Launched in June, Sonos’s first headphones were designed to compete with market leaders, including Apple’s AirPods Max as well as models from Bose and Sony.
Introducing the Sonos Ace
Sonos’s debut into the headphone market has been surrounded by years of speculation, patent filings, and leaks. The company has finally launched its first wireless headset, positioning it directly against heavyweights like the Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and AirPods Max.
The design is understated and successful (to my taste) and aligns well with other Sonos products. The build quality seems high with plastic ear cups, a steel headband, and vegan leather ear pads that are easily replaceable through a magnetic system, similar to what Apple offers. According to Patrick Spence, head of Sonos:
It’s finally here! Our users have been asking for years for a Sonos audio experience in the form of headphones. We knew that our first foray into this category had to embody innovation and the sound experience Sonos is known for. The Sonos Ace incorporates everything we’ve learned over these two decades as a leader in sound experience: breathtaking sound, sleek design, and continuous comfort. We are ready to take on one of the most significant and popular audio categories in the world.
The Sonos Ace represents Sonos’s ambition to create sound experiences as intense as the moments we experience in our daily lives. This is an exciting new chapter for our company, which will redefine our concept of personalized listening,” says Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, Chief Product Officer at Sonos. “True to Sonos’s legacy of premium products, the Sonos Ace was designed and calibrated in minute detail by top sound experts to deliver a unique listening experience
Priced at 499€, Available in June
Sonos opted for physical buttons rather than touch controls, which can sometimes be unreliable.
All controls are managed via two buttons on the right ear cup. Even though the ear cups are made of plastic, the headset weighs 312g, approximately 73g less than the AirPods Max (384.8g).
The Ace features 40mm speakers, eight microphones, Bluetooth 5.4, active noise cancellation (ANC), an Aware mode to stay alert to your surroundings (similar to Apple’s Transparency mode), compatibility with wireless Lossless audio (with a device equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound chip, thus not on iPhone), lossless wired audio via the USB-C port (a USB-C to mini jack cable is included), dynamic head tracking, compatibility with Dolby Atmos spatial audio, the TrueCinema function (surround sound via the headset with an upcoming update), and the ability to quickly switch sound from a Sonos sound bar to the headset and vice versa with the press of a button.
In terms of battery life, the Sonos Ace significantly outperforms the AirPods Max with 30 hours of listening with ANC activated (20 hours for Apple’s headset), and it’s possible to gain three hours of listening time in just 3 minutes thanks to rapid charging.
