- SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR DRIVERS
- SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR UPDATE
- SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR BLUETOOTH
SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR UPDATE
Known as Ambeo OS, the big firmware update also adds support for new ways of playing audio on the Ambeo. It’s hard to think of content beyond Newsnight that wouldn’t benefit from being Sennheiser Ambeo’d.Sennheiser is introducing a new operating system that runs on the company’s premium Ambeo soundbar. No matter if it’s the regular 5.1 soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? or even the stereo sound of Performance, engaging the ‘Ambeo’ setting results in a tall, wide but relatively subtle 3D effect. The Sennheiser can do the majority of this good work with less promising soundtracks, too. The frequency information is balanced expertly, integrated smoothly and served up with such reserves of power that even the biggest dynamic upheavals are dealt with effortlessly. There’s brilliance to metallic clashes at the top of the frequency range, real texture and character to the many actorly voices occupying the midrange, and – exactly as Sennhesier intended – so much punch, substance and impetus to the low frequencies that no one in their right mind is going to wish for a subwoofer.
The separation, space and wide-open character of the stage means effects can be easily located on it, and there’s so much elbow room that everything happens in its own distinct pocket of space. It’s not just the size of the soundstage, the way it spreads out in every direction, that impresses. Netflix’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a hit-and-miss bit of film-making, but its Dolby Atmos soundtrack (and HDR picture) make it very useful – and the Sennheiser absolutely goes to town with the audio. As a demonstration of processing prowess, it’s a more convincing facsimile of Dolby Atmos than any other soundbar can generate. And even more remarkably, it reaches way up high, seeming to place sound almost directly above. The stage is wide, and extends to virtually alongside your seated position. The sheer scale of the Ambeo Soundbar’s presentation is remarkable. The Sennheiser optimises itself to its environment quickly and accurately. Set the top of it to head-height, plug it into the Ambeo’s fascia, and a rapid sequence of test tones are fired in all directions. There’s a predictably big calibration microphone in the Sennheiser’s packaging. Performance: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough If you can’t find a way of getting sound from the Sennheiser, you’re just not trying.
SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR BLUETOOTH
In addition there’s Wi-Fi and an Ethernet socket, a digital optical input and analogue stereo RCAs, Chromecast and Bluetooth 4.2 (with NFC pairing). There are four HDMI sockets, one with eARC and all able to deal with 4K and HDR (including top-of-the-shop Dolby Vision), so it’s possible to get cutting-edge audio and video quality using just a single connection to your TV’s HDMI ARC socket (provided you’ve an Amazon Prime Video or Netflix subscription and fire up some of their HDR/Dolby Atmos content). There are more than enough ways of getting content into the Sennheiser. Class D is efficient, but 500 watts of it creates appreciable heat – so the vents on top of the Ambeo Soundbar can’t be covered or blocked. It also needs a bit of space on account of the 500 watts of Class D amplification that’s powering the 13 drivers.
SENNHEISER AMBEO SOUNDBAR DRIVERS
This also relies on the upward-facing drivers to work at its best.) (The Sennheiser can also deal with soundtracks mastered in DTS’s rival object-based 3D audio codec, DTS:X. Positioning it beneath a surface will prevent the upward-firing drivers from creating the impression of height that’s so crucial to the Dolby Atmos effect.
This is why the Ambeo Soundbar needs space to do its thing. There are two more tweeters, one in each of the angled side panels, and then at the edges of the top panel there are a couple of 9cm full-range drivers firing upwards to give height to the sound. Six of them are 10cm mid/bass drivers, the other three 25mm aluminium dome tweeters. To replicate a Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 presentation (five speakers in a surround-sound circle, a subwoofer, and four overhead channels bringing true three-dimensionality to the sound), Sennheiser has arranged nine drivers across the front of the Soundbar.
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