Build quality:

Comparing Sennheiser Ambeo Plus vs Max, the Max bar is longer in width. It is larger and twice the heavier of that of Ambeo Plus. These soundbars are a great option to pair with larger TVs like 75 to 80”. They come with a wall mounting option which is ideal for users who want to save some space. They are made of good quality plastic and covered with fabric grille.

On both side of the top panel in Ambeo Max, there are metal grilles. You can remove the fabric of the Ambeo Plus and clean it if you want to. The build quality of the Ambeo Max seems a bit more sturdier than the Ambeo Max.

Audio performance:

Comparing Sennheiser Ambeo Plus vs Max, the Max is a 5.1.4 channel soundbar whereas the Plus has 5.1.2 channel configuration. Sennheiser Ambeo Plus soundbar has a total of 9 driver array for front, sides and upward channels. It is suggested to place the soundbar so that the distance from left, right walls and ceiling is between 3.3125' to 16.4375'. Ambeo Virtualization Technology ensures immersive surround sound. It has impressive sonic performance along with good tonality and accuracy.

Inside the bar, there are 4” dual subwoofers that produces deep and tight bass. It will connect with AMBEO Sub wirelessly. It is an 8” subwoofer which will deliver punchier bass with adequate rumble. The soundbar has wide and dynamic soundstage. During movies, the bar can deliver cinematic sound with accurate soundtracks. With dedicated center channel, the voices are crystal clear. So, listening to dialogues even when whispering is not a problem at all. This is the same for Ambeo Max.

Sennheiser Ambeo Max has a total of 13 drivers. It focuses on producing multidimensional sound space. With the Equalizer in the Ambeo Max soundbar, user can choose sound profiles and different EQ. It has better bass than the Plus soundbar. It also shows better performance with movies. Consider this a high-ends standalone soundbar that has excellent clarity and detail. Use the Ambeo 3D mode to achieve an accurate soundstage.

Along with Ambeo 3D, side-firing drivers help to get an immersive surround sound. Comparing Sennheiser Ambeo Max vs Plus, the Max has more impactful and engulfing surrounds. Along with surrounds, the Max bar excels in Atmos effects. They are powerful, prominent and ensures movies watching is a bliss. With a SPL of over 100 dB, the Ambeo Max can get louder than the Ambeo Plus soundbar.

Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and Max soundbars offer different Ambeo 3D modes like Light, Regular, Boost, or Off. They use microphones to perform auto room calibration with microphones. Wall reflections help in this task. In case you add subwoofer, the soundbar will again run room calibration. In case you are watching movies at nighttime, use the Night mode. When placing the bars, the distance between the TV and bar should be around 4”. The user should sit 6.5’ from the bar.  

Features:

While both supports 4k@60Hz, the Ambeo Max supports ALLM as well which is known for gaming. The soundbars support major and latest features like HDCP 2.2, eARC and HDR. As a result, connecting the latest TVs with few wires or having the best video version are available for users. The bars have Chromecast built-in that allows streaming from contents instantly from Android and Apple devices. It allows streaming from cloud and other apps like Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, YouTube Music, etc.

With multiroom support, you can pair other Chromecast enabled speakers and place them in different rooms. For this, you need to use the Google Home app. While listening to music, 360 Reality Audio feature will enhance the sound making it realistic and lifelike. Popular apps like Spotify and Tidal Connect are available. They are UPnP compatible which means users can stream contents from UPnP server.

Connectivity:

Sennheiser Ambeo Plus and Max soundbars have similar connection ports. The Plus has 2 HDMI in, HDMI eARC, Ethernet, RCA in, optical in and sub out. In Ambeo Max, there are 3 HDMI in and other ports are similar. They are versatile because they support both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in terms of connectivity.

While the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus has Bluetooth 5.0 version that can connect to 6 devices, the Ambeo Max has the 4.2 version which connects to 8 devices.

Control options:

Using the Smart control app, you can get access to multiple audio settings and options like Surround Sound Virtualizer (to enhance surround sound), Sound profile (Movie, Music, News, Sports, etc), Voice/night mode, etc. Basic control options are available on the bars including Power On/Off, Source Selection, Volume Up/Down, Mute, Media Playback, and Bluetooth Pairing.

Comparing Sennheiser Ambeo Plus vs Max, the Plus soundbar has built-in Alexa and Google Assistant support. So, controlling the bar hands-free is possible. This is missing in the Ambeo Max. The Ambeo Max will work with Google Assistant via 3^rd party Google Assistant device.

Cost:

The Sennheiser Ambeo Plus vs Max comparison shows the Ambeo Max is costlier than the Ambeo Plus. So, if you have price limitation, then you can go for the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus.

FAQ:

What is the best alternative to Sennheiser Ambeo Max?

You can check the Sonos Arc instead of the Sennheiser Ambeo Max. You can adjust the bass and treble levels. Multiroom audio system with Sonos ecosystem is easy as breeze. Overall, Sonos Arc is more versatile and affordable.