Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Mini vs Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AMBEO Soundbar Mini compared with BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8
SennheiserAMBEO Soundbar MiniSonyBRAVIA Theatre Bar 8
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2023April 2024
Sound
TypeSoundbarSoundbar
Channels7.1.4 (virtual)5.0.2
Dolby AtmosYesYes
DriversSix drivers, with two 100 mm cellulose woofers and four 40 mm cellulose full-range drivers; front and side placement in the maker manual, without dedicated upward-firing drivers. The 7.1.4 presentation is virtualised11 speaker units in an acoustic-suspension enclosure; 45 × 90 mm front and centre cone speakers, 10 mm front soft-dome tweeters, a 22 mm centre soft-dome tweeter, and 46 × 54 mm up-firing and side speakers
AmplifiersSix Class D amplifiers, total 250 W RMSS-Master HX digital amplifier, 11 channels
Frequency response43 Hz–20 kHz (-3 dB)–
Audio formatsDolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, multichannel LPCM, MPEG-H and Sony 360 Reality AudioOver HDMI eARC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and LPCM up to 192 kHz/24-bit; 360 Reality Audio; High-Resolution Audio
Room tuningAutomatic AMBEO calibration using four microphones, adaptive sound, stereo upmixing, adjustable presets, equaliser, Voice Enhancement and Night ModeSound Field Optimization; 360 Spatial Sound Mapping; Voice mode and Night mode; DSEE Ultimate; Voice Zoom 3 and Acoustic Center Sync with compatible BRAVIA TVs
Connections
Wi-FiYesYes
BluetoothYesYes
AirPlayYesYes
HDMI eARCYesYes
Voice assistantsAlexaNone
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz, 2 × 2 MIMOWi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 Classic/BLE with SBC and AAC audio; Bluetooth 5.2 BLE and LC3 are for the separate AMBEO Sub connectionBluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC and LDAC (receiving); A2DP and AVRCP
PortsOne HDMI 2.1 eARC connection and USB-A for accessory power/service; no separate HDMI inputs, optical, analogue or Ethernet connectionsHDMI eARC/ARC out to the TV; HDMI in (4K/60p 4:4:4, HDR, Dolby Vision, HLG, VRR, ALLM, HDCP 2.2); S-CENTER OUT for TV Center Speaker Mode
StreamingAirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and UPnPAirPlay; Spotify Connect; Bluetooth
Multi-roomSupports up to four separately sold wireless AMBEO Sub unitsAirPlay to several speakers; wireless SA-RS5 or SA-RS3S rear speakers and SA-SW5 or SA-SW3 subwoofers (up to two of the same model) sold separately
AppSennheiser Smart Control and browser interface for setup and sound controlsSony | BRAVIA Connect; settings also appear in the Quick Settings menu of compatible BRAVIA TVs
Design
Weight3.3 kg (better)4.7 kg
ControlsIncluded infrared remote, app, browser and soundbar touch controlsPower button on the bar; supplied remote control with SOUND FIELD, VOICE and NIGHT buttons; HDMI CEC with the TV remote
MicrophonesFour far-field microphones for room calibration and voice control, with mute button; Alexa built in where supported, Google Assistant and Siri through external compatible devicesNone; Sony says the speaker system doesn't have a microphone
Mounting–Wall-mountable with the supplied brackets and template; supplied feet raise it to 76.2 mm
Size70 × 6.9 × 10.1 cm with feet, or 70 × 6.7 × 10.1 cm without feet (width × height × depth). Current UK sheet gives approximately 3.3 kg, while the shared maker manual gives approximately 3.56 kg1,100 × 64 × 113 mm (W × H × D)
ColoursBlack–
In the boxSoundbar, remote with lithium battery, HDMI cable, country-specific power cord and guides; September 2023 release confirmed by TechRadarSound bar, remote control, TV center speaker mode cable, HDMI cable, AC power cord, two feet, wall mounting brackets, screws and template, documents; batteries in some regions

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