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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Sonos Ace were released in mid-2024, but they’re not the same headphones today.
- They’ll appeal most to Sonos fans who need a private TV-watching solution in their home.
- Those outside the Sonos ecosystem will find more enjoyment from Sonos’ competitors.
It’s been a year and a half since Sonos released its first pair of consumer headphones, and although they made waves when they first dropped, how have they fared once the hype died down? I’ve worn the Sonos Ace often since their June 2024 release, and I have a much sharper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
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If you’re in a seriously committed relationship with Sonos’ home theater products and often find yourself unable to use them once your partner, kids, roommates, or neighbors retire for the night, you’ll find the most value in the Sonos Ace, both inside and outside your home.
If you have Sonos soundbars but don’t plan to use the TV Audio Swap feature, or if you don’t have Sonos soundbars at all, you’ll miss out on these headphones’ best feature, and you’ll be better off buying from Apple, Sony, or Bose.
Sonos gave the Ace headphones a major software update for their first birthday last summer, addressing the biggest complaints I had about them. With the new updates and over a year of use in mind, here’s the best advice I can give you to help you make a buying decision.
A thoughtful design and immense comfort
The Ace are a good-looking pair of consumer headphones; they’re more elegant than the utilitarian Sony WH-1000XM6 or the sporty Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2, defined by clean lines and slimmer earcups. They abide by Sonos’ ethos of modern, simple design, with subtle yet meaningful choices that make them easy to wear and listen to.
One of my favorite design elements is the Ace’s Content Key, a multifunction button you can press or slide to execute a series of commands. I prefer it to Apple’s digital crown because it’s placed in the middle of the back of the right earcup, making it easier to reach.
Also: I tested Bose and Sony’s flagship headphones for months – how each wins (or falls flat)
Also, it’s textured differently from the power button, making it easy to identify by touch, compared to other headphones with multiple multifunction buttons that feel the same.
The Sonos Ace are easily the most comfortable headphones in my armada; they’re lighter than Apple’s AirPods Max, offer a more relaxed clamping force than Sony’s WH-1000XM6, and have wider earcups than Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra 2. I can wear them for hours when working at my desk, traveling, and binge-watching “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” late at night.
Dynamic and vibrant sound
The Sonos Ace have a vibrant, lively, and dynamic sound characterized by a prominent bass and treble response. They have a wider soundstage than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Dolby Atmos compatibility provides better object imaging when watching TV shows and movies.
The Ace’s exciting sound profile makes them most compatible with genres of a similar character, such as pop, electronic, and hip-hop. Their bass response can muddle at high volume, but there’s an enjoyable treble shine. The Ace aren’t the best option for critical listening, but they can easily get you in the groove.
Also: I listened to earbuds with Bose’s AI noise cancelling, and can’t go back to regular ANC
The Ace don’t sound as detailed as the Sony WH-1000XM6, but their bold sound profile has a cinematic feel primed for enjoying podcasts, movies, and TV shows. If you want headphones tuned to work well with a wide range of genres, you should consider what Sony has to offer. The Sonos app has a limited equalizer for the Ace, so if you want greater control over your headphones’ sound, go with Sony.
TV Audio Swap: gimmick or pure genius?
TV Audio Swap is the Ace’s standout feature, allowing users to easily connect their Ace headphones to a compatible Sonos soundbar. During my initial testing, I didn’t see a huge demand for it, but now I use it all the time. My partner works overnight, and on a lazy Sunday, I can watch TV in full clarity while cooking or doing laundry, all without disturbing his sleep.
Also: I changed 3 settings on my Sonos soundbar to instantly improve the audio performance
I have to be fair; Bose did the “connect your headphones to your soundbar” thing first, but Sonos does it better by using Wi-Fi. Bose’s technology uses a specialized Bluetooth connection, while the Ace communicate with your soundbar via your home network. Using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth provides more stable connections, lower latency, and greater freedom to move about your house.
I often ran into bugs when engaging the Ace in TV Audio Swap, but since their software overhaul last summer, my issues subsided. The Ace’s software update also allows two Ace headphones to connect to a single compatible Sonos soundbar, enabling two users to watch TV together privately. This feature is similar to Apple’s, which allows two pairs of AirPods or Beats headphones to connect to one Apple TV.
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Sonos offers TrueCinema, a feature that measures the room acoustics in the space where your soundbar is and applies them to the spatial audio from the headphones. This feature wasn’t available until a year after the Ace’s release, but its introduction strengthens TV Audio Swap’s allure. Once I calibrated my Ace headphones, I noticed an improvement in their Dolby Atmos with head tracking performance.
What I’d like to see in the next model
There’s a critical area Sonos needs to improve with the next generation of the Ace headphones: microphones. The Ace’s noise-canceling and voice pickup abilities (two jobs that high-performing microphones and noise-canceling algorithms are responsible for) are subpar for $400 headphones. Although the Ace’s summer 2025 software update improved voice clarity and noise cancellation, the improvements are most noticeable when wearing them indoors.
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A new adaptive noise cancellation algorithm did improve my at-home listening experience, where blankets, hoodies, and pillows can interfere. Additionally, the Ace are most effective at canceling noises in the mid-to-low frequencies, such as a box fan or air conditioner. The Ace struggle with real-world distractions, such as traffic, conversational chatter, and sudden, sharp noises. Bose and Sony are better equipped here.
The software update also introduced SideTone, a feature that lets you hear yourself better while talking with the headphones on. SideTone is another feature that performs well in a controlled environment, such as your living room, but its contemporaries use mics and voice-isolation algorithms better in uncontrolled environments.
Also: Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra shows the company still outperforms Apple in one key area
If their noise-canceling abilities were better, their $400 price tag would be more justified, and the Ace would be more competitive to consumers outside of the Sonos ecosystem. While residing inside the ecosystem, the Ace are wonderful. Yet, once you leave it, you don’t gain much in return. For an extra $50 to $60, you can get more powerful, intuitive noise cancellation from Sony or Bose.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Sonos Ace are a great option for Sonos fans and those looking to enter the company’s ecosystem. They excel in quiet to moderately noisy environments, are highly comfortable to wear for hours at a time, and play their role well as your in-home, private extension of your Sonos soundbars. If you have a Sonos soundbar in at least one room in your house and need a private listening solution, you can’t go wrong with the Ace.
If you can’t envision yourself using TV Audio Swap, or you don’t have Sonos soundbars, you’ll find that the Ace fall flat for their price, and you should consider other options. The Apple AirPods Max have native integration with your iOS devices, the Sony WH-1000XM6 have more detailed sound and equalizer settings, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) offer reliable performance in every environment.
Source: www.zdnet.com
