TechAudioSennheiser Ambeo Mini review: mini size, massive soundSennheiser’s soundbar range adds its smallest model to date, but can it deliver big on sound? Read our Ambeo Mini review…When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Sennhesier)T3 VerdictIn isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control optionsReasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheapWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
TechAudioSennheiser Ambeo Mini review: mini size, massive soundSennheiser’s soundbar range adds its smallest model to date, but can it deliver big on sound? Read our Ambeo Mini review…When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Sennhesier)T3 VerdictIn isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control optionsReasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheapWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Sennheiser’s soundbar range adds its smallest model to date, but can it deliver big on sound? Read our Ambeo Mini review…
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Sennhesier)T3 VerdictIn isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control optionsReasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheap
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
T3 VerdictIn isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control optionsReasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheap
T3 VerdictIn isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.
T3 Verdict
In isolation the Ambeo Mini is an excellent soundbar - and it remains excellent in many ways even when put into context. But there’s just a slight disconnect between the way it performs and the money it will cost you.
Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control optionsReasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheap
Reasons to buy+Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)+Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound+Numerous excellent control options
Considerable low-end presence (without separate sub)
Positive, articulate and quite forceful sound
Numerous excellent control options
Reasons to avoid-Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal-Can lack definition with music-Not in any way cheap
Not as much sonic ‘height’ as is ideal
Can lack definition with music
Not in any way cheap
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Despite what might seem like considerable impediments to success, mostly concerning the size of the price tag and the size of the product, both of Sennheiser’s Ambeo spatial audio soundbars have been extremely successful (those being theoriginal Ambeoand(oddly smaller-size) Ambeo Plus).
Now Sennheiser is going forthe best soundbarshat-trick - and with this new Ambeo Mini (which is even smaller again) it’s shrunk the size to a very manageable level and the asking price to something approaching ‘reasonable’. Is this going to be enough to ensure that three is the magic number?
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini: price & availability
The Sennheiser Ambeo Mini is on sale from 1 September 2023, and in the United Kingdom it’s priced at £699. The going rate in the United States is $799. While in Australia you’ll have to fork out AU$1299.
So just because this is Sennheiser’s most affordable Ambeo soundbar so far, it doesn’t really look like any kind of bargain - and there are plenty of alternatives at similar money, from brands as serious asSamsung,SonosandSony(to name just those starting with ‘S’) that seem, on paper at least, to offer a little more for your money. At least in physical terms, anyway…
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: features and what’s new?
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All six of these drivers are made from cellulose, and all six contribute to the virtual ‘top’ effects that constitute the ‘height’ element of the presentation. Two are 102mm bass drivers concealed behind the plastic top panel - their job is to dig down to the Ambeo Mini’s claimed frequency extension of 43Hz. The other four are 38mm full-range drivers - there’s one at either end of the chassis, facing outwards and giving some width to the sound, and the other two face forwards to generate the impression of ‘left/centre/right’ channels. There is a total of 250 watts of Class D power on board to drive them.
Wireless options are a little more extensive. As well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (with SBC and AAC codec compatibility),AppleAirPlay 2, Chromecast, UPnP, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect are all catered for - and AirPlay 2 and Chromecast compatibility mean it’s simple enough to include the Ambeo Mini in a multi-room system, too.
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The automatic room calibration routine in the ‘Smart Control’ app does its thing both rapidly and accurately - and once it’s finished, the Ambeo Mini understands its environment and trims its performance accordingly. And this is performance, it doesn’t take long to realise, that is more assertive and more forceful than you might have been anticipating.
The rest of the frequency range is similarly detailed, and shares the same sort of deftly neutral tonality. Voices in the midrange are rendered with character and nuance intact, while the top of the frequency range has a remarkable amount of bite and shine when you consider there are no actual tweeters on board the Ambeo Mini. Integration from top to bottom is smooth, and dialogue projects well - even though it’s delivered as part of a whole rather than as a separate entity.
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(Image credit: Future)
Dynamic headroom is considerable, and the Sennheiser can put quite a distance between the quietest, most atmospheric moments in a movie soundtrack and the climatic action-packed pile-ons - and can do so in an instant, what’s more. The soundstage it creates is impressively large considering the size of the soundbar itself, and there’s considerable width to the ‘left/centre/right’ front channel layout.
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: design & usability
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
Obviously the asking price puts it at a different level, but in terms of broad design the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini has a lot in common with theSonos Beam Gen 2. At 65 x 700 x 100mm (HxWxD) the Sennhesier is of almost identical proportions, and at 3.6kg there’s not much difference on the scales either. The rounded edges of the chassis are more than a little reminiscent, too.
Elsewhere, though, the Ambeo Mini looks like nothing more than a shrunken version of its Ambeo Plus sibling. The way the top panel slopes to form a lip at the front of the soundbar, the way the black acoustic cloth wraps around all four sides and onto the leading edge of the top panel… these are strong family resemblances. And the single option when it comes to colour, the flawless quality of build and finish, the use of mildly tactile plastic for the main body are all similarities too.
Setting up and using the Ambeo Mini couldn’t really be any more straightforward. Step one: put the soundbar where it’s going to live. Step two: make connections to mains power and to your TV using the HDMI eARC socket. Step three: keep nice and quiet while the automated room calibration software in the ‘Smart Control app’ does its thing. And there’s no step four.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
And the app is more than a little useful after setup is complete. It gives you the option to switch Sennheiser’s Ambeo virtualisation technology on or off, and to select from one of six EQ settings to best suit the content you’re watching. It lets you change inputs, check for software updates and adjust volume levels. It gives access to ‘voice enhancement’, which gives the centre channel a little boost, and to the ‘night mode’ feature that evens out dynamic response. As is the established Sennheiser way, it’s logical, stable and absolutely crystal clear.
There’s also a remote control handset for the more traditional among us. It’s a fairly big, weirdly angular number, with pretty much every major function included and some woefully small lettering above the buttons themselves. It could use some backlighting, but in general terms it’s one of the better examples of the type.
There are four far-field mics embedded in the top of the Ambeo Mini, and as well as taking care of the automated setup process they also allow you to control the soundbar using your voice.Amazon Alexais built in, andGoogleAssistant is available if you’ve got an appropriately talented speaker on a common network. You can defeat these mics, though, as well as control the most major functions of the Ambeo Mini, using the brief selection of capacitive touch controls on the soundbar’s top surface.
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini review: Verdict
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
(Image credit: Sennhesier)
If you’re seeking a discreet, well-made soundbar with impressive full-frequency response and a way bigger sound than seems feasible then this Sennheiser has you more than covered. It’s the ideal soundbar if you never want to buy a separate subwoofer. It’s an ideal soundbar if you want massive sound from a mini scale too.
Also consider
If you’re fine with the Sennheiser’s asking price, though, and have a bit of space for your new home cinema sound system, Samsung’s HW-Q930B buys you an awful lot of stuff (including rear speakers and a subwoofer) and, as a result, a more immersive listening experience.
Today’s best Sennheiser Ambeo Mini, Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Samsung HW-Q930B dealsSonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Sennheiser Ambeo Mini, Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Samsung HW-Q930B dealsSonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Sennheiser Ambeo Mini, Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Samsung HW-Q930B dealsSonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Sennheiser Ambeo Mini, Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Samsung HW-Q930B deals
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all prices
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all prices
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)$499$437.75ViewSee all prices
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
$499$437.75View
$499$437.75
$437.75
See all prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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