Sonos Ace Review: New headphones rival Apple AirPods Max
An audio giant has thrown its hat in the ring, dropping a pair of over-ear headphones that are set to rival Apple and Sony’s best.
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The premium headphone space has come to be dominated by a few key players, with Apple, Sony, and Bose vying for the crown of the ‘ultimate’ over-ear headphones. Now, a new challenger has emerged to shake up the status quo.
The Sonos Ace headphones have been highly-anticipated, with rumours of their arrival circulating since 2021.
However, their debut hasn’t been without hiccups. The Aces have entered a fiercely competitive market, and their launch has sparked its fair share of debate.
To make way for the Ace, Sonos recently revamped its companion app – a move that has introduced plenty of technical snags. At launch, the headphones are also notably missing a few key features.
With Sonos’ longstanding reputation as one of the highest quality audio brands on the market, we’re asking the question: Has it done enough to position the Ace as a serious contender against the already established heavyweights?
I’ve been testing out the pair over the past week and a half to see how they perform – and how they measure up against the best over-ears currently available.
1-MINUTE REVIEW: SONOS ACE WIRELESS NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES
Sonos Ace Headphones
What You Need To Know
The Sonos Ace headphones are right up there with the best of the best, going head-to-head with offerings from Apple, Sony and Bose. They come loaded with all of the features we expect to see on a premium set of cans: excellent noise cancellation, spatial audio with head tracking, Bluetooth multipoint, hi-res and lossless audio, great controls, and a supremely comfortable design.
They even throw in the ability to redirect audio from a soundbar straight to the headphones, which is a great feature for those who want to watch TV without disturbing anyone else in the house. Or it would be, if only the app worked. The lack of support for the wider Sonos ecosystem meanwhile feels a touch shortsighted for a brand which prides itself on product integration.
However, if listening with a soundbar or speakers isn’t essential for you, the Sonos Ace’s are a truly accomplished pair of headphones that have the potential to be a real AirPods killer.
What comes in the box: Sonos Ace headphones, travel case with removable cable pouch, USB-C to USB-C cable (0.75m), USB-C to 3.5mm cable (1.2m), quickstart guide, legal/warranty information.
HOW WE TESTED THE SONOS ACE WIRELESS HEADPHONES
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I tested the Sonos Ace Headphones for a week and a half, putting the features to the test while listening to music, talking on hands-free calls, taking public transport, and walking outside.
HOW WE EVALUATED THE HEADPHONES
- Design
- Features
- Sound quality
- Active noise cancelling and spatial audio
- TV Audio Swap
- Battery life
- Price
- Verdict: Should you buy the Sonos Ace headphones?
FULL REVIEW OF SONOS ACE HEADPHONES
Sonos is known for its sleek, minimalist designs, and the Ace headphones slot seamlessly into that space. The best way to quickly describe the pair is that they’re something of a cross between Apple’s AirPods Max and Sony’s WH-1000XM5s, with design elements that improve on both.
DESIGN
The earcups on the Sonos Ace are slimmer than those on the Sony XM5s, and are notably less bulky than the cups on the AirPods Max. At 312g, they’re not the lightest Bluetooth headphones around, but they are significantly lighter than the 384.8g AirPods Max, which have caused me some discomfort over longer listening sessions.
From the moment I got my hands on the Ace’s, the pair have barely left my head. They’ve been extremely comfortable to wear, even during extended use, and haven’t caused me any real fatigue. The Bose QuietComfort Ultras are still the most comfortable headphones I’ve experienced, but these come in at a very close second.
The cuts of steel along the sliding rail give the Ace’s a more elevated feel, and their hinge-free design makes for a more comfortable wear and prevents my hair from getting tangled up. There’s no excessive clamping pressure and I didn’t find the pair annoying to wear as someone who has multiple earrings in at all times.
The headband is nice and stretchy, with the yoke – the part that connects the earcups to the headband – also offering a fair amount of adjustment, making the pair suitable for a wide range of head sizes.
The earpads are nice and plush, made from a mix of memory foam and vegan leather, and can magnetically snap off for cleaning or replacement.
One of my favourite design touches though is seen on the interior of the earcups, with the right inner ear painted pale grey (or pale green if you have the Soft White pair), so you can quickly tell which ear is which. It may seem like a small touch, but it’s thoughtful details like these that really add up to a great overall user experience.
In fact, the only thing I wanted from the design that I didn’t get was the ability to fold them flat and collapse them for travel – something you do get with the Bose QuietComfort Ultras.
Like most of Sonos’ line-up, the Ace headphones are available in two colour options of Black and Soft White. White headphones have always been somewhat off-putting to me as someone who regularly wears makeup, so I went for the Black on this occasion.
The outside of both pairs are coated in an anti-fingerprint finish that’s meant to stop them from getting smudged up, however, I did still find it relatively easy to mark up my pair.
I’m also not a huge fan of the carry case; its fuzzy felt-covered design is a dust magnet and lacks the premium look and feel of competitor offerings, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra’s hard faux-leather case. However, the case is made from recycled plastics, so I can’t be too critical here.
FEATURES
On the Sonos Ace’s left earcup, there’s a status light and a joint power and Bluetooth pairing button. There’s also a USB-C port which is for charging and digital audio input. Both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm connections are supported, which is a much appreciated feature that isn’t present in the AirPods Max and Sony XM5s.
On the right earcup, you’ll find a single button to cycle through noise cancelling modes. This is also where you’ll find the Ace’s coolest feature: the Content Key. The physical button is the main thing you’ll use to control your headphones, outside of your smartphone and the Sonos app. The key has a spring-loaded mechanism that’s tactile, easy to feel out, and is nice and smooth to use.
Simply slide it up and down to change the volume accordingly, or use various combinations of presses to play/pause/skip tracks and answer/end/decline calls. While it takes a little while to remember the various combinations, I found having a physical button far more seamless to use than gesture controls you get in the Sony XM5s.
When testing headphones with swipe functionality in the past, I’ve found it all too easy to accidentally change the settings while adjusting my headphones, or to swipe the volume too fast and nearly blow out my eardrums. The slider is meanwhile just about impossible to press by accident, while remaining incredibly responsive when you do want to use it.
The physical controls are supplemented by the Sonos app, which lets you customise EQ and turn various features on or off, such as the ability to connect two Bluetooth devices and switch between them.
There’s also wear detection, which pauses content when you take your headphones off and automatically resumes when you pop them back on, similar to the AirPods Max.
Despite rumours that Sonos Ace would be Wi-Fi headphones, this isn’t actually the case, with the pair using Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity. iPhone owners get the AAC codec, while some Android phones can use Snapdragon Sound’s aptX Adaptive to wirelessly stream at up to lossless quality.
The Ace does have a Wi-Fi chip, but this is only so they connect to the Sonos Arc. While this means you can’t integrate the headphones into the wider Sonos ecosystem the way we had expected, Sonos said Wi-Fi headphones would drain the battery faster, and so they’ve chosen to focus on Bluetooth.
This does make a lot of sense, though some users will likely be annoyed that the Ace’s don’t fully integrate into their wider sound system.
SOUND QUALITY
Sonos’ first headphones really prove themselves a serious contender when it comes to sound quality. The pair are easily in the same ballpark as the AirPods Max, Sony XM5s and Bose QC Ultras, producing excellent sound with a pair of custom 40mm drivers.
The default sound is balanced and roomy, with an expansive soundstage that makes just about any genre a joy to listen to. When listening to Eminem’s “Houdini”, vocals were crystal clear, even while listening to the spoken intro on a lower volume. The rest of the song is meanwhile nice and punchy, with crisp highs and a focus on detail and separation, instead of over-the-top bass.
In The Angels “We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, I was able to pick out individual instruments with ease, while enjoying the well-balanced sound.
Of course, sound quality is always subjective, as everyone has different musical tastes and certain genres may resonate better with specific headphones. However, I would definitely place the Ace up there with other high-end models I’ve experienced. If you do want to change things up though, you can always tweak the EQ in the Sonos app.
Adding to the appeal of the Sonos Aces is their extremely loud volume. There’s nothing I hate more than having to crank headphones all the way up to get the best listening experience – something I’ve often found necessary with my AirPods Max. But in over a week of listening, I’ve never gotten past 75 per cent volume on my Sonos Aces because anything more is actually too loud.
There’s very little sound leakage either. When playing a really loud track like Bring Me The Horizon’s “Kingslayer”, I was able to bump the volume to 50 per cent before my partner, sitting right next to me, even registered the sound.
Playing a lower volume track like Eminem’s “Rabbit Run”, I was able to crank the volume up all the way up to 75 per cent before he noticed. And even then, he said the cars driving past our apartment were much more noticeable.
ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING AND SPATIAL AUDIO
Being a premium pair of headphones, the Ace naturally comes equipped with active noise-cancelling (ANC). A simple press of the button on the right earcup lets you switch between full ANC and an ‘Aware’ (transparency) mode. To turn off ANC entirely, you’ll need to delve into the ‘Noise Control’ section of the Sonos app to add this option to the rotation.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultras are pretty much unbeatable for ANC at this point, but the Ace is an extremely impressive contender. Even with the music off, they effectively dial down the sound of my partner playing Final Fantasy next to me as I write. Turn on the tunes, and background noise is pretty much eliminated all together.
The ‘Aware’ (or transparency) is meanwhile exactly what I expected it to be – blending my music with ambient sounds, so I can listen to my tracks while still being able to hear my partner’s voice.
Like its luxe rivals – the AirPods Max and Bose QC Ulras – the Sonos Ace headphones also have spatial audio. I have to admit, spatial audio doesn’t interest me all that much, given that a lot actually depends on how specific tracks have been set up. However, the Ace does a great job at making your music feel like it’s all around you, similar to its competitors.
If you’re using the pair with the TV Audio Swap feature, you’ll meanwhile get head tracking and a more cinematic experience when watching content that includes Atmos surround mix. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to experience this for myself.
TV AUDIO SWAP
As mentioned earlier, the Ace lets you transfer sound directly from your Sonos soundbar to your headphones with a long press of the Content Key. At launch, this feature is only available with the Sonos Arc, which does seem like a bizarre and somewhat rushed decision. However, the company has said it will eventually roll out TV Audio Swap on some of its other soundbars, including the Beam, Beam Gen 2, and the Ray.
Sonos loaned me an Arc to test out the feature for myself, however, I haven’t been able to try it yet. Like many users, I’ve encountered issues with the new Sonos app that have totally prevented me from setting the soundbar up.
While Sonos has acknowledged the many issues its app is currently experiencing, and has promised to address them as soon as possible, it’s a disappointing and frustrating experience nonetheless.
Still, I will be looking into a solution to my issue and will update this section once I’ve managed to test the TV Audio Swap feature.
Another point of contention is that you can currently only connect the Sonos Ace to the Sonos Arc using an iOS device. While support for the Android operating system is on its way, this again feels like something that should have been added before the Aces were launched.
BATTERY LIFE
Sonos promised up to 30 hours of battery life for the Sonos Aces, and that claim has held true in my testing. Despite almost exclusively listening with ANC turned on, the battery just kept on and on.
The quick-charge feature has been a lifesaver, offering three hours of playback from a mere three-minute charge – a feature I deeply appreciate as someone prone to forgetting to charge my headphones before stepping out.
To put it in perspective, the Bose QC Ultras offer around 24 hours of battery life, while the AirPods Max trail behind with around 20 hours. The Sony XM5s are meanwhile on par with the Sonos Aces, bringing up to 30 hours of playtime.
While Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones dwarf these figures with an impressive 60 hours of battery life, the Aces’ 30-hour performance is still excellent, and makes them a great choice for travel.
I would have liked to see a voice prompt for remaining battery status when I powered on my headphones, which is a convenient feature found on the Bose QC Ultras. Instead, I have to check the Sonos app for the exact percentage, which is a little inconvenient.
PRICE: HOW MUCH DO THE SONOS ACE HEADPHONES COST?
The Sonos Ace headphones retail for $699 and are now available for preorder, with orders set to ship on 5 June.
You can shop them through the Sonos online store, as well as through Sonos stockists like The Good Guys.
VERDICT: SHOULD YOU BUY THE SONOS ACE HEADPHONES?
For a first attempt, Sonos’s headphones hit plenty of high notes, ranking alongside the very best from Apple, Sony and Bose. The Aces are supremely comfortable, have better controls than many of their rivals, boast an excellent battery life, and look and sound great.
However, it feels like Sonos rushed to get the pair out. The TV Audio Swap feature is currently exclusive to Sonos’ priciest soundbar and can’t be set up with Android devices, making them an unconvincing purchase to many users in their current state. Add to this a plethora of app issues, and it’s clear that the Aces could’ve used a few more months of finetuning.
In saying this, Sonos is currently looking to resolve these issues, so it’s still worth keeping an eye on the pair if you’re in the market for a premium pair of over-ears.
If you meanwhile have no interest in connecting your headphones to your TV and just want an excellent pair of Bluetooth headphones, the Sonos Aces are right up there with the best noise-cancelling models I’ve tried, giving rivals plenty to worry about.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which soundbars work with Sonos Ace?
At launch, the Sonos Ace headphones can only connect to the Sonos Arc. However, Sonos has said that support for the Beam, Beam Gen 2, and the Ray is coming.
Does the TV Audio Swap functionality work with Android?
Currently, TV Audio Swap functionality is only able to be set up on iOS devices. Sonos has promised Android compatibility is on its way, but there’s no telling when this feature will be available.
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