The Sonos Ace Wireless are the first-ever headphones from this manufacturer. Their past products include home audio products like soundbars and speakers, which can all seamlessly connect to one another via the Sonos app. These ambitious cans seek to challenge competitors like the Apple AirPods Max Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless in the premium category. They're also equipped with high-end standards like noise cancelling (ANC), head tracking, and companion app support. An especially unique addition is the TV Audio Swap function, which lets you connect the headphones to your compatible Sonos soundbar and receive its audio, so long as you're also an iOS user. In an ever-crowded market, do these headphones stand out from the pack?
The Sonos Ace are satisfactory for neutral sound. Their out-of-the-box sound profile is somewhat warm but a bit uneven. Vocals and instruments are a touch forward in the mix but are also slightly cluttered by the added bass. Sibilants like hi-hats are bright enough to cut through the boominess. Unfortunately, even though they have some sound customization features, the bass and treble sliders are quite limiting. The head tracking feature can help give you the impression of a more dimensional sound.
The Sonos Ace are great for commute and travel. These premium headphones have a very comfortable fit and are well-suited for long days on the go, and their battery will easily get you from point A to B without a recharge. They're also equipped with a top-notch noise cancelling system, so you won't be bothered by the rumbles of plane engines or talkative passengers. That said, the headphones, as well as their carrying case, are a bit bulky, so you'll need to save dedicated space in your bag for them. They don't support passive audio either, so they need to be powered on, even if you're using them wired for in-flight entertainment.
The Sonos Ace are satisfactory for sports and fitness, though this isn't their intended usage. The manufacturer also notes that they're not water-resistant, so it's best to err on the side of caution if you want to use them for this purpose. They're also stable enough to stay in place if you're lifting weights, but they'll fall off with more rigorous movements like push-ups. That said, they have a pretty comfortable fit.
The Sonos Ace are great for office use. They're very comfortable, so you may not even notice them during long listening sessions. They also have a 30-hour continuous battery life, allowing you to use them for multiple days in a row without worrying about draining the battery. If that's not enough, their ANC system can easily block out chatty coworkers and clattering keyboards near your desk. You can even pair them with two devices at a time, and their overall leakage is low enough that you won't disturb others around you if you want to crank up the tunes.
The Sonos Ace are mediocre for wireless gaming. Since they only support Bluetooth, you'll need to use it to connect to your PC. If you're already a Sonos user, have a compatible Sonos soundbar, and use an iOS device, you can use the companion app's TV Audio Swap feature to receive audio from your soundbar. In other words, you can daisy chain your console to your soundbar and then receive audio from your soundbar that way. That said, audio delay results in lip sync mismatch, which can be especially frustrating in competitive gaming. Some users have also had issues connecting to the app and soundbar.
The Sonos Ace are satisfactory for wired gaming. Their analog cable only allows you to receive audio, and their USB cable, while offering full audio and mic compatibility on PCs, is pretty short. Even if you don't need a mic or have a standalone mic, then you'll want to keep in mind that these headphones have to be powered on, even when used wired. Their battery life is long enough to last through long gaming marathons, though. They're also very comfortable, and their sound has enough warmth to emphasize sound effects like footsteps.
The Sonos Ace are decent for phone calls. Their integrated mic offers an alright overall performance. Speech sounds clear, but lacking in depth. If you're taking calls in noisy environments, background sounds can affect vocal quality, though, and an especially loud noise like a train pulling into the station can drown out your voice altogether. There isn't a sidetone feature to monitor your voice either. On the upside, the headphones are equipped with noise cancelling and can effectively block out a lot of annoyances around you.
The Sonos Ace come in two color variants: 'Soft White' and 'Black'. We tested the 'Soft White' variant and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Although Sonos has been around for a couple of decades, they've been largely known for their home products like soundbars and speakers. The Sonos Ace represents their first foray into the headphones world. With a premium price tag and Sonos-centric features like TV Swap, they've taken aim at industry titans like the Apple AirPods Max Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless. They stack up well when it comes to a sleek and durable design that's comfortable as well as good looking. Even their noise cancelling is up to par with some of the best to date. However, they falter when it comes to sound. They aren't quite as neutral-sounding as the Apple, nor do they have the customizability of the Sony. While using them with your soundbar is a great addition if you're already in the Sonos ecosystem, these cans fall short of their competitors.
If you're shopping around for more headphones, check out our recommendations for the best headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best headphones for music.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless and the Sonos Ace Wireless are both premium models, and deciding between them comes down to the details. They're equally comfortable and well-built, with outstanding ANC systems. However, the Bose headphones have a better overall microphone performance, and their app offers slightly more customizability in performance. You can adjust their more bassy sound using the graphic EQ or presets. Their virtual soundstage feature is also a bit more than on/off, as you can select if you want the virtual speakers to stay in front of you or if you want them to move with your head movements. If you're already a Sonos user, you'll get the most out of the Sonos headphones, especially if you have a compatible soundbar. You can use the TV Swap Audio to receive audio from your soundbar, though there's some audio delay present. However, there have been user reports of issues regarding the app's lack of functionality.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless and the Sonos Ace Wireless are both top-of-the-line headphones, and depending on your preferences, you may enjoy either one. The Sony have a lot more customizability, thanks to their companion app, which offers a graphic EQ, presets, and a virtual soundstage feature. They also support LDAC for streaming high-quality audio, and you can even use the headphones passively. On the other hand, the Sonos are more comfortable, are better built, and have a less bassy sound, which some users may prefer. They also have a slightly better overall noise isolation performance, though both offer the best of the best, and they have aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless compatibility plus support USB audio. Their TV Audio Swap feature is also a unique addition to the headphones, and it allows you to receive your compatible Sonos soundbar's audio, although there have been some user reports that the app is buggy and lacking in features.
The Apple AirPods Max Wireless and the Sonos Ace Wireless are both premium headphones with different strengths. While both are well-built and have swappable ear cup padding, the Apple headphones have flatter bass and mids, which some people may prefer. They also have an H1 chip, so you can seamlessly pair your headphones with your iOS device. However, the Sonos are much more comfortable, come with a carrying case that protects the headphones, and have the edge regarding noise isolation, though both still perform quite well in this regard. They also have a TV Audio Swap feature that you can use to receive audio from your compatible Sonos soundbar despite some audio delay. Some users have reported issues with the connection between their soundbar and headphones.
Both the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless and the Sonos Ace Wireless are top-of-the-line headphones. While both headphones have a premium build quality and first-class noise isolation performance, the Sony are a bit older but still offer good value as they're more customizable, thanks to their companion app, which has a graphic EQ and virtual soundstage at your fingertips. They also have a longer continuous battery life and can be used passively. They also support LDAC for high-quality audio via Bluetooth, although the Sonos have aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, plus USB audio support. That said, the Sonos are more comfortable and have a TV Audio Swap feature that you can use with compatible Sonos soundbars to receive audio from your soundbar. Some users have reported issues using the app, which can be a dealbreaker though.
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless and Sonos Ace Wireless are at the top of their respective lineups, so choosing between them comes down to the details. Although the Sennheiser are more bassy in sound, you can finetune them to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ or presets. Their continuous battery life is longer, and they can be used passively. Conversely, the Sonos are significantly more comfortable and have a more neutral sound by default. They also have a superior noise isolation performance, which is handy for commuting, and the TV Audio Swap feature allows you to hear audio from compatible Sonos soundbars. Users have reported issues with the app including bugginess and less functionality than in the previous iteration of the app.
The Sonos Ace have an unmistakably premium look reminiscent of the Apple AirPods Max Wireless, thanks to their aluminum hinges, rounded edges, and magnetic, knit ear cup padding. That said, their headband is more typical in design with leatherette padding on the underside. The manufacturer's logo is embossed in a similar color to the rest of the headphones on the ear cup. They come in two color variants: 'Soft White' and 'Black.'
These headphones are pretty comfortable. They're well cushioned all around and feel lightweight, so you don't really notice them on your head. They also have a good amount of clamping force to hold them in place while you move—not enough to feel uncomfortable, though. Unfortunately, the ear cups aren't very deep, so if you have medium-sized ears, they could touch the drivers inside. The material can also feel a bit slick and sweaty over time.
The controls are easy to use and are well laid out. If you're looking for a list of commands, you can find them here. There are physical buttons to handle all major controls (including TV Audio Swap), and they even give immediate tactile feedback when you've made an input. There are also unique feedback chimes for every possible input and a sound to let you know when you've reached the minimum or maximum volume. That said, there aren't a lot of options to modify controls, and the buttons feel slightly mushy.
The carrying case is decent. It's mostly made of recycled material, which feels dense with a hint of flex. That said, this material doesn't scream premium quality and can feel a little cheap in the hands. It's also prone to collecting dust and hair over time. There's a zipper to keep the case closed, although it can get caught when you're manipulating it. On the upside, it seems like the case is resistant to liquids and impact damage. Inside the case is a pouch for the cables that magnetically attaches to the case.
The Sonos Ace have a great build quality that's on par with other premium headphones like the Apple AirPods Max Wireless and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless. They're made with a mix of high-quality, recycled material. The aluminum yokes easily slide up and down yet hold their position well, so you don't need to constantly worry about your fit changing over time. Swapping out the ear pads is simple too, since they magnetically clip onto the driver housing. That said, like the AirPods Max, some users have reported condensation building up in the ear cups. The manufacturer does specify that these headphones lack an IP rating for water resistance, but if you notice this happening, you can carefully wipe the condensation away with a dry cloth.
While they aren't as neutral sounding as the Apple AirPods Max Wireless, nor as bassy as the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless, the Sonos Ace aim for a warm, full sound. They're punchy, but the added bass makes mixes a bit cluttered as it carries into the low-mids. Voices, as well as instruments and sibilants caused by cymbals, have some brightness to stand out against the bass. Overall, the sound isn't anything to write home about when it comes to music. If you want to use them for watching movies via TV Audio Swap, you'll find their sound helps bring out sound effects like explosions. Dialogue is fairly clear, although higher-pitched voices lose some articulation. While a lot of premium headphones offer robust sound customizations, Sonos only offers bass and treble sliders to help you adjust their sound. You can also use the Loudness feature in the app to help boost bass and treble if you prefer to keep your volume on the low side of things. It's not an EQ per se, but at low volumes, we perceive less bass and treble than at high volumes, so this feature keeps sound similar while encouraging you to listen to your audio at a lower decibel.
Whether you use a Bluetooth, analog, or USB connection, you won't notice a difference in frequency response. However, ANC on and off can make a slight difference in sound. When ANC is off, there's a bit more bass, adding thump, rumble, and warmth to your audio compared to our results, which reflect the frequency response when the ANC is on. Still, ANC on sounds a bit more neutral in the low end, allowing you to hear the mids better.
These headphones also have a feature called Aware mode, which allows you to hear your surroundings without taking off your headphones. Your surroundings sound natural and lifelike. The effect is very similar to that of the AirPods Max.
The Sonos Ace have a fair frequency response consistency. If you have thick hair or wear glasses, you can experience a drop in bass since these kinds of features break the headphones' seal on your head. Treble consistency can also vary depending on the headphones' fit, positioning, and seal, so getting a good fit each time you use them for more consistent sound delivery is important.
These headphones have great bass accuracy. The response is somewhat tilted, so there's adequate thump and rumble in your mixes, but as you go higher in the frequencies, these cans deliver more punch. It's pleasing if you like to enhance the basslines in genres like EDM and hip-hop or sound effects like the house explosion scene in John Wick 2. However, the extra bass also clutters their overall sound a bit.
The Sonos Ace's mid accuracy is excellent. The response is a bit wiggly in this range, but overall, it isn't too overemphasized. Vocals and instruments like guitars and pianos sit a touch forward in the mix with additional intensity to help keep them clear in the midst of extra bass. Dialogue is also easy to follow in movies and TV shows.
The Sonos Ace have very good treble accuracy. The low-treble is slightly scooped out towards the mid-treble, so vocals and instruments in this range sound a bit veiled and lack articulation as well as clarity. That said, a peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals bright.
The peaks and dips performance of the Sonos Ace is satisfactory. The headphones follow their sound profile somewhat well, although there's a bit of deviation throughout all ranges. A peak in the mid to high-bass adds a bit of extra warmth and boom to mixes. A dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix, while an uneven high-midrange makes these sounds alternatingly harsh and weak. A dip in the low-treble further hurts the clarity of these sounds, while a big peak in the mid-treble makes hi-hats piercing.
The imaging performance is excellent. Although this is the first pair of headphones from Sonos—a brand that largely makes home audio products—they seem to have a good hold on quality control and ergonomics upon debut. It's worth mentioning that imaging varies between units, though. Our unit's left and right drivers are well-matched in group delay, resulting in tight bass and transparent audio reproduction. They're also well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which ensures that sound objects like voices are accurately placed in the stereo image.
They have a poor passive soundstage. Like most casual headphones, they have a closed-back design, which means that although sound can interact with your ear, audio stays within the ear cup and can't bounce off the space around you. As a result, the soundstage feels wide and somewhat natural but not very spacious, as if your audio is coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you.
These headphones have a head-tracking feature available in the Sonos app. It's not continuous tracking, but it can help make audio seem more immersive by applying a digital signal processor (DSP) onto your regular audio content to give you the impression that audio moves with your head. This feature is only available for iOS at the moment.
If you're using Spatial Audio with TV Audio Swap, audio seems digital and unnatural. While the overall soundstage is wider, with a better separation of voices and instruments, this results in a canny sound. There's also audio delay present, which can be annoying as your audio isn't in time with your visuals.
You can also use these headphones with Dolby Atmos, but you'll need a subscription and supported content.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is alright. There are a few peaks in distortion, with the most noticeable in the treble range. That said, it can be hard to hear distortion unless you're an astute audiophile, and we tend to lose sensitivity to the treble range over time as we age.
These are the settings used to test the Sonos Ace. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.
The Sonos Ace have an outstanding noise isolation performance in our full-range test. They can block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines as well as the top-of-the-line Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless, so you can enjoy your commute in relative peace and quiet. They can also effectively isolate you from mid-range sounds, like people chatting, as well as higher-pitched noises like dish clattering.
Their ANC system also does a fantastic job of reducing ambient noise in common scenarios. It can react quickly to sound and is extremely effective at tackling more inconsistent sounds like keyboards clattering at the office or the sharp honk of a car horn.
This test allows you to hear how the ANC system blocks out (or lets you hear) voices. Depending on your needs, you may want to reduce all sounds. However, some people may still want to have conversations without removing the headphones.
Thanks to the Aware mode feature, you can hear your surroundings while keeping these cans in place. Like the Apple AirPods Max Wireless, your environment sounds natural, and any chitchat sounds clear as well as easy to follow.
These headphones don't have a wind reduction feature to tackle the unwanted sound that the ANC creates when wind passes over its microphones. As a result, if you're using these headphones with the ANC on and in a noisy environment, you'll hear a lot of annoying anti-noise.
The Sonos Ace have a good leakage performance. While leakage is spread out across the frequency range, it won't really be noticeable if there's a lot going on around you, even if you're listening at high volumes.
These headphones have an array of eight microphones to help capture your voice. Together, they have a decent recording quality. Your voice sounds natural and clear but lacks depth. You won't have much of an issue being understood clearly, though.
The integrated mic has an okay noise handling performance. Regardless of the noise level around you, there's some noise present, which sounds fuzzy and distorted. In turn, this affects the quality of your voice, which can become muffled. If you're in an especially noisy environment like a busy street, your voice can be almost entirely drowned out, and the overall volume is lowered so that noise doesn't hurt your ears.
These headphones have an excellent battery performance. Sonos advertises a 30-hour continuous battery life, and we measured just over that at nearly 35 and a half hours. It's worth noting that battery life can vary depending on factors such as volume, multi-point pairing, and codec use. Unfortunately, you can't use the Sonos Ace passively, so even if you're using them wired, the headphones still need to be powered on. Luckily, they go into standby mode to help save battery life when you take them off your head.
These headphones are compatible with the Sonos app, which is incidentally the same app used to control their soundbars and speakers. You can see a video of it in action here. While it offers features like a bass and treble slider for customizing sound, head tracking, channel balance, and TV Audio Swap (which you can read more about below), it's still somewhat barebones in design. The feature TrueCinema (which acts like room correction, measuring your environment's acoustics to adjust sound reproduction) isn't available yet, though, and Sonos says that they're aiming to add this in the coming months. Users have also been vocal about changes to the app before the launch of the Sonos Ace, and were disappointed due to its bugginess, the integration of music libraries into the app, and removal of features like alarms. If you've never used the Sonos app before, these concerns may not be a dealbreaker, but for seasoned Sonos fans, the state of the app is a real downside if you're looking to make the most out of your headphones.
One standout feature of these headphones is TV Audio Swap, which allows you to connect the headphones to your compatible Sonos soundbar and swap audio, basically giving you the ability to use the headphones to listen to your TV. At launch, the only soundbar supported is the Sonos Arc, and you need to have an iOS device, which is a bit limiting. Android users won't be able to take advantage of this feature at launch, though Sonos says they're working on it. To use this feature, both devices need to be connected to your iOS device via the app, which connects to your Wi-Fi. Once this is done and the feature turned on, you can easily switch source audio by holding down the 'Content Key' for a few seconds. However, while activating this command is easy, using the feature may be a different story for some. While we didn't experience any issues and we set it up using a new Sonos system, some users have had trouble stablishing a connection or encounter audio drop out.
When using the TV Audio Swap feature, the Spatial Audio feature makes audio sound unnatural, digital, and canny. While it still gives the impression that your audio is wider, we preferred audio with the feature turned off. However, more glaring is the audio delay; voices aren't properly synched with lip movement. Across different media formats, using Spatial Audio tends to result in a slightly higher audio delay than when the feature is off. It's possible to get used to the delay, but it's still pretty annoying. We also noticed some audio droppage and chirping, but it occurred very infrequently and for less than a second each time. We noticed that the range isn't very long either, so you need to stay near the soundbar to use it.
You can daisy chain these headphones to get audio from a gaming console connected to your soundbar. However, it's worth remembering that the latency may be quite high and disruptive. While some users have experienced issues with the right ear cup when using this connection, we didn't encounter this issue, and switching audio sources was fairly seamless. It also seems like firmware 2.9.4 also patched the problem, but if you're still encountering it, please let us know in the forums.
While these headphones come with a 1/8" TRS to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cable, it's worth noting that the headphones must be on to use these connections. As a result, you'll experience some latency with either connection, and the delay can be a little frustrating if you're working on latency-sensitive content. The USB cable is also way too short at 2.3 ft (0.71m) to use comfortably.
The Sonos Ace have very good Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing, so you can simultaneously connect them to your smartphone and laptop. These headphones also support a variety of codecs, including AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless, the latter of which is good if you want to stream high-quality audio. Most of these codecs have pretty high latency, so your audio and visuals will be out of sync. Using aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) will help lower delay into a more manageable territory. Some apps and devices compensate for latency, though.
These headphones can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can also connect them to your PC via analog, but you'll only have audio and can't use the mic. You can also use the USB cable for full audio and mic compatibility, but this cable is very short.
You can connect these headphones to your PlayStation console's controller via analog, but you'll only get audio support. You can also connect these headphones to your console via TV Audio Swap if you have a compatible Sonos soundbar.
You can connect the Sonos Arc to your Xbox console by plugging the analog cable into your controller's AUX port. However, you'll only receive audio. If you also have a compatible Sonos soundbar, you can connect these headphones to your Xbox via the soundbar by using the TV Audio Swap feature.