Soundbars are an fascinating conundrum – it is now an open secret that they are a shortcut to massively upgraded sound for even probably the most premium of 4K TVs, so principally everybody desires one.
Cheaping out continues to be a nasty thought, although, and it may be a problem to discover a really great-sounding soundbar that is not completely large. One vastly well-liked choose is the Sonos Beam, and now Sennheiser has dropped the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, a fairly direct rival that prices a little bit extra. I’ve been utilizing it for a few weeks to see the way it compares.
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini Really helpfulSublime soundThis is a superb compact soundbar that does not come low cost however sounds merely wonderful. It’s a implausible improve on your TV however may also be an enormous asset for music lovers and serial social gathering hosts. Pros Great compact design Sound is sensible So many connection choices Nice digital encompass sound
Design
79 x 21 x 14cm Remote and HDMI included Available in black solely
Sennheiser has positioned the Ambeo Soundbar Mini fastidiously from a design standpoint, and that is a really smart transfer – it already has two greater soundbars within the type of the Max and Plus, leaving a transparent slot open for a smaller possibility.
This makes the Mini instantly much more engaging to anybody with a smaller TV stand or a want to have their sound system take up rather less visible actual property.
It’s nearly precisely the identical measurement because the first-generation Sonos Beam I swapped it out for, and which means it has fairly good dimensions in my opinion – large enough to make sure that the audio is not too diminished by being compact, however sufficiently small to genuinely match into most setups.
The Soundbar Mini has a sexy mesh wraparound on its outdoors however is topped by a clean and premium plastic airplane. This homes buttons for controls in addition to a useful LED bar that may give you an thought of your quantity, the progress of an replace and extra, all at a look.
The mesh comes up to the highest of the soundbar with a little bit of a lip, which seems to be very nice, whereas there’s additionally a white Ambeo emblem on the entrance, on the backside proper, to let you already know if Sennheiser’s encompass mode is energetic.
At current there’s solely a black model of the Ambeo Soundbar Mini on the horizon, which is a little bit of a disgrace for these with different aesthetics in thoughts, nevertheless it’s a very slick and well-built gadget that screams solidity and high-quality supplies.
As with a lot TV tech, there’s a tendency to select up mud at a price that can have you ever breaking out the feather duster extra usually than you need, nevertheless it’s uncommon that this is not an issue on most TV stands.
Finally, the soundbar comes with a pleasant distant as commonplace, strong and metallic with all of the buttons you’d want to regulate issues – together with toggles for numerous modes.
Sound high quality
7.1.4 digital encompass sound Dolby Atmos, DTS:X help
I’ve talked about the Sonos Beam a few occasions as a result of to my eyes it is the clearest competitor available on the market, however Sennheiser has priced the Ambeo Soundbar Mini a stage above the Beam, at a chunky $800 or £700, and which means the Mini must excel on the sound entrance.
Thankfully, it has been critically impressing me ever since I put in it, with virtualised encompass sound that genuinely works and energy that belies its measurement.
Sennheiser is touting the Mini as boasting 7.1.4 encompass sound because of its Ambeo system of digital and beamforming sound, and I’ve saved Ambeo on nearly the entire time I’ve been testing it, with nice outcomes.
This is a compact soundbar that may certainly rival precise reverse surrounds – it’s going to by no means be capable to really match them, however I’ve repeatedly observed particulars that sound like they’re coming from both aspect whereas watching Atmos-mixed content material like Silo on Apple TV+.
There’s element and readability that the first-gen Beam cannot match, however extra to the purpose, there’s additionally a very spectacular bass efficiency that offers it a correct sense of oomph.
Sennheiser loaned me an Ambeo Sub together with the soundbar, which clearly enormously and instantly beefs issues up when related, however I’ve largely disregarded it since most individuals in all probability will not add it to the Ambeo Soundbar Mini.
The proven fact that this hasn’t felt like a serious sacrifice in sound phrases is an actual marker of how effectively the Mini performs by itself. While turning off Ambeo does lose you a few of that enjoyable virtualisation, it is also true that for some content material (particularly older stuff) you would possibly finish up preferring its barely clearer edge.
Under the hood, there’s help for an enormous vary of codecs right here, so no matter low-latency, high-definition supply you are aiming for, you are seemingly to have the ability to take pleasure in it to the fullest.
With its profile and the likes of Apple AirPlay 2 in-built, the Mini additionally makes a very wonderful speaker for music – filling a room simply and giving the identical sense of stability and energy that it manages for video content material.
Features
Alexa built-in; works with Google Assistant HDMI eARC
For the type of worth Sennheiser’s connected to the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, you actually need to don’t have any points by any means with setting issues up and getting related.
Good information, then – there’s principally each type of connectivity that I’d hope for in a single package deal right here. AirPlay 2 is a kind of choices, because of its Wi-Fi connection, as is Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect.
You can use Chromecast to ship your music to it, and there is additionally primary Bluetooth there for a backup, with Alexa utterly built-in and Google Assistant compatibility when you have one other good speaker.
That’s a terrific array of good choices, all of that are on high of the essential stage that HDMI eARC provides once you plug it into your precise TV. There’s just one HDMI port, however I can not think about most customers could have any points with that.
All of this may be calibrated and managed by way of Sennheiser’s Smart Control app (the identical you would possibly use for its over-ear Momentum 4 headphones), which works easily and rapidly related to the soundbar for setup.
Firmware updates are dealt with by way of the app, as is a room-sensing possibility identical to Sonos’ equal, which pings sounds round to assist the soundbar calibrate itself.
Sennheiser has added voice enhancement and night time modes that increase dialogue and suppress bass respectively, each vastly useful for various conditions if you happen to’re making an attempt to keep away from making enemies of your neighbours.
The soundbar additionally has on-board microphones to allow the good assistant compatibilities talked about above – these might be muted by a button on the highest of the bar, which Sennheiser says needs to be tapped once more to unmute, that means there isn’t any software program workaround there.
Verdict
The Ambeo Soundbar Mini is strictly what Sennheiser’s claiming – a very efficient all-in-one resolution for these trying to massively improve their TV’s sound in a compact footprint.
That it is also a wonderful good speaker and might be related to in a bunch of the way is a welcome bonus, and whereas it isn’t the most cost effective soundbar by any stretch, it sounds pretty much as good as any compact possibility we have examined, making it a severe contender.
https://www.pocket-lint.com/sennheiser-ambeo-soundbar-mini-review/
