A Closer Look At The Sennheiser Team Connect Bar S
Next up on the TalkingPointz Tech Bench is the Sennheiser Team Connect Bar S.
TC Bar S front and backThe Sennheiser Team Connect Bar S is a very interesting device. It has some unusual features that I had to think about for a while before writing this review. I wasn’t sure if I should commend it or challenge it for trying to punch above its weight. In the end, and after discussing it with others in the industry, I’ve decided to let you decide. I’ll explain below.
The Team Connect Bar S is intended for BYOD uses – it is essentially a camera, speakers and microphones in a bar-style form factor that can be mounted in many ways. It does not have a video codec built in, so it always needs to be connected to a PC or other compute device to function.
First Impressions
When I first unboxed and connected the Team Connect Bar S I thought it was broken. That was an incorrect assumption based on how unique the device is. I connected its power supply and the HDMI output to a display and saw…nothing. I expected a logo or a view of the camera or some text that said ‘hook me up’ or similar, but again, I saw nothing.
It was easy for me to jump to the incorrect conclusion that it was broken because of all the codec included videobars I’ve tested that produce images on the HDMI output. This device however is NOT a codec-included videobar. It is intended only for USB / BYOD connections. It took me a few days to wrap my head around the fact that I needed to look at it in comparison to other BYOD bars, and as such I probably shouldn’t expect it to even have an HDMI output. What Sennheiser has done is provide a USB videobar with an embedded hub for peripheral connections – omitting the need for an external docking station. Users can select any of the devices connected to the bar individually in the collaboration software they are using, and all of it connects to a single USB C connection to the compute device.
With a typical BYOD videobar, the bar’s USB connects to the compute device and the room’s display also connects directly to the compute device. In some instances, users employ a docking station that allows for a simplified single connection to the compute device (typically supporting all AV and power) and that dock has a connection to the display. What the Team Connect Bar S is doing by providing that HDMI port is eliminating the need for the dock. Once a PC is connected to the USBC port (and only when such a connection is made) the HDMI output functions as an extension of that PC’s display. It can be a clone of the desktop or an extended display – all controlled by the PC’s display adjustments. (The bigger brother to this device, the Sennheiser Team Connect Bar M, does the same thing for two displays, which a compute device recognizes as two different displays for clone, extend, etc., again all from one USB C connection.)
It would certainly be nice for some embedded processor in the Team Connect Bar S to say something on that HDMI output upon power-up – like “Plug in your computer” or “my IP address is XXXX” or similar. If the device is permanently installed in meeting room, and no one has a BYOD device connected, it will produce nothing on the screen. If an energy saving screen is being used that will likely keep it off until someone plugs that compute in – which will clearly save money and increase the lifecycle of the display – but it seems like a lost opportunity to provide status and other information.
Control
The Team Connect Bar S comes with a handheld remote control that allows the user to adjust zoom, volume, and camera shots – either manually or by selecting the preferred framing mode (group framing, people tile framing, or manual.) These are great functions to have in the users’ hand, as the Team Connect Bar S allows for no adjustments via the USB-connected compute device. There is no easy app or interface that uses that USB-C connection.
In order to change any of the unit’s settings beyond those that can be done with the hand-held remote, the Team Connect Bar S must be connected to the local network (via network cable or, listed as a “feature coming in the future”, via WiFi) and an app called the Sennheiser Control Cockpit must be used. This is a mixed blessing.
On the one hand, the Sennheiser Control Cockpit app offers very powerful and detailed controls for the Team Connect Bar S. There are multiple adjustments and modes available as they relate to video, audio, zone, and more. On the other hand, connecting to the device is far from simple. Either the PC running the software and the Bar need to be on the same subnet for automatic recognition, or one has to know the IP address of the bar. (The automatic detection can be problematic for end users / IT technicians whose wireless connection is often not on the same access point as the wired bar.) Once detected, the device needs to be “captured” into the control hub, and the device’s unique password is needed to do so. After that, one can start using it to change the settings on the device.
If I’m an Enterprise video ecosystem manager, this Cockpit is a godsend. I can easily manage dozens or hundreds of Sennheiser devices from a single app. If I’m an SMB and purchased one or two of the Team Connect Bar S devices, then it’s like making me learn how to build a car’s engine in order to turn the headlights on. It’s truly a missed opportunity for Sennheiser to not include some easy control via the USB-C connection to the end user compute device – a control where sensitive settings could be locked out by IT administrators in software if such cautions were needed. These detailed settings are not as obscure or “installer only” as one thinks they might be, which my testing showed later in the process.
Basically, if you are a trained AV integrator, the challenges are relatively easy to get past. If you are a basic user, and only need the camera pointing and volume adjustments on the remote control, the control challenges are again not an issue. If you’re the middle case, however, such as an IT administrator at an SMB or a tech-savvy user, the issues are frustrating. If you want to adjust settings optimized for different platforms or lighting conditions, there is no easy way to do that from the remote or the USB-C connection.
The Practical Testing
I test most of the videobar devices I receive in my home dining room – simulating a small conference room. The table is eight feet long. I’ll typically place the bar on a box at one end of the table and sit at the other. The box is to raise the camera up to eye level.
The Camera
The Team Connect Bar S has a 4K camera that produces images with a 115 degree horizontal field of view. It also comes with a magnetic manual lens cap that either covers the lens or sits in the mount for the handheld remote. The camera was “OK.” It produces good video when it is in a wide shot, but as the EPTZ moves in tighter, the resolution leaves something to be desired. Sennheiser restricts how much digital zoom can be utilized for just that reason. This limits the bar’s useful range.
When I used the manual zoom buttons and framed the shot, it looked good (see above). When I used the auto-framing feature, the zoom went in closer and some video artifact / distortion was visible due to the resolution of the digital zoom (see below).
What this means in a practical sense is that the camera resolution restricts the optimal use distance to about 4-5 feet away. It will struggle to make good pictures in rooms where the participants are further away than that. This is a shorter sweet spot than I’ve experienced with similar devices.
The Mics and Speakers
Sennheiser is known for high-end audio and this bar did not disappoint. The Team Connect Bar S delivered clear, full-bodied sound across both speech and media playback. Vocals were crisp without sounding thin, and the midrange presence made dialogue very strong – I suspect it would be intelligible even in less-than-ideal acoustic environments. The speakers had enough volume to fill a small to medium-sized room. For its size, the output was impressive.
The microphones performed well in typical meeting room conditions. In my tests, voices came through clearly at a distance of 8 feet, and the bar did a solid job suppressing background noise such as HVAC hum and minor shuffling. Beamforming worked reliably to isolate the active speaker, though in dynamic group conversations, it might lag a beat behind fast-changing talkers.
That said, this is one of the few all-in-one bars where I felt confident using the built-in mic and speaker setup without the urge to supplement it with a tabletop mic or ceiling array. It won’t replace a dedicated DSP setup in a large room, but in huddle or small-to-medium spaces, it holds its own – and then some.
Device Management
As I mentioned, the Sennheiser Control Cockpit is a very powerful management system for the Sennheiser bars.
An IT administrator can use it to control and manage multiple Sennheiser devices in an enterprise. While great for the IT system manager, it’s difficult to access for an SMB or individual user. The device cries out for a simpler control via the USB-C connection.
The Pros and Cons
The Sennheiser Team Connect Bar S is an admirable first attempt at a video solution from a firm that has its history in producing outstanding audio devices. With a list price of around $1.3k US, it will prove useful and adequate for enterprise users, especially ones with multiple rooms that already have Sennheiser audio solutions. However, it has some limitations that should be taken into consideration.
One of the things that’s actually quite clever is how it acts as the central hub for all of a room’s connectivity (with even more I/O options on the big brother TC Bar M.) If you’ve got a space with no real infrastructure but still need high functionality, the TC Bar can be the foundation. It can feed dual HDMI displays directly, lets you add a ceiling mic for more coverage or better capsule count, and even allows for external optical zoom cameras to be connected over USB-A. All of those peripherals are essentially “summed” into the Bar, which then connects to the PC via a single USB-C cable. But here’s the key: even though the connection is unified, the PC still sees each device individually – camera, mic, speakers – and you can select them independently within your UC platform just like you would with any other peripheral. That’s a really elegant solution for BYOD spaces.
The Bottom Line
The Sennheiser Team Connect Bar S is an interesting device for BYOD/USB users. The fact that it has an included HDMI output to a display omits the need for a docking station in a BYOD meeting room. The fact that the HDMI produces no video until a compute device is connected is ultimately not more than a lost opportunity. The control capabilities for the device are extremely powerful but inconvenient and complex for individual users to access. The camera system is slightly underpowered, covering only up to about five and a half feet. The audio system is phenomenal, punching way above its price-point.
My conclusion is that the Team Connect Bar S is a good first attempt at a video product from a very respected company that has most of its expertise in audio systems and devices. It is a very useful device to act as the main hub in smaller rooms. Its ability to aggregate multiple peripherals into one USB-C connection but then let each one be chosen individually, is unique and very valuable.
The device cries out for a second generation to be produced that has a higher resolution camera and more controls via the USB-C connection. It would also be beneficial to have some video come out of the HDMI upon boot – perhaps a logo or the IP address. However, taken at face value, its current form is still a great value with a list price of around $1.3k. It performs well in small rooms with good lighting and omits the need for a separate docking station or a separate connection from the BYOD compute device to the room’s display.
A video of the unboxing and testing of the device can be seen here.