KEF XIO vs Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus

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XIO compared with AMBEO Soundbar Plus

	KEFXIO	SennheiserAMBEO Soundbar Plus
Overview
Released
Released	July 2025	2022
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	5.1.2	7.1.4 (virtual)
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	Six 50 mm Uni-Q MX, two 50 mm full-range and four 50 × 180 mm P185 bass drivers with VECO control	Nine drivers, with two 100 mm cellulose woofers and seven 50 mm aluminium full-range drivers; 7.1.4 is the virtualised presentation, rather than a set of discrete rear speakers
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	Twelve Class D amplifiers; 820 W instantaneous total power rating	Nine Class D amplifiers, total 400 W RMS
Frequency response
Frequency response	34 Hz–20 kHz (±3 dB, measured at 85 dB/1 m); maximum SPL 102 dB at 1 m	38 Hz–20 kHz (-3 dB)
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Sony 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H	Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, multichannel LPCM, MPEG-H and Sony 360 Reality Audio
Room tuning
Room tuning	Intelligent Placement Technology; Default, Movie, Music, Direct, Dialogue and Night modes	AMBEO self-calibration with four built-in microphones; stereo upmixing, adjustable presets and equaliser, Voice Enhancement and Night Mode
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	Yes	Yes
HDMI eARC
HDMI eARC	Yes	Yes
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	Alexa
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax; 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz, 2 × 2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.0 Classic/BLE with SBC and AAC audio; LC3 is used for the separate AMBEO Sub connection, not general Bluetooth music
Ports
Ports	HDMI 2.1 eARC, optical, service USB-C, Ethernet and RCA subwoofer output; no HDMI input	Two HDMI 2.0a inputs with 4K 60 Hz and Dolby Vision passthrough; HDMI 2.1 eARC output, optical, stereo RCA input, Ethernet, mono RCA subwoofer output and USB-A for accessory power/service
Streaming
Streaming	AirPlay, Google Cast, UPnP, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and regional in-app services	AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect with Dolby Atmos and UPnP
Multi-room
Multi-room	Optional KW2 receiver for compatible wireless subwoofers. KEF still lists wireless rear-speaker support as a future firmware update.	Supports up to four separately sold wireless AMBEO Sub units; additional rear speakers are not included
App
App	KEF Connect	Sennheiser Smart Control and browser interface for setup, codec display and sound controls
Design
Weight
Weight	10.5 kg	6.3 kg (better)
Controls
Controls	Top-panel power, source, mute and volume buttons with source, Wi-Fi, volume and codec indicators; supplied infrared remote with playback, source and customisable favourite and sound-profile buttons	Included infrared remote, app, browser and soundbar controls
Microphones
Microphones	–	Four far-field microphones for room calibration and voice features; Alexa built in where supported, Google Assistant via an external compatible device and Siri through Apple HomeKit; microphone can be switched off
Mounting
Mounting	Supplied wall-mounting kit and template	–
Size
Size	1210 × 70 × 165 mm (width × height × depth)	Approximately 105.1 × 7.7 × 12.1 cm with feet, or 105.1 × 7.5 × 12.1 cm without feet (width × height × depth)
Colours
Colours	Silver Grey or Slate Black	Black
In the box
In the box	Soundbar, remote, AAA batteries, 2 m HDMI cable, 2 m power cable, wall-mounting template and kit, and printed materials	Soundbar, remote with lithium battery, HDMI cable, power cord and guides; external subwoofer sold separately