Sennheiser unveils a mini version of its Ambeo soundbar

Sennheiser is rounding out its portfolio of high-end Ambeo soundbars with a new model that crams Dolby Atmos audio, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and even room calibration into a compact package.

Announced today at IFA in Berlin, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini ($799, shipping September 1) is Sennheiser’s smallest Ambeo soundbar yet, and it promises to deliver many of the same features as its larger siblings, albeit in a chassis that’s more suitable for smaller spaces.

Measuring 27.6 x 3.9 x 2.6 inches (WxDxH), the 250-watt Ambeo Soundbar Mini is nearly 15 inches narrower than the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, and it should be short enough to sit in front of most TVs without blocking the bottom edge of the screen.

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best soundbars.

Inside the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini are four “high-end” full-range drivers and a pair of four-inch subwoofers providing the bass. If you want more low-frequency effects, you can add up to four of Sennheiser’s wireless Ambeo Subs.

While the Ambeo Soundbar Mini lacks upfiring drivers, it achieves height effects courtesy of virtualization tech (with Sennheiser working in partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS), allowing the soundbar to deliver up to 7.1.4 channels of virtualized sound.

The three soundbars in Sennheiser’s Ambeo line; the new Ambeo Soundbar Mini is at the top.

Sennheiser

Thanks to its virtualization abilities, the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini Soundbar can serve up the Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Reality Audio spatial-audio formats, as well as Fraunhofer’s MPEG-H standard.

Besides its spatial audio features, the Sennheiser Ambeo Mini Soundbar supports both Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, along with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Bluetooth.

Four integrated microphones allow for “one-touch” calibration that adjusts the soundbar’s virtualized audio to fit the acoustics of the room. The mics will also let you chat with built-in Alexa.

With the arrival of the Ambeo Mini Soundbar, Sennheiser now offers three units in its Ambeo line: the $2,500 Ambeo Soundbar Max (formerly known simply as the Ambeo Soundbar), the $1,200 Ambeo Soundbar Plus, and the new Ambeo Soundbar Mini.

Most recently, we reviewed the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus, which we called a “great-sounding system for the digital media era.”

Will the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini live up to the performance of its bigger siblings? We’ll let you know once we test out a review unit.

Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.