Would appreciate any insight on how Sonos headphones fair while exercising (Peloton, elliptical, running). Understand APM cuffs aren’t good for that.
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Hands-On With the New Sonos 'Ace' Headphones
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Actually, Sonos S1 to S2 is a good example. They released S2 as a new app and everything went swimmingly well (For S2 owners, that is ... S1 got left in the dust.)
I've seen it many times in technology -- Photoshop comes to mind.
Mac OS X in and of itself.
Apple Maps.
Even Apple Music - they split it from iTunes but it restored everything iTunes used to do. (Even the Visualizer came back!)
Slack did it.
Lots of examples out there ...
Vegan leather, otherwise known as plastic. These companies need to invest in regenerative agriculture and go back to using real leather. It's such a much better material, and typically twice as strong as "vegan leather".
Of course it is, it's much more sustainable in the long run but companies have much better margins on plastic (aka vegan leather).
I agree.., Why is there no AirPlay 2 like their home speakers!
Not everyone. I wasn't willing to pay that price 3 years ago, but now I'm dying to get my hands on a pair. But the lighting connector is a no go for me. So I'm waiting for USB-C and to see what (if any) improvements the v2 will bring. I bought a cheap pair of Bose QC45 to tide me over.
If anything, I hope the price of these Sonos make Apple re-consider their pricing structure, though unlikely.
Comparing it to 4 year old AirPod Max? Sure, but I bet the gen 2 AirPod Max will be better than the Sonos. The further we get away from Jony Ives the better.
Looks like there's no Wifi connectivity? I was actually hoping it would join the Sonos network and let me move around the house or even go outside without having to bring my phone with me.
I also want to see how it handles multi-device support. Apple headphones are really seamless with that but they don't extend that support to non-Apple devices. So for me, I've been sticking with Bose which is nearly as seamless but limited to two devices at any time.
I also want to see how it handles multi-device support. Apple headphones are really seamless with that but they don't extend that support to non-Apple devices. So for me, I've been sticking with Bose which is nearly as seamless but limited to two devices at any time.
How does this forum believe the new Sonos "Ace" headphones will compare to the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones?
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
LOL! There is literally no such thing as "regenerative" agriculture. This is a greenwashing term used by the animal agriculture industry. We literally do not have the amount of grazing land required to convert to "regenerative" agriculture, nor do we have the water.
Saying vegan leather is plastic is extremely disingenuous, I do not know where Sonos is sourcing this material, but most companies create a vegan leather product simply by... wait for it... it's radical.... plants.
I don't know, I would not wear them while exercising. There is no mentioning of a sweat-proof rating. I think they are perfect for travelling, commuting or working - not working out
The Sonos hardware has always been stellar but the experience using that great hardware is horrifying.
The S2 app was just buggy. Its ability to search and play through the app was never great, but I liked using it as my master controller because it was a crapshoot if AirPlay would work or not with the speakers.
The new app is an offensive mess. Bugs bugs everywhere (just trying to get speakers to play what you want without overriding what may be going on on other speakers is impossible), search is broken, no timers, completely unintuitive navigation...it clearly was not ready to leave the Sonos labs. Of course they had no choice because I bet the S2 app was never written to support these headphones.
Can totally recommend Sonos for their hardware quality but NOT software quality. For $450 I'd want and expect something that "just works" and Sonos ain't it there. I've had Sony cans I loved if someone wants something platform agnostic. But really nothing beats my AirPods Pro for just working.
The S2 app was just buggy. Its ability to search and play through the app was never great, but I liked using it as my master controller because it was a crapshoot if AirPlay would work or not with the speakers.
The new app is an offensive mess. Bugs bugs everywhere (just trying to get speakers to play what you want without overriding what may be going on on other speakers is impossible), search is broken, no timers, completely unintuitive navigation...it clearly was not ready to leave the Sonos labs. Of course they had no choice because I bet the S2 app was never written to support these headphones.
Can totally recommend Sonos for their hardware quality but NOT software quality. For $450 I'd want and expect something that "just works" and Sonos ain't it there. I've had Sony cans I loved if someone wants something platform agnostic. But really nothing beats my AirPods Pro for just working.
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
You obviously know how Sonos speakers work. This will likely be a "target" just like your fives or 300, meaning you can direct any of many "very open" sources of audio to play on this "speaker."
I suspect the Arc reference is related to a simple way to go from audio playing in a home theater to headphones without missing a beat... such as when it gets late and some want to go to bed while others want to finish watching the big game or movie without having to crank the audio down to "do not disturb" levels.
That's just a guess- maybe it DOES have a dependency on Arc... but if so, the market for these headphones would be relatively tiny vs. making them so they are simply headphones... that happen to have a quick switch feature for something playing through Arc when needed. I would bet with about 97% confidence that these will be a target just as readily as any other Sonos speaker and the Arc reference is as I've guessed vs. having some dependency. Among many other reasons, that would make it able to realize much more revenue than being locked into only a segment that owns Arc too. And Sonos- like Apple- loves their revenue.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I was a little lost with the revised app at first but have now got used to it and like it better. What used to require a couple of clicks to play something is now streamlined down to having the favorites on the main screen. Much less used features are mostly still available but one has to figure out how to get to them now, which is not perfectly intuitive. The ability to customize that main screen has made it so I can get my main wants right where I want them... kind of like the Apple dock concept spread out to the entire screen.
A few features were definitely jettisoned but much like Apple periodically deciding to reinvent their apps (recall the iWork apps just a few years for the switch from FCP to FCPX, or most recently "system settings"), changes are made and then select features come back in updates. The difference is Apple does it and generally gets a past- certainly few "disaster" proclamations... but Apple competitor does it and it is end of the world.
Overall, I like the new app vs. the old one. I'm sure missing features will return... just as they did in Apple apps like Pages, FCPX, etc. when Apple decided it was time for a bigger app overhaul. Sonos does home theater and home audio BETTER than Apple... probably because it is their focus instead of only an ancillary line of products. I'm quite happy with Sonos vs. Apple alternatives... partially because Sonos works just fine with Apple Music, Airplay, Home, etc but lacks the walled garden so that just about every other source of audio works well too. And if anyone wants true surround sound setup, Sonos has that for years now- fully refined- while Apple is still offering only a stereo pair. The latter is great for music but in no way can compete with actual speakers positioned around the main seating area all working together.
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Invested in a flat-wide Sonos system at the start of the pandemic and have added or upgraded a couple of devices since. Until recently, I was a big Sonos booster.
Then, a few months after the warranty expired, my Roam died (a known issue with the device's irreplaceable battery); Sonos declined to take responsibility, only offering a slightly higher trade-in discount as a "goodwill gesture" (like I'm going to buy the same defective model, even with 30% off).
After upgrading a One to an Era 100, I started having major connectivity issues. Sonos's recommended solution? Throw out the Boost I'd bought a couple of years earlier at their suggestion. That may have helped a little though not nearly as much as an eventual app update (i.e. they'd rushed the product to market, stability be damned).
Then they introduced their buggy "upgraded" app: missing alarms, mutes and other functions, breaking links with services I subscribe to (e.g. CBC Listen -- recently fixed) and imposing a UI that now has me dreading using the app.
Have long been postponing a purchase of high-quality headphones until Sonos came out with its model. And I'm glad to see that, unlike the Roam, the headphones won't be rendered junk by an irreplaceable defective battery. Am put off, however, by the lack of Wi-Fi support and by doubts about the actual quality of lossless/hi-res playback over Bluetooth.
Also, one of the main uses I'd have for the headphones is to watch TV. Not sure now that's even possible. My TV is connected to high-quality stereo speakers via a Sonos Amp but it now sounds like that may be a no-go as far as the headphones are concerned. The Amp also doesn't have a headphone jack. Is Sonos telling people that if they want to watch a movie wearing headphones, they also need to buy an Arc, even if they're an all Sonos household and don't otherwise need one? If so, that's a soundbar too far...
Then, a few months after the warranty expired, my Roam died (a known issue with the device's irreplaceable battery); Sonos declined to take responsibility, only offering a slightly higher trade-in discount as a "goodwill gesture" (like I'm going to buy the same defective model, even with 30% off).
After upgrading a One to an Era 100, I started having major connectivity issues. Sonos's recommended solution? Throw out the Boost I'd bought a couple of years earlier at their suggestion. That may have helped a little though not nearly as much as an eventual app update (i.e. they'd rushed the product to market, stability be damned).
Then they introduced their buggy "upgraded" app: missing alarms, mutes and other functions, breaking links with services I subscribe to (e.g. CBC Listen -- recently fixed) and imposing a UI that now has me dreading using the app.
Have long been postponing a purchase of high-quality headphones until Sonos came out with its model. And I'm glad to see that, unlike the Roam, the headphones won't be rendered junk by an irreplaceable defective battery. Am put off, however, by the lack of Wi-Fi support and by doubts about the actual quality of lossless/hi-res playback over Bluetooth.
Also, one of the main uses I'd have for the headphones is to watch TV. Not sure now that's even possible. My TV is connected to high-quality stereo speakers via a Sonos Amp but it now sounds like that may be a no-go as far as the headphones are concerned. The Amp also doesn't have a headphone jack. Is Sonos telling people that if they want to watch a movie wearing headphones, they also need to buy an Arc, even if they're an all Sonos household and don't otherwise need one? If so, that's a soundbar too far...
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Apple removes basic features- for upwards of YEARS. See Pages '09 features like DTP mode and it was quite a stretch for FCPX to regain some features that were in FCP. See iMovie '06 stepping way back in features for iMovie '08. Shall I go on?
Ahhh for real? I didn't catch that part anywhere. Idk if I'd go as far as saying it's a dealbreaker for me, but that's disappointing for sure. Well I guess I'll wait to see what the next-gen Max have to offer. If it's literally just a USB-C port and little else after 4 years of waiting then these might start to look a little more enticing.
Same here. I’m a decade long Sonos customer and these look amazing but I’m not going to buy them due to the absolute disaster that Sonos caused with their recent app update. It makes me not trust the company. I will instead wait for Apple to update the Max’s.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
While "we" will be quick to blame Sonos for this... perhaps it's that our Apple hardware can't deliver it? Not much stuff from Apple has latest Bluetooth. Does anything from Apple?
I believe I saw that AirPods Pro can from Vision Pro, but only in close proximity. I presumed that was bypassing Bluetooth and working through the custom chip.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
This forum will ridicule both. Only Apple can make speakers & headphones. All others are disastrous, flawed, useless, abominations.
I hope Apple never decides to bottle air. Else a lot of "us" will probably smother to death if we run out as opposed to breathing non-Apple air.
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