Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini was unveiled at IFA 2023 It is the latest addition to Sennheiser's popular single soundbar series and the third model in the German audio manufacturer's Ambeo Soundbar series It follows the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus, which was introduced earlier this year

As its name suggests, the Mini is the smallest model in the Ambeo series to date, with a footprint similar to Denon's 550 home soundbar However, to fit the compact form factor, it omits some of the equipment and performance power of the five best TV upgrades I tested, targeting mid-sized TV screens like the best 50-inch TVs But they are not cheap

Despite its small size, it claims 250 watts of power for 714 channels (seven phantom full-range channels, one sub-bass, and four Dolby Atmos channels) Like its larger siblings, the Soundbar Mini uses Ambeo virtualization technology to play Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Reality Audio soundtracks and up-mix stereo TV and music content While not the same as having dedicated surround speakers behind you, it is more effective in providing an immersive viewing experience after a self-calibration process that adapts the output sound to the acoustics of the room in which the Ambeo speakers are installed

For a comparison of the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini with the company's other Ambeo models and Tom's Guide's pick for the best Dolby Atmos soundbar today, keep scrolling to read my full review

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini is now available at Sennheiser stores and online, including Amazon, for $799/£699/1,299 Australian dollars This is about half the price of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, which was released earlier this year for $1,499/£1,299/$2,399 AUD, and about one-third the price of the original Ambeo Soundbar Max at $2,499

Despite the new low price point for the Sennheiser Ambeo model, it is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars available and is only $100 less than Sonos' flagship Sonos Arc soundbar The price of the soundbar mini seems high, especially considering that Yamaha's new SR-B40A is $399 with Dolby Atmos and a wireless subwoofer

Sennheiser requires the Ambeo Sub to be purchased separately, priced at $699 / £649 / AU$1,119, but the new Ambeo Soundbar Mini and Ambeo Sub package is available on Amazon for $1,399

As one might expect from its name, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini is very compact At approximately 28 inches long, 26 inches tall, and 73 pounds, it is more suitable for the living room than the Ambeo Soundbar Plus The Soundbar Mini has a black fabric grille similar to that of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus

Wireless connectivity supports streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect 1x HDMI output port (eARC support) There is a powered USB port, but no Ethernet port; Alexa and Siri voice assistants are built in, and it can be wall-mounted

Although I couldn't find it at first, the packaging includes a remote control that covers all basic operations and preset modes However, to discover more detailed facilities and functions, we recommend downloading the Sennheiser Smart Control App There are also touch controls along the top surface, but I found it unnecessary to use them

One oddity, as with the design of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, is that the light strip indicating the volume level setting is on the far side of the mini's top plate From my position on the couch, I could barely see the display and volume level

As with the Ambeo Soundbar Plus review, Sennheiser provided me with the matching Ambeo Sub, an 8-inch woofer driven by a 350W Class D amplifier, also powered by Ambeo's virtualization technology Once configured as part of my Soundbar Mini setup, the self-calibration process optimizes its performance to integrate with the Soundbar Mini and the room acoustics If you are an enthusiastic tuner (as I am), you can further adjust the settings to your liking using Sennheiser's Smart Control app

On its own, the Ambeo Soundbar Mini did a good enough job of lifting on-screen dialogue to give weight to voices during news broadcasts that the TV's built-in speakers cannot achieve TV dramas like Netflix's "Breaking Bad" performed mostly satisfactorily, but the Soundbar Mini by itself lacked bass weight, making for a lackluster viewing experience If you want more oomph from heavy dramas or atmospheric movies, you'll need to add a sub

Hans Zimmer's score for the film Dune sounded dramatic and immersive with the Ambeo Sub paired with the Soundbar Mini If you want to experience a particularly impactful film, you will likely feel inadequate without the Sub

Also, when Dialogue mode is selected, the frequency of the voices is higher than the main action Without this mode, the voice will sound blurred and dialogue will be difficult to understand This mode is also helpful in clear news broadcasts, where the voice sounds clearer and easier to hear through the mini

The Room Calibration mode appeared to give the Sennheisers a worthwhile boost in overall sound performance in my brief hands-on testing In addition, when the Ambeo mode was enabled, the soundstage seemed slightly wider and more enveloping

Like the Ambeo Soundbar Plus, the Adaptive Ambeo mode switches based on the type of content being played from the speakers and can also be selected from five preset modes: Music, Movie, Neutral, News, and Sports It can also be selected from five preset modes: Music, Movie, Neutral, News, and Sports The Movie mode gave the most consistent and satisfying results for my room and ears

Based on my listening, most users will want to add an Ambeo Sub to enhance the Mini's sound output While the sub helps to extend the lower portion of the frequency range, there is still some low midrange that neither the Soundbar Mini nor the Ambeo Sub can output For this reason, some TV shows can sound a bit thin when watching regular studio broadcasts where no subwoofer is used, but they come into their own on some of the best streaming services with multi-channel soundtracks

While it brings a worthwhile boost to Sennheiser's Ambeo Soundbar collection, the Ambeo Sub is not the best model I have encountered The Soundbar Mini can be paired with up to four Ambeo Subs for what Sennheiser calls "the ultimate immersive bass experience" This may sound like overkill, but it will prove useful when it is difficult to drive a room to come alive with high-octane sound

Sennheiser's Ambeo Soundbar Mini is really neat looking The virtual Dolby Atmos sound experience impresses from such a compact soundbar, but Sennheiser's price structure is less than impressive The Soundbar Mini is considerably less expensive than the Soundbar Plus version, but the price of $799/£699/1,299 AUD still seems high, especially considering that the majority of buyers will want to add a commensurate sub for the best performance Feels