We’ve known for a while that Sennheiser had a less expensive version of its Ambeo soundbar in the works, and the company took the opportunity at IFA 2022 to reveal the device. The Ambeo Soundbar Plus will run you $1,500, which is $1,000 less than the original Ambeo soundbar but it retains much of the same tech. That should help Sennheiser compete with soundbars from the likes of Sony.
Sennheiser claims its latest offering is the first 7.1.4. standalone soundbar, noting that it’s more compact than the previous model (now called the Ambeo Soundbar Max). It has the same 3D sound as the first version, along with a self-calibration mode. Sennheiser says the Soundbar Plus will be able to analyze a room’s acoustics to position several virtual speakers.
The device supports several 3D audio standards, such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H Audio. Sennheiser says it’s possible to upmix stereo and 5.1 content to deliver 3D audio experiences. Ambeo Soundbar Plus supports several music streaming platforms and protocols, including Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. The device is compatible with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant too.
In addition, Sennheiser announced the Ambeo Sub, which also uses virtualization and self-calibration tech. It says the speaker’s deep bass stays at audiophile-grade down to 27Hz. The sub has an eight-inch proprietary woofer and a 350W class-D amplifier. You’ll be able to connect as many as four subwoofers wirelessly and calibrate them individually.
Pre-orders for the Ambeo Soundbar Plus open today. It will ship on September 22nd. The same timeline applies to the Ambeo Sub, which costs $700.