The German brand’s second soundbar commands the room with a wide, immersive sound
Soundbar | £1299 | whf.cm/AmbeoPlus
Sennheiser’s original Ambeo soundbar, the Max, hit the scene a few short years ago and has, until now, been the only child in the company’s soundbar family. While it has remained in the spotlight since its launch in 2019 – thanks to its weighty, space-filling sound – it is also weighty and fills up a lot of space.
So let’s say you want that signature Sennheiser pedigree in a soundbar that doesn’t weigh almost 19kg. Enter the Ambeo Plus, the Ambeo Max’s slightly less brash and bold cousin; it looks more like a traditional soundbar thanks to a slimmer profile and narrower build. But does this makeover sacrifice the Ambeo spirit? Well, yes, a little; but this is still a talented soundbar in its own right.
Tough territory
The Ambeo Soundbar Plus starts at £1299, putting it in direct competition with Sony’s formidable HT-A7000 – a soundbar so good that it has just won Product of the Year for the second year in a row at the What Hi-Fi? Awards.
The Ambeo Plus is a fully functional soundbar in its own right, but Sennheiser also offers a wireless subwoofer that can be purchased separately. The Sennheiser Ambeo Sub is a £599 optional addition if you still have some money left over after the initial cost of entry.
Hardware is something that we can often depend on Sennheiser to impress us with, and the Ambeo is no exception. The Soundbar is downright solid and has a quality finish all round. With a smooth plastic construction that weighs just 6.3kg, the Ambeo Plus is a much more svelte and manoeuvrable soundbar than its more cumbersome sibling.
At 105cm long and just under 8cm in height, the Ambeo Plus is also much shorter and narrower than most other soundbars in its class, including the Sony HT-A7000 and Sonos Arc.
Connectivity and controllability
Connections include eARC via an HDMI 2.1, two HDMI 2.0s, an optical input, an RCA input, an ethernet connection and a USB socket for powering a streaming stick. The HDMI passthrough connectors are a sticking point here as, although it’s nice to have them, they are only of the HDMI 2.0 standard, which means there is no support for 4K/120Hz gaming (VRR isn’t supported either). The Sony HT-A7000 does feature 4K/120Hz support, so it’s a frustrating omission on the Sennheiser – especially when you are already sacrificing one of your TV’s precious HDMI 2.1 connectors for eARC.
The Sennheiser’s eARC connection is still worth celebrating as
