Verdict
A very good first attempt at a pair of headphone from the Sonos , but the Ace are beat in several country by more experienced rivals . The stage of consolation and the TV Audio Swap characteristic are excellent , though the Ace does n’t yet sense like it ’s the complete package , especially for the high request cost .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
It ’s been Sonos ’ most requested production for years and a step away from its home movie theater comfort zone in which it has eclipse in the last several years . The Ace earphone are here to establish Sonos as a player in the headphones market .
Sonos has bundle into waters much sweep by other brands . The the likes of of Sony , Bose , Sennheiser , JBL , and more have iterated over several generation , so what can Sonos do that ’s different from the rest ?
Like Apple with its AirPods Max , the Sonos Ace has jumped into a hugely competitive marketplace . The AirPods Max were slow burners , become earpiece you practically see on someone ’s head everyday . Can the Ace achieve a similar level of success ?
Availability
The Sonos Ace is priced £ 449 / $ 449 / € 449 / $ AUD699 . They ’re available to purchase direct from Sonos as well as Amazon , well they ’ve come down in Mary Leontyne Price to less than £ 400 as of August 2024 .
Design
These may be the comfortable brace of over - ear headphones I ’ve review . The Ace slew on so well and adjust to point so swimmingly that I can easy wear thin them for hours .
They ’re more well-situated than theSony WH-1000XM5 , and present slightly mellow spirit level of comforter than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones thanks to the padded feel of the vegan leather earpads . The visibility of the earcups is slimmer too , avoiding a bulky look .
Even as a glasses wearer I do n’t have government issue . The clamp force is inviolable enough to keep the headphone unattackable and light enough to not be an irritant . The Sonos Ace finger as if they ’ve been vacuum - organize to fit my caput . A stepless slider helps to adjust the fit .
you could differentiate which earcup is left or right thanks to contrasting colours inside the earcups . It ’s also unproblematic to detach the earpads if you need to replace them . The bombardment indoors can be replaced , though Sonos would prefer you send it to them rather than do it yourself .
The Content Key button , as Sonos refer to it , offers tactual means of mathematical process , covering playback , intensity , and call . entertain it down and it initiates an audio swap between the headphones and a Sonos soundbar . You ’ve go buttons for controlling ANC / voice aid and king as well – but there ’s no 3.5 mm jack .
There ’s a carry case to keep the headphones safe , and inside is a small character for the cables . There ’s a attractive feature inwardly to attach or detach the small-scale one , which seems unnecessary but is a nice touch withal .
Features
Assessed on its own term , the Ace have a strong ANC execution . With music play , I can barely hear people ’s voice , and the earphone do n’t have to be very loud to obscure voices either – around 50 % or less volume is enough to suppress most sound around me , which I always feel is a good signaling of how strong the ANC is .
It campaign well against the Jubilee and Victoria subway system lines on the London Underground , the music I listened to was n’t often overwhelmed . On the northerly line , it struggled with rumbles of the tube , but no earpiece I ’ve tested has ever been completely flawless . It handles wind noise magnificently , which seems to glide by even in blustery conditions .
It ’s on planes that I noticed more of a gap between it and the Bose earphone , theQuietComfort Ultra Headphonessuppress cabin disturbance for a quieter experience . I also noted some nonaged twisting during the buff take - offs . Overall , the ANC is very good but short of the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones .
The Aware Mode sound impressively rude to the point where there ’s little remainder between wearing the headphones or taking them off . I would say if you need to have a conversation with Aware Mode on , it ’s better to hesitate the music . It would be nice if the Ace ( or most earphone ) had a version of Sony ’s clever Speak to shoot the breeze function .
There ’s support for Bluetooth 5.4 ( SBC , AAC , aptX variants ) , and I have n’t had a connexion military issue walking through any of London ’s major train stations , or anywhere else for that matter . Bluetooth multipoint for connect to two devices simultaneously can be toggled on or off in the app .
The Ace also featuresSnapdragon Sound(aptX Lossless codec ) but only Android exploiter can benefit from the eminent bandwidth as Apple does n’t support it . The headphones come with a USB - C cable to play lossless cognitive content over a pumped connection .
The revisedSonos app has amount in for criticism , and the Ace requires it to run . you could lead up microcode updates , customise the phone , wear sensor , noise control preferences ; employ the Audio Swap feature and Head Tracking but you ca n’t get at medicine through the control app itself . That ’s ( so far ) a miss chance .
It ’s especially chafe as it ’s been a key feature film of Sonos ’ speakers for years , and Bowers & Wilkins andBang & Olufsenhave added it to their earpiece app . Moreover , there ’s no hand - off feature between the Ace and Sonos speakers which seems obvious considering the multi - gimmick , multi - room nature of the Sonos ecosystem .
The app in its slimmed - down form is comparatively straightforward to use but there ’s not the grade of customisation or deepness that Sony or JBL offers with their headphone apps . It ’s not bad but does feel slender in terms of features
electric battery life is estimated to be 30 hours with ANC , and a two minute battery waste pipe proved that ’s place on with barrage fire spirit level fall to 94 % at half loudness . If you were to apply the headphones with the Arc soundbar those figures are probable to drop , as would be the case with Dolby ’s Head Tracking feature article plight .
Call quality is hunky-dory for a phone of this monetary value , the Ace performs well in country where there is n’t much disturbance to contend with ; vox pick up is estimable but in noisy domain the headphones do n’t seem to suppress as much interference as they could . While voice clarity is strong , backdrop stochasticity compete with what ’s being say . It ’s not the most silent experience you could ask for .
TV Audio Swap
Plugging headphones in to watch TV is nothing raw , but the Sonos Ace ’s idiot box Audio Swap offers an experience no other earpiece can . The phone have been updated to interface with the Sonos Beam ( Gen 1andGen 2 ) , and the Sonos Ray soundbars . The feature is now corroborate on both theiOS and Android versionof the Sonos app .
The Ace headphones make a unmediated Wi - Fi connection to the soundbar , this feature work with any audio playing through the Arc ’s HDMI stimulation , whether that ’s from a television , Ultra HD Blu - rayplayer or streaming stick .
Once set up , video Audio Swap can be activate using a farseeing press of the Content Key on the side and turn off with the same military action . The Arc then give up back in at a lower volume so as not to deafen anyone around it .
or else , the app has a switch button that works similarly , except returning audio to the Arc gives you a volume Pseudemys scripta to choose how flash ( or quiet ) you want .
It ’s mostly a seamless experience , but I receive that TV Audio Swap often starts with a judder as the connection stabilises , settling down after a few second . When I first correct up the headphone , the lip sync was awfully out , and I could n’t fix it with any of the software controls . Ultimately , I give up and boot my TV , Sonos Arc andFire TV Cube , which fixed the job . I blameHDMI CECfor this .
Since then , I ’ve not had a problem with synchronise government issue with the Ace headphones and the Arc throughHDMI eARC .
The Wi - Fi connectedness to the headphones is restrict to a fairly basic 345kbps , but the headphones have a couple of tricks to ameliorate the experience .
First , there ’s active Head Tracking , which is an choice in the app . With it turned on , dynamic Head Tracking picks up on your headland movements , adjusting the balance . For example , turn your head to the right , so your leftover pinna is pointing towards the Arc , and speech sound just come out of the left phone can .
The result is a more natural experience that imitates what fall out when you ’re not assume phone . In fact , I found that this feature of speech made me almost leave that I was wearing headphones at all . That ’s a great experience , as wearing earpiece can be an enclosing experience that feels more and more unnatural over time ; dynamic Head Tracking freed me and allow me just enjoy what I was watching .
Secondly , rather than just broadcasting stereo audio , the connective is a virtualised spacial audio mix from the original Dolby Atmos or 5.1 soundtrack . The earpiece can even upmix stereo subject matter . Spatial Audio can be turn off if you do n’t like the event or are just watching even TV .
With it turned on , the results can be impressive , although not as detailed as when using discrete speakers . With spatial audio frequency , there ’s a sense of quad and zing that even stereo earpiece ca n’t grow : the Ace headphones make you feel like audio is coming from a much larger soundspace than just two speakers clamped to the side of your head word .
I found the audio far more engaging , and I could focalize on what I was watching rather than being aware that I was put on headphone . Watching the opening move sequence ofThe Acolyte , the legal community came to life-time around me , and the competitiveness scene has all the impact you ’d hope for . And , yes , lightsabres do fathom amazing , buzzing and swishing around .
The slightly special audio connection signify that there ’s a slight compaction of detail , and the headphones do n’t quite have the lucidity and brightness of the Arc alone , but it ’s still a close - discharge thing .
spacial audio adds the sense of quad , but not directivity . watch the bridge circuit chronological sequence in Black Panther : Wakanda Forever , the gunfire in the screen background sound remote , but I could n’t quite place my digit on where they were coming from . It ’s still better than watching the successiveness with stereophonic headphones , where everything sounds like it ’s do from the same place , though .
Watch the same sequence on the Arc with a couple of rearward speakers , and the same gunshots are clearly placed at the back right . For clarity and contingent , mind to audio as it should fathom , there ’s no replacement for dedicated Speaker , but the headphones do give a better signified of distance , even if they ca n’t place audio with the same form of speck truth .
Sonos has promised TrueCinema , which will be uncommitted later this year . This feature film will tune up the headphones base on your room to make the burden of virtual speakers placed around you . If it works as promised , it could fill in the extra level of detail that divide the phone from a true home cinema system .
In their current state , the Sonos Ace earpiece give a viable alternative for watching where the only other option would be to listen with the audio recording change state down , straining to get word what ’s happening . Watching belatedly at night or while others in the house are try out to concentrate , I ’d go for the Sonos Ace headphones over a quiet Arc any day .
Sound Quality
carry with 40 mm custom design dynamic drivers , the Ace do n’t sound as elaborated or as clear as either flagship Sony or Bose earphone but they ’re one of the most ‘ comfortable ’ sounding headphones I ’ve heard in 2024 . I could listen to the Ace for time of day .
There ’s a weighting and solidness to the down oddment , with a grandness to bass of Jacob Collier ’s Feel that reach the track a satisfy thud with its slow paced beat .
The Sonos registers more powerful low gear with Kingdom ’s Bank Head than the Bose , giving the track an assertiveness that matches the Sony , but it does n’t impart the runway with quite the same levels of pellucidity as either earphone , and the way the soundstage is organise and knitted together also palpate categoric and more thickset than some rival pairs .
That tell , the midrange is portray with pleasurable levels of clearness . Both Collier ’s and Lianne La Havas ’s vocal in Feel are conveyed in enjoyably smooth terms , the headphones present the intonations of her voice well , though again both the Sony and Bose present the racecourse with a more revealing gumption of detail . The Ace ’s levels of detail and definition are a little shroud by how smooth the earphone sound .
The soundstage is depicted with width but – there ’s that give-and-take again – the way in which Bose organise the soundstage is more spacious ; legal instrument on the Ace can sound as if they ’re on top of each other – to be honest the WH-1000XM5 take a similar advance – but there ’s not really that deepness to the soundstage the Sony brings .
There is dynamism in track like Queen ’s Bohemian Rhapsody though those jump in tawdriness are n’t relayed with the same impingement as the Sony WH-1000XM5 , leave in a little less excitation . Give the Ace a nudge on the intensity and there ’s greater levels of energy , and the Loudness setting afford more front at either end of the frequency grasp .
senior high are convey with keenness and cleverness that I suppose is more or less good than either Sony or Bose with GoGo Penguin ’s Erased by Sunlight ; but where the Sonos Ace ’s overall shortage shows is in its degree of detail and definition .
One last note is the dynamical head - tracking , which make for well in cut through your straits movements and shifting the soundscape to match when listening to Raye ’s Genesis ( Dolby Atmos ) . It does n’t have the pulse - pounding Energy Department of theYamaha YH - L700Abut I prefer it to Bose ’s Immersive Audio feature as it still retains a weightiness to its auditory sensation whereas the Bose sounds thinner .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
These are the comfiest headphones I ’ve worn . They slip onto the head like a duad of slippers .
Bose is in force for noise - cancellation , Sony is safe for sound ( and less expensive ) , and if shelling life is important to you , Sennheiseris better .
Final Thoughts
Sonos ’ foray into headphones is mostly a success ; though expectation of how dependable they are should be tempered by the quality and depth of its competition .
The noise - cancellation is good but bested by Bose and Sony . They sound good , but theWH-1000XM5are a more exciting , detailed , and dynamic listen , while theBoseis a clear , more spacious oblation . There ’s no shame in losing out to either rival but the Sonos Ace are n’t thebest - sounding wireless headphones .
Sonos have n’t assist themselves in some respects . The inability to play music directly from the app undermines one of Sonos ’ dear features . There ’s a sense these earpiece are n’t quite the ruined product , and wo n’t be for a while yet .
I ’m still not only sure who this phone is for either . The TV Audio Swap feature is singular but not compelling for those outside the Sonos ecosystem . It ’s more expensive than the WH-1000XM5 , and no headphones are going to muscle past theAirPods Max‘s consolidation with iOS .
The Ace are a gallant attack by Sonos at a pair of over - spike headphone ; though they ’re not quite the unity in the pack they had the potentiality to be .
For other headphone choices , check out ourbest headphonesandbest noise - cancelling earphone inclination .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every set of headphone we review thoroughly over an lengthy period of time . We apply industry standard mental test to compare feature the right way . We ’ll always secernate you what we find . We never , ever , go for money to critique a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics insurance
FAQs
As of August 2024 , the TV Audio Swap feature film is available on both the iOS and Android versions of the Sonos app .
