Audio Video News

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar: $2,500

At $2,500, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is not cheap but it is fully capable of delivering clean, natural sound with a solid low end and convincing surround sound from a 50-inch-wide enclosure with built-in bass capabilities. The German company known for killer headphones has put its Ambeo 3D processing technology to work in a one-box system with 13 drivers — including two upward-firing drivers and six woofers — that performs superbly with music and movie soundtracks. As reviewer Leslie Shapiro put it: “With its own calibration algorithm in a proper room, it can deliver all the benefits of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X without the hassles of a true surround system.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Convincing immersive sound
Powerful bass
Chromecast built-in for music streaming
Minus
Heavy and large
Expensive

Full Review Here

 

LG SL8YG 3.1.2 Atmos Soundbar: $600

LG teamed with the audio gurus at Meridian to produce its best sounding soundbar yet. The two-piece system supports voice controllable wireless streaming and is ready for 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos/DTS:X surround action out of the box but can be expanded to 5.1.2 playback with optional wireless surround speakers. Summing up his impressions, reviewer Al Griffin wrote: “If you're seeking extended dynamics and thorough immersion from a soundbar, you may want to look elsewhere (the $2,500 Sennheiser Ambeo, for example). But if your expectations — and budget — are more limited, this new, upscale offering from LG is well worth consideration.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Good sound quality with movies and music
3.1.2 Atmos playback
Chromecast built-in for music streaming
Minus
Wireless surround speakers not included
Center channel lacks some clarity on dynamic scenes

Full Review Here

 

Vizio M658-G1 M-Series Quantum LCD Ultra HDTV: $1,000

If you’ve budgeted a thousand bucks to spend on a new TV, you need to check out Vizio’s 65-inch M658-G1. The new M-series set combines full-array local dimming with quantum dot illumination to achieve excellent picture quality. At this price, you’ll be sacrificing some high dynamic range (HDR) pop and you won’t experience the blackest black but you will get best-in-class performance that left veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton impressed: “The brilliant colors on the animated Trolls jumped off the screen. The same held true for The Great Wall, the reds and greens of the army uniforms billowing brilliantly in the sun.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG support
Great post-calibration performance
Low price
Minus
Limited HDR brightness
Poor off-center picture uniformity
No useful motion-smoothing options

Full Review Here

To browse all Sound & Vision-recommended AV gear, broken out by category, visit our Top Picks page.