Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Max vs Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus

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AMBEO Soundbar Max compared with AMBEO Soundbar Plus

	SennheiserAMBEO Soundbar Max	SennheiserAMBEO Soundbar Plus
Overview
Released
Released	2019	2022
Sound
Type
Type	Soundbar	Soundbar
Channels
Channels	5.1.4 virtual	7.1.4 (virtual)
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
Drivers
Drivers	Thirteen drivers; six 100 mm cellulose-sandwich low/mid drivers, five 25 mm aluminium tweeters and two 90 mm upward-firing cellulose full-range drivers. The 5.1.4 presentation is virtual surround from the bar, without rear satellites. Originally sold as AMBEO Soundbar; renamed Max in 2022 when Plus was introduced, rather than a new hardware generation	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	Thirteen class-D amplifiers; 250 W RMS and 500 W peak total audio power according to the manufacturer manual	Nine Class D amplifiers, total 400 W RMS
Frequency response
Frequency response	30 Hz–20 kHz (-3 dB, manufacturer)	38 Hz–20 kHz (-3 dB)
Audio formats
Audio formats	Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital, DTS:X, DTS-HD and MPEG-H; multichannel LPCM. Current UK product page also lists Sony 360 Reality Audio; available formats depend on input and software	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	Included external calibration microphone measures the room and listening position; AMBEO processing uses room reflections for virtual height and surround. Light, Standard and Boost processing levels; performance depends on placement and room surfaces	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	IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; 2.4 and 5 GHz, 2×2 MIMO; wired Ethernet available	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz, 2 × 2 MIMO
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2, class 1, with SBC and AAC; NFC pairing	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	Three HDMI 2.0a inputs and one HDMI TV eARC/ARC output; up to 4K at 60 Hz with Dolby Vision passthrough. Optical S/PDIF, stereo RCA input, mono RCA subwoofer pre-out, Ethernet, USB-A accessory power/service updates and 2.5 mm calibration-microphone input; USB does not provide music-file playback	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 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and UPnP network streaming on current software; service availability varies by region	AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect with Dolby Atmos and UPnP
Multi-room
Multi-room	Network music streaming; an external subwoofer connects through the wired RCA pre-out. No wireless rear-speaker expansion is specified for Max	Supports up to four separately sold wireless AMBEO Sub units; additional rear speakers are not included
App
App	Sennheiser Smart Control for setup, calibration, equaliser, sound profiles and updates; current AMBEO OS2 adds adjustable voice enhancement	Sennheiser Smart Control and browser interface for setup, codec display and sound controls
Design
Weight
Weight	18.5 kg	6.3 kg (better)
Controls
Controls	On-bar buttons, infrared remote, OLED status display and AMBEO indicator; Movie, Music, News, Sports and Neutral profiles, plus night mode	Included infrared remote, app, browser and soundbar controls
Microphones
Microphones	Included external omnidirectional room-calibration microphone; no integrated voice assistant is specified for Max	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	Tabletop placement or optional SB01-WM wall bracket; room-calibration instructions require space around the bar and an unobstructed upward sound path	–
Size
Size	Approximately 1265 × 135 × 171 mm (W × H × D, including feet), or 1265 × 125 × 171 mm without feet, from the model SB01 manual; the UK product table rounds width to 126 cm and repeats the same height for both entries	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	Black fabric grille with brushed aluminium housing	Black
In the box
In the box	Soundbar, country-specific power cable, approximately 1 m HDMI cable, remote with CR2032 battery, calibration microphone with holder and approximately 5 m cable, quick guide and safety guide	Soundbar, remote with lithium battery, HDMI cable, power cord and guides; external subwoofer sold separately