Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Sennheiser says you have to hear its new Ambeo soundbar to believe it

By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Premium audio brand Sennheiser has announced a brand-new product at this year’s CES conference in Las Vegas that’s sure to appeal to aesthetically minded home theater enthusiasts. It’s called the Ambeo soundbar.

The new soundbar isn’t about making subtle improvements to those middling TV speakers — it’s designed to bring you gorgeous and lifelike 3D sound, all from an extremely small footprint.

Recommended Videos

More CES 2019 coverage

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“We are thrilled to be introducing the Ambeo Soundbar as Sennheiser’s first foray into the home entertainment speaker category,” said Stephane Hareau, Sennheiser’s head of global consumer products, in a press release. “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.”

Related

To do this, the company stuffed 13 distinct drivers inside its thick-bodied soundbar, offering listeners a full 5.1.4 surround sound experience, all from an extremely small package. The Ambeo soundbar is able to listen to the individual acoustic characteristics of each room and adjust for them using the company’s latest audio-processing technologies, allowing it to perfectly re-create the sounds that appear on the screen.

“We believe that the Ambeo Soundbar will set a new reference in sound quality,” said Sennheiser project manager Maximilian Voigt in a press release, “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.”

The new soundbar is compatible with Dolby Atmos, MPEG-H and DTS:X object-based surround sound, and can even use its onboard processing to upmix traditional 5.1 content to more immersive object-based sound.

The Ambeo Soundbar has built-in Google Chromecast for easy streaming of home audio and video, and Bluetooth for those who don’t want to use Google Home.

All of this performance, onboard processing, and compact footprint does come at a price: The Ambeo soundbar is currently set to cost $2,865 when it comes out this May. We can’t wait to get some ears-on time with this new high-end soundbar option, as Sennheiser has a history of making excellent-sounding audio products, even if they may come at premium price points.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Parker Hall
Parker Hall
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
JBL reveals its new flagship soundbar at CES 2023: 15 channels and 1170W of Dolby Atmos power
JBL Bar 1300X Dolby Atmos Soundbar.

JBL has taken the wraps off its most powerful Dolby Atmos soundbar to date at CES 2023. The Bar 1300X follows the same design principles as the company's previous top-of-the-line Bar series soundbars, including the line's signature detachable, fully wireless surround speaker modules, and a wireless subwoofer. But the Bar 1300X brings even more sound and power to your TV room, with an 11.1.4-channel configuration and a massive 1,170 watts of total power. It will be available on February 19, 2023, for $1,700.

The JBL Bar 1300X boasts both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility, but what sets it apart from JBL's other Atmos/DTS:X soundbars is its six dedicated up-firing drivers, which will presumably do a better job of delivering the height channel effects that these 3D surround sound formats are known for. It also has the largest wireless subwoofer in the Bar range, with a 12-inch driver.

Read more
JLab’s new earbuds are smaller than a dime, and it says $99 hearing aids are on the way
JLab Jbuds Mini.

Ahead of next week's CES 2023 show in Las Vegas, JLab is giving us a sneak peek at what it will be showing to attendees. The company, which has a reputation for very affordable audio gear, is showing off its JBuds Mini, a $40 set of wireless earbuds that are tiny -- 30% smaller than the JLab Go Air Pop, which were already remarkably small. They come in a charging case that's designed to attach to a key ring, much like the Skullcandy Dime, and the entire package is no bigger than most wireless car keyfobs.

Previous JLab earbuds have come with charging cases that have integrated USB cables, but the JBuds Mini take a more conventional approach, with a separate USB-C cable. The JBuds Mini are expected to hit stores in the fall of 2023, with six hours of playtime per charge in the earbuds, and 24 hours when you include the charging case. They're also compatible with Bluetooth Multipoint for simultaneous connections to two devices.

Read more
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus hit by unforeseen technical delay
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus.

Those of you who eagerly pre-ordered the new Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus for $1,500 will have to muster a little extra patience -- the smaller and more affordable version of the excellent Ambeo Soundbar Max soundbar has been hit by an unexpected delay. The 7.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar was originally supposed to begin shipping on September 22. But that date has come and gone and there's no word on when Ambeo Soundbar Plus orders will start making their way to customers.

Digital Trends learned of the delay when we reached out to Sennheiser's U.S. public relations agency to get a sense of when the company was planning to ship out review units. After all, we're as eager as you are to put the new Ambeo family member through its paces and see how it compares to similar Dolby Atmos-capable soundbars from Sony, Bose, and Sonos.

Read more