Editor’s Note: Dan Ferrisi recently tested the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S in his home office. Commercial Integrator here presents his exclusive, hands-on review of the product.
Sennheiser — the globally recognized, 80-years-running audio specialist — routinely sees its products grace high-profile stages like the GRAMMY Awards, where famed artists such as Lady Gaga and The Weeknd rely on Sennheiser gear to wow audiences. These days, however, expectations for meeting rooms and huddle spaces have grown equally lofty.
Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar and Related Portfolio
Over the last decade, Sennheiser firmly established a leadership position within unified communications and collaboration, most recently with its TeamConnect Family. The portfolio includes the TeamConnect Ceiling 2 ceiling array microphone, the TeamConnect Ceiling Medium and, of course, a pair of TeamConnect Bar (TC Bar for short) videoconferencing devices. TC Bar comes in formats to match room sizes: the TeamConnect Bar S suits smaller meeting rooms, whereas the TeamConnect Bar M is optimized for mid-sized meeting environments.
Recently, Commercial Integrator got the opportunity to try out the TeamConnect Bar S. Upon unboxing the device, I was impressed with its sturdy construction and unobtrusive form factor. In meeting environments, technology is there for functionality — not for flash and sizzle — and the product blends an uncomplicated, user-friendly design with the feature set of a commercial-grade device carefully designed to alleviate meeting room pain points. Testing it in various configurations and setups in my small home office, the TeamConnect Bar S makes a compelling case, I came to realize, for being a standard spec when designing small meeting rooms and huddle spaces.
Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S: Components and Initial Setup
The remote control provides key functions like volume, zoom, mute and mode. Photo by Emerald/Commercial Integrator.
I’m the first to admit that I’m a journalist, not a technologist. So, I appreciated the ease of setup of the TeamConnect Bar S. Genuinely a plug-and-play device, it requires only a simple USB-C cable connection to my computer. About 30 seconds after plugging in, a chime confirmed that the device was ready to use. Accessories bundled in with the Bar include a mounting bracket and drilling template; a power supply unit; a remote control with key functions like volume, zoom, mute and mode; and a magnetic lens cap to protect the 4K ultra-HD camera’s lens. An HDMI cable is included, as well, for collaboration setups that incorporate ancillary displays.
Rooted in Excellent Audio
Sennheiser boasts eight decades of audio excellence, and it brings every bit of that expertise to bear with the TeamConnect Bar S. Applying high audio quality standards to conferencing setups is critical because, although video glitches can make a meeting less effective, unintelligible audio stops a meeting in its tracks.
For optimized audio pickup, the TeamConnect Bar S pairs premium MEMS capsules with beamforming technology that capably captures the voice of the talker and facilitates smooth handoff between talkers. The device’s built-in DSP optimizes room acoustics automatically. In my tests, it effectively suppressed potentially disruptive background and room noise. Voice pickup up to and beyond 10 feet was highly effective.
In terms of audio output, the TeamConnect Bar S has a modest form factor, but its full-range stereo speakers don’t skimp on power. Rated for a maximum SPL of 80dB, they’re more than capable of projecting crisp, intelligible voices throughout a small meeting room or any huddle space.
It’s also worth noting that, although I didn’t test the device’s Dante audio capabilities, its compatibility with external Dante-enabled peripherals distinguishes the TeamConnect Bar S positively from competitors.
Evaluating Visual Performance of the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S
Sennheiser built its reputation on audio — not video — a fact that makes the TeamConnect Bar S even more notable for its 4K ultra-HD image capture. The picture is particularly sharp and distortion-free when meeting participants are within roughly six feet of the unit. Boasting a 115-degree horizontal field of view and a 120-degree diagonal field of view, the camera capably captured all talkers, during the tests I conducted, when set to group framing. More impressive, though, are inbuilt AI auto-framing capabilities for conversations that shift dynamically from person to person; transitions were smooth and fluid. The device’s tiling mode frames individual talkers’ faces and ensures that every individual in the room is visible.
The TeamConnect Bar S is both Microsoft Teams certified and Zoom certified, and it performed admirably across both platforms and in every configuration that my small home office would allow.
Sennheiser Control Cockpit
Sennheiser Control Cockpit lies at the heart of TeamConnect Bar S — indeed, of the entire TeamConnect portfolio and a raft of other Sennheiser offerings — and serves as the central clearinghouse for device setup, control and maintenance. As return-to-office initiatives continue apace, with IT departments and their AV integrator collaborators looking to deploy meeting room solutions at scale across the enterprise, Sennheiser Control Cockpit adds meaningful value by transforming the TeamConnect Bar S from a peripheral device to a managed network asset. It offers at-a-glance visibility into device status, and it smooths the path for single-unit adjustments or updates, as well as simultaneous adjustments across multiple units.
In 2026, Sennheiser will launch a cloud-based AV management platform that will give AV and IT teams a secure and scalable way to configure, monitor and manage multiple TeamConnect Bars across multiple locations.
Today’s IT departments and, increasingly, AV integrators are acclimated to strict security standards. (Evidently, integrators have grown weary of the “Not on my network!” mantra.) Sennheiser is helping them get there, infusing TeamConnect Bar S with advanced security features that include encrypted control communication and password protection by default.
Closing Thoughts on the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S
Integrators specifying and designing small meeting rooms, huddle spaces and similar collaboration environments should strongly consider the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S. Offering a range of flexible mounting options — wall mount, table mount, VESA mount and even tripod mount — the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S combines the company’s hallmark audio engineering excellence with impressive, AI-infused visual performance, all packaged with network-friendly control software.
For immediate-term project needs, a holiday incentive makes the case for installing the Sennheiser TeamConnect Bar S even more compelling. Until the New Year’s ball drops, the device, which usually sells for $1,299, is available for $699.
