Sennheiser - Ambeo Soundbar | Max

Skip the Max and get the Plus. The Max is an incredible, single hardware solution. But, it’s fairly dated and when sennheiser releases rears they won’t work with the Max. The Plus is the newest bar, and it will wirelessly connect up to 4 subwoofers (the prevailing opinion being that it’s actually 4 speakers, because 4 subwoofers is insane but 2 rears + 2 subs is perfect).

Seeing as you don’t want rears, if you can stretch the budget a little more you could get an ambeo max when it goes on sale. I picked up one for around £1000 a few months ago for my G4. It sounds sensational. Ticks all your boxes apart from price

Sennheiser ambeo / Max are the « same » name changed when the plus came out. The ambeo/max sound exceptionally well when working and unfortunately they never worked very long… and be ready for the worst experience with their customer service.. I have 2 questions: 1- does anyone has a sennheiser soundbar Ambeo/max that is working without a single issue? 2- does anyone knows for sure if the Ambeo/max had received hardware upgrades? If so when and what? Thank you I’m already on the 2nd bar waiting for the 3rd one…

Ambeo Max if you can fit it in, otherwise the Ambeo plus. As standalone bars, nothing comes close to these when it's just bar vs bar.

Definitely haven't seen any other soundbars that use a crossover of 150hz or higher. The majority are set between 60-100hz. Sonos arc on its own plays down to 55hz, the ultra goes down to 45hz. Ambeo plus will do 55hz, Ambeo max 30hz. Bravia 8/9 55hz, Bravia quads 50hz. Bose bars will do 50hz, Hisense bars 50hz etc. The lowest one of the lot is the Devialet Dione which does 24hz and one of the bars you could potentially get away without a subwoofer, although a separate one will always be miles better. Ideally you wouldn't want to go above 120hz on a subwoofer as it starts to become too localised when you go above it. Obviously running dual subs or more will help correct this which 150hz then wouldn't be a problem. Anything much higher though are you are going to end up getting sounds coming out of the subs which ideally should be coming out of the soundbar/speakers instead. Placement is also key and can make all the difference, so get on those knees and do the sub crawl if you don't have any room correction software / software built directly into the subs themselves 😅

I have the ambeo max and it is very good for a soundbar. Clearly light years ahead of any other soundbar I heard - but it did come at a price. Not sure about the mini but I’m sure it is very good. But it isn’t a replacement for a good stereo.

I did a lot of research and drove all around southern California to go to various retailers and hifi shops to listen to various sound bars and the one I went with is the Sennheiser Ambeo Max. It's not small and it's not really reasonably priced but as far as soundbars go, it has the best sound, clarity, crisp highs, robus midrange, and has the power to fill a large room without leaving anything to be desired. It has support for ATMOS, comes with a calibration mic (makes a HUGE difference) so you can calibrate the soundbar to your room, and has lots of input ports. I'm using it with eARC to my LG OLED, utilizing its built-in DAC to handle all of the bit-perfect decoding. One small downside is it doesn't have wireless sub support but it does have a dedicated wired sub output. The smaller (newer) model Ambeo Plus does support wireless sub but not surprisingly, only their own Sennheiser sub. The fix was pretty easy though. I got the SVS wireless adapter (the better version, not the cheaper model) and have it broadcasting the wireless subwoofer output to two wireless receivers to SVS SB3000 subs in the two front separate corners of the room. The subs are about 12' apart (TV in the middle and subs in corners) and I've not noticed any lag at all. The whole setup rocks the house, sounds excellent when using proper audio sources, and it's a clean setup. Everything is mounted to the wall and you don't see any wires at all.

If you' enjoy listening to music then the Ambeo Max will be the best due to its amazing drive units and acoustics,.whilst for spatial audio it supports Dolby Atmos with direct connection and support for Tidal. The Ambeo technology creates a 360 degree sound scape without needing rear speakers. I've not yet heard the Sonos but the Max has just been awarded best Soundbar over £1500 for the 5th year in a row by What Hi Fi.

The best standalone soundbar is probably still a Senheiser Ambeo Max

For a single bar, i think the best one is still the Sennheiser ambeo max. The main downside is you won’t be able to get rear surround if you want to. Another more pricey option is the B&O theater, which you can expand with other B&O speakers. From the picture it doesn’t look like you have room under the TV for these big bars.

The Ambeo is not tiny at all. You can also add any sub you want if you want more bass.

From the reviews, the Samsung 990 series should be pretty decent. Other soundbars with good music performance reviews include the Sennheiser Ambeo and the Bose (forgot the model number) I have owned the Ambeo then recently upgraded to the Sony theater quad, and I thought both sounded great.

When it comes to sound quality, the Ambeo and Panorama (1 and 2) are close—both are excellent. As mentioned, the Ambeo has a lot of extra features. This is both good and bad—you need to download an app just to use it, which personally drives me crazy. That said, the Ambeo is the best all-around soundbar you can buy. Its bass output is outstanding—it’s the only soundbar I’ve ever heard that can match the Panorama 1 in that regard. You genuinely don’t need a subwoofer. The Panorama 2’s bass output is also very good, but it’s not on the same level as the 1.

Ambeo Max is exactly what you want.

If you care about sound, go for Ambeo Max, it’s the only soundbar that serious about sound.

One of the biggest mistake most audiophiles made of switching traditional speakers setup to soundbar is the room acoustics, for traditional speakers system we will have some sound absorbing materials at the walls and it’s good for minimizing sound reflection, BUT in soundbar world it’s totally another way, we need to have walls to bounce the sound for creating surround effect, keep this in mind and you will have a amazing soundbar experience. My recommendation is if you have an ideal room for sound bouncing then Ambeo Max is the soundbar to go, Ambeo Plus sound much thinner like a normal soundbar do, although it’s still sounds better than many other soundbars, the Max just sounds like hifi speakers due to the driver size, it’s physic things than can’t beat. Q990D is good for movie, big sound, big bubble, but the problem is they put all the drivers in the same box without isolating them, do not expect a good sound quality from this design, it will never be.

Have to agree. I am about to get myself a 3.1 set up soon ( the orignal 5.1 I had to potpone because most of hifi budget was eaten by the purchase of new TV. The old one broke so I had no choice) I was in the lucky postion to have 2 friends that are also soundbuffs. One had a good soundbar (the ambeo max) and the other had a classic 5.1 system with some dali speakers. I could test both systems and while the Senheiser was not that bad I was way more impressed with the real speakers and now I want to try something like that too. Start slow with 3.1 and then in 1 or 2 years upgrade to 5.1.2 like originally planned.

I’m searching for high quality soundbars / systems and today I tried the Ambeo Max… the bar bugged in the store 😂😂😂 a total disappointment

If money is no issue I have the Bose ultra soundbar with the 700 bass module. It works well for me. I also suggest the Ambeo max or Beosound if u are not getting a sub woofer.

U have spent this much money on a TV, deciding to cheap out on audio is kinda ridiculous. That TV demands an equal, not an after thought. The Sony Quad, Sony a5000/7000, Sennheiser Ambeo would be good companion to this kind of caliber.

That'll do.

Bose for simplicity and ease of use. Sonos is decent but the software side right now is a complete crap show and unreliable. For me it would be either Sony A5000/A7000 or Sennheiser Ambeo Plus or Ambeo Max. For the money, Sony has the upper hand as long as the soundbar is calibrated properly.

Ambeo Plus or Ambeo Max would be a great choice for standalone soundbars. The only issue with Ambeo Max is its size. I mean, it's gigantic.

I second this opinion. Ambeo Max is your best bet.

A used Sennheiser Ambeo (Max) can be had for <$1K, and it is fantastic for music. A new Sonos Arc Ultra is $1K, and used regular Arcs are down to \~$600. Enjoy!

If you are committed to a single-bar solution, I would get a used Sennheiser Ambeo (now called the Ambeo Max) because it has some fairly sophisticated room calibration to help deal with your vaulted ceiling and the curtains on the left when closed. Another option would be a Sonos Arc, which I don't recommend as a rule unless you are going to use the Sonos ecosystem beyond just your television. That said, when I look at the pictures, I see an inviting deck and an open kitchen. With an Arc, I would also buy a couple of Era 100s to use in the kitchen, on the deck, as a stereo set for your computer, etc., and come movie night, position one on your wing wall and the other on your computer desk for surround. The next step would be a Sonos Sub for Father's Day, your birthday, or Christmas. Enjoy!

Sennheiser Ambeo Max with an SVS, RSL, Hsu, or other sub.

An Ambeo (Max) is the best I've heard for music.

They asked about soundbars, and used Ambeo (Max) models are priced at \~$700 now.

If it's 70% music, consider the Ambeo Max. It stands alone without a subwoofer, better than the Plus, Sonos, or Bose, and there are excellent examples on the used market for <$1000 now. Our friends have one, and they'll play music on it when we are over there for dinner. The multiple wow moments I have while listening, even when we are sitting in the other room, have become a joke. Sometimes, before I can even get the words out, my wife will say, 'I know, their soundbar is amazing, and we should get one... move on', which proves she hears it, too. Keep in mind that with the replacement of the Sonos Arc about to drop next month, prices on the current Arc, both new and used, will be forced down. Enjoy!

Awesome! Make sure it is placed with its front baffle flush with the front of whatever furniture it sits on, and carefully go through the room calibration process. Enjoy!

I've listened to music on an Ambeo Max and it was great! No sub either.

Sennheiser Ambeo max by far. It does however have an overheating issue but it can be easily dealt with by putting a cooling fan on the vents. It’s truly amazing for a stand alone bar.

The ambeo max is AMAZING. But yes definitely expensive

There is only one correct answer, sennheiser ambeo max. If you ever have experienced what that thing can do, you know I am right, that soundbar is just amazing.

Ambeo Max is a beast.

Ambeo Max for the win.

Max with a wired sub.

Muffled center channel can be completely fixed by using settings in the mobile app.

I have the Max and have no real issues with it. I did have to unplug it from power once to get it to boot but that was a one time thing and hasn't happened since. Sound is amazing including dialog once everything is dialed in. I'm wondering if people aren't using the mobile app to customize settings because that is what completely fixes the dialog issues. The sound is very balanced for me regardless of content.

Sennheiser max mops the floor with sonos…

power? Sennheiser ambeo max with a capable sub. it'll blow your socks off. 3d effect? pretty much any soundbar system with both surrounds and upfiring. preference is key here

Its just not worth it - people are still getting muffled center channel. Even with extended warranty it can happen again with the next unit. Super cool soundbar but QC was just poor

Yeah i mean just keep buying on the loop system. It is annoying that theres a chance youll need to use your warranty again.

Ambeo max - but it’s a coin toss if you get a good unit. Sonos arc ultra is next

Ambeo max and pb3000 is what I have. I came from a 5.1.4 setup. The Ambeo set up is awesome

I went through two max’s in 5 weeks. Not worth it. Muffled center channel still exists as well - senn never fixed it.

Ambeo Max blows the Sony's away

I have the same except a SVS PB-3000. It's an a awesome setup. I'm sure a true Atmos setup with a receiver and speakers everywhere is better, but this is the next best thing.

I have an Ambeo Max with and SVS sub, but If I didn't the JBL 1300x would be next on my list to try. Sounds like a great soundbar. I also just got a A95L 77", putting it up tomorrow. Looked awesome at Best Buy.

I need to add, if you like a lot of bass, you need a subwoofer with the Ambeo. I got an SVS and love it.

I have my A95L paired with a Sennheiser Ambeo Max and SVS SB-3000 subwoofer and the sound is phenomenal. Unfortunately I can’t speak to the others you mentioned, but I’m very happy with my setup.

Absolutely. I use it in a bedroom setup and it’s hard to imagine a better small space solution. It has a pretty wild ability to throw the sound to all corners of the room.

I’ve got the Ambeo max and it’s phenomenal

Sennheiser Ambeo Max is an absolute behemoth and sounds incredible

Ambeo Max should be above all else

I’ve had the Ambeo Max for a couple months now and it’s so good. I will say tho, my room is built perfectly for it. I spent months going back and forth trying different soundbars and bookshelf/avr set ups and I absolutely have no regrets here.

I was on the fence about this set up along with many others, including separate bookshelf and avr components. Ultimately I went with the Ambeo Max and it’s absolutely well worth it. I spent a nauseating amount of time demoing and comparing set ups and now with the Ambeo I get the SQ of AVR and separates as well as the aesthetic convenience of a soundbar. It’s a behemoth tho weighing every bit of 40-50lbs.

Look for an Ambeo Plus, they sound great for music. I have the Max and it’s astounding how good it sounds.

I don’t think the TV brand is going to have an impact on the level of sound quality coming from the bar. Keeping the TV and Soundbar brands the same however could definitely allow the tech to cooperate better, like Sony can use the TV speakers as a center channel. I have the Ambeo Max and it’s worked flawlessly with my Bravia. Both music and movies sound incredible coming from the bar and it even does an impressive job with Dolby Atmos effects.

I’ll tell ya tho, that Ambeo max wouldn’t be embarrassed in the slightest

“Good for a soundbar” could easily be the understatement of the century

Couldn’t agree more. No surrounds but they’re not needed in my opinion. A magical beast of a soundbar.

Ambeo Max or Plus for standalone, if you get the Max, please be sure to get a cooling fan to attach behind the bar on the right side. It heats up a lot back there, but the fan will keep it cool, and you will avoid that coil damage that messes up the center channel. I’m on the Ambeo owners page on Facebook and a lot of people have had their Max’s for 5 years.

As someone who used to be an installer for GeekSquad, and went through numerous soundbars to find the one that works best for me, I never liked Samsung soundbars. Their competitors have better sound to my ears, even the standalone all-in-one options. With that said, I do understand why so many people went the Samsung route. It’s simply the best value PERIOD. This is very unfortunate for movie/music lovers and I hope the issues get resolved quickly. Edit: A couple of people have asked what I recommend. My recommendations will be from my own personal experiences having owned these soundbars for 6+ months. I’ll give pros & cons: My first recommendation would be the Sony Theater Quads, ESPECIALLY if paired with a Sony high end/OLED TV. What drew me to it was Sony’s Center Sync V2. I tested the Sony HT-A9’s when it first came out in 2021, and DID NOT like it. It sounded fine when watching movies through BluRay but not streaming. You had to turn it up quite a lot for it to come alive and even then it sounded distorted, thin, and the phantom center channel was just so weak. Couldn’t hear anything no matter what sound preset I had it on. Also it had sound drop outs regularly. Everything I didn’t like about the HT-A9’s was drastically approved upon with the Theater Quads. Convincing enough phantom center channel (even though I use center sync), and sounds great when streaming & watching BluRays. Only cons are the subwoofer options as they don’t get low enough for good clean bass, MSRP, and some people might not have the space to get the FL/FR speakers as far apart as recommended (8ft+). If you can find a good enough deal on these with a good return window, TRY THEM! Sennheiser Ambeo Max, Plus, & Mini. I put all of these in one category because of the Ambeo 3D technology baked into each one. It’s simply in a class of its own. You have to hear it in your environment to make you a believer. Atmos is very convincing & EQ is customizable. It’s simply in a class of its own. I love Sennheiser’s consumer division, especially before being sold to sonova hearing. Only cons are the center channel failure that’s been reported from some owners, heard that could possibly be fixed with a cooling fan, HDMI handshake issues, occasional disconnection, and again MSRP. Each one can be found heavily reduced in price open box at Best Buy, and second hand on EBay. I’ve experienced the disconnects, a simple power cycle always fixed it. I loved the sound enough to deal with that. Any Sonos 5.X.X/7.X.X configuration because before the app went to shit, they were honestly the most positively reviewed soundbar for good reason. For so many it just worked. One of the best soundbar subwoofers. Small customizable EQ, can be found second hand at reasonable prices, of course it’s within reason because of its resale value. Cons no DTS-HD support for BluRay movies. Good alternatives through word of mouth I haven’t tried: Klipsch new Flexus soundbars with different configurations, Polk Magnifi MAX AX, Bose Ultra Smart, and Nakamichi Dragon (way too expensive for a soundbar in my opinion though). There was much more I wanted to add in the text, I feel like this is already too long. And there are more lower end soundbars that I think that could be worth a try from LG, Vizio, TCL, etc. But like I said before Samsung definitely was the best value. Good luck, and I’m hoping for a good turnaround for you guys!

I've had an Ambeo Max for more than a year. The only flight I've had with it is occasionally, no sound, which is easily fixed by either HDMI or power cord unplug/replug. It has happened so independently, I'm not sure which has fixed it lol

It is almost always working correctly she it does sound great! I have an RSL Speedwoofer 10 tucked away in the corner to give it some low end. The room is large with vaulted ceilings, so I don't get a great Atmos or surround effect, but it fills the room well and never sounds out of sorts. We use it more for music than anything else, and don't regret splurging in it. I also have a Klipsch Cinema 1200, which sounds amazing, but it requires a soft reset once or twice a week. Simple but annoying. I've thought about replacing that one with an Ambeo as well, tbh.

Sennheiser Ambeo Max is unmatched in sound quality for a single unit soundbar system, especially dialog and overall soundstage. You're able to hook up (wired) any brand subwoofer to it if you want. The only downside to the bar is it glitches out with WiFi sometimes requiring a hard reboot (unplug from outlet). There's also some lemons throughout production with their center channel blowing out after some time. So if you get this bar, get an extended warranty (geeksquad protection through Best Buy is the best).

It happened to me after 2.5 years. Using warranty recently replaced it with another when when it was on sale for $1700, so Best Buy actually sent me a check with the difference (about $534). So not only did the warranty pay for itself, I got a brand new soundbar after 2.5 years. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, but I bought another 4-yr protection plan in case.

It's annoying for sure, but I'm more worried about Best Buy going out of business in the next 4 years lol. Then what haha

They've recently laid off a lot of Geeksquad people for home install and their in store consultants. I'm keeping my expectations in check regarding warranty transfer haha

Beosound Theatre, Ambeo Max (followed by Plus) , Arc (ultra) in that order.

Expensive but worth it. He'll want a sub I'm sure.

Ambeo is the best! Great sound and it comes in 3 sizes Max, Plus and Mini. From Sennheiser! Oh yeah!

I’ve had the sennheiser ambeo, Bose smart ultra, and the Samsung q800, in that order. First two were returned for connectivity issues with my newish Samsung tv. The q800 has been great (the ambeo probably had the best surround but only if it connected). Q symphony is amazing. With the first two bars, you could clearly tell the sound was coming from below the TV… q symphony fixes that completely. And the subwoofer is amazing.

I have the bigger brother of the Mini and it does provide a high degree of clarity. One of the reasons I bought it was the fact that I can add a third party subwoofer. Also, note that the surround effect isn't as encompassing as a full fledged 5.1.2/7.1.4 system. This'll work best in a smaller room that doesn't have vaulted ceilings.

Gotta be the Arc Ultra or the Ambeo if that's what you're looking for. Arc Ultra gets pretty low - i think 40hz by itself.

The best or nothing? My Ambeo would beg to differ...

I've got my 83" C1 paired with the Sennheiser Ambeo and an 8" sub, I couldn't be happier.

If music is your main concern I’d recommend maybe a 2.1 system over a soundbar. If you really want a soundbar then Sonos arc ultra or a ambeo is probably better than the Samsung. Samsung would be a better choice for movies / tv but lack in the music area

TL;DR: make sure whatever you get has a subwoofer and satellites if your space allows. The other comment here by u/Smooth-Lie-3906 that linked rtings.com's "under $500" list is the best answer, but I just went through a similar decision so wanted to give my 2c. My budget was $1000 and I wound up getting a great deal on a Samsung Q990D for that price, but before that I tried a bunch of setups. I'm not an audiophile so I just wanted something that 1) sounded good 2) could break through other sounds like an air conditioner and 3) had clear dialogue without being set to a volume that would blow my eardrums out during sound-effects. To fulfill all of those criteria, what I learned was that regardless of the bar itself, having a subwoofer and satellites led to the biggest noticeable boost in quality. For example, comparing my 10 year old Samsung 5.1 setup to a new Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar (no sub, no satellites), the Samsung actually sounded better in most dimensions to my untrained ears, so I returned the Ambeo. Regarding the Samsung Q990C or Q990D (maybe B also), there's a feature that I LOVE that lets you run the rear satellites as front speakers. Other systems probably have this feature by a different name, but in my opinion it's an amazing feature that now I probably wouldn't go without. Since the Q990 rears are pretty massive with 3 speakers in them, they are decent on their own, so it can make any audio feel like it's really filling the room, obviously at the expense of surround. In some ways, it actually feels most like a "movie-theater" experience even though you aren't getting sound effects directionally. I wish I could always have this on unless the source audio is Atmos, DD+, or DTS.

Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar. I’ve had it for years. Simply the best sound.

Sennheiser Ambeo. Has largest speakers of any sound bar, giving out the best high quality full sound.

The sennheiser ambeo soundbars need more love, they are so freaking good.

Rtings test environments and processes aren’t very representative of real world scenarios imo so I take everything with a pinch of salt. Their Sennheiser Ambeo review is evidence of this, having owned one I can say it’s hands down a beast of a sound bar but Rtings weren’t overly high on it. They seem to take joy in knocking systems down that don’t come with Rears and Subs too, which is a joke as there’s a massive market for people who just want an all-in-one solution. Comparing a standalone bar to a package is monumentally stupid.

Have you heard either of the Sennheiser products? They are superb and their AMBEO technology is seriously impressive, you would believe there were speakers all over your room. If the sound bar has enough speakers and woofers, it can definitely produce some good Atmos height effects but they often struggle with rear effects.

I have the Sony HT-A9 with the sub and it's been amazing. Had the sonos arc and one's as surrounds, and a sub; also tried Ambeo that shit is massive but excellent also. Ultimately went with the Sony since my partner wanted to be able to play Bluetooth occasionally and didn't wanna tinker with having to download sonos app, etc. I had a Samsung HW-Q950A too but ultimately resold it, and had intentions of trying Nakamichi but returned it unopened and stuck with HT-A9. Occasional glitches like once every 6 months if that so have to run the Optimizer stuff. I've loooved it! Going on 3 yrs now having mine. The price went down some, and just keep an eye on bestbuy open box for the sub, i got the SA-W5.

I recently made this decision and took a home demo of most of the bars. Sennheiser Ambeo comes on top and it was not even close.

I recently experienced the sennheiser ambeo and sennheiser ambeo mini. Though above that price range they both are amazing.

It lacks DTS support, therefore I would prefer the Ambeo