I have this soundbar and am mostly very happy with it. I did have a full set up with Denon amp and a room full of speakers and cables, it sounded great but was not good to live with. My requirement was the best I could get from a single bar without having to add rears. This has proved a satisfactory substitution, it obviously doesnt sound as good as the previous system but it is better than it has a right to be. Unlike Lui, our friendly reviewer, I use it most of the time in Ambeo mode. I do understand the point about losing some focus but with some tweaking in the settings I have managed to get a very good compromise. Coming from a full AV system it sounded a little flat without Ambeo, but I suspect this would be the case with most if not all soundbars. I have kept my SVS sub and it works very well with the bar, it takes away some of the bass duties so the sound is a little more relaxed than without it. I am surprised how much bass I can get out of the unit on its own though and would be happy to have just the bar. For music I tend to switch ambeo off as I don't like music to be processed, and it is surprisingly good. Overall I love the unit but I do have a problem with HDMI switching that is currently being investigated by Sennheiser, it seems to take an age to switch between sources. Hopefully there is a solution as it is a key part of the convenience element that persuaded me to go down the soundbar route. Thanks for the insightful reviews, this is one of my favourite channels.
Which EQ are you enjoying? I’ve found Neutral with some tweaks seems to recreate a good soundstage from a amp and speakers type arrangement. Movie mode is ok but it sounds a little unnatural I think.
@@BillLeigh2 Interesting as I have read that Neutral with Regular Ambeo mode engaged is the most accurate sound and with my experience so far, I would tend to agree. Neutral sounds more controlled and natural, more like a 5.1 seperates setup. I have found that Adaptive just doesn't know what to do with certain sounds, especially with Boost Ambeo mode. It tends to make everything sound loud when it shouldn't. The bar isn't quite smart enough to know what to do with everything, for example applause on musical shows, which it likes to over emphasis and as a result it sounds really false and unnatural. The difference in all the modes is quite drastic and has a significant impact on the source material.
@@wellyboot Done some more testing and I agree with you, neutral with a couple of tweaks is best. I am less convinced on Atmos content which I seem to prefer with Ambeo off. It does seem to vary with content and source which is frustrating as I don't want to keep messing with it. I expect in the end I will be ambeo on, neutral, with the edit sliders set as I want them. For music I will turn ambeo off.
Multiple forums suggest rears are coming and Sennheiser appear to have polled owners in recent months… which would then make this hard to beat. Clarity of sound is better than everyone else, it just lacks the 360 degree immersion. Sennheiser have worked some magic here.
I would buy the bar if they introduce good atmos surround rear speakers. I hear a lot of good things about the Samsung Q990 but i think it is a really cheap looking bar. All the components look very poor so i would not buy that. Same thing for the Sony HT-A9 , no idea why Sony decided to only release those speakers in a white colour and for the price you pay they are kind of plain looking. A would go for a Sennheiser or Sonos set up although the Era 300's as rears seem to have some issues too
@@remco3819hopefully we hear some good news involving rears within 8 days. I’ve had all of those soundbars you mentioned, and you’re right. The quality also isn’t the same. I switched from an Ambeo Max to a q990b, immediately returned it for the Plus
@@remco3819i just grabbed the ambeo plus with a pb1000 pro subwoofer. I just decided to forgo surrounds for great quality sound and an earth-shattering subwoofer. This setup annihilates all bars currently. Nakamichi dragon will be the only contender - even though the subwoofers on the dragon still wont match home theater subwoofers.
If you want a true three dimensional soundstage using just 2 speakers where sound images appear all around the room and even outside the boundary walls, then all you have to do is prevent the sound of your left front speaker from going into your right ear and the sound of your right front speaker going into your left ear. (cross talk cancellation) This is the closest approach to a live performance.
@@EveryDayJay415 It does not matter. The distance from the centre of each loudspeaker to the centre of the listening chair has to be exactly the same. plus or minus 0.25 inches. The only way to get this is by using a steel tape measure. You cannot guess the distance.
Had been toying with one of Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbars(& the SONOS Arc), before I settled on my SONY HT-A7000, SA-RS5 rear surrounds & SA-SW5 sub…ultimately swayed by a SONY multi-buy Cyber Monday deal in combo. with price match offer. Much like yourself. If I had been looking for a soundbar only set-up to partner my Sony Bravia XR 4K TV then, based on their sonics alone, I’d probably have gone for either Sennheiser’s Ambeo Max or Ambeo Plus. Kudos on another comprehensive & easy to follow review. Look forward to seeing some more reviews of non-SONOS gear in the near future.
Oddly Sennheiser recently replied to some queries and told us that when Ambeo mode is off, you hear a downmixed version of the audio (unless it is stereo). Worth noting as many reviewers, including yours, state they preferred the sound. You were hearing 5.1/7.1/Atmos etc downmixed to two channel stereo. If you sit in front of the bar and turn the Ambeo mode on and off you will notice it as the center channel shuts off entirely. It was reported by several of us because we presumed it was an error.
Thanks for the great content! I only hope that Sonos will come up with something new replacing the ARC with perhaps 4x ERA300 + SUB Gen3 + Central Speaker. This setup I would love to try out! Side note. I tested Amber MAX a while ago. It plays great music but switching between Netflix, TV and gaming was a bit problematic as it was probing audio quality (or something like that). It was very annoying... I use Sonos and am more than happy :)
Paid £900.00 in Black Friday deal. AMBEO- SoundbarPlus. I have come from a full blown surround system so I was not expecting miracles having said that the sound experience was good coming from a relatively small speaker system minus all the cables that came with my old rig. I have added a sub since (M&K)which has given it some more bottom end. The problem with all these soundbars they show it in an ideal room setting not in a corner next to a window and a fireplace so not allowing it to work at it best. I am hoping that they will add a surround option in the near future as this will correct many of its shortcomings. I can forgive all the above if was not for a glitch when the sound drops out when switching tv channels which necessitated switching channels and back again or switching off and back on again before it worked. So not perfect but gives a lot from such small box so would recommend it. I was hoping for some wireless rear speakers to be announced for these sound bars as I think this is what this system is crying out for but this looking less and less unlikely as time goes on, shame as this would of made the difference between a good system and almost perfect system.
The Q990C gets the best reviews of any soundbar I have ever read. AV Forums and many other sites give it a 'reference' 10/10 rating. There is an in-depth review on TH-cam that compares Ito to a fully stacked Sonos (including the 300's) and the Samsung wins ... it's that good.
Hey, pal. Very nice and thorough video! 📹 Keep up the good job! Hope you can help, I am looking for a soundbar for my LG G3 TV. I have in mind the following: 1. Sonos Arc + Sub Gen 3 + 2 x Era 300 2. BOSE 900 + Sub 700 + 2 x 700 rears 3. Sennheiser Ambeo Plus + Sub 4. Samsung Q990C 5. JBL 1300X Which one do you think is the best,and why? Im not bothered about the price, but even if I saw and love Nakamichi Dragon, that's a bit too much for my room. Thanks, Max
Hello, which did you end up getting? Literally contemplating all of them expect the JBLs. And especially for the “stand alone” soundbar for my lg tv in my room.
@Paul-ii9vu Hey! I got the Ambeo Plus & 1 x Sub in the end. I am impressed about the soundbar design & and the quality of the finishes. The remote also looks very professional, and from the unbox to watching Atmos, content ticked all the boxes for me. On the other hand, the Sennheiser Smart control app & soundbar software are buggy. The remote is missing the "mute" button. Sometimes, when switching off the soundbar using the remote, it's very laggy, and the soundbar doesn't respond. You must unplug from power for 2 minutes. It happened to me only twice since I owned it, but it was still a problem, I'd say. Also, the latest firmware they released caused the soundbar to have a muffled effect when watching Tv channels live content or changing inputs. Also, when playing music on Spotify using their app, but if it's connected via Bluetooth, but not using the Sennheiser app, it works absolutely fine. I reported this to Sennheiser support and am waiting for an update as we speak. Overall, it's a good soundbar, but taking these issues under consideration, I wouldn't buy it again! Perfection doesn't exist nowadays, so up you what you wanna get. Software based Soundbars (HiFi), calibration, and other smart stuff, all of them have an issue... if you don't want headaches, get a mid range up to £500 (500$) and get on with it.
You can add 4 subwoofers if you really wanted to and had the cash 😅 Just having DTS:HD/X is worth the extra over the Sonos if you still a disk person. Also, the bar really comes to life with a sub, deffo makes the sound stage feel even bigger and I highly recommend revisiting it with one if you get the chance. Also, leave voice enhancement mode off but boost the central channel instead as that makes it pop even more. As stated in another comment it does look like rears will come towards the end of year or early next year, but most likely will only be compatible with the Plus and not the Max.
The MAX doesn't have wireless sub support. The Sonos Arc doesn't support DTS lossless if you want to use physical media with blu-ray player. The Senheiser plus suports way more audio formats then the Arc.
Nope. Far from it without rear speakers. Nakamichi Dragon and barring that, Q990C is ultimate. You can only do so much with one big block of sound producing machine.
I was planning to maybe buy this one but too pricey and still no rears. I don't like the look of the Samsung soundbars and Sonos does not support all audio codecs. The new Sony Quad gets great reviews though.
@@TravionMusic Wow that's saying something. I just bought an open box Samsung Q750/rears and it sounds decent (especially for $300) but not greatest fidelity. Not hearing much from rears in a small bedroom mounted high. I'm thinking the Ambeo plus will be more audiophile. I own the HD800 headphones so believe it will be of that level of quality/fidelity.
@@johnnycashlesscomedy8616 ambeo wins with dynamics hands down when it comes to soundbars right now. for me, adding a home theater sub (like an SVS) is totally necessary since no surrounds are with the bar. the bass will submerge you in high-fidelity sound coming from the soundbar. surrounds are supposed to be coming Q1 next year, so we shall see.
I have this soundbar and am mostly very happy with it. I did have a full set up with Denon amp and a room full of speakers and cables, it sounded great but was not good to live with. My requirement was the best I could get from a single bar without having to add rears. This has proved a satisfactory substitution, it obviously doesnt sound as good as the previous system but it is better than it has a right to be. Unlike Lui, our friendly reviewer, I use it most of the time in Ambeo mode. I do understand the point about losing some focus but with some tweaking in the settings I have managed to get a very good compromise. Coming from a full AV system it sounded a little flat without Ambeo, but I suspect this would be the case with most if not all soundbars. I have kept my SVS sub and it works very well with the bar, it takes away some of the bass duties so the sound is a little more relaxed than without it. I am surprised how much bass I can get out of the unit on its own though and would be happy to have just the bar. For music I tend to switch ambeo off as I don't like music to be processed, and it is surprisingly good. Overall I love the unit but I do have a problem with HDMI switching that is currently being investigated by Sennheiser, it seems to take an age to switch between sources. Hopefully there is a solution as it is a key part of the convenience element that persuaded me to go down the soundbar route. Thanks for the insightful reviews, this is one of my favourite channels.
Which EQ are you enjoying? I’ve found Neutral with some tweaks seems to recreate a good soundstage from a amp and speakers type arrangement. Movie mode is ok but it sounds a little unnatural I think.
@@wellyboot I’ve got it in adaptive and tweaked the slider controls and I’m happy with how it sounds.
@@BillLeigh2 Interesting as I have read that Neutral with Regular Ambeo mode engaged is the most accurate sound and with my experience so far, I would tend to agree. Neutral sounds more controlled and natural, more like a 5.1 seperates setup. I have found that Adaptive just doesn't know what to do with certain sounds, especially with Boost Ambeo mode. It tends to make everything sound loud when it shouldn't. The bar isn't quite smart enough to know what to do with everything, for example applause on musical shows, which it likes to over emphasis and as a result it sounds really false and unnatural. The difference in all the modes is quite drastic and has a significant impact on the source material.
@@wellyboot Done some more testing and I agree with you, neutral with a couple of tweaks is best. I am less convinced on Atmos content which I seem to prefer with Ambeo off. It does seem to vary with content and source which is frustrating as I don't want to keep messing with it. I expect in the end I will be ambeo on, neutral, with the edit sliders set as I want them. For music I will turn ambeo off.
Multiple forums suggest rears are coming and Sennheiser appear to have polled owners in recent months… which would then make this hard to beat. Clarity of sound is better than everyone else, it just lacks the 360 degree immersion. Sennheiser have worked some magic here.
They would be a great addition to the line-up and as soon we hear anything we will get something up on the channel.
I would buy the bar if they introduce good atmos surround rear speakers. I hear a lot of good things about the Samsung Q990 but i think it is a really cheap looking bar. All the components look very poor so i would not buy that. Same thing for the Sony HT-A9 , no idea why Sony decided to only release those speakers in a white colour and for the price you pay they are kind of plain looking. A would go for a Sennheiser or Sonos set up although the Era 300's as rears seem to have some issues too
@@remco3819hopefully we hear some good news involving rears within 8 days. I’ve had all of those soundbars you mentioned, and you’re right. The quality also isn’t the same. I switched from an Ambeo Max to a q990b, immediately returned it for the Plus
@@remco3819i just grabbed the ambeo plus with a pb1000 pro subwoofer. I just decided to forgo surrounds for great quality sound and an earth-shattering subwoofer. This setup annihilates all bars currently. Nakamichi dragon will be the only contender - even though the subwoofers on the dragon still wont match home theater subwoofers.
Any new updates on the rear speakers?
If you want a true three dimensional soundstage using just 2 speakers where sound images appear all around the room and even outside the boundary walls, then all you have to do is prevent the sound of your left front speaker from going into your right ear and the sound of your right front speaker going into your left ear. (cross talk cancellation) This is the closest approach to a live performance.
Would that be toe in or toe out?
@@EveryDayJay415 It does not matter. The distance from the centre of each loudspeaker to the centre of the listening chair has to be exactly the same. plus or minus 0.25 inches. The only way to get this is by using a steel tape measure. You cannot guess the distance.
Anyone know if there is any new rumors about rear speakers?
Had been toying with one of Sennheiser’s Ambeo soundbars(& the SONOS Arc), before I settled on my SONY HT-A7000, SA-RS5 rear surrounds & SA-SW5 sub…ultimately swayed by a SONY multi-buy Cyber Monday deal in combo. with price match offer.
Much like yourself. If I had been looking for a soundbar only set-up to partner my Sony Bravia XR 4K TV then, based on their sonics alone, I’d probably have gone for either Sennheiser’s Ambeo Max or Ambeo Plus.
Kudos on another comprehensive & easy to follow review. Look forward to seeing some more reviews of non-SONOS gear in the near future.
Oddly Sennheiser recently replied to some queries and told us that when Ambeo mode is off, you hear a downmixed version of the audio (unless it is stereo). Worth noting as many reviewers, including yours, state they preferred the sound. You were hearing 5.1/7.1/Atmos etc downmixed to two channel stereo. If you sit in front of the bar and turn the Ambeo mode on and off you will notice it as the center channel shuts off entirely. It was reported by several of us because we presumed it was an error.
Thanks for the great content! I only hope that Sonos will come up with something new replacing the ARC with perhaps 4x ERA300 + SUB Gen3 + Central Speaker. This setup I would love to try out!
Side note. I tested Amber MAX a while ago. It plays great music but switching between Netflix, TV and gaming was a bit problematic as it was probing audio quality (or something like that). It was very annoying... I use Sonos and am more than happy :)
Would it be possible to connect two hardwired subwoofers with a “Y” cable? Would the signal be passed to both with this sound bar?
how big is your show room?
Can you use this in a media wall or would I lose sound quality?
I was wondering which is better in music this soundbar or beosound A5 ?
I'm stuck between this and the Samsung Q990c. Any insight?
ambeo is only worth it if you buy a dedicated subwoofer, not the Sennheiser sub, but a real home theater subwoofer.
@@garretts431can you recommend one pls
Paid £900.00 in Black Friday deal.
AMBEO- SoundbarPlus.
I have come from a full blown surround system so I was not expecting miracles having said that the sound experience was good coming from a relatively small speaker system minus all the cables that came with my old rig. I have added a sub since (M&K)which has given it some more bottom end. The problem with all these soundbars they show it in an ideal room setting not in a corner next to a window and a fireplace so not allowing it to work at it best.
I am hoping that they will add a surround option in the near future as this will correct many of its shortcomings.
I can forgive all the above if was not for a glitch when the sound drops out when switching tv channels which necessitated switching channels and back again or switching off and back on again before it worked.
So not perfect but gives a lot from such small box so would recommend it.
I was hoping for some wireless rear speakers to be announced for these sound bars as I think this is what this system is crying out for but this looking less and less unlikely as time goes on, shame as this would of made the difference between a good system and almost perfect system.
Ambeo Plus with subwoofer or NEW Bose Smart Ultra soundbar with subwoofer? Both about $1750
Decision Decision 🤔
Ambeo Plus all the way
Compared to the q990c, price is similar in the states. I wonder…
The Q990C gets the best reviews of any soundbar I have ever read. AV Forums and many other sites give it a 'reference' 10/10 rating. There is an in-depth review on TH-cam that compares Ito to a fully stacked Sonos (including the 300's) and the Samsung wins ... it's that good.
If you had the choice of the ambeo max or the ambeo plus with sub, which would you go for?
I would go for the Ambeo plus with Sub. A lot more up to date regarding Specs and performance is maybe a touch better.
Is that a Bravia tv in the video?
Hope you guys review SONNY SRS-XB100!(portable speaker)🙏🏻🇯🇵
Q990c please
junk please
Do ypu have jbl 1300x review ?
Where is this tv unit from ?
Hey, pal. Very nice and thorough video! 📹
Keep up the good job!
Hope you can help, I am looking for a soundbar for my LG G3 TV.
I have in mind the following:
1. Sonos Arc + Sub Gen 3 + 2 x Era 300
2. BOSE 900 + Sub 700 + 2 x 700 rears
3. Sennheiser Ambeo Plus + Sub
4. Samsung Q990C
5. JBL 1300X
Which one do you think is the best,and why?
Im not bothered about the price, but even if I saw and love Nakamichi Dragon, that's a bit too much for my room.
Thanks, Max
Hello, which did you end up getting? Literally contemplating all of them expect the JBLs. And especially for the “stand alone” soundbar for my lg tv in my room.
@Paul-ii9vu Hey! I got the Ambeo Plus & 1 x Sub in the end. I am impressed about the soundbar design & and the quality of the finishes. The remote also looks very professional, and from the unbox to watching Atmos, content ticked all the boxes for me. On the other hand, the Sennheiser Smart control app & soundbar software are buggy. The remote is missing the "mute" button. Sometimes, when switching off the soundbar using the remote, it's very laggy, and the soundbar doesn't respond. You must unplug from power for 2 minutes. It happened to me only twice since I owned it, but it was still a problem, I'd say. Also, the latest firmware they released caused the soundbar to have a muffled effect when watching Tv channels live content or changing inputs. Also, when playing music on Spotify using their app, but if it's connected via Bluetooth, but not using the Sennheiser app, it works absolutely fine. I reported this to Sennheiser support and am waiting for an update as we speak. Overall, it's a good soundbar, but taking these issues under consideration, I wouldn't buy it again! Perfection doesn't exist nowadays, so up you what you wanna get. Software based Soundbars (HiFi), calibration, and other smart stuff, all of them have an issue... if you don't want headaches, get a mid range up to £500 (500$) and get on with it.
You can add 4 subwoofers if you really wanted to and had the cash 😅 Just having DTS:HD/X is worth the extra over the Sonos if you still a disk person.
Also, the bar really comes to life with a sub, deffo makes the sound stage feel even bigger and I highly recommend revisiting it with one if you get the chance. Also, leave voice enhancement mode off but boost the central channel instead as that makes it pop even more.
As stated in another comment it does look like rears will come towards the end of year or early next year, but most likely will only be compatible with the Plus and not the Max.
i believe surrounds will be released Q1 of 2024 for the plus
The MAX doesn't have wireless sub support. The Sonos Arc doesn't support DTS lossless if you want to use physical media with blu-ray player. The Senheiser plus suports way more audio formats then the Arc.
if i compare this with the bose ultra on ur channel it sounds pretty pretty bad. did record it different or is it just worse then bose.
What a refreshing and fantastic review! Thank you.
Great video guys! Thank you
Are you going to review the Nakamichi Dragon?
Thanks for the comment, we are looking to review the Nakanichi Dragon in the future so stay tuned 👍
what is that sound testing music man ?
It would be interesting to see a comparison with the substantially cheaper, and under rated, Philips FB1.
Without saying anything it's Sennheiser what else could we expect .
Nope. Far from it without rear speakers. Nakamichi Dragon and barring that, Q990C is ultimate. You can only do so much with one big block of sound producing machine.
Sennheiser do your freakin job, and produce some rear speakers!!!!!!
Software issues. Poor customer servixe. No rears. Getting rid of mine
Overhyped.
@@attilab.2818 looking at samsung qd series
I was planning to maybe buy this one but too pricey and still no rears. I don't like the look of the Samsung soundbars and Sonos does not support all audio codecs. The new Sony Quad gets great reviews though.
@@attilab.2818 is it that bad ?
Lack of rears are a big deal for me considering the price. The Sony quad get good reviews but I don’t like the design…. 😳😳
@@Aoelx That's true it is kind of a weird design. Same for the HT-A9 with just one colour and sort of cheap looking for the price.
For this amount of money it's not worth it.
I purchased the q990b for 750 euros, and it's amazing with atmos and surround sound.
So think twice 🤔
The dynamics are much better on the Sennheiser. It sounds much more cinematic than the 990b
@@TravionMusic Wow that's saying something. I just bought an open box Samsung Q750/rears and it sounds decent (especially for $300) but not greatest fidelity. Not hearing much from rears in a small bedroom mounted high. I'm thinking the Ambeo plus will be more audiophile. I own the HD800 headphones so believe it will be of that level of quality/fidelity.
@@johnnycashlesscomedy8616 anything with a room correction feature is better than Samsung, trust me.
@@johnnycashlesscomedy8616 ambeo wins with dynamics hands down when it comes to soundbars right now. for me, adding a home theater sub (like an SVS) is totally necessary since no surrounds are with the bar. the bass will submerge you in high-fidelity sound coming from the soundbar. surrounds are supposed to be coming Q1 next year, so we shall see.
To much yapping
Garbage
TERRIBLE MOVIE AND TERRIBLE SOUND. YOU DONT HAVE NOTION ABOUT SOUND.