Sennheiser's AMBEO Soundbar will be available from May

[VSG]

Immersive 5.1.4 sound and deep bass that has to be heard to be believed: Sennheiser's new AMBEO Soundbar will be available from May. Created by the audio specialist to be one of the world's best soundbars, the AMBEO Soundbar places the listener inside the sound experience with incredible realism, delivering 3D sound that blurs the line between playback and reality from a single all-in-one device. Visitors to CES can experience the AMBEO Soundbar at the Sennheiser booth.

Sennheiser's soundbar has been developed under the audio specialist's AMBEO trademark. The AMBEO 3D audio technology program is dedicated to creating immersive audio solutions that deliver the ultimate in audio capture and reproduction to transform the way users experience content. Bringing this transformation to the living room, the AMBEO Soundbar is another milestone in the program. "We are thrilled to be introducing the AMBEO Soundbar as Sennheiser's first foray into the home entertainment speaker category. We have developed it with the ambition to create one of the best soundbars on the market - an elegant all-in-one solution for all those seeking an immersive 3D, audiophile-grade home entertainment experience," said Stephane Hareau, Global Head of Products - Consumer at Sennheiser.



The AMBEO Soundbar delivers 3D sound that blurs the line between playback and reality from a single all-in-one device. Beneath its lacquered and brushed aluminum surface, the AMBEO Soundbar is powered by 13 drivers and the latest virtualization technology which was jointly developed with Fraunhofer IIS. "We believe that the AMBEO Soundbar will set a new reference in sound quality," added Maximilian Voigt, Product Manager at Sennheiser. "It delivers the spatial 'as if there' experience of a 5.1.4 sound system and powerful bass, but without the need for additional speakers or an external subwoofer."



Perfectly tailored to each room
Whether watching a movie, listening to music or enjoying a football match - to truly place the listener in the center of the entertainment experience, the AMBEO Soundbar optimizes the sound for the individual room and preferred seating position. Via room calibration, the AMBEO Soundbar optimizes the sound for the individual room and preferred seating position. This room calibration is utterly intuitive for the user as calibration with the included external microphone automatically adapts and optimizes the acoustics to fit the individual environment.



A thrillingly immersive home entertainment experience
The AMBEO Soundbar is compatible with Dolby Atmos, MPEG-H and DTS:X. Thanks to its Upmix Technology, it can also recreate stereo and 5.1 content in stunning 3D. The soundbar features five different presets (movie, music, sports, news and neutral) tailored to a range of scenarios and content types that precisely adjust not only the frequencies but also the 3D sound characteristics.

Smart and connected
Sennheiser's AMBEO Soundbar features advanced connectivity via-built in Google Chromecast, Bluetooth and HDMI eARC/CEC. Connectivity options also include three further HDMI inputs, an optical audio port, and an AUX (RCA) input.



The audio specialist has designed every interaction with the soundbar to be effortless and intuitive. This principle is epitomized by Sennheiser's Smart Control App for iOS and Android, which allows users to adjust acoustic settings via smart devices, including setting presets, personalizing the sound with the equalizer and selecting from three different AMBEO modes (light, standard and boost). Upcoming new features will be added to the soundbar via WiFi and app updates.

The AMBEO Soundbar will be available from May 2019 for 2,499 USD (MSRP).

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I was gonna comment about how overpriced it was gonna be when it is released but since it already says it will be $2500 in the article. it looks like my job here is done.

 

[BakerMan1971]

IMHO everyone is up against Yamaha when it comes to soundbars , even Yamaha's cheap offerings have excellent sound, they were the first to market though.

 

[PanicLake]

The price is just ridiculous!

 

[Easy Rhino]

All soundbars sound like poop.

 

[danbert2000]

All soundbars sound like poop.

I disagree with that. A lot of soundbars are pretty decent nowadays, like the Yamaha YAS-207 or the new Vizio Atmos soundbars. But to say that one single bar can produce surround sound is ridiculous. So it may sound good, but it's not going to give you surround sound unless there are some speakers behind or beside you.

 

[Mescalamba]

Expensive? Maybe, but its Sennheiser, they do know thing or two about audio.

 

[Jism]

I disagree with that. A lot of soundbars are pretty decent nowadays, like the Yamaha YAS-207 or the new Vizio Atmos soundbars. But to say that one single bar can produce surround sound is ridiculous. So it may sound good, but it's not going to give you surround sound unless there are some speakers behind or beside you.

It's an emulated surround by letting some sounds or enviroments play in a bit different frequency then the rest. The result is that this reflects on the walls forth and back in the most ideal situation. This gives the 'surround' experience people talk about, but no it's nowhere close to the real thing.

I think alot of people want the sound quality but not the 7.1 setup. For me i have a Sony soundbar; it was 240 euro's or so but i kind of debunked already within 5 minutes how it would produce 'surround'. By simply reflecting sounds towards the walls. That's it.

Half year later it blew up for playing too loud for too long.

 

[bogami]

This is definitely done with BOSE , The manufacturer's sticker sells everything also a bunch of plastic and ultra-cheap parts not worth 150 $ . crazy price .

 

[nemesis.ie]

The price is just ridiculous!

Agreed, Samsung have one for 1500 with 17 "speakers" (drivers really) including a "sub" and two wireless surrounds. That seems like a much better idea for less.

 

[Ravenmaster]

LMAO! 2000 bucks and doesn't include a Subwoofer. That's a nope from me.

 

[JovHinner123]

Woah, that price for a soundbar?? I'll probably stick with my Sembrandt SB750. Although I just learned about good quality of Toslink connections for my mac & TV (source here: https://soundwiz.net/blog/connect-soundbar-to-windows-mac/) and my current soundbar doesn't do that. I see Sennheiser Soundbar has a lot of connectivity options: "Google Chromecast, Bluetooth and HDMI eARC/CEC. Connectivity options also include three further HDMI inputs, an optical audio port, and an AUX (RCA) input. " But I'm just interested on the optical audio port part...and again, $2500? Still a no.

 

[nemesis.ie]

As an aside, If a sound bar has HDMI, you don't need SP/DIF (aka Toslink), HDMI does the same thing (digital connection) and sends the picture + audio over the one connection.

I see the Sembrandt is analogue only for a wired connection or Bluetooth and if you are not picking up any noise from surrounding equipment via the connecting cable (analogue (AUX in the case of the Sembrandt)) and it sounds good, just moving to an optical connection may not bring any benefit. Indeed it could add an extra conversion step. The optical connection is great in an electrically noisy environment or if you need a really thin cable.

Getting a new one for better quality, irrespective of the input would be another matter.

If you are using the Bluetooth and it sounds OK and the dialogue is properly lipsynced, I don't see another solution being any better unless it's a better quality unit (with a "proper" sub too) and/or adds surround sound.

 

[JovHinner123]

As an aside, If a sound bar has HDMI, you don't need SP/DIF (aka Toslink), HDMI does the same thing (digital connection) and sends the picture + audio over the one connection.

Is see the sembrandt is analogue only for a wired connection or Bluetooth and if you are not picking up any noise from surrounding equipment via the connecting cable (analogue (AUX in the case of the Sembrandt)) and it sounds good, just moving to an optical connection may not bring any benefit. Indeed it could add an extra conversion step. The optical connection is great in an electrically noisy environment or if you need a really thin cable.

Getting a new one for better quality, irrespective of the input would be another matter.

If you are using the Bluetooth and it sounds OK and the dialogue is properly lipsynced, I don't see another solution being any better unless it's a better quality unit (with a "proper" sub too) and/or adds surround sound.

Thanks for this informative reply! Got a lot of helpful stuff from it. I might still get a new one just to upgrade. (and use HDMI)

 

[nemesis.ie]

No problem! I'm glad it was of use.

 

[phillmatrix]

Nice topic. I think it is important to choose a loud soundbar and personally enjoy high-quality ones with built-in batteries. For instance, this one - https://besttechexpert.guide/best-soundbar-under-300/