Noise Cancellation and Dolby Atmos Take Center Stage, But One Key Feature is Missing
The Sonos Ace are the brand-new headphones that Sonos has to offer. These over-ear Bluetooth headphones provide USB-C lossless audio, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, active noise reduction, Snapdragon Sound, and aptX Lossless support. They do not, however, support the multi-room Sonos system.
A lot of people thought the Sonos headphones would have a feature like the Sonos Roam, which switched music to the Sonos Ace when you left and back to your Sonos speakers when you got back. It was also anticipated that the Sonos app would allow users to choose the headphones as a Wi-Fi audio source. Sadly, this isn’t the situation. They work essentially the same as the majority of expensive Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones. They do, however, have one noteworthy Sonos-specific feature.
What is offered by the Sonos Ace?
These are over-ear Bluetooth headphones, as previously noted, with 40mm dynamic drivers angled to fit parallel to your ears. This driver size is greater than the 30mm drivers in the more recent Sony WH-1000XM5, although it is comparable to the previous Sony WH-1000XM4.
The Sonos Ace headphones are incredibly well-made and have a smaller profile than many of their rivals. I tried these on and found them to be usually pretty comfortable, albeit after a time, the area around my ears did get warm. A thorough analysis will show whether this is a typical problem. Although the Sony XM5 weighs 250g, they are not the lightest headphones at 11 oz or 312g, but they are still quite light for high-end headphones. To extend its lifespan, the earpads can be changed as well.
For connectivity, the Sonos Ace features Bluetooth 5.4 with multi-point pairing for two devices, Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless support, and USB-C for lossless audio. This includes compatibility with Apple Lossless files when connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac via cable. While there’s no 3.5mm port, the package includes a USB-C-to-3.5mm cable. Additionally, the headphones have Wi-Fi, but it’s only for connecting to a soundbar.
Dolby Atmos
They support Dolby Atmos, and this functionality isn’t limited to a Sonos soundbar. They can play Dolby Atmos spatial audio from any Bluetooth device that supports it, including iPhones. Furthermore, they offer head-tracked Dolby Atmos spatial audio using a Dolby-developed tracking system.
Active Noise Cancellation
When active noise cancellation (ANC) is enabled, the Sonos Ace boasts a 30-hour battery life and three hours of use after just three minutes of charging. If verified, this would rank them among the best over-ear headphones with ANC that we have tested for battery life.
The ‘Content Key’ button/slider on the right earcup provides control: sliding it modifies the volume, while clicking it activates the play/pause/skip buttons. It has an additional button below it that toggles between Bluetooth and TV audio.
The companion app is required to configure head-tracked spatial audio and alter the equalisation (EQ), although it is not necessary for basic operation or configuration of the headphones with the Sonos app.
1 thought on “Sonos Unveils Its First Headphones”