Hands-On With the New Sonos 'Ace' Headphones

[MacRumors]

Sonos today announced the launch of the Sonos Ace, the company's long-rumored over-ear headphones that are designed to compete with the AirPods Max. We were able to spend some time with the Sonos Ace last week, getting a firsthand look at the design and sound quality.

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Compared to the AirPods Max, the Sonos Ace headphones are lighter weight and don't exert as much pressure on the side of the head. Sonos designed the ear cups from a soft memory foam that's wrapped in vegan leather, and the cups are designed to create a seal around the ears without catching on hair.

The cup material isn't quite as premium looking as the aluminum of the AirPods Max, and the Sonos Ace has a more traditional headband compared to Apple's version. There's a subtle logo on the right side of the Ace, and a set of buttons. The main button can be used for changing volume and controlling music playback, while the button underneath swaps between Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Aware Mode. ANC drowns out ambient sound, while Aware Mode allows sounds from the surroundings to come through.

Sonos did a solid job with the ANC, though real world testing is needed to see exactly how the Ace measures up to the AirPods Max. Sound quality was also impressive, with support for Dolby Atmos and lossless over Bluetooth or USB-C, as well as spatial audio. TrueCinema, which maps the space around the user for better surround sound, will be implemented later this year. There are two custom-designed 40mm drivers in the Ace, which Sonos says should bring "impeccable precision and clarity," along with eight beamforming microphones.

There's some unique integration with other Sonos products. When using the Ace with a TV that has an Arc soundbar, pressing on the button on the Ace will swap the TV's audio to the headphones instead of the Arc. Sonos plans to bring this to the Sonos Beam and Sonos Ray in the future.

The Ace headphones don't fold, and Sonos offers them with a travel case for protection. Sonos says that the headphones are able to provide 30 hours of listening time with ANC, which is 10 hours over the AirPods Max. A three minute charge provides three hours of battery life.

The Sonos Ace headphones are priced at $449 and are set to launch on June 5, and they come in black and soft white.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Sonos 'Ace' Headphones

 

[coachgq]

Finally. Now we can expect the AirPods Max with USBC to be released soon.

 

[Jay Tee]

It's been 3.5 years since the Airpods MAX launched. Anyone who wants a over-the-head earphones for their Apple devices would have got them by now.

Not a fair apples-to-Apple comparison, though they'd probably cleanup in Android world.

 

[satchmo]

The cup material isn't quite as premium looking as the aluminum of the AirPods Max, and the Sonos Ace has a more traditional headband compared to Apple's version.

Aluminium does not equal premium.

IMO, this Sonos looks more premium (and better) looking than the AirPods Max. Instead of bulbous aluminum cups, we have a more nuanced and tapered design in the Sonos Ace.

 

[Stenik]

The best bluetooth over the ear headphones are the Dali iO-12.

 

[MNWildFan]

Finally. Now we can expect the AirPods Max with USBC to be released soon.

Hopefully; as much as I love the AirPods Max currently, I am actually kind of on the fence about new ones even if they are somehow going to be quite scant in new features with USB-C being the only one

If I somehow do decide to pounce on these new ones, I can then bring my cables I travel with for charging just down to 2 with a USB-C cable and the Watch one

 

[iamdmann]

"vegan leather" sigh (not that this is unique to this post/product/etc by any means).

 

[jb310]

I really like how this looks, though I wonder if they'll sound better or be more convenient than the AirPods Max? 🤔

But the visual appeal is definitely amazing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Can't wait to try these at my friends house..

He sucks up anything Sonos spits out

Usually good ... very expensive when you get "all in"

 

[coachgq]

Hopefully; as much as I love the AirPods Max currently, I am actually kind of on the fence about new ones even if they are somehow going to be quite scant in new features with USB-C being the only one

If I somehow do decide to pounce on these new ones, I can then bring my cables I travel with for charging just down to 2 with a USB-C cable and the Watch one

Yep. I have been able to make the transition. Apple watch, phone, ipad and airpods pro with USBC. I bring a dual charger and pick whatever needs attention, either phone/ipad or watch/airpods or any combination between.

 

[Chiromac81]

I used to love sonos (have 18) but I would stay as far away from them as possible-they literally ruined the app on the last update and removed many basic features. Fans are revolting and I would NOT advise to buy anything else from them

 

[hansmoleman]

I really like how this looks, though I wonder if they'll sound better or be more convenient than the AirPods Max? 🤔

But the visual appeal is definitely amazing.

This is my dilemma, entirely.

I'm usually in for anything Sonos, but on the surface, this doesn't really offer me anything the APMax doesn't have already, at least for my use cases. I'll wait it out and see what the direct comparison is like.

If I didn't have APMax already, these would be a no brainer.

They look cool, but I can't see them while I'm wearing them ....

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

IMO, Sonos is the “Apple” of the home theater world. Their stuff just works and surprisingly well. Customer service is great and their products tend to last.

Hope their headphones do well but since a lot of companies don’t have access to the seamless pairing between Apple devices it’s often relegated to basic BT functionality which some don’t like. Probably should have priced these at $399 as well.

 

[krebphone]

Only works with the Arc on release? I won't be able to swap audio from my Fives or my 300? Real miss here from Sonos, was expecting full ecosystem support...

My wallet was ready for wifi headphones that work with everything else Sonos. What's the purpose of these?

 

[mcilwraith]

they look EXACTLY like my wonderful Sony XM5s. which are only £280. Sony could sue, as the design is a rip-off. Get the Sonys!

 

[Spacegray]

Sorry, but no more SONOS products for me since the disaster of the actual SONOS App update with lots of errors and missing functions.

 

[hansmoleman]

Sorry, but no more SONOS products for me since the disaster of the actual SONOS App update with lots of errors and missing functions.

Are there things missing? Sure, absolutely, 100%.

But I don't exactly think they're folding up shop and saying "too bad, this is all you get."

Obviously it's a work in progress.

They cut over too soon to the new app -- no question there. But I suspect it has to do with the Ace launch -- they couldn't get Ace out the door with the old app, but the new app wasn't 100% finished yet.

So they made a call to get Ace moving, and now will finish the missing features.

A few months from now - probably not even - we'll have alarms back, and wifi reconfig and all the things missing from the app.

But so many folks are throwing the baby out with the bathwater (so to speak) -- I don't understand the overreaction. Perfectly understand being upset, but the reactions I'm reading seems just overdramatic. It'll all be fixed shortly.

 

[Chiromac81]

Are there things missing? Sure, absolutely, 100%.

But I don't exactly think they're folding up shop and saying "too bad, this is all you get."

Obviously it's a work in progress.

They cut over too soon to the new app -- no question there. But I suspect it has to do with the Ace launch -- they couldn't get Ace out the door with the old app, but the new app wasn't 100% finished yet.

So they made a call to get Ace moving, and now will finish the missing features.

A few months from now - probably not even - we'll have alarms back, and wifi reconfig and all the things missing from the app.

But so many folks are throwing the baby out with the bathwater (so to speak) -- I don't understand the overreaction. Perfectly understand being upset, but the reactions I'm reading seems just overdramatic. It'll all be fixed shortly.

Are you serious? Who removes BASIC features from an app and therefore the system and says "it took courage" and we will gradually add some basic features I. Over the next few months (MONTHS) and until then most of your system is unusable....what a joke of a company

 

[hansmoleman]

Are you serious? Who removes BASIC features from an app and therefore the system and says "it took courage" and we will gradually add some basic features I. Over the next few months (MONTHS) and until then most of your system is unusable....what a joke of a company

So the alarms are missing - BFD. The phone you're using to control the system has an alarm app. Solid workaround until they come back.

It's not perfect for sure -- but the music still flows and that's the key ... what feature is missing that makes you say your system is unusable? I know of the alarms, and the wifi reconfiguration stuff -- but what else?

Listening to my system right now so I can't say it's unusable ...

 

[pksv]

It's hands-on headphones, you know - that device that you use to listen to music and other sounds and there's literally only one sentence about sound quality. Welcome to the 2024.

 

[knightsabre7]

So the alarms are missing - BFD. The phone you're using to control the system has an alarm app. Solid workaround until they come back.

It's not perfect for sure -- but the music still flows and that's the key ... what feature is missing that makes you say your system is unusable? I know of the alarms, and the wifi reconfiguration stuff -- but what else?

Listening to my system right now so I can't say it's unusable ...

Alarms are back in the recent update. Timer is still missing, but it's on the list.

Once you figure out the new app layout, it's not bad.

 

[knightsabre7]

The best bluetooth over the ear headphones are the Dali iO-12.

For three times the price, I hope it is.

 

[thettareddast]

The best bluetooth over the ear headphones are the Dali iO-12.

There are tons of "best" bluetooth earphones and headphones. I've owned a bunch of them. Problem is, theyre really bad in practical functionality -- by that i mean the ease of pairing, connection reliability, usability, and etc.

Which in the end makes the Airpods (Pro and Max), though not particularly the best sounding or best noise-cancelling or best-fit or whatever... the actual best headphones.

IMO, Sonos is the “Apple” of the home theater world. Their stuff just works and surprisingly well. Customer service is great and their products tend to last.

Hope their headphones do well but since a lot of companies don’t have access to the seamless pairing between Apple devices it’s often relegated to basic BT functionality which some don’t like. Probably should have priced these at $399 as well.

I agree in Sonos' company ethos and the polish of their products. Im really intrigued about these headphones, but I already own the Max, and as explained above, im quite skeptical that another company can outdo them in real-world usefulness

 

[EnglishPsycho]

"Lossless audio is not available when connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth."

Well that's a deal breaker for me, hopefully Apple can magic something up with the next gen Max's.

 

[klasma]

It'll all be fixed shortly.

I have yet to experience a complete app overhaul from any company were this would have been the case. The old functionality is never fully restored, not even approximately, once they decide to scrap the existing app.