Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo which is a better option?

Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo which is a better option?

This Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar battle that we have going on here is a real Clash of the Titans kind of affair. Both the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar and the Klipsch Cinema 1200  are two very high-end soundbars and some of the best on the market. These are Dolby Atmos powerhouse soundbars and I am going to have a heck a lot of fun putting these two bad boys against each other. These are on the expensive side so that is something to consider, but you are certainly getting your money’s worth with both of these.

 

The Price

I will warn you that this price category in this Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar contest is going to be quite an eye-opener. These are certainly at the higher end of the pricing spectrum, but if you are looking at either of these you clearly are wanting the cinema at home experience with both of these.

 

Klipsch Cinema 1200:

Klipsch Cinema 1200 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos Sound Bar and Surround Sound System

I have to be honest and I know that the asking price for the Klipsch Cinema 1200 is far from being cheap, but I actually think that this is a hell of a deal when you really look at it. It has an asking price of $1,899,95, but you are getting more than just a soundbar here. You are getting a full surround sound system that also offers you Dolby Atmos. I have to say if you have a home theatre, getting a full Dolby Atmos surround sound setup for under 2 grand is not a bad deal at all in my humble opinion. From the digging around that I did, there are not tons of deals for this floating around as I write this. on eBay, it is a freaking mess with people trying to sell just the satellite speakers or just the soundbar and so on.

 

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar:

SENNHEISER AMBEO Soundbar - Sound Bars for TV with Subwoofer (13 Speakers) - 5.1.4 Channel with Dolby Atmos & DTS:X Soundbars for TV - Home Theater Audio with deep 30Hz Bass

There is a pretty big jump in the price for the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar. This has an asking price of $2,499,99 so it is not for your average Joe looking to get better sound than his TV speakers are giving him. this is a very high end kind of soundbar. Offering Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but it is a standalone soundbar. Still, the design does make it fill the room with sound. Sennheiser only makes high-end products and this soundbar is a prime example of that. I know that two and a half grand is a lot of money, but I still would not say that this is overpriced. At the time I was writing this article, I looked on eBay and I could not find a single one of these on there! You might be able to save a little money if you shop around, but it does not appear to be a soundbar that has a lot of money saving deals available for it.

 

The Verdict:

The Klipsch Cinema 1200 is the winner here for me. Not just because it is several hundred bucks cheaper than the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar, but I just feel that you are getting a better all around deal with that. Plus, just think of all the stuff you could buy or do with all that extra money!

 

The Design

I am pretty pumped up about the design category in our this Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar battle of the giant’s thing that we have going on here today. These are two epic looking behemoths and they both have a very cool and interesting style about them.

 

Klipsch Cinema 1200:

If you want to see exactly what you are getting with this, I suggest you have a watch of this fun Unbox This! – Klipsch Cinema 1200 Dolby Atmos Sound Bar! video. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, the Klipsch Cinema 1200 is a pretty damn big soundbar. The dimensions are, 54” x 17” x 9.5” so as you can see, it takes up a lot of space. The design of the actual soundbar is a real hit and miss kind of thing for me. I like how it has a very cool looking grill that covers not just the front, but the top as well. The way it highlights where the up firing Dolby Atmos speakers are is a very nice touch. The part of the soundbar that I do not like is the grey areas on the side that just stick out like a sore thumb. If I am being honest, they cheapen the look of the entire soundbar! You have plenty of connection options around the back with an HDMI Arc, two regular HDMI, and a USB port as well. It is kind of surprising that there is no optical port on here, but this is a Dolby Atmos soundbar to be fair.

We do also have to talk about the subwoofer which is awesome. It is a great addition to the package and it has a very smart style about it. It has these little feet that give it a ton of personality. The wooden finish the subwoofer has is something that I am a massive fan of. As for the satellite speakers, these are designed to have a similar kind of style as the subwoofer and they have a pretty solid feel to them which I liked. Klipsch gives you one hell of an awesome remote control with this system. It is nice and large and it has a ton of buttons for you to play around with. They do also allow you to use the Klipsch app to control the soundbar as well if you prefer.

 

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar:

I am a huge fan of what Sennheiser has done with their Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar. This thing is one of the best built soundbars that I have ever had the pleasure to hold. It just has a very high-end feel about it and its dimensions being 49.8” x 6.73” x 5.31” make it a very imposing and impressive looking piece of technology. I really like the way that the sides of this thing are angled and not just straight like most other soundbars are. It gives this a style that is well and truly all of its own. The only gripe that I have about the design is the grill, it is fabric! I feel at this kind of price range at the very least it should be plastic, a metal one would be better, but I would accept a plastic one. It looks great, but I find fabric grills to be a dust magnet which can be a pain in the butt.

The best feature (apart from the angled sides) of the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is the top of it. It is a mixture of metal and plastic and it just looks so awesome! It really does ooze style and if it were not for that fabric grill, it would be my perfect design for a soundbar. Around the back of the soundbar, we have an HDMI Arc port and a very impressive three other HDMI ports. They also include an optical port as well as an RCA so you are well and truly covered when it comes to connectivity. They give you a very smartly designed remote control with this. It is not super long, but it is nice and chunky (that’s what she said) and it feels great to play around with. They give you plenty of control of the soundbar with this remote control, but you can always download and use the app if you want.

 

The Verdict:

I have to say that if it were not for those awful grey plastic sides on the Klipsch Cinema 1200, this would be a tough one to call. However, even though I am not a huge fan of a fabric grill, the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar takes this round, I love the shape of the soundbar and it just has that premium look and feel you would expect a product at this price range to have.

 

The Sound

Remember the epic fight at the end of The Karate Kid between Daniel and Johnny? Well, that is the kind of epic fight we have here in the sound round of this Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar fight. Only they are fighting for more than just to win the All Valley Tournament!

 

Klipsch Cinema 1200:

When I heard I was getting the chance to try out the Klipsch Cinema 1200, I could not have been any more excited. A surround sound system with Dolby Atmos capabilities? Sign me the heck up. The level of Dolby Atmos that this offers is great and I was very impressed at the way it bounced that sound up and got it back down to me. I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which was made much better thanks to the incredible Dolby Atmos track that it had and this system showcased. I am not sure I would put it at the top of my wow factor list when it comes to Dolby Atmos, but it was loud and very impressive.

Of course, the real selling point of the Klipsch Cinema 1200 is the fact that it also comes with a subwoofer and a set of satellite speakers as well. I watched the reboot of the Blair Witch and the way the sound hit me from all angles made it an even creepier experience. Look, soundbars have come a long way in terms of offering a kind of surround sound experience. However, nothing can replace a subwoofer and a set of speakers behind you, add to this the up-firing Dolby Atmos speakers and you really do have something amazing. The overall balance that this system provides you really is impressive a classic that I love is The Black Cauldron and the way you can clearly hear what is being said, no matter what else is going on in the scene is fantastic.

 

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar:

I would have to say that I have probably tested close to or even over 100 soundbars and not many have blown me away as the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar did. Before I give you my thoughts, I think that this Sennheiser AMBEO 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos Soundbar | Crutchfield does a great job of showing off how impressive this soundbar is. I have to start by talking about Dolby Atmos and this is perhaps the best Dolby Atmos I have heard from a soundbar. I do not even know how to put into words how good it was, the opening driving scene in Baby Driver was so good, that I skipped the Blu-Ray back to watch it again! I love to talk about soundbars, but I really do not think that I have the skills to truly do justice to just how good this thing is. It also offers you DTS:X support as well, meaning that it is perfect if you want a modern sounding home theatre system.

Even though this is lacking the dedicated subwoofer and satellite speakers that the Klipsch is offering you, you will not be disappointed. To start with this packs some serious bass, just watch a movie like Transformers: Dark of the Moon and try telling me that this is lacking in the bass department. It also gives you some of the best balanced room filling sound you can get from just a soundbar. I would never go as far as to say it is full surround, but it is as close as you can get. My son and I watched Jumanji with this and we both at times felt that the sound was coming from behind us. The overall balance of sound is great with this, I would probably not even argue if someone told me it was the most well balanced sound they had heard coming out of a soundbar. It just ticks all of the boxes of what you would want from a soundbar when it comes to the actual sound.

 

The Verdict:

I have to say that I thought this would be harder to call than it was. The Klipsch Cinema 1200 is fantastic, it really is. However, I just think that the level of Dolby Atmos and the fact you get DTS:X support as well makes the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar the winner here. The surround sound is great and all, but I have to say in my home theatre, I would take the Ambeo over it!

 

Which Is The Better Soundbar?

As we come to the end of our Klipsch Cinema 1200 vs Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar battle I have the task of picking which one I liked the best. I have to say that if it were not for those horrible grey sides on the Klipsch Cinema 1200, it may have put up a better fight. However, I have to give this contest to the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar. It offers you DTS:X which you do not get with the 1200, plus I feel that it has a better and more impressive Dolby Atmos experience as well. The 1200 is still an awesome system, however, side by side with the Ambeo, I know I would pick the Ambeo every time.

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