When Sennheiser debuted the original Ambeo Soundbar in 2019, it was the corporate’s solely front room speaker to hold its immersive audio tech. It was additionally very costly at $2,500. That mannequin, now dubbed the Ambeo Soundbar Max, is still $2,000 and its large sonic chops are available a massively massive package deal. Final 12 months, Sennheiser revealed the Ambeo Soundbar Plus: a $1,500 possibility that carried a lot of what makes Max such an acoustic marvel in a smaller design and a cheaper price (which is now $1,200). At this time, the corporate introduced essentially the most inexpensive Ambeo mannequin but, the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, which packs that immersive audio tech in a a lot smaller speaker. It is a bid to tackle the likes of Sonos Beam, however this Mini continues to be comparatively dear at $800.
Sennheiser says the Ambeo Soundbar Mini is lower than half the dimensions of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus. The smaller stature alleviates potential obstruction if you place it in entrance of your TV and the corporate says it is compact sufficient to place in your desk. Regardless of the lowered footprint, the Mini nonetheless packs 250 watts of amplification energy behind 4 full-range drivers and two four-inch subwoofers. Sennheiser says these elements mix for the “sharp constancy, impactful bass and crystal-clear presence” exhibited by the bigger two Ambeo soundbars.
The principle attraction right here stays the corporate’s immersive Ambeo expertise. Sennheiser’s 3D audio system makes use of the Mini’s 4 microphones to calibrate the soundbar to any area. This course of takes under consideration room dimension, reflective surfaces and textures. The one-touch course of adjusts the speaker’s 7.1.4 encompass sound virtualization for the most effective efficiency. The Mini helps Dolby Atmos, DTS:X MPEG-H and Sony’s 360 Actuality Audio whereas connecting to your TV or show by way of a single HDMI 2.1 (eARC) port. Whereas Sennheiser says the soundbar is able to “room-filling sound and impactful bass” all the way down to 43 Hz, it provides you the choice of connecting as much as 4 Ambeo Subs ($600 every).
The Ambeo Soundbar Mini is provided with WiFi and Bluetooth, each of which can be utilized to stream music from the likes of Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal. Sennheiser says the speaker’s Ambeo OS permits fast entry to audio by way of Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Join and Tidal Join. The Mini’s microphones may also be used for voice instructions by way of the built-in Alexa compatibility, however leveraging Google Assistant or Siri would require Chomecast or AirPlay, respectively.
Sennheiser
Should you want to broaden your Ambeo setup past the Mini, your solely possibility is so as to add an Ambeo Sub. The soundbar does not help subwoofers from different corporations and there is not any compatibility with wi-fi rear satellite tv for pc audio system. That is as a result of lack of Ambeo integration on each (Sennheiser actually must make a set of rear audio system ASAP). This, along with a cheaper price, is a key distinction between the Mini and the Sonos Beam. Sonos’ second-gen compact soundbar provides Dolby Atmos, but it surely does not have up-firing drivers so the general impact is proscribed. Nonetheless, a bundle that features the Beam, a Sub Mini and two Period 100 audio system is available for $1,356 — round $50 lower than the Ambeo Soundbar Mini and its suitable sub.
The Ambeo Soundbar Mini can be out there on September 1st.
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