Unlike the Soundbar Plus, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini will not feel out of place in front of a 32-inch television… it is just about that size.
This is where the Ambeo Soundbar Mini comes into play, literally a mini version of the Plus, this too can be yoked with the Sennheiser subwoofer. Unlike the Soundbar Plus (review), the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini will not feel out of place in front of a 32-inch television… it is just about that size. However, the subwoofer that comes with it is not smaller, it is the same as the one with the Plus model.
There is an LED Ambeo branding on the front that lights up when the speaker is on. There are touch panels on top for volume controls, play/pause and Bluetooth. There is a small LED strip that tells you the volume status as well as the progress when you are doing a software update. Set us easy using the Sennheiser app and you can connect the soundbar directly to your Wi-Fi so that it can stream directly from apps like Spotify.
It can also work with smart assistants like Alexa once it has been set up with the app. I also like this Wi-Fi streaming feature because even if you are using it to play songs via Bluetooth from the phone, it will not be interrupted in case you get an incoming call. The app also lets you calibrate the speaker for the room it has been placed in. This takes a few minutes and once done, the soundbar would have placed the 7.1.4 virtual speakers across the room.
There are presets for you to switch from music to movie mode, but also the ability to adjust the volume of the subwoofer only. There are many layers to the audio playback on the Ambeo Soundbar Mini. Let’s start with the aspect of using this via HDMI Arc to watch a movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I have for months been struggling with the Amazon Prime app on my OnePlus TV (review) which seems to have a volume issue with some movies. Even at full volume, you can hardly nearly the dialogues.
But with the Ambeo Soundbar Mini plugged in you can hear even dragonflies move in the Our Planet Show on Netflix, where you can actually search for titles that offer the Dolby Atmos experience. Even with Amazon, I’m now planning to replay some movies I struggled with earlier because of the low volume. Despite the relatively small size of the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, it can really fill the room and offer a 3D effect of sorts with audio elements scattered across the plane. Watching Mowgli, it was almost like you could hear the jungle thrive all around you.
And while you are playing these titles, you can check on the app and see that it is streaming on Dolby Atmos with all 12 channels enabled. This changes when you listening via a music app on the TV or just streaming from the phone using Bluetooth. While the app shows that this is done via just two channels, the experience is sublime and the bass is just right. Listening to my morning playlists on Apple Music or Spotify, the soundbar offers a balanced playback. It does not amp up bass just because it has a subwoofer yoked to it.
I loved how the remote lets you select a voice mode or even switch to music. And there is even a news mode which thankfully cuts down the cacophony and makes the studio din somewhat bearable. Asking Alexa to play a Tuhire from Bombay, you realise how rich the audio capabilities are.
With the subwoofer adding some oomph to the signature BGM as the six speakers on the soundbar take care of Hariharan and Chitra’s soulful rendition as well as the rest of the iconic arrangement. Switching to Cherathukal from Kumbalangi Nights you realise that the music is not actually coming from where the soundbar is, but actually from a soundscape around it. The humming is like a curtain with the violin and Sithara’s voice peeking in at times but stepping out of the soundscape like a 3D movie.
I could almost see the photoluminescence of the Kochi backwaters come to life in my Noida flat. There are no issues as such with the soundbar. But ensure your Wi-Fi is stable, or you will have trouble using the app which needs the connectivity to show the device on your phone. Also, there are times when you are playing music from Bluetooth and moving to maybe a movie on the TV and the source does not switch seamlessly.
