On average, I probably spend about half of my day in over-ear headphones.
Music, podcasts, audiobooks, movies, TV shows… if it can be listened to, I’ve almost definitely used headphones to listen.
After several years in development, Sonos — known for its advancements in home theater sound from soundbars to speakers — is finally releasing its first-ever pair of headphones so you can take that great Sonos sound on the go.
Meet Ace, the first-of-its-kind noise-canceling headphones from Sonos.
Post Wanted was lucky enough to get our hands on a pair ahead of the June 5 launch, and we won’t make you wait any longer to hear our thoughts.
Sonos Ace Headphones
Sonos Ace headphones have a sleek design that doesn’t call too much attention to it when it’s being worn. It has a great fit and seals perfectly to keep outside noise out. It’s also comfortable enough to wear for hours on end.
- Colors available: Matte black, matte soft white
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to 3.5mm AUX
- Sound modes: Active noise cancellation, aware, none
- Battery life: Up to 30 hours, per Sonos
- Works with: Apple and Android mobile devices, tablets, more
Our review of Sonos Ace headphones
Pros:
- Incredibly comfortable for long-term wear
- Spatial audio with Dolby Head Tracking
- Removable and replaceable ear cushions
- Dynamic sound with adjustable EQ
Cons:
- No Wi-Fi integration like the rest of the Sonos ecosystem
- Sonos app can be buggy or confusing
- Price may be prohibitive to some
Ace sound quality
Let’s get this out of the way early: these headphones sound great. As someone whose primary music rotation consists of modern pop (Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, among others), emo bands like Fall Out Boy, and film scores, I tried to listen to a wide range of my favorite music to get an idea of how things sound.
I remarked to a friend almost immediately that I’d never heard the bass line in Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” more clearly than I had with the Sonos Ace — and that song has been a mainstay in my “On Repeat” playlist for months.
Even tracks like “Peter” by Taylor Swift, a gentle piano-driven ballad, have new depth thanks to Dolby Head Tracking spatial audio, and my favorite film score, Justin Hurwitz’s manic, 1920’s-inspired “Babylon” sounds the way I imagine it sounded over cinema speakers: dynamic, layered, and loud without the bass overpowering.
Overall, I felt the sound quality stacked up nicely against the three other headphones in my current rotation: Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra, Sony XM5, and JBL Tour One M2.
The new pair also comes with a built-in TV audio swap feature that only works with the Sonos Arc soundbar, which I have in my home theater set up. I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of this feature, but it’s a seamless transition on the Sonos app and will probably best be suited for late nights when I’m trying to be considerate of others asleep in my house.
Ace noise cancellation and other features
Sonos Ace has one of the best active noise cancellation features of all the headphones I’ve tried, and I tested it a number of ways to be sure: I could barely hear the keys on my keyboard as I typed, clicking my nails on the metal of my laptop didn’t register even though I was sitting pretty closely to it, and it virtually erased the noise of the TV playing in my house as I walked around listening to music.
It really feels like you’re in your own bubble, cut off from most outside sounds.
Previously, the Bose QC Ultra’s noise cancellation was the one to beat for me, and Sonos comes very close to topping it — they’re pretty much neck and neck to me now.
The transparency mode is probably the best I’ve tested, too; I find it easier to have a conversation with the headphones on when Ace’s transparency mode is in use versus the other headphones I’ve used.
Three buttons on the headphones control everything you need to control. The button on the left ear is the power on/off control, but it also allows you to put the headphones into pairing mode and connect via Bluetooth to another device.
On the right ear, the smaller circular button allows you to switch between modes: noise canceling, transparency, and off — plus, you can edit these in the app to potentially leave out a mode. The bigger switch is also a button; pressing it pauses whatever is playing, sliding it up increases the volume, and sliding it down decreases the volume. It’s a small thing that makes a huge difference due to my personal preference of not loving headphones where the controls are all done by touch rather than buttons.
The final verdict: Are these headphones worth it?
In my short time with the Sonos Ace headphones so far, it’s been near impossible to find any major flaws. Sure, the app can be buggy and I’ve found a few features that I won’t be using every time I put the headphones on, but despite it, these rank among the best I’ve ever used.
At $449, the price is steep (though not uncommon for headphones of this caliber), but it’s well worth it for the quality of the product you’re getting in every regard, from the construction of the headphones themselves to the top-notch sound quality.
How we tested:
- How do they fit? As a glasses wearer, I always make note of how headphones fit. Do they feel like they’re crushing my head or are they crushing the arms of my glasses? I also have two brand new piercings that I’ve been extra mindful of, so seeing how the ear cushions fit around the butterfly-back studs I have to keep in is of particular interest to me.
- How do they sound? Of course, I listened to a lot of music. I made sure to test with a range of artists and genres across both Apple Music and Spotify to get the most well-rounded idea of how these sound. I also listened to podcasts, the TV audio swap, and made a few phone calls.
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