Sennheiser Ambeo Mini Is a Cheaper Dolby Atmos Soundbar
At $900, the new Mini takes on the likes of the Sonos Arc and the Bose Smart Soundbar 900.
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If you want the ultimate soundbar -- to hell with the expense! -- it's the $2,500 Sennheiser Ambeo Max you should be looking at. The rest of us are perhaps looking for a bit more bang, buzz and boom for our buck, and the new Sennheiser Ambeo Mini is here to more readily fit the bill.
This is a $900 smart soundbar that offers the company's Ambeo processing, though in a more compact size. At 27 inches wide by 4 inches deep and 2.5 inches high, the Ambeo Mini stacks like a Pringle on top of the Sonos Beam -- though the Sonos is half the price.
The Sennheiser boasts 250 watts of Class D amplification, powering four full-range drivers and dual 4-inch subwoofers. Like the Beam, the Mini appears to lack dedicated height drivers and likely uses processing to make up the difference.
As a smart soundbar, the Ambeo has Amazon Alexa onboard, and its four integrated microphones can be used for both voice commands and room calibration.
The soundbar includes support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony's 360 Reality Audio formats via its HDMI-ARC input. In addition, this web-connected speaker includes support for Google Assistant and Siri.
The market is crowded in the sub-$1,000 category, with great soundbars from the likes of Vizio, Sonos and Bose all competing for your hard-earned. The best models also throw in a subwoofer, while the Ambeo offers an optional model for an extra $700.
Look out for a full review of the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini soon.