Sonos Ace Review: Worth The Wait?

Can Sonos’ first ever wireless headphones compete in a crowded wireless headphone market?

Sonos Releases - Updated 6th September 2024

Written By

Elliott Peeters-Vanstone

Sonos Ace Wireless Headphones: The Complete Breakdown

The world of high-end headphones is a crowded one, with established brands battling it out for the title of ‘best-in-class’. But there's a new challenger in the ring: the Sonos Ace.

Despite being one of Sonos’ most hotly anticipated products in recent years, the brand faces some tough competition from the likes of Sony, Apple and Bose, to name a few.

Our initial impressions were positive. The Sonos Ace headphones exude a premium feel and boast everything you’d want on paper from a high-end pair of headphones, including impressive active noise-cancelling, 30-hour battery life, home cinema integration and more! But we’ve now got hands-on to really put them to the test.

This Sonos Ace review will put these newcomers through their paces, answering three key questions: how do they perform as regular headphones, how well do they integrate with the Sonos ecosystem, and ultimately, should you choose them over the competition?

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Want to see these headphones in action? Watch our full Sonos Ace review on YouTube to hear them for yourself!

Price & Availability

Sonos wasted no time making waves in the high-end headphone market. The Sonos Ace headphones, which launch globally on June 5th, are already turning heads with their competitive price point of £449 ($449 / AU$699).

This strategic pricing positions them as a compelling alternative to the pricier Apple AirPods Max (£549 / $549 / AU$899). But more importantly, it positions them to compete with established giants like the award-winning Sony WH-1000XM5 and similarly priced Bose QuietComfort Ultras. This move suggests Sonos is serious about taking a chunk of market share from these long-standing audio powerhouses.

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Design & Comfort

From the first glance, Sonos Ace delivers the sense of quality you’d expect from a pair of £449 headphones. The build utilises stainless steel for the headband, hidden hinges for a clean look, and plush vegan leather memory foam cushions for long-lasting comfort.

Available in both black and white finishes, these headphones sport a sleek matte finish with a laser-etched Sonos logo on the right ear cup.

They're designed to be fingerprint-resistant, and although this holds true for the white colourway, the black finish does fare a little worse, performing similarly to the Sony XM5s in this department.

In terms of functionality, the Sonos Ace prioritises user-friendliness with physical buttons on the ear cups rather than touch controls. These buttons offer convenient control over volume, playback, noise cancellation, and power. The magnetic ear cups are also a thoughtful touch, ensuring easy cleaning and removal for potential replacements, which are sold separately at £49.

Now, when it comes to headphones, comfort is paramount and the Sonos Ace excels in this area. The lightweight design and a pressure-equalising mechanism within the cups create a secure fit that isn't overly clamping. Although those of you who wear glasses might experience some pressure after extended use, most users will find these headphones comfortable enough for long listening sessions.

For us, the Sonos Ace strikes a nice balance between the bulkier Sony XM5’s and the flashier Apple AirPods Max. The overall design is sleek and stylish, with a slim profile that sits comfortably on your head.

Durability

Technically speaking, the Sonos Ace might lack an official IP rating, the industry standard for water resistance. This isn't uncommon in the premium headphone market; the Apple AirPods Max share this characteristic. While some users might shrug and wear them at the gym regardless, the lack of a rating does raise a question: how do they fare with a bit of exertion?

We put the Sonos Ace through its paces with light gym sessions and a 5K run in our testing. Comfort remained excellent throughout, thanks in part to their lightweight design. However, after around 4 kilometres of running, we noticed a build-up of sweat on the ear cups. Thankfully, unlike some rivals, the magnetic design of the Sonos Ace allows for easy cleaning with a quick wipe.

Naturally, the missing IP rating might be a concern for some, particularly those who favour intense workouts. However, for lighter workouts and more casual exercising, the Sonos Ace should hold up just fine.

Features

The Sonos Ace headphones are built for effortless listening. Featuring the latest Bluetooth 5.4 technology, they deliver a reliable, crystal-clear wireless connection without the need for the Sonos app if you don’t want to use it. There’s also wear detection and support for multipoint pairing, which lets you connect to multiple devices at once, switching seamlessly between them as and when you want to.

The Sonos Ace includes both a USB-C to 3.5mm cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable. This allows you to listen wired if you prefer.

Additionally, the headphones support lossless audio over a wired USB-C connection. Android users with devices featuring Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound aptX can also enjoy lossless audio.

For an extra dose of immersion, Sonos Ace also supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos technologies. They also offer the option to toggle on Dynamic Head Tracking, which adjusts the audio based on your head movement. While we personally prefer a static soundscape for music listening, it can be a cool feature for certain tracks, adding an extra layer of immersion.

Of course, along with all of that, the Sonos app is also still there for those who crave ultimate control. Here, you can personalise your listening experience by tweaking the EQ, adjusting noise cancellation levels, and even toggling spatial audio.

Battery Life

In terms of battery life, the Sonos Ace boasts an impressive 30 hours of battery life with ANC enabled. This translates to multiple days of casual use without needing to reach for the charger.

For context, this puts the Sonos Ace on par with the Sony WH-1000XM5 (also 30 hours), surpassing the AirPods Max (20 hours) and Bose (24 hours).

The included quick-charge function provides three hours of playback time with just a 3-minute charge, a lifesaver for those unexpected low-battery situations.

Sound Performance

Sonos Ace being held in hand by the ear cups

Internally, Sonos have gone for a pair custom-designed 40-mm dynamic drivers which is the same size drivers as the Bowers & Wilkins PX8’s & Airpods max but larger than the Quietcomfort Ultras at 35mm & XM5’s 30mm drivers for context.

There’s no doubt that the Sonos Ace delivers a sound profile that holds its own against their high-end rivals. Their well-balanced tonality translates to a pleasant listening experience across various genres, whether you prioritise clear vocals or impactful bass.

The bass response is generally good, but some might find it slightly strong in certain bass-heavy genres. This isn't a major drawback, as the Sonos app's EQ allows you to adjust the bass level to your preference, ensuring a personalised listening experience.

We tested the Sonos Ace with a diverse range of music, from energetic dance tracks like Peggy Gou's "Lobster Telephone" to the intricate orchestration of Leon Bridges' "River." The headphones performed great in both scenarios. The kick drum in "Lobster Telephone" packed a punch, while vocals and instruments in "River" remained distinct, creating a clear and immersive soundstage.

For listeners who appreciate detail, the Sonos Ace is a treat. They reveal subtle nuances in recordings that add to the overall listening experience and the sound profile itself is warm and spacious, particularly with spatial audio content.

Podcast fans will appreciate the Sonos Ace as well. They offer warm vocals with excellent midrange clarity. We were even surprised by the immersive quality of spoken-word content, that made you feel like you're right there with the host.

To give you a better picture of the Sonos Ace's sound quality, we also spoke with Kurt Martinez, a leading Dolby Atmos mixing engineer at Dean Street Studios in London. For context, he typically uses Apple Airpods Max as his reference headphones for mixing. However, he recently had the chance to test the Sonos Ace and even used them on his latest mix for Central Cee’s “Band4Band”.

Curious to hear his full breakdown? Head over to our YouTube channel, where we delve deeper into the Sonos Ace with Kurt in our full review.

Noise-Cancelling

Naturally, there's always a healthy dose of skepticism when a company throws around "world-class" claims. However, when it comes to ANC, Sonos Ace is genuinely impressive.

While some competitors offer adjustable ANC levels, the Ace relies solely on an automatic system. Despite this, in various environments—the office, a busy road, even windy conditions—the noise cancellation performed really well and ranks among the best we've tested.

"Aware Mode" on many headphones feels like an afterthought. Most people just pause their music or take them off altogether when they need to hear what's going on around them. But the Sonos Ace's Aware Mode actually impressed us.

With a single button tap, it amplifies ambient noise, making it surprisingly useful for situations like staying aware in the office. While the AirPods Max have a great Aware Mode too, the Sonos Ace definitely delivers a similar experience that feels just as effective.

Sonos Integration

Many Sonos users, ourselves included, were hoping the Sonos Ace would seamlessly integrate into the existing Sonos ecosystem. The vision was a pair of headphones acting as another zone, leveraging the well-established Sonos WiFi connectivity.

However, currently, the only connection to your Sonos system is through a Sonos soundbar. On release, this feature only worked with the flagship Sonos Arc but following a series of post-launch updates, Sonos Ace will offer full compatibility with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), Sonos Ray as well as the older Sonos Beam (Gen 1).

We contacted Sonos to understand their reasoning for the slightly limited integration, and it turns out they’re prioritising a seamless listening experience first and foremost. (Wi-Fi connectivity could lead to audio dropouts and reduced battery life.).

The idea is that they're focusing on a strong home cinema connection for now, with the possibility of further enhancements in the future based on user feedback.

Current Sonos Functionality:

TV Audio Swap

As mentioned, the Sonos Ace does integrate into a Sonos home cinema system with a handy feature called ‘TV Audio Swap’ which lets you send the sound from your Sonos soundbar straight to your Sonos Ace headphones with a single button tap.

You can connect two pairs of headphones to a single soundbar (though only one pair can listen at a time) and the sound is sent to the headphones, not played simultaneously on both the TV and headphones.

Setting up and using TV audio swap is as simple as a quick app interaction or a dedicated button on the headphones themselves.

While we initially questioned the need for headphones with a soundbar, the Sonos Ace creates a personal cinema experience, perfect for those of you who want a more intimate listening experience. The sound is so spacious, and we often forgot they were even on our head when we were testing it out.

Sonos Ace also really impressed with Atmos movies. The soundbar creates a special spatial audio mix for the headphones, that forms a surround sound experience for Atmos or surround sound content, and a virtualised stereo mix for regular content. It's all designed for immersion without feeling closed in.

Dynamic head tracking further enhances the experience, ensuring sound appears to come from the correct place even as you move your head.

One minor issue we found was that the volume for TV audio was quieter than music playback. Sonos is aware, and a software update will address this soon. Considering how impressed we have been otherwise, a volume boost will make things even better.

Admittedly, this sort of private listening experience with headphones might not be ideal for social situations, but for those quiet moments alone, they offer a truly immersive experience that has us very excited for future possibilities.

Our Verdict

Based on our testing, you can tell Sonos hasn’t just dipped their toes into the headphone market with Sonos Ace, they’ve come swinging for the crown.

Sound quality, ANC, battery life, comfort, and usability all compete with the market leaders. So, while not a dramatic leap ahead, the marginal improvements in a competitive space are very impressive.

Admittedly, the Sonos Ace might not be as integrated into the Sonos ecosystem as some had hoped, potentially feeling "not Sonos enough." However, their reasoning for a broader appeal is understandable. For those with compatible soundbars, the TV sound swap feature is a win, and the potential for future developments is also very exciting.

For us, compared to the competition, with £450 in hand, the Sonos Ace is a very compelling option that we think will surprise a few. If you already own high-end headphones, this isn't a necessary upgrade. However, for those seeking a premium pair that delivers on all fronts, the Sonos Ace lives up to its "obsessively crafted" promise.

The big curveball will be if the Sony XM6s or Apple AirPod Max 2’s release sometime this year - then the merry go round continues. But for that, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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