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Sennheiser’s new soundbar is finally a reality! Just unveiled during the IFA, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus will have the daunting task of approaching the dizzying performances of its big sister and making them more “accessible”.
Four years after the thunderclap that was the Ambeo Soundbar, disproportionate in all respects, the new Ambeo Soundbar Plus will attempt to reproduce the same success at a slightly more reasonable price. Just like its big sister, now renamed Ambeo Soundbar Max, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus wants to offer the “better immersive sound” that is, thanks above all to its acoustic design (which unfortunately has not been perfectly detailed at the time of writing these lines) and to the power of its 3D sound virtualization algorithms. The little news also inherits the automatic acoustic calibration system, provided sine qua non for optimized sound and spatial reproduction.
The chassis of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus (top) is undoubtedly more compact than that of its big sister (bottom): no need to think about your TV cabinet and living room according to the bar… © Sennheiser
The sound projection of the soundbar would guarantee a virtual configuration in 7.1.4, according to the manufacturer. As such, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus preaches to all parishes when it comes to decoding: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H and even 360 Reality Audio streams are supported. A 3D audio upmix function is also offered on all sources. In terms of connected features, the Ambeo Soundbar Plus is still based on the AMBEO|OS platform for compatibility with the AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect protocols. Sennheiser also adds that its new soundbar has native Amazon Alexa integration, and that it is also supported by the companion application on smartphones.
The exploded view of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus makes it possible to guess the acoustic architecture of the bar, three front loudspeakers, two side loudspeakers, two loudspeakers dedicated to the heights channels and what appear to be two loudspeakers of larger diameter, in order to extend the frequency response of the bar in the lower frequencies. © Sennheiser
The only question, again at the time of writing this article, is the connection of the soundbar. We will not hesitate to come back to it as soon as we know more. The Ambeo Soundbar Plus will arrive on the market very soon, on September 22, 2022, and will be offered at a clearly less exorbitant price than the Ambeo Soundbar Max (still marketed at €2,500) but still elitist, namely €1,500, all of same.
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
Introductory price 2500 €
Cobra2,490.00
Son-Video.com2,499.00
- Son-Video.com
2,549.00
How the pricing table works
In addition to this announcement, Sennheiser took the opportunity to unveil an active wireless subwoofer, the Ambeo Sub, unfortunately offered as an option (and also particularly expensive with an introductory price of €700).
It is equipped with an 8-inch woofer and a 350 W class D amplifier, for guaranteed bass extension down to 27 Hz. It also benefits from automatic acoustic calibration, the software suite via the companion application, and finally offers a function for absolute fans of heavy bass, namely the possibility of connecting up to four subwoofers to each other wirelessly.