authority. There’s by no means a touch of distortion, even when turned up loud.

In actual fact, the efficiency is so good right here, that I would not say there’s a complete lot of want for a separate sub for most individuals – significantly contemplating the price – although if pit-of-your-stomach rumble is your factor, then the choice is there so that you can purchase it.

Away from the low finish, the Ambeo Plus reveals itself to be simply as assured a performer too. For all its potential to provide the room a wobble when wanted, it could actually deal with the softer moments with simply as a lot confidence. Wonderful element is pulled to the forefront, as is dialogue, which isn’t misplaced in even the busiest of soundtracks.

Treble is as nicely dealt with because the low finish too, with crisp precision that by no means veers into harsh.

In actual fact, it is supremely balanced, and works as a complete – by no means dropping sight of what is going on on elsewhere within the frequency vary, whereas additionally giving no space the limelight. All the things pulls collectively to provide a massively likeable, cinematic presentation.

I begin with the Ambeo setting turned on, and there is not any doubt it does what it units out to do – broadening the soundstage and giving a way more spacious and open presentation. Nevertheless, I might use it with care if you’d like the perfect efficiency.

It is undoubtedly at its finest with non-Atmos content material, serving to to ship the added sense of peak that it intends to – with out sounding unnatural or processed. In actual fact, it is actually cleverly dealt with, and instantly you’re feeling the sound is lifted from being so targeted on the bar.

There’s the odd misstep, and – for me – dialogue-heavy content material does lose a little bit of focus and might sound only a contact hole with Ambeo mode turned on. If you happen to’re watching Query Time, I might most likely select to depart it off, however with the newest BBC drama or when streaming a present from HBO Max, the Ambeo setting can produce a really welcome impact certainly.

With native Atmos content material, be that through 4K Blu-ray or from a streaming service like Netflix or Disney+, Ambeo does the anticipated and pushes the impact additional nonetheless – however it could actually take a little bit of the precision and a number of the presence out of the sound. For that cause, I might most likely select to show Ambeo off and let the sound format do its factor with out interference, however that is seemingly down to non-public choice.

The excellent news is you’ll be able to see which you like, or which setting fits that particular content material, by switching simply between the 2 settings. It is most likely not one thing I might wish to depart both on or off the entire time, which is barely annoying, nevertheless it’s an incredible to have the choice of it.

Verdict

The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is a implausible soundbar, which delivers one of the crucial cinematic performances that I’ve heard from a soundbar this dimension. Certain, it isn’t low-cost, nevertheless it delivers the perfect of what you are listening to with an virtually dogged willpower, and in from a comparatively compact, all-in-one design.

It has scale to spare, however would not lose sight of the element, and serves up all of it with an even-handed method to the frequency vary, from low bassy rumbles to crisp highs.

It provides a very good exhibiting with Atmos content material, delivering the added peak and immersion you’d anticipate, whereas the Ambeo setting – though not a silver bullet – brings a reasonably stable spatial expertise to non-Atmos content material too. It is an virtually easy performer, and one you will wrestle to seek out from many different bars at this – undeniably lofty – worth.