Hands-On With the New Sonos 'Ace' Headphones

[ryanflanders256]

I ordered my Dali iO-12 and "patiently" waiting to receive them

Initially I considered the AirPods Max. While I liked the sound, they were heavy and uncomfortable. So I started researching alternatives for high-end bluetooth over the ear headphones.

I came across these brands:

Dali iO-12
Focal Bathys
Bowers & Wilkins Px8
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95
Mark Levinson No.5909
T+A Solitaire T

After watching countless YouTube reviews by actual audiophiles I am convinced the Dali iO-12 are the best option.

This is a very useful review:

I can post more once I try the headphones myself

@Stenik thank you for this reply! I look forward to your review after your headphones arrive. 👍

That's a great list. There are a few high-end audiophile stores in my city. None of them have the Dali in stock but I think I convinced my local store to order a demo pair so I can try them.

I can't wait to try all the high end noise cancelling bluetooth headphones in person!

I had never heard of most of these brands until the last few days... I guess they don't market heavily and are outside the budget of most folks so they don't make it into mainstream youtube comparisons.

Whichever I choose, it will be my first pair of top tier headphones. It's a lot to spend but I literally wear headphones for 12 hours a day because I love them so much. I know I will get good use out of them! 🎧🎵🎶

 

[sidewinder3000]

I pre-ordered the AirPods Pro Max and was crushed by how many serious design flaws they had. The worst was that Apple clung to the rigid “design first/humans second” idea that the earcup and the headband should all be in perfect alignment, rather than having the earcup tilted and offset a little bit, you know, the way human ears are. The second crazy design compromise was using aluminum and making them so insanely heavy. It looks like Sonos was smarter, and fixed those crazy design flaws that would prevent most serious people from using them. I really wish Apple would get out of their own way on some of this stuff. There’s no reason they should come out with a product that is as heavy, and fits as poorly, as AirPods Pro Max did. “Premium” materials failed to actually be premium when they’re heavy and uncomfortable.

 

[MacAddict1978]

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.

The AirPods Max were not a blockbuster product that sold tens of millions of units.... so no, anyone who wants an over-the-head experience did not necessarily buy them nor is "Apple Devices" even relevant since people have TONS of other devices, they use headphones with.... like gaming consoles, TV's... sound bars.... things Air Pods Max don't do much good for.

There are also tons of better headphones out there than the AirPods Max or close enough ones at cheaper prices. Spatial Audio was the big echo system hook for Air Pods Max - which hasn't exactly taken off. Why? Because out of all the headphones in circulation - almost no one has them on their heads because they did not buy them.

These will be just as niche as the AirPods Max are - but for anyone that owns a Sonos system or sound bar, a far better choice if you're someone wanting to drop that amount of cash on headphones.

Let's also be clear here.... the difference in sound quality between Beats or Sony or some other brand that sells for $200 (and always on sales for far less) to 98% of the world is almost imperceptible.

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

You and all the other whiners - what company hasn't had an event like this? (ESPECIALLY APPLE). An update is coming soon that will fix most things and another that will fix the rest - HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SETTING ALARMS ON THEIR SOUND BARS??? FEW. For 99% of people, everything they need is there and the app save a few head scratchers not being there at launch is SOOOOOO much better. NOT A REASON TO AVOID SONOS. Sure, it was launched a smidge too soon but no one will die. #dramaqueens

 

[dampfnudel]

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.

Yeah, the bulky helicopter headphone look doesn’t do it for some people, myself included. Maybe Apple will come up with something better looking with the second generation AirPods Max which probably will be released in 2026. I don’t expect Apple to call the USB-C AirPods Max they’re releasing this year the second generation based on what they did with the AirPods Pro 2 (lightning and USB-C versions are both second generation).

 

[dampfnudel]

I pre-ordered the AirPods Pro Max and was crushed by how many serious design flaws they had. The worst was that Apple clung to the rigid “design first/humans second” idea that the earcup and the headband should all be in perfect alignment, rather than having the earcup tilted and offset a little bit, you know, the way human ears are. The second crazy design compromise was using aluminum and making them so insanely heavy. It looks like Sonos was smarter, and fixed those crazy design flaws that would prevent most serious people from using them. I really wish Apple would get out of their own way on some of this stuff. There’s no reason they should come out with a product that is as heavy, and fits as poorly, as AirPods Pro Max did. “Premium” materials failed to actually be premium when they’re heavy and uncomfortable.

I know someone who returned them because of how uncomfortable they felt for a long flight. He said his old Bose cans were better.

 

[sandman42]

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

Hear, hear. I never thought I would say this, but I have had a complete change of mind about Sonos. My house has become loaded with Sonos products, and I used to recommend them to anyone at all interested. But Sonos’ consistent willingness to drop support for hardware and features after customers have bought their products makes me unwilling to recommend them and leery of buying any more of their stuff. To buy a product, become accustomed to its range of features and how to navigate them, then have those features removed and/or changed to this degree is offensive to me. I had no idea when I updated to the new app recently that I would suddenly lose functions that I really liked and felt like i had paid for when I bought more and more of their products. If they’re willing to do this to their customers I’m not sure I want to continue with them.

 

[sidewinder3000]

I know someone who returned them because of how uncomfortable they felt for a long flight. He said his old Bose cans were better.

The problem is that obviously the headband should be at the very top of the head, for gravity reasons. But the human ears don’t always line up perfectly with where the center of your head is, there’s a slight tilt, which is why so many of the really good headphones have a slight tilt to the earcup. Maybe the designers at Apple thought it looked better on billboards to have the headband and earcup’s all lineup, but that’s just not how most people are built.

 

[nkgmd]

So I’m a huge audiophile and Sonos fan, equally avid Airpods fan, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Ace headphones. I got them yesterday, and I agree that they are beautifully designed, slim, solid but light and comfortable. They paired instantly and after a firmware update that took about 5 minutes I added them to my Sonos account, paired with my iPhone and played a new Dolby Atmos track…and they sound awful. Forget comparing them to AirPods Max, they sounded actually bad, tinny, far away and flat. I tried a few other tracks, made sure Dolby Atmos and noise cancellation were turned on, then off, tried adjusting the equalizer in the Sonos app (and in Apple Music settings) but I couldn’t get it even close to parity with AirPods. Mind you my Sonos home theater setup (in multiple rooms) is outstanding and quite equally matches sound quality with Apple’s AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. They somehow really missed the mark with this product. Returning, but with a heavy heart.

 

[DaveOZ]

They somehow really missed the mark with this product. Returning, but with a heavy heart.

I agree 99% with your assessment however I’m keeping mine for a couple of reasons.

1. They fit my head and ears much better than the AirPods Max. They are lighter and very comfortable to wear for long periods.
2. They work so well with my Sonos Arc.

Two more reasons…

3. My store does not have an open box return policy.
4. I gave my AirPods Max to my Son already.

Seriously they really are very good. I would not say they sound ”awful”. I have wired open back headphones with an amp and DAC for listening to music. Wireless headphone are all about portability and flexibility. For me, the Ace fits the bill. I’m off on a 22 hour plane trip next week and looking forward to wearing these.

 

[DaveOZ]

Oh, and I might be just imagining it but the seem to be burning in better as time goes on. This may of course be my imagination trying to justify the purchase.

 

[nkgmd]

Oh, and I might be just imagining it but the seem to be burning in better as time goes on. This may of course be my imagination trying to justify the purchase.

I was so hoping to love these. It just sounded like two transistor radios, whereas AirPods with special audio sounds so lifelike I have to check that I’m not listening to the actual speakers and waking the whole house up. I AM glad you like them. Mind you I never write critical reviews of anything. But this is expensive and the reviewers are kind of glossing over sound quality in my opinion. And damn it, I really wanted these things to be amazing like all my other Sonos speakers. ☹️

 

[nkgmd]

I guess the choice comes down to sound quality vs comfort (and price?). No trifecta here.

 

[AustinIllini]

I guess the choice comes down to sound quality vs comfort (and price?). No trifecta here.

I guess, but really when it comes to sound quality, all the active noise cancelers are bad.