The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Marks Brand’s Inaugural Entry Into The Premium Soundbar Segment.

Sennheiser, the 74 year old German global audio company under the stewardship of third generation Sennheiser family, specialising in the design and production of a wide range of high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, loudspeakers, wireless transmission systems and aviation headsets for personal, professional and business applications, has recently further extended their ambitions to the premium home audio segment with the introduction of the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar.  

Touted as the best-sounding soundbar offering the most realistic emulated sound by Western tech reviewers, The Grid was recently presented with the opportunity to verify these claims at the Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur.

The AMBEO Soundbar was created by the German audio specialist with one goal in mind – to be one of the world’s best soundbars. Packed in a SINGLE and sleek state-of-the-art bar measuring 126.5cm x 13.5cm x 17.1cm are 13 high-end drivers (speakers) delivering a 5.1.4 sound experience (Dolby Atmos experience). This would traditionally require a setup which consists of 5 surround speakers (front, centre and surround), 1 subwoofer and 4 overhead or upward firing speakers, all of which are placed and calibrated across different spots of the living room in enabling the Dolby Atmos experience.

The AMBEO Soundbar also features an advanced room calibration system using the latest virtualisation technology developed with Fraunhofer – the calibration device captures the characteristics of the living room and reflective surfaces while the AMBEO Soundbar merges these acoustics of the environment to create a 3D sound experience. The 13 individual drivers and the AMBEO technology then work as virtual speakers, recreating a surround sound installation, placing the user in the centre of the action. 

The AMBEO Soundbar is further equipped with full compatibility with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and MPEG-H, the Upmix Technology can turn stereo or 5.1 audio into a 3D sound experience, while supported by the latest HDMI standards – eARC and Dolby Vision, 4K passthrough compatibility, Bluetooth and Chromecast built-in. Users will also have the option of personalising their acoustic settings in accordance to preference via the Smart Control App which is available across iOS and Android platforms.

The verdict – realistic 3D sound which indeed blurs the line between playback and reality from a single all-in-one device. The Western reviewers were correct – that and the fact of a 74 year old company which generated a turnover of €710.7 million in 2018 can’t be anywhere far off from perfection. But don’t take our word for it, instead pay the local Sennheiser representatives a visit to experience it first hand (details below). 

The Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar currently retails for RM 12,590.

KUALA LUMPUR

– Sennheiser Store Suria KLCC; Contact – +60 3 2181 2912

– Sennheiser Store Lot 10 Shopping Centre; Contact – +60 3 2110 2803

– Sennheiser Store Bangsar Shopping Centre; Contact – +60 3 2011 0812

– Stars Picker Audio Library; Contact – +60 3 6156 1984

PULAU PINANG

– Charlie Care – Gurney Plaza; Contact – +60 4 229 5009