Sonos Ace – Sonos’ first-ever over-the-ear headphones have finally launched. Here’s everything you need to know, including its price, availability, and key features.
Sonos is popular for its audio accessories, especially the wireless soundbars and multi-room smart speaker systems. Considering its success in the home audio segment, it was only about time that the company branched into personal audio devices.
These new headphones take on industry leaders like Bose, Sony, Apple, and others. With these headphones, Sonos promises to bring its signature sound closer to your ears.
Sonos Ace: Where to buy
Sonos Ace can be bought from Amazon, Best Buy, Sonos’ website, and other big-name retailers. The headphones were first announced on May 21 and started shipping from June 5.
Sonos Ace: Price and availability
Sonos Ace is priced at $449 and is available to purchase. The headphones come in two colors – Black and Soft White.
While this price undercuts Apple’s AirPods Max, which retails at $549, the Sonos Ace has limited color options. Unlike the Ace, which is only available in Black or White, the AirPods Max comes in space gray, pink, green, silver, and sky blue.
Even the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is available in three color choices – black, white smoke, and sandstone.
Sonos Ace: Features and specifications
Sonos Ace are premium wireless headphones that pack almost all the features we expect from a flagship release. The headphones come with magnetic ear pads made of vegan leather and a memory foam headband.
This not only helps make the headphones comfortable to wear for longer durations but also adds to the premium aesthetics of the device. Moreover, these earcups attach magnetically and are easily replaceable by users.
The headphones have an over-the-ear design and use a 40mm dynamic driver in each cup. Thanks to the built-in microphone, you can take calls. An array of eight microphones helps cut off external noise to offer best-in-class Active Noise cancellation.
There is a transparency mode that Sonos calls Aware mode, which lets the outside noise in, allowing users to communicate without removing the headphones.
The Ace offers an immersive experience with support for spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, available through streaming services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Tidal, and Deezer. These formats leverage object-based mixing techniques to create a three-dimensional soundstage, enhancing the audio experience for both music and movies.
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The Ace also offers Dolby Head Tracking technology, which maps the audio playback to your head movements. According to Sonos, this simulates the sensation of listening to a surround sound system.
Since Sonos makes various sound bars and speakers, it made sense for the company to let the headphones pair stream content from other devices from its portfolio. The Sonos Ace can switch from streaming music to listening to the TV connected with Sonos Arc, which lets you enjoy watching TV without bothering others in the house.
The company claims the Ace can last up to 30 hours on a single charge. If that’s insufficient, a quick three minutes of charge can provide three hours of battery life.
Should you buy Sonos Ace?
Even though Sonos Ace is a first-generation product, it ticks many boxes – thanks to the company’s expertise in the domain.
It is a premium headphone not just because of its price but due to its design, materials, and features. The Sonos Ace supports the most common audio codes and pairs with Sonos Arc to stream lossless Dolby Atmos audio using the headphone’s wireless connection.
Its ANC performance is almost at par with the other headphones in its segment. Similarly, the transparency mode, long battery life, and user-replaceable ear cups are just the icing on the cake.
If you’re a Sonos loyalist, have other Sonos products, and are looking to pick a premium wireless headphone, then the Sonos Ace makes perfect sense.
Other premium headsets, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony’s flagship wireless headphones, are available at a slightly lower price, offering similar features and somewhat better performance.
Though Apple’s AirPods Max are costlier, if you want to enjoy the benefits of Apple’s ecosystem, then Sonos Ace might not be an obvious choice.
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