When Sonos announced the Ace, the audio company's highly anticipated first foray into headphones, I was intrigued, to say the least, and wondered if they could claim to be among the best headphones. I have several Sonos speakers at home and I certainly have a soft spot for the brand, despite the recent app issues that have affected some users.
But since this is a pair of over-ear headphones, there was only a certain amount of anticipation and excitement I could give them. I've never been someone who likes to use over-ear headphones regularly. While I appreciate and certainly agree that they are capable of delivering incredible sound, the pairs I've tested have often been uncomfortable, at least for long periods of time. They make my ears too hot and sweaty; They ruin my hair (it's okay to be vain, right?) and I personally find the in-ear headphones to be superior both in terms of sound and noise cancellation.
The Sonos Ace has completely changed my perception.
I was invited to be one of the first in the world to try out the Sonos Ace headphones, the first pair of headphones from the iconic multi-room audio specialists, at a special press event in Sydney, Australia, and I didn't come away disappointed. . In fact, I left the event thinking that I might have found the first pair of over-ear headphones that I could actually see myself wearing.
Four months since the official launch, I have used them every day.
Thanks to a lightweight construction, the use of plush memory foam and vegan leather, and the aforementioned hinge mechanism, the Sonos Ace are some of the most comfortable headphones I've ever used.
Let's talk about fitness, baby.
The main cause of my epiphany is how the Sonos Ace fits in my head. Over-ear headphones are a totally different beast than their in-ear counterparts. The latter typically ship with various eartip sizes to help individual users find the most comfortable fit. Over-ear headphones don't have this luxury, but instead have to take a one-size-fits-all approach, which is no easy task.
What stands out for me about the Sonos Ace headphones is their intuitive hinge mechanism. This mechanism is implemented with style: it's chrome plated to provide a contrasting accent against the soft white or black color of the earcups, and it's integrated inside the earcup rather than being visible from the outside. The hinges allow both earcups to rotate on a vertical and horizontal axis, unlike other pairs whose hinges simply rotate from side to side. In my experience, the Ace's hinge mechanism means I get a perfect fit every time, as the earbuds can “mold” to the contours of my face, and I expect anyone else who uses them to get the same result.
It is true that the Sonos Ace headphones are not the only ones that offer this type of adjustment. The Apple AirPods Max, with which the Sonos Ace have garnered several similarities in the looks department among viewers, employ a similar rotating earbud design. But Apple's premium headphones are 73g heavier than the Sonos Ace, and while the Cupertino cans have a woven mesh headband to help alleviate that weight, it's not enough in my opinion. In my brief experience using the AirPods Max, I simply found them too heavy to wear for long periods of time. I'm sure current owners will disagree, and that's perfectly fine, but I haven't encountered any such issues with the first attempt at using Sonos headphones.
Slim profits
Did I mention before that I could be considered vain? Well, another facet of my disdain for over-the-ear cans is their (usually) large profile. Personally, I'm not a fan of swinging a large expanse of my ears while walking down the street. The best similarity I can offer is that I feel like I look like Makka Pakka from the children's TV show. In the night garden…silly expression and all.
I'd argue that Sony, Sennheiser, and even Apple are guilty of giving large, protruding earcups to their headphone designs. Sonos, however, has managed to implement a much slimmer profile that I find much more attractive. It's still clearly obvious that I'm wearing a pair of over-ear headphones, but their slim profile creates a less noticeable silhouette. To me, it screams premium, and the soft white finish on the pair I received is a smart choice from the audio brand. Sonos could have gone with the white finish on its speakers, but in the words of its design director, it would have looked too “techie,” so the soft white finish is an excellent substitute.
A fan of physical contact.
Whatever happened to physical button controls? Aside from the power button, most modern pairs of over-ear headphones employ various forms of swipe and tap gestures to control playback. It is meant to be intuitive and perhaps “cool”, but in my experience I have found it to be a gimmick. To play, you generally need to touch an exact spot on an earbud. But because you can't physically see what you're doing, the desired action is rarely achieved the first time. I've found that swiping to adjust the volume or track produces more successful results, but at the cost of looking a little silly.
Sonos Ace uses only physical buttons for all controls and has cleverly created a single button to handle seven different actions. The content key on the right earbud can play or pause a track, be used to skip or return to the previous song you were listening to, adjust volume levels, and answer or reject calls.
Also on the right earcup is a button to adjust noise cancellation settings, summon your device's voice assistant, or enable the soon-to-be released TrueCinema feature, which swaps audio between the Ace and a Sonos Arc soundbar. On the left earcup there is a power button.
Three buttons. 11 actions. I would say it is very impressive.
probing
Despite our Sonos Ace Review revealing that they don't have the last word in sound quality compared to similarly priced pairs, such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 either Bose QuietComfort Ultra – an opinion I finally agree with having listened to these rivals – I still find their bass to be great and I have no issues with the noise cancellation on offer. I used them at home while my partner is sitting next to me on a work video call and I can't hear him or the people he's talking to. Sure, some train noise can filter through when you're standing on a platform, but this is something I experience with many other pairs, so it's not a disadvantage for the Sonos in my opinion.
movie time
The triumph up the Sonos Ace's sleeve is its ability to “talk” to any of Sonos' current range of soundbars and switch audio from your TV to headphones. I have the Arc sound bar at home and there have been a few times where I have needed to change the audio on the TV so as not to wake my partner. The process works perfectly and the Ace's ability to deliver spatial audio with head tracking really needs to be heard to be believed. Dialogue comes across wonderfully clear and the bass impact is just the right side of bassy and powerful, resulting in a truly cinematic experience.
What is most important to you?
Here at TechRadar, of course, we have to judge each product by its individual performance. But occasionally there may be products that, while perhaps not the best in class, are delivered in a way that some people like. After all, if you listen to a pair of headphones or a pair of speakers and you like what you hear, then all the criticism in the world shouldn't deter you.
That's what I found with the Sonos Ace. I know they aren't the best sounding headphones I've ever heard, but they are so so I feel comfortable knowing that it is a sacrifice I am more than happy to make.
