Sonos has finally entered the premium headphone market with its new Ace model, priced at $450. While the Ace delivers impressive audio quality and a sleek design, it falls short in some key areas compared to competitors at this price point.
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| The Sonos Ace headphones are part of a new lineup of premium audio equipment, showcasing stylish design and advanced technology |
Design and Comfort
The Sonos Ace takes design cues from Apple's AirPods Max, featuring large oval earcups and metal extenders. However, Sonos opted for an all-plastic body to keep the weight down to 312g. The memory foam earcups and vegan leather headband provide good comfort for extended listening sessions.
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| The design of the Sonos Ace headphones, featuring a sleek finish and comfortable materials, is evident in this display |
Audio Performance
Sound quality is a strong point for the Ace. It offers a bright, spacious soundstage with clear mids and sharp treble. Bass response is present but not overpowering. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is decent but not class-leading - it handles low frequencies well but struggles more with higher pitches.
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| The Sonos Ace emphasizes bright audio quality and advanced sound performance, reflecting the evolving nature of audio devices |
Features and Ecosystem
The Ace's standout feature is its ability to instantly swap audio between the headphones and a Sonos Arc soundbar. While convenient, this integration is currently limited to Sonos' most expensive $800 soundbar, with support for cheaper models coming soon.
Other features include:
- 30 hour battery life with ANC
- Physical button controls
- Wear detection for auto-pause
- Dolby Atmos with head tracking (when used with Arc)
- Multi-point connectivity for two devices
However, the Ace lacks some premium features found on competitors:
- No Wi-Fi connectivity
- No voice assistant support (coming later)
- No water resistance rating
- No folding design (though they do lay flat)
Value Proposition
At $450, the Sonos Ace enters a competitive market dominated by established players like Sony and Bose. While the sound quality impresses, the limited ecosystem integration and missing premium features make the price hard to justify for many users.
The Ace may appeal most to existing Sonos customers, particularly those with an Arc soundbar who can take full advantage of the audio swapping feature. For others, alternatives like the Sony WH-1000XM5 at $400 may offer better overall value.
Sonos has created a solid foundation with the Ace, but expanding compatibility and adding missing features through software updates will be crucial to improve its competitiveness in this crowded market segment.