Customer Ratings & Reviews

Sennheiser has released their AMBEO Soundbar "Mini". It's a smaller version of their Soundbar "Plus" and does not include a subwoofer. The box includes the soundbar, power cable, HDMI cable, remote control, and quick user guide/paperwork. The soundbar comes with a manufacturer's 2-year warranty. PROS: ----------- * For a smaller sound bar, this one packs a nice punch featurewise and soundwise for smaller areas. * The app provides some sample Dolby Atmos audio files (video included on the device). They sound very cool and also demonstrate the way this soundbar can distribute sound throughout a room. When watching action movies like Top Gun Maverick and Avengers, the sound is spaced out very well, even with the lack of bass. This is even more enhanced with the AMBEO function set to ON. * The speaker is a very solidly built unit and looks super fine in front of a TV. The big rubber feet on the bottom keep it in place. The lighting on top (LED colors, motion, and length represent a ton of different things) and with the AMBEO logo on the front add a nice touch. * The remote is incredibly well-built and solid as well. It even has rubber feet on the bottom so it won't scratch furniture tops. * There is no ON/OFF switch. The soundbar simply is working when there's a connection, and goes into auto-standby when not in use. * There are bolt holes on the bottom that can be used to mount the soundbar (see pic) * This mini soundbar CAN be paired with a Sennheiser sub if needed. CONS: ----------- * Bass is lacking due to small form factor and no sub * Bluetooth (BT) volume is lacking, even when device's connected volume is at MAX. * Initial setup was a bit more wonky than other audio devices I have connected to. I use the latest and greatest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and S22+, and I wasn't able to connect easily. It showed in my bluetooth (BT) list but wouldn't connect. I downloaded the Sennheiser app, and tried to continue setup/connection, and it still failed. After about 10 minutes, randomly, it "just connected" while in the app. Very strange. I immediately performed the recommended firmware update which then took another ~20 minutes, give or take. * Even with the mini form factor, I was hoping for more than just an HDMI/ARC connection. A digital fiber audio input would have been a great and simple addition to an already-great soundbar. * As well-built as the remote is, it's a bit busy on the lower half with all the sound type buttons. This isn't a huge negative since the only other way to change this might be in the app itself. I don't tend to change modes very often, so this is just personal preference. * The app seems to function well, but on the main page, there's a lot of wasted real estate (see pic). OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------- * The AMBEO function works great in most instances if you're trying to spacialize your sound; however, I found that listening to regular music actually sounded better with this function OFF. If ON, it seems to emulate more of a "concert" feel which is really the listener's preference. * Actual paperwork included for operation include a quick user guide printed in multiple languages. If you want the full user guide, you can get it on the Sennheiser website. I highly recommend getting it because it explains all the light sequences/colors of the status light on top of the unit in addition to its full functionality. * I found that when I went from Spotify (using BT) to Spotify Connect mode (playing the same song), that Spotify Connect actually provided more sound/power overall. I'd have to say maybe 30% louder. CONCLUSION: ===================== I have never been one to own a soundbar without a sub - this was my first one. I really thought it would be better, but I guess I'm just used to a complete soundbar system. I think the only place this soundbar might be useful would be in a kitchen, a small apartment (where bass could annoy your neighbors), back porch (if climate controlled), or other small area where bass isn't really useful or needed. Anytime I watch a movie, the subwoofer makes it for me. When I listen to music, the subwoofer makes it for me. I simply enjoy the low frequencies that "complete" an audio experience. Though this soundbar does a good job for the size, it's typically not enough for me. So in more compact areas, it would definitely work better OR if you are someone that simply doesn't like a lot of bass, this would be the perfect soundbar for you. Audio is crystal clear, and the different audio functions are spot-on for what you are listening to (news vs sports vs music, etc). I give this bar a good rating, but still think something is missing that would take it even further - maybe a front display of some sort even so the user doesn't need to know the color codes and motions of the LED on top of the soundbar. Not having an optical input is also a negative. But overall, still a very nice product and would still recommend.

I had the perfect spot and TV to use this mini soundbar with so was pleased to see it arrive. Packed very well and double-boxed. The inside box even has a carrying handle so quality right off the bat. Upon opening the inner box you'll find the soundbar speaker, remote control, 6.5' AC power cord, 58" HDMI high speed cable, Quick Guide, Safety Guide, a Connection Diagram sheet and Compliance info sheet. On the back of the soundbar is 1 HDMI version 2.1 port that supports eARC and one USB port that is for service only. There is no AV receiver needed for this soundbar. It measures 27-1/2" wide x 2-5/8" high x 4-1/16" deep and weighs 7.85 lbs and comes with a 2 year warranty. It has 7.1.4 virtual surround sound with 6 built-in speakers, each powered by a dedicated 650 watt amplifier. There are two front firing and two corner firing with two built-in 4" long-throw woofers giving you deep bass. I checked out the instruction sheet about how to set it up and then scanned the Smart Control app info with my iPhone. Set up my account and plugged in the HDMI cable to the eArc input on my TV and next the power cord. The remote control is so easy and simple to use! It doesn't have backlit keys but no big deal. It's small in size and not clumsy to handle, but you can tell it's quality as it has weight to it. After getting everything all situated I connected to my wifi first thing. It went into a firmware update immediately. When that finished I then went through the various steps on the Smart Control app. I chose the room size sound test and it's really interesting how the soundbar makes this beeping noise while it is assessing your room so you have the best sound output. There are 6 EQ modes on the remote which include MOVIE, MUSIC, NEWS, SPORTS, NEUTRAL and ADAPTIVE. It also has a Voice Enhancement and Center Volume so your dialogue is clear. A Night Mode for discreet listening as well. The Voice Enhancement definitely made a difference as my husband is hard of hearing and he said it helped. There is built-in Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless music streaming from compatible devices. It also offers built-in Spotify and TIDAL Connect. There is Apple Airplay 2 so you can use IOS devices. One other really nice feature is you can set it up to be controlled by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and the Apple Home Kit if you happen to own these devices. Chromecast is also built-in for streaming music from the Cloud or mobile apps. At this point I was ready to give the sound a real try. I especially wanted to hear the Dolby Atmos so went right to Netflix. One really cool thing is if you have a Dolby Atmos show on your TV the wording DOLBY ATMOS lights up in white on top of the bar so you know it's active. I then chose the Movies function, although I scrolled through the others and could hear the various changes. Well needless to say I was shocked to hear the quality sound coming from this mini bar with no subwoofer! Please note you can buy the Sennheiser Ambeo Sub which is wireless and you can use up to 4 of them. If the sound is as awesome without a sub I can only imagine what it will be with one or more! As I listened I honestly was astounded because I heard all sorts of things I normally didn't with my old soundbar. Tried out some music and the sound was just as incredible. Everything I heard blew me away! This Sennheiser SB02S Ambeo Mini Soundbar is one you just have to hear for yourself. It will acclimate to your room size if you activate that feature (definitely recommend) and I can find nothing to complain about in the setup or sound. I love this thing! It's truly OUTSTANDING. High quality throughout is an understatement! I can easily rate it a well-deserved 5 stars!!

This Sennheiser AMBEO Mini sound bar has a lot of speaker in a small package. It has six speakers which includes two subwoofers all in a sturdy, compact and attractive housing. It works with voice assistants like Alexa and Google. The Alexa connection was easy and fast. You touch the action button to enable speaking to Alexa. I never did get the Chromecast connection to work while doing the setup so I will have to contact support for that. The LED status bar changes colors to indicate different functions. For example, white when booting up or updating the firmware, red when the max volume is reached, blue when pairing with Bluetooth, and purple for other functions. The same goes for the subwoofer display – it also changes colors to indicate when it is pairing, connected, On, and Calibrated. The room calibration function is interesting. Once you set the soundbar where you want it, the soundbar transmits signals throughout the room to capture audio information about your room. The process creates a position for virtual 7.1.4 phantom speakers within the room. When you move the speaker, you repeat the process, and it adjusts to the new environment. For techies, it is interesting to note that the display will indicate which audio CODEC (Dolby, DTS:X, or MPEG-H) is being supported (as long as the audio source supports the CODEC as well). The sound emanating from the soundbar is nothing short of excellent. Voices are crips and audible, even without turning on the “Voice Enhancement” feature. Turn it on and you hear a difference that focuses on the voices. In the demo, helicopter sound feels like it is moving from one side to the other. There is a 3D feel to the sounds, such as announcers in the foreground and fans in the background. I like that I can connect either directly using the HDMI cable, or via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. I connected my iPhone via Bluetooth and was immediately playing my music through this powerful speaker. The Sennheiser Sound Control App is very useful. It allows you to select the type of listening experience (Adaptive, Music, Movie, News, etc.), enhance voices, perform the calibration, and adjust Settings. It also comes with a remote control to adjust inputs, volumes, and select from the experiences as above. I do not hesitate to recommend this product.

Earlier this year I picked up the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus soundbar for my living room. The immersive surround and music reproduction experience is fantastic – and I don’t even have the optional wireless sub. So, when Sennheiser released a “mini” Ambeo, intuitively called Ambeo Mini (“Mini”) I immediately put it on my want list for the bedroom. Having listened to it for a few days now and my familiarity with the Plus, I can say Mini is true to its Ambeo lineage. It’s an excellent sound bar to pair with a 42”-55” TV in a smaller room, perhaps 400 sq ft or less. If you are concerned about bass don’t be unless your goal is to rattle windows. The Mini can’t do that but its bass can get down low (mid and high too). I relish not having an external sub since I don’t have room for one, though an optional wireless one is available. BUILD QUALITY, SPECS, IN THE BOX: I knew the Mini’s dimensions when I ordered it (approx. 41” L x 3” H x 5” D) but I was still stunned when taking it out of the box at its compactness. (I attached a couple pictures of the mini side-by-side with the Plus so you can see yourself). Don’t let its small size fool you, it has a mean punch. In many ways it really is a “miniaturized” Plus designed for rooms where the Plus would be overkill. Start with the Mini’s exterior. It’s almost identical to the Plus which I characterize as “low-key handsome” with black speaker cloth surrounding its ABS plastic frame. It’s an upscale feel and look. A small illuminated “AMBEO” is on the right side when this mode is on. Thankfully Sennheiser had the good sense to allow users to lower its brightness or turn it off via the app which I’ll discuss soon. The top has smooth touch sensitive controls for basic functions plus a microphone with on/off indicator light. If you are like me you’ll rarely touch these controls, opting for the app or included remote instead. It’s nice as a backup that can’t be lost. Naturally the Mini can’t squeeze all of big brother Plus’s speakers into its junior size case. The difference: two firing speakers and one of three front firing speakers are absent. Specifically, the Mini has two side drivers, two front drivers, and two 4” woofers. Obviously, fewer speakers does have an effect on spatialization which I’ll discuss in the “performance” section, but only marginally I think. The Mini also has no output ports. I can’t say this is a “deal killer” for me since the only other device connected to my 42” LG TV beside the Mini is an Apple TV. I still have one open HDMI port on my LG TV with no current plans for it. Connection between your TV and Mini is via HDMI 2.1 (labeled eARC on your TV ). eARC is backwards compatible to the ARC if you have an older TV. eARC potentially delivers better audio than ARC but all the major codecs like Dolby Atmos are 100% compatible with ARC too. Your ears may not even notice the difference so I wouldn’t run out and by an eARC TV, but this does make the Mini a bit “futureproof” when you do replace your TV. A 6’ Premium High Speed HDMI cable and remote control is packed with the Mini. In fact, it’s the same remote included with the Plus. The remote is mostly device centric. It’s not a universal remote, which is a shame, but can control your TV’s power and volume if you enable HDMI-CEC on your TV. The larger problem to me is it’s not backlit. That’s silly for a device intended to enhance movie audio. Fortunately, app mimics the remote functions too, though it’s a bit fiddly to dive into an app just to change equalization modes. APP and SETUP: About the app - when you unpack the Mini a QR code will point you to the download -- or just go directly to the iOS or Android app store directly and punch in “Ambeo.” You’ll need the app to connect the soundbar to Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth for the various music streaming services, AirPlay 2 (Wi-Fi), and Google Chromecast (Bluetooth) and initiate sound calibration. Setup involves attaching the HDMI cable to your TV’s eARC/ARC port and using the Smart Control app to establish a wireless connection and calibrate the Mini to your room. Once calibrated you may want to disable the microphone if you won’t be using either the Google or Alexa voice service. To my knowledge it’s not compatible with Apple’s Siri. That’s it for set up. One tip, if your TV is in a corner be sure to leave some clearance between the Mini’s sides and the wall. Check the manual for placement tolerances. I could not 100% abide by Sennheiser’s recommendation but still get great sound and effects, so don’t be intimidated by the manual’s tone. Also be sure you have your TV’s HDMI-CEC functionality enabled so that the Mini and other devices connected power up at the same time with a single remote. For example, I watch TV programming exclusively though Apple TV apps. So, when I press the Apple TV power button my LG TV, Apple TV, and Mini all power up simultaneously. I can also control the Mini’s volume via the Apple TV. PERFORMANCE: Having experienced the Plus for most of the year my expectations of the Mini’s performance were high. Especially for TV and movie viewing it does not disappoint. Music listening is acceptable, but I think it’s fair to say, plain old stereo music isn’t the Mini’s strength. The quality is great, but the spatialization is limited with the speakers being close together. This is really a “problem” with all soundbars I think. They are designed first for TV dialog and sound effects. I’ll divide my impressions up between TV/movie audio and music. For my own enlightenment, I sampled the same movies and music with the Mini as I originally did the Plus to better judge any differences. I’ll start with movies since immersive surround is the Mini’s calling card. The Mini can decode all the major codecs your TV or streamer can through at it - Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, MPEG-H, Dolby Digital and DTS. I racked up Top Gun: Maverick’s thrilling conclusion. It has everything you’d want in a sound test: roaring jet and “dog fights,” intense explosions, dialog in noisy environments. Listening to all this if I had the lights off I might have mistaken it for the Plus. The Mini is that effective. The hard breathing, the woooosh overhead, the booooom! As the missiles hit target. And every effect in perfect placement. The jet overhead me sounded overhead, not on the screen. Oh, and the bass, it’s plenty across the entire spectrum. It won’t break the windows or rock you out of bed, but I find it completely satisfying. The Mini, like the Plus, is categorized as a 7.1.4 “phantom” system – and all 12 channels show on the app. However, to my ears, compared to the Plus, the planes, for example were over my head and then they went MIA. The rear effects on the Mini are slight at best. Perhaps this is where not having up firing speakers shows. That’s my only guess because otherwise the Mini sound. As I watched the movie I frequently toggled the AMBEO effect on and off, and like on the Plus, AMBEO is a major enhancement. I keep it on except for sports and programming in stereo or mono. To be clear, it’s not fix for poorly mastered movies and TV but a boost to good ones – like whipped cream on hot chocolate – it brings out flavor rather than covers up bad ones. On to music. As mentioned earlier, the Mini has a lovely vibrant sound. The problem is stereo specialization – it’s ability to fill the room. If that is a priority then the Mini might not be your best option. As I see it, playing music on a sound bar is just a bonus. If you want to fill a room up with music get a nice receiver and speakers. With that said, I streamed three different genres – rock, jazz, and classical to see what the Mini can deliver. All selections were played with the music preset in the app turned on. First up was Beck’s Devil’s Hair Cut in ALAC with its jarring deep base. With AMBEO off channel separation was acceptable with clean, clear vocals dead center. The instrumentation was distinct and the bass was bone penetrating just as it should be on this track. Then I flipped on AMBEO on, and it was not meant to be. It sounded too amped up and unnatural to my ears. It had a rougher feel, but not in a good way. But that’s OK, because I think the ABMEO effect is best left for movie audio. Recorded music is not meant to be 3-D. Next up, Duke Ellington’s Arabesque Cookie, a jazz classic. I had AMBEO on for a second out of curiosity but immediately turned it off. Off sounded authentic, like I had the center table in a hole in the wall jazz club. Very intimate. The bass was low, and the cymbals were high, and it all mixed well. Finally, Yo Yo Ma performing Bach’s Cello Suite 1 in G – by this point I didn’t even bother to test out AMBEO. Like the other music the Mini filled much of the front of the room with the emotional richness of Yo Yo Ma’s cello and this suite. However, you won’t mistake it for a stereo system much less sitting in symphony hall. But it’s an enjoyable listen. Never a hint of distortion which this piece can induce with its low bass frequencies. CONCLUSION The Ambeo Mini is the epitome of a compact soundbar. It can genuinely transform a small room into a mini home theater without altering walls or cluttering the décor with a separate subwoofer. The all-over surround is authentic and effective for its size. I think only a proper receiver and 5+ speaker system would outperform it. That said, I wouldn’t put it in a large room (401+ sq. ft.) or match with a 60”+ TV. That is where the Plus takes over.

PROS + Ambeo 3D surround virtualization is almost magically effective from such a small bar + Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible for movie 3D audio + Hi-Fi audio quality all around + Auto calibration for your room with built-in mics + Solid center channel and dialogue enhancements + Several audio mode presets and app EQ + Very compact and minimalist design + Handy remote with lots of functionality + Sennheiser App with Ambeo|OS provides a ton of control over the bar, and is quite responsive CONS - Without actual up-firing drivers, height effects from 3D mixes are somewhat limited, and can vary heavily depending on your space - At times, the audio can sound over-processed with the Ambeo mode engaged, specifically with some music sources - Decent low-end presence given the size of the small size of the bar, but adding a subwoofer would go a long way towards filling our audio tracks - Limited additional ports on the bar (limited to one eARC HDMI, and a USB port) WHAT WOULD MAKE IT BETTER * The ability to add wireless surround speakers would be great. You can add a Senneiser wireless subwoofer if you want that extra low-end, but there is currently no option for additional wireless surround sound speakers THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini is a great choice for anyone looking for a compact soundbar who still wants a hi-fi audio experience. Sound quality in particular is what Sennheiser is known for across their soundbars and headphones, and the Ambeo Mini does not disappoint in this regard. Despite being incredibly compact at about 2.5” x 27.5” x 4”, the bar is incredibly potent when it comes to audio quality. With the Ambeo processing engaged, you get a shockingly wide and mobile soundscape that, with the right kind of audio source, can sound MUCH bigger than the small bar itself. I would highly recommend checking out the included audio demos accessible via the Sennheiser app, as they really showcase what the Ambeo Mini can do in some almost magical ways. The Primal demo in particular had sounds flying around the room in a convincing manner that, while I never felt I was in the middle of a surround sound system, I absolutely had the impression of a virtual bubble of sound around me. It was really surprising to me just how effective the bar was at making this effect, given its small size and limited number of drivers. In some cases, it sounded like genuine wizardry just how it was placing precise sounds in places in the room around me. The bar almost vanishes into the soundscape, without drawing attention to itself. It isn’t always perfect, as this 3D virtualization can sometimes be stretched a bit too far and you can find complex tracks or music can get a little over-processed sounding without the extra drivers in the bar, but honestly I found this few and farther between. You can also disable Ambeo processing for things like music if you prefer a more traditional stereo or mono sound that is unprocessed by the bar. Speaking of audio quality, Sennheiser really excels here. Even when you take away all of the fancy Amebo audio processing and upscaling, you are still left with clearly high quality drivers that can reproduce sound extremely well, with high detail and definition. I personally never felt the need to touch the EQ, although you certainly can, but for my casual audiophile ears, I found the default sound quality with the “Adaptive” audio preset to be very good for my tastes in both movies and music. Music in particular sounded great, especially with the Ambeo processing dialed down, to give tracks a raw audio quality that came through with fantastic texture. This is bolstered by the Ambeo Mini’s support for high-quality audio codecs and hi-res audio sources. I listened to music over Airplay with Apple Music and Spotify, and played music directly over HDMI from my Apple TV 4K, and everything sounded fantastic. In particular, I actually enjoyed Dolby Atmos music quite a bit, which offered a nice 3D soundscape that pushed out into the room and made me feel more like I was in a concert hall during certain tracks. I did find the bass lacking a bit with movies, but for TV and music it felt more than sufficient. I would highly recommend investing in a Sennheiser wireless subwoofer however, as it will add a lot to the sound quality of the bar for both movies and music in my opinion. In terms of set-up and build quality, both were great experiences. The build quality is fantastic, with a matte black top of the bar, capacitive buttons, and cloth wrapped grill around the bar. It looks great on my TV stands, and feels very solid for such a little bar. It had the feel and impression of quality, through and through in my opinion. This being said, despite being such a small form factor, I do wish there was a wider port selection on the bar itself. You do get an eARC HDMI port for connecting to your TV, but there are no additional HDMI ports, so you cannot connect additional devices directly to the bar. This means if your TV doesn’t support DTS for example, you may not be able to get it played on the Mini, unless you use an alternative solution like a receiver. In my opinion, this makes a strong case of the Mini being best suited for bedrooms, or smaller rooms with a TV that doesn’t have a lot of media you want to connect. You can still use eARC, which may work fine if you don’t plan to connect other devices to the bar directly, but you are somewhat reliant on your TV in this case. Additionally, given the smaller form factor of the bar and reliance on virtualized surround sound, a smaller room will likely suit this bar much better, as it will be able to work its virtualization magic a bit easier. I tested mine in a room that was probably larger than recommended, but honestly was shocked by how well it produced 3D audio. It had me following sounds through the air with my head in a way I simply have not seen virtualized sound do this well without wearing a pair of headphones. I think Sennheiser’s Ambeo technology really is the best in the business. One of my favorite features of the bar is the auto self-calibration, which uses built-in mics on the bar to calibrate it for your space by running a series of test tones. It is a very quick and seamless process done via the app, and when finished, I noticed a significant improvement in sound quality and surround sound virtualization in my space. Don’t skip this step! All-in-all I really love this little bar, and it continues Sennheiser’s legacy of putting audio quality above all else. It won’t work miracles, so don’t go in expecting this to replace a dedicated home theater system, but for such a compact bar, meant to be used in smaller spaces, it more than does the job for creating an all around audio powerhouse. Definitely put this near the top of your list if you are looking for a compact soundbar with premium sound and build quality.

I have a TV in the den that the kids watch and was looking for better sound than the Vizio TV’s speakers offers. The 65-inch TV hangs on the wall, and there is a shallow decorative table that sits below it. I came across this Sennheiser soundbar and decided to give it a try. I wanted something compact to fit on the table without overwhelming it, leaving space for other décor. Another consideration was that I wanted some level of surround sound built-into the sound bar without the need for satellite speakers because even wireless ones would be hard to place in the den because it has no walls other than where the TV is mounted. The furniture “floats” in the room, so there are no power outlets behind it. I came across the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Mini, and it fit all of my needs. The first thing I noticed when unboxing it was its weight. This is a hefty speaker! I have a few larger soundbars that don’t weigh hardly half of this one. I was hoping all that weight was put into a series of high-quality speakers for plenty of great sound. I was not disappointed. Setup was simple with no need to download the app or connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. I plugged it into the wall outlet and connected its ARC input to my TV’s ARC port. The TV immediately recognized the external device and used it for audio output and was able to automatically switch the Sennheiser soundbar on and off and adjust the volume with the TV’s remote. The sound was very good! My first test was the opening chapter of the movie Swordfish where there is a massive bomb detonation. I was very impressed with this small soundbar’s ability to keep up with the demands of this very loud scene which includes lots of explosive bass as well as directed high-frequency sounds traveling in all directions. The scene is filmed in with a circular, 360-fgree camera movement so the surround information is very immersive. Of course I was not going to mistake this little soundbar’s spatial reproduction for a true 7.1 surround sound system, but it does a fantastic job of projecting audio to present a very wide and deep image. The bass is not as good as what you’d get from a dedicated subwoofer, but it’s strong and distinct. If you must have booming bass, you’ll want to look into Sennheiser’s optional wireless subwoofer module for this soundbar. For what I need out of it, the soundbar itself provides plenty of bass. My next test was to download the app and use the soundbar to play music wirelessly from my phone. The app works well and has options to do a sound calibration. I did that, but I did not notice any difference afterward. I did listen to some music wirelessly from my phone via Bluetooth and it sounds very good with plenty of frequency response, easily working within the limitations of wireless playback. The soundbar’s remote has buttons to select different sound settings. I like the “movie” setting the best as it seems to give the best spatial sound, reproducing a wide stage. There seems to be plenty of power to accurately reproduce sounds at higher volume levels – louder than I’d use for normal listening. Overall, I really like this soundbar. I’d say the sound and quality are easily on par with its price, and definitely exceed my expectations for such a small package. My only negative comments are its lack of inputs. It only has the ability to connect an HDMI ARC input and as Bluetooth source. If you need other inputs, you need to step up to the AMBEO Plus model which is larger. For my needs, the HDMI ARC input is all I need. I highly recommend this powerful little soundbar!

Fits our room ideally. Our second Ambeo audio bar purchase.

Great sound for a mini! Ease of use. Awesome for a room that is not too big.

Excellent sound for a smaller compact soundbar! It fits nicely in the credenza underneath the TV

As an audiophile, I am always searching for the best sound systems, earbuds, headphones etc. I have tried a myriad of soundbars throughout the years, some were pretty good, some were flops, and then came along the AMBEO series from Sennheiser. Honestly, for a "mini" soundbar and no subwoofer that comes with it, my expectations were quite low. A high price tag and no sub? I surely thought this would flop. But no, my expectations were blown away by Sennheiser. They have crafted a truly incredible soundbar, and to call it the SONOS beam killer would be an appropriate claim by people. Let's go over why. SETUP: - Setup was OK. I did have a tiny glitch/bug when setting up the soundbar. I chose to use the apple HomeKit setup method where it would piggy back off your phone WiFi to set up the soundbar, this seemed to work, then it asked to update firmware, I said sure, then 5 minutes passed, 10... 15... 30.... 45... the soundbar still wasn't working. I said ok let's just unplug it during this "firmware" update and pray for the best. Luckily the power reset did the trick, I was able to re-do the setup (not with the apple homekit method this time) and it worked like a charm. I also skipped the firmware update the first time and did it manually later. Otherwise, it is mostly plug and play after you configure it with the app. APP: - Sennheiser hit a homer with the app to control this soundbar. So many people have tried and failed miserably at making a decent app to control a sound system. But this app, works quite good, has tons of rich features and never has an issue syncing with the soundbar. The room calibration is great, it truly makes a difference in placing phantom speakers around the room. The AMBEO soundscapes are cool if you want to impress your friends or if you want to anger your neighbors ;). BUILD: - Solid build, 7 pounds and small and compact, No complaints there. SOUND: - Here is the moment we have all been waiting for... how does it sound? Well let me tell you, this thing blows everything I have used out of the water. The bass on this thing is extremely powerful for a soundbar. Truly, if you are in a smaller room, you don't need a sub with this thing, it delivers enough low end and a fantastic high end. The AMBEO feature is the star, this thing will deliver a true cinematic experience in your room and immerse you in your content. This soundbar handles all types of sound sources flawlessly, dolby audio, stereo, atmos, HIFI you name it, it will handle it without having to constantly change the modes. I had a 5.1 surround sound system with a sub and rear satellites, and the AMBEO mini blows it out of the water. It does a BETTER job with just one mini soundbar. And this is in a large living room with 20 foot cathedral ceilings!! The only thing I wish is that Sennheiser made a MINI subwoofer. I do not need the massive 8 inch sub for this bar. PLEASE make a 5-6 inch sub for the mini bar, I will buy it in a heartbeat. Get this soundbar if you want a small footprint but with massive, amazing sound.

I paired this with my widescreen PC monitor and PC so that I could clean up my desk and improve the sound quality when streaming. It worked great and really is noticeably better than the stereo speaker set up that it replaced. The app interface was simple to follow and to use as well. Feature selection and adjustment was a snap. The profile is compact, as the name suggests, and very clean looking. The sound is, as one would expect from Sennheiser, pristine and crisp. I tried out the multiple connection options and connectivity was great and sound quality did not appear to suffer by input choice. Apple AirPlay, Wifi, Bluetooth and Chromecast all worked well and setup was easy for the devices. I tried the unit from the box and found that the self-calibration feature really made a difference as I played the same album (CD actually) two or three times and found the sound seemed to improve, but honestly was pretty awesome sounding from the first. I also like the fact that the unit is light, transportable, and flexible as far as connections go. If you are looking for a soundbar with a solid combination of sound quality, connectable and size, this is probably it.

Unit was easy to unpack and install, especially since it comes with the HDMI cable required to connect to the ARC enabled input. I did need to run an update once everything was connected WiFi/iPhone-wise but that went off without any issues. The bar isn't massive in size compared to some other sound bars I've used. It also (so far) hasn't shown any odd connection issues over time - I have another sound bar that occasionally needs a power cycle for it to properly connect to a Sony flat screen TV once again (seems to indicate it is the bar and not the TV). I should probably also mention that I just like the look/style of the unit in general. Sounds is much improved over what I was getting from my LG flat screen TV. As this is not on the 'main' TV in the house, I've only watched news and sports while using the bar. You are not going to get incredible bass from the unit, but I think you can expect that when you are not utilizing an external subwoofer. Obviously you're not dealing with a bunch of speaker wires with the unit because there are no satellites. I can't speak to the use of any electronic assistants because we don't use any.

TVs have come a long way with incredible large, bright, high-resolution screens offering streaming apps and casting capabilities. Very impressive. Except for one thing: As much as modern TVs have improved in so many ways, they simply cannot offer a quality of sound to match their image. This is not hard to understand since we want thin screens and big, w-i-d-e sound - and they just don’g go together. Enter the exploding market for soundbars and surround-sound systems. Like TVs, sound systems created to compliment modern TVs have also come a long ways. A full system with a powerful subwoofer will give you a sound that rivals the cinemas. But it will typically cost $1,500+. The value of that purchase will likely depend on just how big your screen setup and room is. For those who have a smaller setup, or who want multiple TV locations with solid sound, there’s a vastly-improved alternative offering truly exceptional sound: the mini-soundbar. These are usually single, self-contained soundbars that are capable of offering solid bass without relying on a separate subwoofer. The Sennheiser - AMBEO Soundbar Mini Compact Device with Adaptive Features and Multiple Connectivity is an excellent example. The AMBEO mini offers strong, solid, high-quality sound with a bass tone that rounds out the tonal landscape very well. The bass won’t rattle the windows, but neither will it leave you feeling like you’re missing the low end. Basically, for half the price of a normal system, you get a fullness of sound that rivals the larger offerings. The only caveat is that it will lose its impact if used in a large room. I found the AMBEO mini easy to set up. Just plug it in, connect it, and you’re immediately enjoying rich sound. But that’s just the beginning. You’ll want to get the app so you can customize the sound, or simply choose from a large selection of EQ settings. I found it definitely enhanced dialog when watching movies and television shows, and the music settings made a variety of musical styles really pop. It easily connects to sound sources via bluetooth and offers a variety of digital assistants (Alexa, Siri, etc). One thing to consider, the ‘multiple connectivity’ in the name is not referring to standard connections. The AMBEO mini only offers 1 USB and 1 HDMI port. Although bluetooth is making this issue less important, it is worth noting for your own intended application. All-in-all, the Sennheiser - AMBEO Soundbar Mini Compact Device with Adaptive Features and Multiple Connectivity is a great value and impressive product.

Very nice, compact sound bar, space saving, designed to bridge gaps in audio and surround sound for rooms. It has a nice fabric warp around grill with rubber accommodating vibration feet. The look is overall robust and bold to fit in with today’s equipment to be paired with, this does seem to only come in one color; black. A soundbar of this size pairs well with 55” (inch) TVs and under to prevent the soundbar from looking larger than the TV or as if the TV is engulfing the soundbar. Touch panel on top of the unit is dense and not distracting using a white LED set, nicely hidden to the touch. Center top of bar. Immersive sound handles all various sounds really well with multi-directional sound providing a nice high-depth to 3D sounding experience while listening and watching films. The built-in subwoofers provide a nice bass and feedback feeling with no distortion at various listening levels. Pending the amount of bass you may be looking for, lower levels of bass may not rumble through enough for some. Ambeo mode provides adaptive audio switching between various Dolby and DTSX to include other audio formats for sound towards content being viewed or listened to, with up-mix capability to 5.1 surround. A soundbar this size uses virtual speakers, vice directly driven overhead speakers; drivers. There’s a Smart Control app for device selection and sound control, change equalizer setting for a smoother and enriched listening. Very user friendly interface with predefined user presets, customize your own. Night mode is great to adjust the heavy base through compression when viewing movies, there’s also an option for voice to enhance the lower voice sound making them easier to hear. Running the Self-calibration aligns the soundbar quickly to the room setup in using sound wave detection and responsive changing to better room sound. Within the app, there are more adjustable room settings after calibration to further fine-tune sound. For those in need of having voice assistive capabilities across devices, there’s various assistants available for selection and use; Google, Apple, and Amazon. Overall, this is a really nice everyday, any room soundbar with great sound and easily interface from any device or equipment aligned with.

Sennheiser has a great reputation for superior sound quality and so I was excited to try the newest AMBEO Soundbar mini. However, after extensive listening, I have come to the conclusion that in an effort to create a product in the "affordable" space they have compromised a little too much. The product itself is compact and has a satisfying heft to it. Everything is packaged well and Sennheiser provides you with everything you need to get started. The remote feels solid. Button depressions are shallow but provide sufficient feedback. The remote is not backlit. The downloadable app did an admirable job of getting the WiFi elements setup and actually adds some additional functionality. You can use your phone in lieu of the remote. I had to use the buttons on the soundbar to get Blue Tooth connectivity working. The app determined that the firmware needed to be updated and the process did finally complete after three attempts. I then begin testing the audio performance. The app includes some sample clips and initially they sounded very good. In spite of the limited number of speakers (none of which provide upfiring) and the lack of a subwoofer the DSPs did quite a good job of widening and slightly elevating the soundstage. However, there was little to no height effect and I found the unit to be severally lacking in bass. Furthermore, the audio begins to break up at higher volume levels. The remote features a number of equalizing presets - Movie, Music, News, Sports, Neutral and something called "Adaptive". I found the difference between these to be subtle and finally settled on the Adaptive setting as my default. I listened to a variety of audio sources and found that, aside from the DSP enhancements, the sound was slightly "thin". Also, I believe that you will want to buy the optional subwoofer to truly fill out the soundstage. Sennheiser makes excellent equipment and I believe that this soundbar is a bit of an anomaly. However, it may work for you in a very small spaces.