Sennheiser - Ambeo Soundbar | Max

Well, there's not much space between the cabinet and the televisionset. So, not much choose. Could you place it on the wall, just so you have a little more space, then i can recommend the Sennheiser Ambeo Max. Wonderful sound.

Buy a used ambeo max pro from Amazon for 1500. That’s what I did 3 years ago and it’s been great

Thanks, saw the thread. I actually listened to the Q990D at a friend’s house and was not too impressed. Loved the demo of both arc ultra and ambeo max.

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…

Honestly the best even without the option to add rear speakers as of now are probably the new KEF XIO and Sennheiser ambeo max paired with a big active subwoofer, in terms of pure sound quality you wont get better than that

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 😅

Yeah, it's a nice soundbar although still say the Ambeo Max has the edge. Bonus is Kef will release rear speakers in October. You also have the Klipsche flexus 300 which has Dirac built in and a larger bar, so might be worth hanging tight for a few more weeks when proper reviews of both will be out. Could also look at the Sony Bravia quads, can easily walk mount them if lack of space as the back as they nice and slim.

You'll get very good sound quality with the Ambeo but you'll only get a 180 degree bubble. Unfortunately, you just can't compensate for not having rear speakers. However, you can use a third party subwoofer which will absolutely destroy the Sony and Dragon subs. Quads will be the best for immersiveness, providing you can place the speakers fairly wide. Soundbars just can't compete when the speakers are like 2.5/3m wide in this department. Sony sub isn't the best and may struggle if in a very large room. Dragon has the raw grunt and gets very loud, however, it's more directed down the middle and is the weakest on the front sound stage. Definitely designed for bigger rooms. You could also look at the new Klipsche flexus 300, as this has rear speakers, Dirac calibration built in and also allows a third party subwoofer. I know this might not help but without knowing your room size / layout it's hard to know which system will be best for you.

It has better sound quality but for me personally it doesn't give that true cinema experience due to no rear speakers. I'd personally go with the quads as long as you can have the speakers fairly wide but it's your own decision so maybe try book some demos in if at all feasible. If you don't mind having more of a 180 degree bubble then the Max will work for you. Subwoofer choice is again personal preference but maybe look into the SVS SB or PB 2000 series, just depends if you prefer a sealed or ported sub as both have their advantages/disadvantages but feel free to Google if you don't understand the difference.

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.

The best standalone soundbar is probably still a Senheiser Ambeo Max

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 no rear surround option and Ambeo Max is in the list, that’s the only way to go with😄

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.

See if there is a place local to you that has a few that you can listen to. The Sennheiser Ambeo line is fantastic and crystal clear in the Plus and Max versions. You can use their own sub, or add your own. We paired the Ambeo Plus with an SVS SB 2000 Pro and it’s amazing.

The best of them all is the Ambeo Max

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

Sennheiser Ambeo Max owner begs to differ. 13 four inch Neumann drivers and a sub sound great!

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.

Sennheiser Ambeo Max overall is the best, hands down.

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.

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.

I have the Ambeo Max and zero issues.

Replaced my old Yamaha 5.1 system with the Ambeo Max with a wired sub. It’s amazing.

Can confirm the Ambeo Max with wired sub is amazing.

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.

Had Ambeo max demo nothing can touch it.

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

BeoSound Theater trumps everything here cost no object. The Ambeo Max still sounds better than 98% of everything usually recommended here but with its known caveats. The only thing the Nakamichi leads in is output imo.

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

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

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

I’ve owned arc ultra in the past and things whizzed by me (on the sides) and I’ve owned the ambeo max which did the same thing but also sounded massive in its sound. I expected the same from this soundbar really. The max for sure had more grunt and power I feel and it seems the clarity was better? I am just not over the moon for this bar yet. The EQ modes kinda help but movie mode sounds so quiet

Nothing wrong with trying it out. The bar wasn’t very good compared to ambeo max.

I’m not understanding - 2 speakers that add nothing more than a front listening experience vs 4 that add surround, atmos, and adding a sub. Just get the sennheiser ambeo max at that point cuz you’ll at least get good sound quality and atmos and better pseudo-surround.

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.

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

My Sennheiser Ambeo Max is an absolute colossus of a soundbar and even without a sub it works some real magic on your ears

No it’s definitely pricey af but worth every penny. I’ve seen used ones marked down to just over 1k but it’s no easy task moving that sucker either

I’ve got a Sennheiser Ambeo Max and it’s a world rocker. From music to movies and even its Dolby atmos effects are beyond impressive. Couldn’t be happier.

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.

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 ambeo sounds better than the beam but the ambeo doesn’t have rear speakers and that’s why the beam and 100s will sound better!

Hey folks, curious about this soundbar. I currently have an Ambeo, as it seemed the best at the time, and my living room is very limiting in terms of space and placement. I cannot really install individual speakers, and even the space for the soundbar is quite limited. I've seen some mixed feedback on XIO vs Ambeo, and I'm not convinced it's worth the switch. I was hoping to revive the living space by better quality music reproduction. One grudge I have with Ambeo is that sometimes it freezes and doesn't allow streaming until I unplug from mains and back. I use Kef reference 1 in my office/listening room, and I find them some of the best, so I'm a bit drawn to the brand. With movies I almost always listen on minimal volume not to disturb my kids sleeping, so I don't realize the potential of Ambeo. Do you think switching ambeo to XIO could bring some benefits, especially for stereo music?

I went to the local hifi store and had a chat about this with the owner. He bluntly said that Ambeo is hard to beat, the devialet in his opinion is worse, but he didn't get the chance to listen to XIO. So I made up my mind to keep Ambeo until I move to a place with a well sized living room that accommodates proper speakers:)

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

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

I used to have a 7.2 surround sound system. The ambeo is less surround but the audio quality is superior especially with dialogue. Wish they’d release rear speakers.

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 first tried Ambeo, but I wanted rear speakers and sub so went with the Samsung flag ship; very good. But the Ambeo was ridiculously impressive as a bar alone. There is a high end coming out this year, but can’t remember which manufacturer. Also super interested in the Sony quad but haven’t listened to them

Strictly sound wise the Ambeo is miles ahead, I only got a demo in Best Buy but I got a demo and it definitely sounds amazing, better than the Beam 2 & even the Arc. However I have read a ton of issues with Sennheiser like HDMI-CEC issues, apparently overheating issues too, who knows what else. So that alone makes me unfortunately skip Sennheiser, hopefully they release a new soundbar soon cause I guarantee it's going to be amazing! If you are mainly a music listener and are okay with not having the ability to connect to the TV for a little while, I would recommend starting with the Era 100's + sub mini, then getting the Arc (or Arc ultra if you want) when you can afford it. I say this because I started with Sonos with my Beam 2 + Sub Mini setup. I eventually bought 1 Era 100 open box to test it and it sounded absolutely incredible! Few days later I grabbed a 2nd one and ran 2 Era 100's in stereo + Sub Mini. It was an absolutely amazing system for music!! And the fact that 2 Era 100's was the same price as the Beam 2, and had such a different and better sound was just shocking. With that discovery I started trying to find an Arc but I will admit I was nervous from my experience with the Beam. However it was definitely not disappointing and I felt worth the price (I got mine open box so it was a bit cheaper). It blew my mind how much better the difference between the Sonos Beam 2 and Arc. The Arc + Era 100's + Sub Mini was such a solid & balanced system. Or another route I would go is with Bose. I had the Bose Smart 600 (which is now the Bose Smart Soundbar) + BM700. This system was a little brighter, cleaner & more detailed than the Arc was. The subwoofer was a fuckin monster!! Very deep bass, extreme amount of power available. Hell I miss that set up to this day and that was over a year ago, but I made money off it since I bought everything open box and resold it for more. One last option I'd suggest looking into is the new Marshal Heston 120 + Heston Sub. It looks absolutely incredible and It's currently my pick for my next soundbar system if I end up choosing to upgrade from my Flexus Core system. I think it has humongous potential to be a top tier soundbar. I'm waiting for more reviews to come out (specifically NeverEnoughTech) before selling my setup and committing to that Marshal system, but it's more than likely going to happen. Sorry for writing a huge essay but I get very thorough with soundbar/speaker talk 😂

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 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