Sennheiser Ambeo smart headset

Gavinski

@andowrites said:
Has anyone made their own dead cats for these? I'm trying to work out if I can buy a pair of cheap lav mic dead cats, and snip the end off, to make a little dead cat cuff that I can slide up and over the mics.

This seems more complicated than might appear at first glance!

https://gearspace.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/30330-diy-mic-windscreen.html

andowrites

@Gavinski said:

@andowrites said:
Has anyone made their own dead cats for these? I'm trying to work out if I can buy a pair of cheap lav mic dead cats, and snip the end off, to make a little dead cat cuff that I can slide up and over the mics.

This seems more complicated than might appear at first glance!

https://gearspace.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/30330-diy-mic-windscreen.html

I suspected it might!

andowrites

@Gavinski I was thinking to buy something like these, and getting in there with a pair of sharp scissors. I might actually have a spare one or two in the back of a drawer here somewhere that I can experiment with.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microphone-Windscreen-Artificial-Lavalier-Microphones/dp/B07YYVHZ7W

Gavinski

@andowrites said:

@Gavinski said:
So I got the ugreen adapter mentioned above. Have only tested outside so far, so will report back later when I have a chance to compare using it at home with ambeo attached and connected / not connected to power, vs connecting the ambeo straight to my lightning iPad.

But:
It is definitely recording in stereo and field recording quality seems the same as recording direct via the lightning iPad.
It plays back sound in stereo.
It is charging fine from my portable charger

You don't need to charge while using btw, just incase anyone gets confused.

So this is a nice enough mobile setup. I definitely wouldn't record walkthrough videos outside, too much noise, too much reverb, but at least now I have a handy enough portable rig for simultaneously recording / monitoring / charging, which I haven't had on my USB C ipad for a while since my little Anker clip-on hub stopped working. I just hope it turns out to be a better experience than my previous experience with the Anker and Hyperdrive cable-free hubs.

I'm trying to work out what to put into search on Amazon to find one of these, as I'm not catching it so far… any model name (in English, not Chinese) or number?

I took a quick look on the ugreen amazon UK store and didn't see them. Maybe try a reverse image search on Google using this photo?

andowrites

@Gavinski said:

@andowrites said:

@Gavinski said:
So I got the ugreen adapter mentioned above. Have only tested outside so far, so will report back later when I have a chance to compare using it at home with ambeo attached and connected / not connected to power, vs connecting the ambeo straight to my lightning iPad.

But:
It is definitely recording in stereo and field recording quality seems the same as recording direct via the lightning iPad.
It plays back sound in stereo.
It is charging fine from my portable charger

You don't need to charge while using btw, just incase anyone gets confused.

So this is a nice enough mobile setup. I definitely wouldn't record walkthrough videos outside, too much noise, too much reverb, but at least now I have a handy enough portable rig for simultaneously recording / monitoring / charging, which I haven't had on my USB C ipad for a while since my little Anker clip-on hub stopped working. I just hope it turns out to be a better experience than my previous experience with the Anker and Hyperdrive cable-free hubs.

I'm trying to work out what to put into search on Amazon to find one of these, as I'm not catching it so far… any model name (in English, not Chinese) or number?

I took a quick look on the ugreen amazon UK store and didn't see them. Maybe try a reverse image search on Google using this photo?

Thanks, trying it now.

andowrites

Thanks again @Gavinski. I found one here on an EU website. Now I know the name, I can search the UK a bit deeper.

Currently on offer at €29.90, down from €49.90

https://www.kooqie.com/en/p/ugreen-type-c-to-type-c-lightning-audio-pd-60w-charging-hub-adapter-mfi-80584

andowrites

It certainly looks like the right one. Can you confirm @Gavinski?

I haven't been able to find it anywhere else so far. So EU it is.

Gavinski

@andowrites said:

It certainly looks like the right one. Can you confirm @Gavinski?

I haven't been able to find it anywhere else so far. So EU it is.

That definitely looks right and the description seems right. This is the front and back of my box if it helps at all

enkaytee

@andowrites said:

It certainly looks like the right one. Can you confirm @Gavinski?

I haven't been able to find it anywhere else so far. So EU it is.

Looks like you'll pay another €19.9 in shipping...🙁

andowrites

@enkaytee said:

@andowrites said:

It certainly looks like the right one. Can you confirm @Gavinski?

I haven't been able to find it anywhere else so far. So EU it is.

Looks like you'll pay another €19.9 in shipping...🙁

Looks that way, yes. Hence I'll be trying it with my Baseus USB hub first.

andowrites

@Gavinski said:

@andowrites said:

It certainly looks like the right one. Can you confirm @Gavinski?

I haven't been able to find it anywhere else so far. So EU it is.

That definitely looks right and the description seems right. This is the front and back of my box if it helps at all

That's the one. The product code is the same as the listing I found. 80584

Gavinski

Would be really strange if it wasn’t available in the UK. Anyway, like I say, very happy with it so far. Hope you figure something out.

Gavinski

@Gavinski said:
Would be really strange if it wasn’t available in the UK. Anyway, like I say, very happy with it so far. Hope you figure something out.

Didn’t @enkaytee write something about seeing some negative reviews on Amazon? Not sure if it was Amazon UK, but if it was, he must have tracked it down

andowrites

@Gavinski said:

@Gavinski said:
Would be really strange if it wasn’t available in the UK. Anyway, like I say, very happy with it so far. Hope you figure something out.

Didn’t @enkaytee write something about seeing some negative reviews on Amazon? Not sure if it was Amazon UK, but if it was, he must have tracked it down

I haven't managed to track one down on Amazon UK yet, but I will persevere!

enkaytee

@Gavinski said:

@Gavinski said:
Would be really strange if it wasn’t available in the UK. Anyway, like I say, very happy with it so far. Hope you figure something out.

Didn’t @enkaytee write something about seeing some negative reviews on Amazon? Not sure if it was Amazon UK, but if it was, he must have tracked it down

The reviews were for the 'standard' version, without the extra USB-C socket...

Gavinski

@enkaytee said:

@Gavinski said:

@Gavinski said:
Would be really strange if it wasn’t available in the UK. Anyway, like I say, very happy with it so far. Hope you figure something out.

Didn’t @enkaytee write something about seeing some negative reviews on Amazon? Not sure if it was Amazon UK, but if it was, he must have tracked it down

The reviews were for the 'standard' version, without the extra USB-C socket...

Ah, cheers Nige

Blipsford_Baubie

@bygjohn said:

@Gavinski said:

@Robin2 said:
So, I bought a pair of these and have just tried them. I have to agree with @Gavinski and say that the noise cancellation seems to be non existent. The transparent mode works great but I can’t hear any difference between the Off mode and Noise Cancellation on mode.

To be clear, those for whom noise cancellation is working: you can hear noise cancellation kicking in when you move from Off mode to Noise cancellation mode - yes? Just trying to work out if there’s a problem with this particular pair.

Also, I only tried one quick recording before downloading the Ambeo app and updating the firmware but I’m pretty sure the recording/signal levels were much higher before the update?

Interesting. Like I say, my firmware was up to date already.

The noise cancellation is definitely there, but it is really subpar compared to the Bose QC30 I used to use. If you have to question whether the noise cancellation is working, then you have to conclude it is absolute shite, because good noise cancelling is immediately noticeable, and maybe even mind-blowing when you try it for the first time. The Ambeo Noise Cancelling is truly subpar to the point where it almost may not be there - and yes getting Comply tips makes a difference, but only in terms of noise isolation.

This is really odd, as it seems to work very well for me. Granted, I have nothing to compare it with, so maybe my expectations are lower. They don’t entirely get rid of everything, but what I’m left with when it’s on is much reduced volume with only the very high frequencies left, easily masked by what I’m listening to.

This right here. My comment of the noise isolation may have been generous too, because I have never had anything with active noise cancellation, and I imagine over-the-ears generally work better for active noise cancellation?
In short, had I paid $300 for these, yes I’d be disappointed. But I didn’t. Also, I originally thought they were non-existent when I thought my tips were in my ears. But then I noticed the cancellation only while I was keeping pressure on the tips. So I bought the Comply original variety pack and wore them to work last night for the first time.

I work at a large manufacturing facility machining medical implants. It’s a constant drone of 85 decibels. The noise cancellation makes a big and noticeable difference with the Complys. Enough so that if I activate it in a quiet room off of the shop floor and begin playing music at a low comfortable volume, when I go out on the manufacturing floor, I only have to increment the volume by one unit to hear the same relative loudness I was before. But I generally prefer silence. However, the music remained well defined throughout the spectrum. I momentarily activated the bass heavy EQ but eventually turned it off. I didn’t need it.

Just as important, the Comply tips are the most comfortable I have worn over silicone tips and the PPC orange foam/rubber with safety tips. I can only wear anything else for an hour or two. I took off my headset after 4 hours with no discomfort, only cause I had to get inside the machines for some retooling.

Gavinski

@Blipsford_Baubie said:

@bygjohn said:

@Gavinski said:

@Robin2 said:
So, I bought a pair of these and have just tried them. I have to agree with @Gavinski and say that the noise cancellation seems to be non existent. The transparent mode works great but I can’t hear any difference between the Off mode and Noise Cancellation on mode.

To be clear, those for whom noise cancellation is working: you can hear noise cancellation kicking in when you move from Off mode to Noise cancellation mode - yes? Just trying to work out if there’s a problem with this particular pair.

Also, I only tried one quick recording before downloading the Ambeo app and updating the firmware but I’m pretty sure the recording/signal levels were much higher before the update?

Interesting. Like I say, my firmware was up to date already.

The noise cancellation is definitely there, but it is really subpar compared to the Bose QC30 I used to use. If you have to question whether the noise cancellation is working, then you have to conclude it is absolute shite, because good noise cancelling is immediately noticeable, and maybe even mind-blowing when you try it for the first time. The Ambeo Noise Cancelling is truly subpar to the point where it almost may not be there - and yes getting Comply tips makes a difference, but only in terms of noise isolation.

This is really odd, as it seems to work very well for me. Granted, I have nothing to compare it with, so maybe my expectations are lower. They don’t entirely get rid of everything, but what I’m left with when it’s on is much reduced volume with only the very high frequencies left, easily masked by what I’m listening to.

This right here. My comment of the noise isolation may have been generous too, because I have never had anything with active noise cancellation, and I imagine over-the-ears generally work better for active noise cancellation?
In short, had I paid $300 for these, yes I’d be disappointed. But I didn’t. Also, I originally thought they were non-existent when I thought my tips were in my ears. But then I noticed the cancellation only while I was keeping pressure on the tips. So I bought the Comply original variety pack and wore them to work last night for the first time.

I work at a large manufacturing facility machining medical implants. It’s a constant drone of 85 decibels. The noise cancellation makes a big and noticeable difference with the Complys. Enough so that if I activate it in a quiet room off of the shop floor and begin playing music at a low comfortable volume, when I go out on the manufacturing floor, I only have to increment the volume by one unit to hear the same relative loudness I was before. But I generally prefer silence. However, the music remained well defined throughout the spectrum. I momentarily activated the bass heavy EQ but eventually turned it off. I didn’t need it.

Just as important, the Comply tips are the most comfortable I have worn over silicone tips and the PPC orange foam/rubber with safety tips. I can only wear anything else for an hour or two. I took off my headset after 4 hours with no discomfort, only cause I had to get inside the machines for some retooling.

Interesting! I have no idea what's going on with people's different ideas about the noise cancelling abilities. The Comply tips... I got the round medium, and medium is normally my fit for silicon earbuds, but I find I get ear fatigue easily with these. I might have to try the smalls 😂.

Krupa

@Krupa said:
Has anyone successfully had a 96khz recording from these? I had a session recording snow sounds in the woods yesterday and had meta recorder set to that but just going through them now, they’re all at 48khz…

Just bumping this question as it quickly disappeared 😁

Robin2

@Krupa said:

@Krupa said:
Has anyone successfully had a 96khz recording from these? I had a session recording snow sounds in the woods yesterday and had meta recorder set to that but just going through them now, they’re all at 48khz…

Just bumping this question as it quickly disappeared 😁

I’ve not managed it - the actual file recorded is at 48khz as you’re finding - but having just had a quick look online and at the box, I’ve not immediately found any information that says the Apogee A/D interface supports 96khz.

Yes, the Metarecorder supports it but without the interface being able to feed it 96khz, that’s kinda meaningless and would certainly explain why resulting files are downsampled to 48khz.

I could well be wrong though!

Krupa

@Robin2 said:

@Krupa said:

@Krupa said:
Has anyone successfully had a 96khz recording from these? I had a session recording snow sounds in the woods yesterday and had meta recorder set to that but just going through them now, they’re all at 48khz…

Just bumping this question as it quickly disappeared 😁

I’ve not managed it - the actual file recorded is at 48khz as you’re finding - but having just had a quick look online and at the box, I’ve not immediately found any information that says the Apogee A/D interface supports 96khz.

Yes, the Metarecorder supports it but without the interface being able to feed it 96khz, that’s kinda meaningless and would certainly explain why resulting files are downsampled to 48khz.

I could well be wrong though!

Yeah that was the conclusion I was reluctantly coming to, a shame, but hardly the end of the world - some slow mo without pitching down or stretching would be fun, especially with the crump crump footsteps I recorded in the woods yesterday - I did think that a miniature head that you could mount them in would be useful for that story of thing; I dangled them close to my feet but they kept rotating to the same direction and knocking together…

Robin2

@McD @Gavinski Thanks for responding to my post earlier. Yeah, I don’t get the noise cancellation thing at all - it really doesn’t seem to be doing anything on my set and, believe me, I really want to tell myself they’re working okay!

@McD Did you mean in your post that you also couldn’t hear any difference between the Off setting and ANC mode when you switched between the three modes or can you hear a distinction between Off and ANC on?

I wonder whether the discrepancy between those for whom it works and those of us it doesn’t is down to the firmware update? @Gavinski your set was obviously manufactured after the date of the firmware update as they didn’t need updating. I updated almost immediately without really testing anything before. Clearly it seems to be working for you @bygjohn - have you updated the firmware in your set (and if not, I suggest you leave them as they are in case the firmware update is responsible!)?

Can anyone suggest a test I can carry out to really evaluate whether ANC is doing anything at all in my set? Thanks.

McD

@Robin2 said:

@McD Did you mean in your post that you also couldn’t hear any difference between the Off setting and ANC mode when you switched between the three modes or can you hear a distinction between Off and ANC on?

I hear a small contribution to Noise Cancelling for static sources like a running faucet for example. The vacuum cleaner was so loud that it was hard to hear the benefit of the feature.

There are better cheaper solutions for noise canceling headphones. They do NOT have mic’s worth mentioning. It’s a different market emphasis. Noise cancelling is great for sleep aids, airplane travel, factory noise abatement. All situation I wouldn’t be making recordings as a general rule. But for a walk in the woods to capture the call of the Breaded Bleak Nosed Twit this is your jam.

Can anyone suggest a test I can carry out to really evaluate whether ANC is doing anything at all in my set? Thanks.

It’s doing a little bit. Run a faucet… get in close and turn on the ANC and turn it off. The sound of the faucet will be filtered slightly. Big whoop. Not going outside and record using the app of your choice. Go back inside and experience that walk in
An AR like reality. It’s uncanny and better than any other mic you have for capturing a clean binaural recording. Worth $300 if you do this type of field work for a living. At less than $50 it’s a steel.

The Apogee AtoD chip is a big contributor to the recording quality along with the Sennheiser Mic design.

Looking at Amazon I found this additional option for connecting to my existing powered Anker Hub. I will follow up with details after testing it for various device connections including the Anker hub, the Apple Camera Connector kit, and so on. The main benefit is powering the iPad and additional MIDI or audio devices connected to the hub while gaining the passthrough for the Ambeo Headset Mic and Headset. Could be a good option for me and extend the Ambeo to all of my devices by supporting USB-A male interconnection.

.

bygjohn

@Robin2 said:
Clearly it seems to be working for you @bygjohn - have you updated the firmware in your set (and if not, I suggest you leave them as they are in case the firmware update is responsible!)?

I updated just after they arrived, which is a while ago now. So I’m not sure if the firmware is current or not, TBH. I’m leaving them alone now, just in case!

Blipsford_Baubie

@Robin2 said:
I wonder whether the discrepancy between those for whom it works and those of us it doesn’t is down to the firmware update? @Gavinski your set was obviously manufactured after the date of the firmware update as they didn’t need updating. I updated almost immediately without really testing anything before. Clearly it seems to be working for you @bygjohn - have you updated the firmware in your set (and if not, I suggest you leave them as they are in case the firmware update is responsible!)?

I’ve had the same exact thought and questioned it a few times, but never expressed it cause I think I ramble too much sometimes. I originally chalked it up to not having a good seal, which is still accurate, but the fact remains that I also didn’t hear the cancellation until after I had updated. So, it’s a possibility.

McD

This just arrived and I tested it and it creates a “Lightning Audio” device when plugged into the Apple CCK and into my Anker
USB Hub. So, I can use the Sennheiser Ambeo headset with this adapter into a USB-C iPad Pro or the 2018 Lightning iPad and also connect power as well for the iPad (and other devices connected to the Anker USB Hub):

Blipsford_Baubie

@McD says:
…There are better cheaper solutions for noise canceling headphones. They do NOT have mic’s worth mentioning. It’s a different market emphasis. Noise cancelling is great for sleep aids, airplane travel, factory noise abatement. All situation I wouldn’t be making recordings as a general rule. But for a walk in the woods to capture the call of the Breaded Bleak Nosed Twit this is your jam.

Cheaper solutions? Cheaper than $300 or cheaper than $45??
If the latter, surely you speak of passive noise cancellation, and not active.
Am I right, KID?

andowrites

Does anyone have a recommendation for a pouch or case for the Ambeos?

I could only get the white Ambeos, so the pouch with them is white, which isn't going to last well for long, and also lacks protection.

If you have any recommendations, an Amazon link would be welcome. Or eBay.

Thanks!

PS: I'm also looking for a suitable bag or case for my little Teenage Engineering M-1 headset, if anyone can shed any light on that for me too. Being smaller than other headphones leaves them too small for most headphone cases. But they're a bit delicate to throw in a bag without some form of protection.

Gavinski

@andowrites said:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a pouch or case for the Ambeos?

I could only get the white Ambeos, so the pouch with them is white, which isn't going to last well for long, and also lacks protection.

If you have any recommendations, an Amazon link would be welcome. Or eBay.

Thanks!

Yeah, a surprisingly crappy case considering their original cost and the fact the cables are not replaceable

andowrites

@Gavinski said:

@andowrites said:
Does anyone have a recommendation for a pouch or case for the Ambeos?

I could only get the white Ambeos, so the pouch with them is white, which isn't going to last well for long, and also lacks protection.

If you have any recommendations, an Amazon link would be welcome. Or eBay.

Thanks!

Yeah, a surprisingly crappy case considering their original cost and the fact the cables are not replaceable

Totally, considering the value of those microphones.