I’ve reviewed a lot of soundbars and this is the one to buy on Black Friday

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends Am I a soundbar expert? That title always leaves me with a huge sense of impostor syndrome. What I can say is that I’ve reviewed a lot of them in the past five years — everything from the bare-bones Amazon Fire TV Soundbar to the huge LG S95QR multispeaker home theater replacement — and that gives me a pretty good sense of what’s out there, and what’s worth buying. This Black Friday, if I were to pick just one of the many excellent soundbar deals to be had, I’d grab the Dolby Atmos-capable Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus .

To me, a great Black Friday deal is all about getting a chance to buy a product that was financially out of reach when it was regularly priced. Considering that the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is normally $1,500, I’m guessing it’s normally too expensive for a lot of folks. On Black Friday, however, it’s down to $1,000 (33% off).

And while that’s still a serious investment in sound, it’s as low as I’ve ever seen it. Of the many soundbars that have ended up in my home for testing, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is one of the few Dolby Atmos soundbars that has been able to give my Dolby Atmos home theater system a serious run for its money. I still believe that if you want to buy a single speaker — just a soundbar, with no subwoofer and no extra surround speakers — the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus is the best you can get.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends Sennheiser’s virtualization (clever software that makes it seem like you have speakers all around your room) is incredibly impressive. Dolby Atmos is all about being placed under a dome of sound, with the sound of bullets whizzing by your ears and helicopters roaring overhead. It’s normally only possible with installed ceiling speakers and at least one set of surround satellites.

The Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus manages to pull off these Atmos audio acrobatics without either accessory. Don’t Miss: You can add a subwoofer if you want (your choice of wired or wireless), and it will absolutely add to the impact, but you don’t have to — the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus has its own built-in subwoofers and they perform very well all on their own. Unlike many other soundbars at this price, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus has a slew of HDMI inputs — and even a few analog inputs — which means you’re essentially replacing an AV receiver , as well as the speakers themselves.

Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity gives it impeccable streaming credentials that are made even better with Apple AirPlay and Chromecast compatibility. There is only one caveat with the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus: Sennheiser doesn’t make wireless surrounds for this speaker, so consider it a one-and-done purchase. A subwoofer is the only way to expand its capability (but you can add two of those if that makes you feel better).

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