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You can get the Ambeo 3D soundbar from Sennheiser this May
Sennheiser might be best known for its premium headphones, but that isn’t the only aspect of audio that the company is interested in these days. The company has been experimenting with consumer products that take advantage of spatial audio via its Ambeo 3D program. We were fairly impressed when we got a chance to check out their Ambeo headphones, which enable the wearer to record spatial 3D audio on the go, and now Sennheiser is announcing that its new Ambeo soundbar will be available for purchase in May of 2019.
The Ambeo soundbar has 13 drivers that can mimic the directionality of a 5.1.4 surround sound system
Any home theater lover will tell you that one of the best ways to enhance movie night is by upgrading the audio. While the Ambeo soundbar appeared last year at CES 2018, it was just a prototype at the time. Now the company is gearing up to make it available to consumers later this year — which is good news for home audio enthusiasts because this thing is packed with features. The Ambeo soundbar has 13 drivers that can mimic a 5.1.4 surround sound system without the need of multiple speakers or external subwoofers. Normally, getting that kind of experience would require a number of speakers perfectly positioned around the room, but this soundbar manages all on its own. It will also automatically calibrate itself to whatever room you put it in, and optimize itself accordingly thanks to external microphones.
On the inside, Sennheiser spared no expense. The Ambeo soundbar is fully compatible with MPEG-H, DTS:X, and even Dolby Atmos, which makes sense considering 3D spatial sound goes hand-in-hand with the object-based audio format. It comes with five presets that adjusts the frequencies to one of five scenarios. You can choose between movie, music, sports, news, and neutral, each with their own characteristic tuning to get you the best sound from your comfortable spot on the couch.
If you prefer to be a little more hands-on with how your sound is equalized, there’s also a free app for Android and iOS that will give you that option. For added convenience, the Ambeo soundbar also has Google Chromecast built-in, as well as Bluetooth, HDMI eARC/CEC, an optical audio input, an aux (RCA) input, and three extra HDMI inputs as well. In short, there’s no shortage of connectivity options, and because the soundbar connects to your home: Wi-Fi updating the speaker in the future will be a breeze.
The Ambeo Soundbar will be available in May 2019 and will retail for $2,499.