Sennheiser - Ambeo Soundbar | Plus

Without a sub I would say sennheiser ambeo plus. Has plenty of bass if you aren’t going to add a sub and has a ton of clarity and sound quality is fantastic.

Sennheiser ambeo plus is on sale for $999 at bestbuy and is a great sounding soundbar. You will still need the $600 sub or you can use whichever sub with that soundbar. But no rears.

Ambios plus is amazing , it's very clean and clear sounding imo

Thanks for sharing! I have the sennheiser ambeo plus. Connected a svs mini 3000 and it’s way better. Doesn’t really get as loud as I’d like (compared to my main stereo system).

What about Sennheiser's Ambeo Plus? Take a look at reviews on it.

And 4th of July sales are fast approaching. It was on sale last year during the 4th. I have an over the ear pair and a true wireless pair of Sennheiser and theysound profile is very clear and neutrally balanced. Everything I've read about the Plus is this, lots of clarity.

I bought one a couple weeks ago and returned it 3 days later. The sound was awesome when it worked, but I had connectivity issues. Very well could be my fault, but I couldn’t figure it out. Just ordered a Bose smart ultra and fully expect to have the same problem.. but it seems like there might be more options in the Bose app to troubleshoot it. Fingers crossed… I really just wanted the full sound those both offer without getting a sub that would startle my skittish dog. And I don’t really have room for surrounds. That’s why I’ve skipped the 990 (also the price). However, if the Bose is annoying too, that’s my next stop. (Btw I have a ~6 mo old Samsung tv so figure the 990 has to work. Haha)

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 arc ultra and sounds great with the bar alone. I plan to add a sub later on. I also tested out the Ambeo Plus bar alone and it sounds quite rich in clarity. I was close to buying it instead.

Isn't the ambo max the old version, and the ambeo plus the new one? I couldn't even find an ambeo max at BB, but I did test out the Plus, and it sounds really good for the bar alone. I did find the design quite ugly though (and dust loves hanging on that material), kinda like the 990D lol I tested it against the Bose ultra, and the Sonos Arc Ultra. All of them sounded great, but the Ambeo felt like it lacked that full oomph sound I wanted, but it was very nice clarity. The bose had that full sound I wanted, but so did the Sonos. The Sonos is a newer design with a bit more features so I chose that.

If you think the Ambeo Plus sounds good in an open store environment, it sounds that much better in an actual room. The sub brings it to a much higher level as the bar isn’t trying to reproduce bass. I bought it for a small bedroom with the hopes that the rumored rear channels would be released, but sennheiser has disappointed us all. This was hinted at by dealers/employees, and I’ve emailed Sennheiser several times and they don’t deny the possibility, so it’s not pure conjecture, and there are 4 wireless channels built in (for subwoofers) so the potential is there for rears. I’m a crazy audiophile with a dedicated surround system in my living room, so I wanted good fidelity in the bedroom system, and returned the Samsung’s I bought (800 series I believe) because it sounded like a louder version of the TV’s speakers. That being said, the Sennheiser doesn’t have tweeters, just aluminum full range drivers, so I find I have to add a bit of top end eq to get it to sound neutral.

2 smaller subs is always better than 1 larger. I’m using it (single sub) in a small NYC bedroom and find the amount and quality of bass perfect, and I’m a fan of very high quality bass, owning 2 Velodyne subs with servo in my main system.

If you don’t need rear speakers the Ambeo plus is excellent and gets even better with their matching sub. It sounds much better than a friend’s Samsung 800 series.

Ambeo plus and the matching is quite good. Sounds much better than a friends 800 series Samsung.

I find the sennheiser ambios plus has excellent sound quality overall and I liked it much better than Samsung 7 series I had and returned or my friends 800 series.

Each to their own. I have a 5.1 system with in wall speakers in my living room but for my 85” setup in a walkout and oddly shaped room I went with a demo Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and sub that I got an amazing deal on. No wires or receiver to deal with and it sounds really great. Once calibrated it’s pretty close to my 5.1 system. I wanted the Max but got such a great deal I couldn’t pass it up since the bar and sub were less than the sub costs new. I may wait for the new version of the Max if it ever comes out. But retail this is a $2200 setup.

Sennheiser Ambeo Plus has an auxiliary input on a pair of phono sockets and sounds superb on music

I strongly suggest you get a demo of Sennheiser Ambeo Plus or Ambeo Mini, in the USA these have just gone in to all Best Buy stores. The AMBEO virtualiser technology if quite remarkable.

As a stand alone bar I'd say it is one of the best available. I have owned one since release after trying Sonos and a Bose. The Atmos effects are outstanding for a stand alone (blade runner 2045!). With that said, I bought it with the express hope to add on the sub (really worth it) and rears. The rears are taking forever to come out if at all and honestly the main unit had a ton of bugs. As of the last update between it and my Sony TV I have to turn the volume up a notch before being able to turn it down. Annoying but doesn't ruin it for me. In my opinion, it's worth it if you're using a dedicated 4k player as a stand alone bar. If you plan on upgrading or expanding in the future Sennheiser hasn't shown they're supporting that yet.

I picked one up at Best Buy and so far so good. It connected to my LG C4 OLED TV fine and my magic remote can control the volume. The sound blows me away. Dialogue is so clear. The Ambeo sound is legit. It's very immersive. I have it connected to a SVS 3000 sub and it works flawlessly. The app connected to the sound bar easily. Not sure what software bugs people refer to, but no issues for me.

Sennheiser Ambeo Plus. Sennheiser soundbars are very good for musc (I have an ambeo mini). I suggest you , if you buy it, to download sennheiser APP and configure your soundbar with your phone. Best settings for music on Ambeo Soundbars : Ambeo Mode : OFF , mode : Neutral. +Use calibration tool.

Ambio plus + your choice of sub. Tried several others at my house, hands down beat them all

I have the Ambeo Plus and it has been perfect.

The Ambeo Max is huge and you can use their Ambeo wireless sub or a wired third party. The Ambeo Plus is also a superb soundbar.

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 had it for a year. The update about 3 to 6 months ago fixed most of the bugs for me. It had issues before but it's pretty reliable now.

I ended up blindly going for Ambeo Plus + the Ambeo Subwoofer since it ended up a few hundred bucks cheaper than the Sonos Ultra combo, and I don’t want rear speakers in my small condo. Happy with it, but getting a case of “what if” now that there’s first reviews and impressions of the Sonos Ultra.

What won out for me with the Ambeo (in addition to the lower price on sale), is that I listen to music with the living room setup more than I watch movies with it. If I was mostly watching movies and shows with it, I might’ve waited for the Sonos Ultra.

Also, is the Ambeo on sale where you are? The Ambeo Plus and Subwoofer combo were about $1300 CAD off of retail price at London Drugs in Canada.

I have a Sennheiser Ambeo Plus + Ambeo Subwoofer and still within the return period. I’m really wondering how the music performance compares between it and the Arc Ultra.

It sounds pretty good to me. My points of reference are: Audioengine HD3 and Kanto Sub in my bedroom, AirPod Pro 2s, and ELS 3D Audio in my Acura. But I’ve never owned a Sonos product.

The Ambeo Plus + Ambeo Subwoofer I had kept having audio output issues after switching sources. Was really frustrating having to unplug and plug back in to reset the soundbar to make noise again. Returned it within the 30-day window and moved on to Sonos.

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.

In my opinion, yes... given proper calibration. The ambeo series a feat of engineering to be honest. The sound is so precise and the atmos effects are very effective. Sound separation for music is bang on. Yes, it's expensive and yes, it does not have a dedicated sub or rears but it don't matter. It's a great soundbar on its own.

Of the soundbars I've experienced, I think the Sennheiser Ambeo bars are the absolute KING of sound quality. I had a demo of the Ambeo Plus & it absolutely blew me away!! The soundstage was very impressive & the detail in the audio was literally like nothing else I've experienced! & You can run up to 4 of the Ambeo 8" subwoofers with it! It's a steep price tag but it's honestly the only soundbar I can say I think is worth every penny!!

100% get the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 + Sub 100. Been my favorite soundbar I've had, even over like Samsung, Bose, Sonos Arc, & others Ive had. I'm seeing it's on sale so I think you can get the bar, + 2 Sub 100's for right around your price range. Or if you strictly want the best sounding bar & not worried about house shaking bass, the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is the absolute best sounding bar I've ever heard by literal miles!! I mean it was like experiencing the Rolls Royce of soundbars!!

100% recommend the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus.

More drivers doesn't always mean better in my opinion. I've had a good amount of different soundbar setups like the Sonos Arc, Bose Smart 600, Samsung Q800B, Sony S2000, & others. I was looking at the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus myself, & it looks like an amazing piece, but I get the feeling you might be paying a tad more for the name than performance. Also the lack of tweeters really raises my eyebrows in a bad way. Personally I thought the Bose 600 sounded better, louder, & maybe even more immersive than the Arc did despite being half the size. & The BM700 is just a monster subwoofer. I highly recommend looking at the Bose systems. Or you can get my newest & now favorite soundbar, the Klipsch Flexus 200 & Sub 100. This system just rocks. I sold my Sonos setup (Arc, Sub Mini, 2 Era 100's) for this Klipsch system, & I don't regret it at all!!! Eventually I plan to buy another Sub 100 & the Surround 200's when they release.

Sounds like you're in the same boat as me as far as the Flexus vs Ambeo. Flexus to me is the better deal, but the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is like the Rolls Royce of soundbars to me. It sounds like it's on an entirely different level than anything I've ever heard. But the Flexus is absolutely amazing for the price. I went to my Core 200 + Sub 100 from my Sonos Arc, Sub Mini, & 2 Era 100's. Even tho I went to a cheaper system I felt I actually upgraded. If I upgrade again, it's definitely between the Flexus Core 300 & the Ambeo Plus. Real toss up for me between the 2. Glad you're happy, I've been recommending this Flexus system to literally everyone 😂

Of your current options id be between the Flexus Core 300 & the Ambeo Plus. I have the Core 200 right now and it's a very solid system, no complaints at all. Impressive audio & solid app controls. However, I did get a demo of the Ambeo Plus in Best Buy and the level of detail in it was just purely mind blowing! Sounds sooooo insanely polished & perfect it's almost scary how clean it sounds. I've never heard anything come even close to this. I'd say Bose is close (I had the Smart 600, also an absolutely amazing system), but the Ambeo still felt like a different level of sound. I know the Ambeo doesn't offer rears but even from a brief demo I felt it's immersion was off the charts! I cannot express enough how good this thing sounded! If you strictly want the absolute cleanest sounding system, Ambeo Plus is the ONLY way to go!! Now if you want loads of power, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 might be a bit beefier sounding. This is almost like comparing a Ferrari to a Bentley. Ferrari being loud & ferocious (Klipsch) while Bentley being smooth, clean & luxurious (Sennheiser).

Personally, I'd say it's between either the Ambeo or the Flexus. I'd say skip the Arc Ultra. I've heard it's mainly just the Arc with more bass, but very similar performance all around. Samsung is a solid choice, but Samsung has never truly "wowed" me before, & I've had 3 with the HW-Q6CR, Q600C, & the best I've had the Q800B. It was a solid system all around, but again, nothing really blew me away. & I sometimes found the subwoofer to be a bit overpowering, even at -6. & Also the Q800's have everything the Q900's have except less front channels & 1 less side channel. But the subwoofer is practically damn near the same. Sony ive heard mixed reviews about the Bravia bars, but until Sony releases new subwoofers, I can't recommend anyone buying Sony. I have the S2000 + SW5 & Even the SW5 subwoofer is terribly underwhelming for the price from my experience. Now I currently have the Core 200 myself + the sub 100. I have no complaints with this system at all, which is something I've never said about a soundbar before & I've had a lot anywhere from the Sonos Arc, Bose 600, few JBL'S, & others. I will admit the Bose 600 + BM700 setup I had is quite a contender as my favorite. But I think I'd lean a bit more to the Klipsch system in a blind test. There's just something about how full I think it sounds to me. But then you look at the price difference compared to performance difference, and the Klipsch feels like a much better deal. There's a deal I saw on Amazon for the Core 200, + Surr 100's, + 2 Sub 100's for 1k which seems like a steal to me. Now the Ambeo on the other hand is a fantastic SOUNDING system, possibly the best I've heard with the level of detail it has. But I've read quite a bit about bugs in the system so it's possibly kinda a hit or miss. I haven't had a single issue at all with my Flexus system. & I think the subwoofers are probably better on the Flexus system too considering you can buy either a 10" or 12" while Sennheiser only offers an 8". & Another con of the Sennheiser is there's no rears offered which is quite shocking. So my vote is the Flexus system!

I have the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 + sub 100 & I've never enjoyed music more, even without the Sub 100 it's still a fantastic sounding system, has 2 4" Subwoofers built in that really compliment the system well! Guitars absolutely shine, & it's just such a full sound like I've never heard before on another soundbar, & I've had a lot anywhere from my previous setup of the Sonos Arc, Era 100's, & Sub Mini, JBL Bar 500, Bose Smart 600 (another absolutely fantastic system), on and on and on. Imo nothing touches this Flexus system for the price. If money is no object, the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus is definitely the best soundbar you can buy. I had a demo of one for the first time the other day, & I was convinced that Sennheiser is (imo) the absolute king of soundbars. I mean it was just UNREAL! If I ever decide to upgrade from my Flexus Core 200 system, that's DEFINITELY the system I'm buying without any 2nd thought.

The Ambeo lineup is one of/if not the absolute best sounding system out there. I heard a demo of the Plus at Best Buy and it blew me away with the level of detail it has, & I mean nothing I've had even sounds remotely close, & I've had everything from the Sonos Arc, Samsung Q800B, Bose Smart 600, none of them are even close to the Ambeo in terms of detail to the sound, it's truly INCREDIBLE!!!

what are you looking for? just a Tv enhancement? music performance? cinama performance? anyway the Sennheiser ambeo max and the Sennheiser ambeo plus are the best single unit soundbar. no rear speakers no sub.

I was surprised to see the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and JBL Bar 1300X so low in the list. I've used both and love them.

The ambeo line is bug central - software and hardware. Max is more hardware than software. Plus is more software than hardware. Pick your poison.

Oh wow so a smallish room. Either one will do fine. I haven’t heard soundstage yet but arc ultra and plus yes. I’d give the ultra the edge in terms of bass compared to ambeo. But Ambeo does provide better clarity and sonic sound. Soundstage I heard has good bass as well and and great overall soundstage. Youre just paying a bunch of more for the name. I really think you’ll enjoy the ambeo out of all of them. It’s a super fun soundbar and it’s on the smaller side in terms of dimensions

Sound quality wise it’s definitely right up there and both music and movies/TV sound great. You add a separate sub to wire in and you’re definitely golden for that bedroom

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

I’m right here with you. I bought mine and moved surround speakers and subwoofer all over the room. Tried different modes and it just sounded terrible. The only time it sounds decent is with the volume way up and then it’s too loud lol. I read all the reviews and was completely shocked when I heard it for the first time. I felt like I was crazy for not liking it after all the craze. I had to send it back. Over 1k for a mediocre sound system I couldn’t do it. Now if anyone loves it I’m super happy for you I’m glad you do. People have different “tastes” when it comes to sounds and everyone has different acoustics depending on size and shape of room etc. Ended up getting a Sennheiser Ambeo plus and it fucking blew me away compared to the Q990D. The Ambeo sub is a little lacking but so much better than the Samsung. This is all of course my opinion and will vary from person to person but if you feel this system is lacking go to Best Buy or something and try the demo. Night and day for me.

I responded to another comment on this thread. Best thing you can do is hit up a Best Buy or something and try the display models to see if it sounds like something you are interested in. I originally bought the Q990D based off all the reviews and I was super disappointed. I wanted to like it so badly but I just couldn’t. I messed with moving speakers around my living room and all of the settings on the app. Nothing worked to me it sounded terrible. Like I stated in the other post sound can be subjective and the size and shape of your room may impact the sound quality quite a bit. But for me I felt like I was completely missing the hype and it sounded insanely bad for the price. I ended up getting a Sennheiser Ambeo plus and the sound quality just blew me away. Ended up paying around 1700$ for the Amebeo plus and the sub so it was a little more expensive but I don’t regret switching it out for a second. On the flip side if you are active duty or a college student Samsung has a huge discount on the Q990D if you buy from their website using a .mil or.edu account. Not hating on the sound system at all it just wasn’t for me.

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 got the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus with their matching wireless sub. Debated for a while whether to go with a third party sub like an SVS 2000 - but I'm super happy in the end with the setup. Clear, excellent surround features, plenty loud and the sub keeps up with anything I ask of it.

have maybe similiar space und for some days testing the ambeo plus, really good soundstage. maybe i will try the ambeo max

I did this today. I bought the Ambeo Plus about a month ago and liked it. The big issue I had was the sound quality was only ok at lower volumes but really shined when it was at higher volumes. This was great for movies nights but not great for too much else when using during the day. I was still in my return window so I thought I would try out the Arc Ultra. I have been wanting to try Sonos but with the recent issues I thought I would wait but decided today to just go for it and hope for the best. Overall, I feel the Arc Ultra is better for movies and games. The sound stage feels bigger and I feel more immersed. The bass was better than the Ambeo Plus and I feel the dialog was clearer. I do feel the Ambeo Plus was better if playing music but I won’t being doing that too often with the sound bar.

I tested a Sennheiser Ambeo Plus then a Devialet Dione. I sent them back. Finally, I chose an Arc Ultra with two Era 100 as surround speakers. Really impressive ! It works perfectly with my LG G4.

I just returned my theatre bar 9 and ordered the smart ultra. So I would recommend to go with the smart ultra or try the Ambeo plus

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 😅

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.

I have an Ambeo Plus and the rears now seem essential to me. I had a 5.1 before and I'm starting to regret not having taken an HC amp (like Denon 3800) and wireless speakers because the surround and Atmos effects are very limited and are felt especially when pushing the volume, I think.

Ambeo plus, you probably will not even need a sub with that, but its sound is so room filling and has much more customisation that lets you tune it to your room and taste. For example 6 different profiles to choose from, a 4 band EQ for each profile and 3 levels of the Ambeo enhancement to choose from.

cc@Samsung also has a bug where if you are listening to a playlist which has some atmos and some non-atmos songs, when an atmos song comes on, volume will drop by about 50 percent. Changing volumes all the time does drive me nuts. I am thinking of replacing it with a Ambeo plus, because I don't have rears in my second living room where I have an ambeo and don't miss the rears most of the time.

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 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

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.

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.

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