I bought a Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar from the Sennheiser Shop that used to be on Pitt St in Sydney.
Within a couple of months It had to be returned as the midrange sound stopped working. At that point they replaced it altogether with a new Soundbar, a couple of months later, all of the bass dropped out and they said that they’d repair it (which they did). a couple of weeks ago it got really hot and then died. So this is the third repair required in since I bought it in 2021. The challenge I’m facing is that sennheiser doesn’t have a presence in Australia anymore, they’re distributed by Sonova who have then directed me to a phone number in Sydney for Sennheiser that doesn’t connect.
I’m obviously extremely disappointed as this was a $4000 AUD investment. Can anyone please shed light on what my next steps are? Happy to go full nuclear options at this point
It might be worth trying the Sennheiser online form to see if they will respond using this method:
As it is a high end product, one would expect it to have alive of many years trouble free. As your sound bar system has failed several times in its young life, under the Australian Consumer Law, this would be classed as a major fault. As such, you can request a refund or a repair of your choosing.
Hopefully Sennheiser uphold your rights under the Australian Consumer Law and provide you with an acceptable solution.
They might also request proof that the soundbar again has a fault to provide you with a refund. They may also request the item to be returned to them (or Sonova) which they should pay for (as outlined in the ACCC website).
Hi @Glare . Mike I would be interested to know what you have driving the Sennheiser Ambeo . In audiophile circles Sennheiser is a very respected name . I would definitely follow @phb 's advice to contact Sennheiser support .
Wow. $4000 dollars. That is twice what I spent on my full surround system with Yamaha amp and controller, center speaker, left and right front speakers with big 10" bass just as good as a sub-woofer times two, and a pair of real rear speakers.
There are a number of high end audio brands, priced accordingly. EG BOSE, Bang & Olufsen, etc. All market products on the premise they can offer something extra, in performance (technical specifications), style, symbolism etc.
Today, just a personal observation, the difference between everyday consumer products and high end is far less at the ear than it once was. There’s still a difference, even if most of us are satisfied with the quality of our average priced purchases.
Learned years ago about the law of diminishing returns with sound systems. Bottom end price is generally rubbish. Middle price the sweet spot, and high end prices add very little benefit for the substantially extra money paid if the source of the sound was bad in the first place. Like TV, or radio, records and early CDs, or the execrable MP3.
A soundbar does not give immersive surround sound. It cannot ever give the gut wobbling bass that a pair of big front speakers with the combo bass, mid, and treble with crossover filtering gives. A sound bar with maybe a dozen little treble sized speakers trying to push enough air as a single big bass speaker does just seem pointless.
But of course going off topic. The issue is an overly expensive product from a company that seems to be more focussed on hearing aids these days than sound systems.
It’s a stand alone Soundbar. So nothing extra, it has its own onboard amp etc. When working, it’s nothing short of staggering sound quality to be brutally honest. I just can’t get past that many repairs when it comes to recommending it.
