Looking to get a new soundbar but need help picking between the Sennheiser Ambeo and the Sonos Arc? You’re not alone! The Sennheiser Ambeo and Sonos Arc are two of the most popular audio systems on the market, but which one should you buy? To help you make an informed choice, this blog post will contrast the Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc.
Sennheiser Ambeo Overview
The Sennheiser Ambeo is a high-end soundbar that offers an immersive sound experience. It features 3D sound with its angled speakers and Ambeo technology, customizable sound presets, and a dedicated app for adjusting the sound. It is expensive compared to other soundbars but provides a superior sound experience. The Sennheiser Ambeo costs around $2500, which is rather costly for a soundbar.
The Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar is the perfect combination of design and performance. With 13 front, side, and upward-facing drivers, it delivers a generous 5.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos sound, plus support for 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital and lossless and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos. It also has built-in Dolby decoding, including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos; DTS Digital Surround, and DTS:X; plus an external microphone for added sound accuracy. What’s more, it even supports MPEG-H Audio surround sound standards and Sony 360 Reality Audio. With all this combined, you are guaranteed to get an unparalleled surround soundbar performance.
Its brushed aluminum exterior and minimalist details give it a sleek and modern look that will fit in any home. The soundbar has been engineered to deliver a rich and immersive sound experience, with three-dimensional surround sound, deep bass, and rich mid-range tones. With features like voice control and intuitive touch controls, the Ambeo makes it easy to control your music and movies with ease. Whether you’re entertaining friends or just enjoying a movie night, the Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar is the perfect addition to any home.
Pros
- Incredibly detailed sound for all formats
- Breathtaking Atmos virtualization
- Best-in-class sound quality
- Spectacular DTS:X and Dolby Atmos performance
- Ambeo brings stereo content to life
- User-friendly App works for all smartphones
- Powerful speaker arrangement
Cons
- Extremely expensive
- It’s quite a bulky soundbar and not suitable for smaller spaces
Sennheiser Ambeo Specifications
- It has an 8″ high-end proprietary woofer powered by AMBEO virtualization technology and a closed enclosure, which ensures audiophile-grade bass.
- You can connect up to four subwoofers with the multi-sub array technology to scale the bass performance according to your room size.
- It has 13 front, side, and upward-facing drivers, giving you a generous 5.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos sound.
- Dimensions of 127 x 12.7 x 17 cm.
- The soundbar supports HDMI eARC, 4K, Dolby Vision pass-through, Bluetooth, and Chromecast.
- Connectivity options include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- Bluetooth compatibility
- Weighs 18.5 KG (40.8 lbs)
Sonos Arc Overview
The Sonos Arc is a premium smart soundbar that provides the best sound experience for TV, movies, music, gaming, and more. It features Dolby Atmos and eArc connections for higher audio quality and an HDMI to optical adapter for those with older TVs. With its crystal clear audio and powerful bass capabilities, the Sonos Arc offers an immersive sound experience. It also has voice control options for Google and Alexa, allowing you to easily switch between Amazon Music and your favorite movies or shows.
With Trueplay, Sonos’ proprietary System, you can use your smartphone and the Sonos app to fine-tune your Sonos Arc to the best sound output for your room. With three easy steps, your Sonos Arc will be optimized for the best sound experience. Simply launch the Sonos app, choose System, and then adhere to the Trueplay Tuning instructions.
The Sonos Arc also features a Night Sound mode that tamps the volume and flattens dialog for an excellent night-time listening experience. You can also adjust the EQ and use the Speech Enhancement feature to ensure you can always hear what’s being said.
With its modern design and sleek black finish, the Sonos Arc is an excellent choice for any home theater system.
Pros
- Modern and Sleek Design with black and white color options
- Amazing 3D sound giving you a more dramatic listening experience
- Supports Google Assistant and Alexa
- Easy to use App for increased functionality
- Unmatched clarity and depth to your home cinema experience
Cons
- No Bluetooth
- Price is on the high side
- Lack of directness to music and modest bass.
Sonos Arc Specifications
- It has an HDMI ARC port, and if your TV doesn’t support HDMI ARC or eARC, you can also stream via your Wi-Fi network.
- The Sonos Arc has 11 class-D amplifiers, 8 elliptical woofers, and 3 precisely angled silk-dome tweeters to provide the ultimate sound experience.
- Dimensions WxHxD (mm): 1142 x 87 x 116.
- Comes with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Sonos Truplay tuning technology for adjusting the speaker to different listening conditions
- IR Repeater for perfect placement of the soundbar
- Dolby Atmos Support
- Weighs about 6.25 KG (13.78 lbs)
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: Quick Comparison
The Sennheiser Ambeo is an expensive soundbar costing in the mid-2000s to get your hands on one of these. It offers superior audio compared to the Sonos Arc, though the design is clunky and burdensome, and it has the propensity to overheat. The Sonos Arc is a fantastic speaker that is well under half the price of its competitor and sits comfortably under $1,000 even when not on discount. The excellent design offers several hands-off features that make efficiency a breeze, though the audio is not quite as immersive as the Ambeo. Depending on your living room setup, some consumers should also be wary that the Arc is incompatible with Bluetooth.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: Sound
Sennheiser Ambeo Sound
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is a powerful and impressive sound system designed to deliver an immersive experience with superior audio quality. It features 13 speakers, covering a wide frequency range from 30 Hz to 20 kHz (-3 dB), providing powerful bass and crystal clear treble. It is also compatible with Dolby Atmos, DTS: X, and MPEG-H Audio surround sound standards and includes an external microphone for room calibration.
The Sennheiser Ambeo is a luxurious soundbar that sits at the very high end of the price spectrum. It is packed with six 4-inch woofers that face forward and five 1-inch tweeters, with three located at the front and two on either side of the device. It is marketed as 5.1.4, though it is actually closer to 5.0.2. The highs are crisp and clear, while the low rumbles and thumps come across sunnier than intended. It is a hefty device that needs to be kept away from other heat sources due to its propensity to overheat.
And, if you’re looking for even more sound, you can add the Sennheiser AMBEO Subwoofer for TV and Music with immersive 3D surround sound and deep thundering bass down to 27 Hz. So, if you’re looking for the ultimate sound experience, look no further than the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar.
Sonos Arc Sound
The Sonos Arc soundbar is an excellent choice for a powerful and versatile audio system. It features a sleek, modern design and offers Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. The Sonos Arc is a great-sounding soundbar, especially considering how much cheaper it is compared to the Sennheiser Ambeo. Its layout has 11 Class-D amplifiers, including 8 woofers and 3 silk-dome tweeters. Voices come in a bit clearer with the Sonos Arc, while the Ambeo offers a fuller sound with more emphasis on background noise. You can also use Trueplay and Dolby Atmos to create 3D audio, while the Sonos app also offers Speech Enhancement and Night Sound features. The bass is relatively good, but it won’t replace a subwoofer, and the highs are clear and crisp.
The Sonos Arc provides high-quality sound for TV, movies, music, gaming, and more. It features Speech Enhancement, a setting designed to make it easier to understand dialogue in movies and shows, as well as Night Sound, which helps to make background noise less intrusive. You can easily enable these settings through the Sonos app.
With its excellent sound quality, powerful features, and attractive design, the Sonos Arc is an ideal choice for any home audio setup.
The Sound Verdict
The Sennheiser Ambeo offers superior sound to the Sonos Arc, thanks to its more powerful speaker system. This soundbar comes with six 4-inch woofers, all facing forward, and five 1-inch tweeters with three front-facing and two on either side of the device. Additionally, two top-firing 3.5-inch speakers are on both ends of the Ambeo’s topside. This gives the Ambeo the ability to produce a fuller sound that is more immersive and has a greater range of frequencies than the Arc. The Ambeo also has a feature called MPEG-H compatibility, which allows it to produce 3D audio that also possesses an equalizer. This combines to make the Sennheiser Ambeo the superior-sounding soundbar compared to the Sonos Arc.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: Design
Sennheiser Ambeo Design
The Sennheiser Ambeo is an expensive and visually pleasing soundbar that is both dense and clunky. It measures roughly 50 x 5.5 x 6.5 inches and weighs forty pounds, making it awkward to carry. Maintaining a healthy distance between the Ambeo and other objects is essential, as it can get hot and damage your television. It features a trapezoid shape with a plastic exterior, giving it a solid and expensive feel. The soundbar should be placed at least four inches away from any heat sources to prevent overheating. That being said, this soundbar is incredibly powerful in terms of sound quality, but it isn’t the prettiest-looking soundbar compared to competitors.
The Sennheiser Ambeo’s control panel is conveniently located on the top of the soundbar and includes a variety of buttons for performing different functions. The buttons include Volume Up/Down, Source Select, Bass Control, 3D Sound, a pairing button, and the power button at the far right of the panel. The control panel is also home to a microphone for calibrating the room and an LED menu that displays the audio status. It’s a simple but effective way to adjust the sound of your soundbar without having to mess around with the App. The LED menu is also scratch-resistant, which is another nice touch.
The Sennheiser Ambeo also includes a variety of input connections that is much more than what is included with other soundbars. This soundbar has 3 HDMI inputs and a single HDMI output. In addition to the HDMI ports, it also contains 2 auxiliary inputs, a USB input, an optical input, and even an RCA input. There is also Wi-Fi and reset buttons at the bottom of the device.
Sonos Arc Design
The Sonos Arc is an extremely well-designed soundbar that shows every detail. The Arc has an elegant, slim, modern design and a sleek finish that fits in with any home décor. The soundbar measures 45 x 3.4 x 4.5 inches and weighs around 14 pounds, making it easy to place in any room without taking up too much space.
The soundbar sits slightly higher than average at 3.4 inches (8.7cm) and is wrapped on the top, front, and either end by metal, hole-punch speaker grilles that cover the various orientations of the Atmos driver array. There are two rear reinforced holes to wall mount the 13.78 lb (6.25 kg) unit for a forward-facing mounting setup, or it can be placed on a tabletop. The Sonos Arc soundbar is also available in black and white options.
The Sonos Arc has a sleek, modern control panel featuring five buttons – power, mute, volume up, volume down, and play/pause. The control panel is easy to use and can be customized to the user’s preferences. It is designed with a low profile and is resistant to accidental bumps and knocks. The buttons are made of high-quality materials, providing a smooth and comfortable feel when pressed. The panel also has LED indicators that provide helpful feedback when adjusting the sound settings. The Sonos Arc control panel makes it easy to adjust your audio system’s sound with the press of a button.
The Sonos Arc has fewer ports than the Sennheiser Ambeo. It comes with an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, a power input, and a join button. We love the simplicity and cleanliness of the soundbar, but it could do with a few more ports.
The Design Verdict
In terms of design and aesthetics, we really like the way the Sonos Arc looks, and it is probably one of the best-looking soundbars on the market. While we love the number of ports that come with the Sennheiser Ambeo, the overall design isn’t as pretty as the Sonos Arc and can be bulky for those with smaller space.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: Features
Sennheiser Ambeo Features
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is the perfect choice if you want an audio device compatible with the three major audio formats. It offers support for Dolby Atmos, MPEG-H, and DTS:X, so you can enjoy a wide range of audio content. Additionally, its Upmix Technology can transform stereo or 5.1-channel audio into a 3D sound experience. It also supports HDMI eARC, Dolby Vision, 4K UHD pass-through, and Chromecast built-in, ensuring easy connectivity. Furthermore, the Ambeo OS firmware update makes it possible to play audio in new ways.
It also features advanced wireless capabilities, including Bluetooth and AirPlay, in addition to the newly introduced AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. This soundbar has all the features you need to replace your entire surround sound system with a single device.
The Sennheiser Ambeo soundbar is equipped with an LED screen on the front, which can alert you when the television speakers are left on, the Ambeo is overheating, and when the calibration microphone needs to be connected. You can also control the brightness of the display and Ambeo LED and completely switch off the Ambeo sign, but the main display will still stay on. It has an OLED display for its status.
Sennheiser’s Ambeo Smart Control App provides effortless sound control and personalization for your Sennheiser headphones and the AMBEO Soundbar. It’s easy to use, with a quick-select Equalizer, and allows you to keep your product updated.
In addition to the highly functional App, the Sennheiser Ambeo features a room correction feature that automatically adjusts the bar’s sound based on your room’s unique acoustics. It also comes with Sennheiser’s Ambeo processing that enhances spatial immersive audio and works alongside Dolby. In addition, the Smart Control feature places effortless sound control and personalization for your Sennheiser headphones and the Ambeo Soundbar in the palm of your hand. The App even includes a new feature called Sound Check that allows users to find the best audio settings for their headphones. This feature lets you tweak the sound according to your personal preference, so you can get the most out of your listening experience.
Sonos Arc Features
With its four far-field microphones and built-in voice assistant capabilities, you can easily control your sound with voice commands. With the Sonos Arc, you can also tweak the Sonos EQ and Balance controls, ensuring you get the perfect sound for whatever you’re listening to. And with the ability to use the touch controls or the Spotify app or Sonos App, you can easily control your sound with a swipe, touch, tap, or ask.
In addition to the features above, it also comes with built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to use voice commands to control your music, movies, and other audio. Using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can do things like play a song, adjust the volume, check the weather, and control other compatible smart home devices. The Arc also features AirPlay 2 support, allowing you to directly play music from Apple devices to the soundbar.
The Sonos Arc offers an excellent feature for improved voice clarity and quality with its Speech Enhancement technology. This can be found in the Sonos app and is designed to bring out the clarity of dialogue while still providing the user with a powerful, immersive sound. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone who wants to clearly understand what’s being said in films and shows. The Sonos Arc also has a Night Sound feature, which allows for reduced intensity of loud sound effects like guns firing, helicopter noises, and car crashes while still allowing for people’s voices to be heard. This makes it an excellent choice for those who don’t want to be startled by loud noises late at night.
If we compare the apps, the Sonos App is a far superior experience to the Sennheiser app. Overall, the Sonos app is a much better choice for customizing and optimizing your soundbar audio experience and has a better average rating on the app store compared to the Sennheiser smart control app.
The Features Verdict
In terms of features, the Sonos is ahead, and the App is far more polished than the Sennheiser app, which is quite glitchy and needs improvement. In addition, the number of audio features included with the Sonos is impressive.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: The Remote Control
Sennheiser Ambeo Remote Control
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar has a remote control that offers a decent amount of functionality. The remote is easy to use and has the necessary buttons to control all the functions of the soundbar. The remote also has dedicated buttons for various sound modes, such as movies, music, and gaming. Additionally, it has dedicated buttons for adjusting the bass and treble. The remote also has a mute button and an EQ button for adjusting the equalizer. With the remote, users can easily access the soundbar’s features and make the necessary adjustments to get the best sound possible. To get more control over the soundbar, you will need to download the Sennheiser Smart control app, as many of the functions found in the App are not available on the remote control.
Sonos Arc Remote Control
One drawback of the Sonos Arc may be the absence of a remote control. This may be fine if you use the Sonos app to control the soundbar, but some people prefer a physical remote. However, most people in the modern generation have smartphones, so Sonos probably didn’t even bother making a remote control for the soundbar. That being said, the App for controlling this soundbar is excellent and has a lot of functionality. As discussed in another section of this article, the Sonos app is far superior to the Sennheiser app and is much more usable.
Remote control Verdict
The verdict is where things get interesting. The Sennheiser comes with a remote, so that would mean the Sennheiser would win by default. However, the actual remote control provided by Sennheiser is basic and doesn’t provide the level of functionality you would expect from a soundbar remote that costs $2000 plus dollars. So yes, we like that the Sennheiser comes with a remote, but the remote control could be more impressive.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: Pricing
Sennheiser Ambeo Pricing
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is a high-end soundbar with a hefty price tag. When it was released, the RRP of this soundbar was over two thousand dollars, making it among the most expensive soundbars on the market. Although you can now find this soundbar for around two thousand dollars, it is still a significant amount of money to pay for it. The price tag may be too expensive to justify the purchase for many people, especially compared to the much cheaper Sonos Arc.
Sonos Arc Pricing
The Sonos Arc is priced at around $799.99, making it considerably cheaper than the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar. While this is still a hefty price tag for a soundbar, it is much more affordable than its competitor. Even when shopping around, it isn’t easy to find the Sonos Arc for a significant amount under its RRP. In fact, some sellers on Amazon and eBay are selling the soundbar for even more than the RRP. This is a testament to its popularity and quality, making it an excellent option for those looking for a high-end soundbar without breaking the bank.
The Pricing Verdict
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is a high-end piece of technology, and its hefty price tag reflects this. At an RRP of over $2500, it is significantly more expensive than the Sonos Arc, which retails at $799.99. While the Ambeo is an excellent soundbar with plenty of features, it is hard to justify the extra money to the average movie lover. The Sonos Arc offers a great audio experience at a much more affordable price, making it the winner in terms of pricing is concerned.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs. Sonos Arc: What’s Included In The Box?
What’s Included With The Sennheiser Ambeo
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is an impressive piece of technology, and its package is no different. Inside the box, you get the soundbar, a power cable, a quick start manual, and a simple remote control. You also get a room correction microphone to optimize the soundbar’s audio output according to your living room environment. It is a helpful feature, but most people probably won’t even use it.
What’s Included With The Sonos Arc
The Sonos Arc is well packaged, and everything is neatly organized once you open up the box. Inside the box, you’ll find the soundbar and all the needed cables for connecting it to your TV. It also includes a power cord and a user manual. They also give you an HDMI cable and a useful HDMI to optical cable converter, allowing you to connect the soundbar to an optical port. However, keep in mind that you lose Dolby Atmos functionality by doing this.
The Verdict For What’s Included In The Box
Both soundbars have the necessary accessories to get you started, but we love the HDMI to optical converter included with the Sonos Arc, which is a nice touch.
Sennheiser Ambeo vs Sonos Arc: The Final Verdict
The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is the clear winner when it comes to soundbars. Its powerful speaker array and stunning, high-quality design deliver an incredibly immersive 3D sound experience. It also features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support for a truly cinematic sound. Its Auto Room Correction tool ensures that the sound quality is perfectly optimized for any size room. The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is an excellent choice for those wanting an all-in-one soundbar that looks as good as it sounds.
The Sonos Arc is a terrific soundbar also, and for how much less it costs compared to the Sennheiser, it stood toe to toe well with the Sennheiser. However, the Sennheiser truly delivers a brilliant sound experience, and if you have the budget to spend on the Sennheiser, then we recommend it. There isn’t much wrong to say about the Sonos Arc, it was just up against a formidable competitor in the Sennheiser Ambeo, and overall we love both soundbars.
Yes, they both have their weaknesses in that the Sennheiser is overly bulky and can overheat at times if kept too close to other objects, and the Sonos Arc lacks ports for connectivity. However, they are both still terrific soundbars, and you won’t be disappointed with either of them.
Conclusion
When deciding between the Sennheiser Ambeo and the Sonos Arc, it’s essential to consider your specific needs. The Ambeo offers a powerful surround sound experience with excellent sound quality, making it an ideal choice for serious audio enthusiasts. It is also compatible with many audio components, so you can build your own sound system. On the other hand, the Sonos Arc offers simplicity and convenience, with easy setup and voice control capabilities. The Arc is an excellent option if you’re looking for an all-in-one soundbar that can deliver clear and dynamic sound with minimal fuss. Both offer high-quality performance and features, so the decision ultimately comes down to personal preference.
We hope you enjoyed this Sennheiser Ambeo vs. Sonos Arc comparison and please do let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!
FAQ’s
What Makes The Sonos Arc A Great Soundbar?
The Sonos Arc is an excellent soundbar due to its superior construction and improved soundstage performance. It has eight oblong subwoofers, three silk tweeters, and eleven drivers. The soundbar also has upward-firing speakers to ensure the sound is alluring and rational. With its built-in IR receiver, users can adjust the volume, pause or resume the music, and silence the microphone with the touch of a finger. Additionally, it supports Dolby Atmos, Trueplay software, and Wi-Fi connectivity, making it a versatile soundbar that can provide users with an immersive listening experience. It has excellent sound clarity and bass response, making it the perfect choice for content with lots of dialogue.
Can The Sonos Arc Still Work Well Without Wi-Fi?
The Sonos Arc soundbar can still work without Wi-Fi but to a limited extent. It requires a network to connect the control device, the speaker network, and between the speakers. The speaker can only be used as a standalone device if there is no Wi-Fi connection. Therefore, it is vital to have a strong Wi-Fi connection for the Sonos Arc soundbar to work correctly. The Sonos Arc also comes with built-in voice assistant support, requiring a Wi-Fi connection.
What Is Ambeo Mode With The Sennheiser Ambeo?
The Ambeo Mode with the Sennheiser Ambeo is a unique feature that allows users to experience an immersive sound. It uses three different modes – light, boost, and standard – to blend a stereo sound into the impression of surround sound. The strength of the soundbar’s ability to blend the sound can be controlled by turning on or off the Ambeo Mode. This feature works best when listening to 3D content and creates a realistic, three-dimensional soundscape. Furthermore, the soundbar has a remote that allows users to easily switch between the different modes.
Why Is The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar So Expensive?
This is due to its state-of-the-art features, which make it an exceptional product. It has 3D sound processing, excellent audio quality, and excellent connectivity options such as Chromecast and Bluetooth support. It is also compatible with Dolby Atmos and has a built-in microphone array for voice commands and conversations. Additionally, it has a sleek design and excellent sound quality for a large, open room with very high or vaulted ceilings. These features make the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar a premium product, making it one of the most expensive soundbars on the market.