What about the Ambeo plus?

I often buy technology that my wife initially frowned upon but ends up using more than me. Not one apology in 14 years

YSP 5600 Yamaha ftw

Ambeo is king! Will the Dragon conquer the Ambeo? Stay tuned and stay hungry, he he he. The Ambeo is bigger and allows for better mids. All these sound bars are not large and don’t provide mid’s, they rely on the cross over of the subwoofer. Where a pair of full range speakers are not capable of deep bass, they do a much much better job and have a warm sound that is very pleasing. And remember “win the game don’t put on no show”

I think the Bose bar sounds better in some ways (in particular if your a fan of the Bose sound) ... the full setup goes to Arc on sound and usability

@@neverenoughtech I think the bar to get between the Bose and the Sonos is dependent upon the room you have the sound bar in. In my case, we have a silly half/vaulted-ceiling room that would require the upward firing speakers to be massive to have any effective Atmos effect. The Bose fit the bill for us because we find it does most everything really well and where it lacks in Apple Music service, there is still Airplay. It's not perfect, but neither is the room we have it in. Go figure - houses are different.

The Bose is the best looking bar. The Ambeo is to high and will block your tv unless mounted.

Hey man thanks for this, appreciate the analysis. Could you expound on the “surround” capabilities of the Ambeo? How does it compare to an actual surround system? If one had to get this instead of surround channels, what would one expect. I had (well, still have) a surround system which I haven’t used for ages... and won’t for a while either, most likely, so it’s good to have an idea of what this can (or cannot) deliver.

@@kencur9690 Hi, I think if you had actual surround speakers on the sides or behind you, you would consistently get the surround sound without fail when it happens. But when the surround speakers aren’t in use you won’t get very much other than a bit of bass or low hum. Most films I watch usually use surrounds meaningfully around zero to three times per show on average so I don’t think they are worth it just for that. Video games probably make better use of surrounds over anything else and music won’t need them. The Ambeo will consistently utilise all its speakers for the best quality immersion and is the only soundbar which has upward firing speakers that work, but like surround they don’t get much use in movies. It’s like it conveniently plays to its strengths without slacking. In a way the Sonos Arc is similar to the Ambeo but it will not give you any virtual surround and it’s upward firing speakers don’t do anything. The Ambeo is the only Dolby Atmos soundbar that delivers Dolby Atmos. The others just tick a box on a spec sheet and require the listener to use their imagination. As for music, again the Ambeo soundbar works it’s magic and has offered the best music playback I’ve ever heard. It sounds better for music than my bluesound powernode (2021) and KEF LS50 Meta speakers for not much more money. When you add this to the Ambeo’s movie and game sound quality, it’s a clear win over any other soundbar and dedicated amp and speaker in its price. In summary, the Ambeo is a complete Hifi surround system which will deliver all the promises other sounbars don’t and will effortlessly sound better for music than a more expensive amp and speaker combo. In that regard it’s price tag suddenly goes from expensive to money saving. Edit: I forgot the mention the Ambeo app/ software is not very good and can result in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues. To overcome this you can use a external Bluetooth dac like the fiio BRA30 and/ or Sonos port (I have these connected to my one). Alternatively streaming through your TV or computer/ MP3 player or phone can overcome this at less cost.

@@shemsureshot wow, that’s a very comprehensive answer, thank you, though you touched upon my main question briefly. Could you just go slightly more in depth with regard to ”surround” capability of the bar itself? What I mean is the perceived surround, which many times is a gimmick but I have heard some better ones which manage to provide a somewhat surround-y sound despite the lack of physical channels. To be clear, I will not be using this with other speakers in a small room: I will not have true surround, but does the bar on its own present a semblance of it? In other works, how is the audio projection? Does it throw it far enough to create depth and a feeling of wide soundstage?

@@kencur9690 Thanks. I would say you get a good surround from the Ambeo in particular from the left and right of you. It’s hard to explain but it can make it sound like noises are coming from outside your room, on occasion I’ve even stopped the film and had to check! On occasion it can convince you there is sound from behind, for example on resident evil 8 when a door shuts behind you it sounds like it did. But I’ve only noticed it does a rear effect when gaming. I think it uses the upward firing speakers to simulate the rears. It’s surround effect can also be immersive, for example there is a scene in Loki where he is in a busy office. This actually sounded like I was in the room with him where I could hear all the background chatter and movements around me. It’s very clever how it does all this and I think this is the best surround system I know of, without physical surrounds.

@@shemsureshot that’s exactly what I was asking. Cause I read that it does, and the marketing from Sennheiser claims it does... but I don’t want to trust that by itself. So it seems that it’s true: you did experience that “from outside” sound. Impressive. I might get it, since, as you pointed out, for a small apartment it might be the whole setup, and therefore not as expensive as the price alone suggests. Thanks again!

Unfortunately Sonos products are not exposed to HomeKit. At least for now.

@@KotanskySS I have hered that sonos amp is exposed to HomeKit is it true? If you know

@@grigorischaralampopoulos4999 I don’t have Sonos Amp, but I highly doubt that the HomeKit situation is any different with it

Yeah I think it's more a problem for people who buy it to pair with a TV that has limited hdmi 2.1 ports

How has this system been for you? Particularly with Dolby Atoms content ?

@@NeloAlvarez1113 you need the full system to take advantage of at least 70% of atmos

I got the full system. So In love with it. I even added a sonos move

Another eye roll from my wife👍

I suppose if you have an RCA center out on your receiver/amp. I don’t think Sennheiser wants the bar to be used that way but you do you

Bro quite the opposite. You can’t judge sound off of KZfaq. Do yourself a favor and actually go to a magnolia supported Best Buy and compare these two soundbars. I guarantee the ambeo sounds much better.

Ambeo is NOT paying this YTer! Of course Ambeo is better, look at the damn size of the thing?

Have you tried any of the more expensive Samsung atmos bars? I find them very good with dialogue, i have the q96r , have a/b with an Arc and for me It's no contest the q96r sounds so much better.

@@ScoobaGreek thanks. What I’m wondering is, does the tv effect the SQ having to run HDMI into Arc then to sound bar. That’s why a sound bar with pass through would be nice.

@@CarlosPerez-eb5er Oh okey! yes i second that, very big and stupid design flaw , i guess Sonos/Apple always want to be special, "simplicity" is not always the best way. I don't know if the tv itself effect the SQ, i know with earc you have losless SQ so i really think the quality from the playing source is the biggest factor not the tv itself. But this is only my own throught and experience im not an expert :).

@@ScoobaGreek I am now using a Bose SoundTouch 300 I had before the Sonos Arc replaced it. To my surprise the Bose is doing a better job with dialogue. Bigger is not always better. The Bose does lack some features the Arc has but a least one HDMI and Arc pass through.

I’d say it’s designed for an eArc TV that has lots of hdmi ports already in it. Rather than a flaw it’s for a specific use case, e.g. modern LG tv’s.

I haven’t had issues

YES!

😀

Seems like a reasonable idea. I’ve delved a bit into cheaper bars ... I’ll probably do it again

Through wire or or wireless transmitter but something has to be plugged into the sub out port as far as I’m aware

@@neverenoughtech Thank you!

Yes and No! SVS and others have a small transmitter box that needs to be plugged into power then plugged into the Ambeo Sub out! On the sub there is another small box that plugs into the LFE on the sub. This is a receiver box which also needs to be plugged in but gives yo the wireless option. You can connect two subs this way but would need two receivers and the one transmitter from SVS. There are subs out there with built in receivers for wireless connectivity and you would just be required to buy the transmitter.

@@stevel4329 Thank you!

Indeed ambeo is richer and more fun to listen combared to sonos arc

How would the ambeo maf h up to the arc with the bass and two back speakers?

It wouldn’t fair well … only so much you can do on the spatial front with just the bar

The Arc … though if you have 3500 to spend you have options that sound much better than both just maybe not a soundbar.

I have a plan for that

Don’t get Arc for Atmos. I wasn’t that impressed with LG on neither sound nor Atmos. JBL probably best value of the three for what you’re going for

@@neverenoughtech what would be your suggestion for best atmos and sound outside of the 3 I mentioned?

I owned the Sonos Arc and sub, and after fiddling with a lot of settings, I just could not for the life of me hear dialogue that clearly. It had a really BIG sound but the dialogue got buried in the highs and the bass, it seemed. I now have the Q990B, and I can make out dialogue 95% of the time and no longer need subtitles. The Sonos definitely had a bigger, cleaner sound. And was much better for music. But for anything with dialogue, as an overall package, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung (if you can live with some bugs and glitches tho) P.S. I did also find my ears kinda wincing and recoiling from the highs on the arc. There was something about it that was grating my ears

problem is there are no perfect soundbars, it all depend on your evirement and calibration skills. but if you want something close to perfection and have less consessions you choose for the ambeo. for me personaly (i owned sonos) i did not like mainstream wellknown soundbars.

​@@justsaying993u can adjust highs

I think the Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar is so much better than the Sonos. You cannot tell even with your headphones on unless you hear them live side by side! Only then you can tell it for your personal taste. For my ears it's very clear the Sennheiser AMBEO is worth every cent! Even without a sub you'll get Dolby Atmos (if your source supports it). With Sonos on the other hand you'll have to add a sub (for about $ 800) and two more rear speakers (for another $ 1000) and you're still not where the Sennheiser AMBEO is! :D Of course Sonos has a multi-room system but I don't care about it. ;)

How noticeable is difference when height speakers volume is adjusted? I have q90r which supposedly had slightly worse Atmos effect then Sonos arc originally i wonder how much better is now?

@@whitecrowuk575 I can definitely tell a difference and I have a cathedral ceiling..I set mine to +6

How is the resolution on the arc for music?

@Mr Mr Research between soundbars? or subwoofer..? I think we're talking about soundbars here.

SO TRUE! Ambeo is super accurate! I love it! no replacement for displacement! the size of the AMBEO makes for the SOUNDSTAGE and just incredible movie experience and everyday experience! I paired it with an Martin Logan subwoofer with ARC room calibration and WOW! its just so clean and crisp!

ambeo is good if you just want a great sounding soundbar - like top tier sound. for general surround sound - not going to get it...not even close.

You want theater sound you go for the Ambeo, not comparable to any soundbar on the market, it's 3D effect trumps any gimmick Atmos soundbar on the market, you get what you paid for and this system has been designed by engineers to fill a large hall.

Obviously but they are compared on the same listening device. He is not reviewing audiophile nor the quality of the sound by itself. You can clearly hear the difference between the two.

@@webada Still borderline useless. Just like watching a video of a TV playing content and making a decision based on that.

I have full arc setup in 2 rooms in my home … maybe that’s all I need to say

I can get DTS when recoded to Dolby digital. Playing native gives you silence

I had decided I was getting the Ambeo or the Q950T. If you want theater effect those two seemed like the best. I just happen to find $700 off on the Ambeo before a good Q950T sale.

Yeah ... I hear you. Bar to bar the Ambeo offers more sonic intrigue - but Ambeo sound is also more prone to go off the rails - requires more babysitting to craft peak sound - more buggy - if price is not a major consideration it’s still not a cut and dry decision.

Exactly, that didn't make much sense in not saying which he prefered himself. Thr sound compression over youtube made the last comparisons pointless

You maxed it out … wish I could hear it

it's valid if it's a comparison video like this one, because then both of the system is on the same playing ground and you can pick up the difference from there.

Some of us do own higher end speakers than these, and since soundbar tends to sound worse than normal speakers costing significantly less. I don't think it apply tobthis video. Now there is a sound comparison demo between HE1 and Shangri-la Sr... That is tough to have a system to listen to that.

I don’t think it can stand alone like those kits with a dedicated sub. You’re paying a lot more for less here

Thanks!!!

My transition to buy-curious to buy is very short

@@neverenoughtech Comes with the territory. You have more bars than the French Quarter in New Orleans. I do plan to buy this year but still waiting for 5.1.4 ATMOS, EARC, reliable operation, quality DSP’s. So far no one is hitting the sweet spot for me. Hoping someone puts it together.

@@tropictom5996 did you ever make a decision?

@@BubbleMayhem Not yet. I think this years crop is just now releasing. The Samsung Q950A looks promising but waiting to see if it’s plagued with drops and disconnects like its predecessor.

A little as it’s as wide as a 50 inch tv. It would look a pinch odd but it’s a good system - wouldn’t make that the deal breaker. Also not impossible you would get a slightly larger tv in the future

What woofer u get

U got the arc? If not how do u know lol. U just want it to be better?

Well at least your Alexa did something ... if that makes you feel better. Amazon Alexa speakers have “Alexa”, “Amazon”, “Echo”, and “computer” as wake words. Change in settings.

@@neverenoughtech I have dabbled with new wake words but Alexa is the popular one in the house. I just prefer Google’s two word “hey, Google” to be the better option. Love your content by the way. I’ve been a subscriber for awhile now and am always happy to see a new video.

Appreciate the feedback. Got it now on what you mean by “Single wake word” I agree a short phrase adds nice security.

The Ambeo gives you marginal benefits with significant babysitting ... this is assuming you don’t want surrounds - in which case well obviously real surrounds win that game

When you say babysitting do you mean turning on and off the Ambeo boost?

the $1700 difference requires the perfect room conditions (perfect square, low ceilings). dont buy the bar if you can take advantage of its use. even Sennheiser explains in the manual how everything needs to be before connecting.

I reviewed both with a Sub. Per dollar I was underwhelmed by the Ambeo. Maybe just couldn’t get the right space. If the bass frequency range and amplitude in that range is important than go ARC. If you want the best technical sound you’ll want to fiddle with the Ambeo. I’d go with Arc especially if money is a consideration. It also gives you the opportunity to get surrounds in the future which makes it even more compelling against the Ambeo

@@neverenoughtech thanks ! Sonos surrounds are not at option (lack of space) that's I'm considering only arc + sub gen3 vs ambeo. Sonos with sub can get around 35% cheaper than ambeo. I've seen you review but couldn't find compassion arc+sub vs ambeo only .

Doesn't support dts etc etc damn shame

Good review. I noticed ambeo makes sounds that should not stand out in the scene too much. That is definitely distracting.

One is not needed if you use your iphone to do the trueplay setup.

@@chinkerrtruong6581 some people prefer Android phones. Sonos is missing out on those sales.

Ambeo with aux or if you have an ARC port. Same with Arc but no aux option

@@neverenoughtech is it possible to get a dolby digital support through a digital optical cable? My motherboard sports one of those cable

I heard both in person - i bought the ambeo

All that seems reasonable to me

I think if I mainly wanted better sound than my tv and loud in your face dialogue I would go with an Arc or Klipsch. If you want high fidelity detailed sound and don’t mind a lot of dynamic range that sometimes produces very loud music and jump scares in your movies, Ambeo is the way to go. I think some people are missing the fact though if you want more dialogue heavy sound you can have that with the ambeo also. Just turn off the boost. You might think that defeats the purpose of the Ambeo but it doesn’t. You could still turn on boost for the big movie titles like action movies or horror.

I had the Arc and Bose 700, Yep I returned the Arc...

Same experience....had it since October 2020.

Facts. I literally don’t know what people are hearing when they review this soundbar. I literally think they’re doing something we don’t know about. But when I went in the magnolia store yesterday. The ambeos sound significantly better. If I had to grade the sound and sound stage on these two. I would give the ambeo a 10 for sound quality and 9 for sound stage. Keep in mind it’s just one sound bar. And I would give the arc a 7 for sound quality and 6 for sound stage.

Yeah, the Arc itself is basically a centre channel speaker with a bit of range on the left and right. It can’t do bass so the sub is essential and the Ones don’t do lows very well. You might find it better to link the Arc with a pair of Fives as rears to help get some actual depth to your sound. It’s as if the Arc deliberately lacks anything to encourage you to buy more upgrades. It’s good but overrated.

@@1youngkash Yeah I have them both and can’t understand how the Arc is made out to be somehow an alternative in the same league as the Ambeo. It makes no sense!

10x better? That’s quite the endorsement

@@neverenoughtech it’s just me. I literally just got out the Navy June 3rd. Don’t have the need to lie at all. But you seemed a little subjective. The Sonos did not sound no where near as full as the ambeos. Again I was there for the Sonos and just so happens I saw the ambeo. I listened to it. And as far as a set of speakers in front of me. It has much better sound placement than the Sonos.

@Mr Mr well hey. That’s also your opinion. But soundbar to soundbar. The Sonos arc can’t compare to the ambeo. That’s facts. You can quantify it however you want to.

@@1youngkash 2500 to 899.00 big difference.

@@wilfredomendez692 not the point. But you got it I guess.

I roll with Arc. I don’t think it sucks but definitely not a home theater in one bar. I think Sonos is positioned to be the undisputed greatest (soundbar kit) if they amp up the bar a bit and support more upward firing speakers ... on top of the simplicity they offer.

hi i Have the ARC and two sonos subs....and for rears i have a pair of fives,,,,,, wow great sound....love me some Sonos

Arc is still my favorite all factors considered ... not like I haven’t looked around either

@@neverenoughtech videos like this help us navigate the different options out there, I am intrigued by the Klipsch sound bar though, but I'm all in on Arc

It isn’t b

Looks like I'll soon have the same setup as you. What are your current thoughts about Ambeo?

@@AdamTVi I'm in the process of returning mine for a full refund as it's not working. Regardless of how it's connected, I eventually get a loud, constant buzzing sound. I contacted the seller since last Thursday and to date I've not gotten a response so I completed the return to seller section on Amazon today. So now I have a Sub coming in and no soundbar to connect it to. This is the worst customer experience I've ever had and I'm 34

@@soccersensation :/ Maybe something happened during transport, who knows. Anyway I hope you will have more luck during your next purchase. Cheers

@@AdamTVi Who knows. The box looked in good condition to me. Maybe I just got a defective one. Thanks

@@soccersensation did you ever get another to test out? i have had mine for nearly 4 months with no issue

Well you cant compare soundbar to soundbar. Ambeo offers surround sound sonos on its own doesnt. To have fair comparison it would need to be full sonos setup vs Ambeo with decent 500-600 sub. price difference around 700 these days. Ambeo would win in low frequency department as the sub like svs can go to 20Hz giving more cinema like effect whereas Arc perhaps would have an edge in music

It is quick compared to my 40 min comparisons

It’s out just not in the US. Top of list for review

I had an LG Atmos bar, tried a Samsung, then the Ambeo paired with a klipsch sub. The Ambeo sounded way better than the LG and Samsung to me. I got a deal and paid about $1800 for the Ambeo before adding the sub.

@@cwescrab i tell everyone you'd have to hear the ambeo in a 4 walled less than 20x20 room, and less than 14ft flat ceiling room to understand how it really sounds. otherwise it's just a nice sounding bar that's expensive

You sure about that? Listen to both in person

I didn’t say weak. I said Sonos emphasized it more - maybe too much. Both had pretty clear dialogue in that clip

@@neverenoughtech My bad, but putting Ambeo on boost would emphasize dialogue the least of all the settings, wouldn’t it?

@@neverenoughtech Your reviews are great by the way, that’s the only gripe I have ever had.

@@neverenoughtech definitely arc missing on lower tones - main disappointment compared to previous generation. Without sub sounds worse than soundbars 50% cheaper.