Audio brand Sonos has finally entered the headphones arena with the Sonos Ace, a product years in the making. Packed to the gills with the latest hardware, this set of headphones is not only taking the fight to the likes of Apple AirPods Max and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless. but also ensuring strong integration with other Sonos products.
Sonos gave us a whiff that it was readying a wireless headphone back in 2020. Four years and many rumors later, the Sonos Ace has been unveiled and it’s looking to be a doozy. In the product announcement, Patrick Spence, Sonos CEO said that the “Sonos Ace leverages everything we’ve learned over two decades as an audio leader to bring stunning sound, sleek design and long-standing comfort to one of the largest and most popular audio categories worldwide.”
While Sonos is known for it’s connected audio systems and Bose-like performance, the company definitely took its time steeping the Ace for production. On paper at least, the Santa Barbara-based company wanted to ensure that the Ace could turn heads, take names, and be future-proofed from obsolescence (and the landfill).
One of the biggest highlights of the Ace include the ability—called TV Audio Swap—to connect to and swap audio with a compatible Sonos soundbar. The system leverages Bluetooth LE for audio and built-in Wi-Fi for syncing. For now, only the Sonos Arc can be paired with the Ace, although both generations of Beam and Ray will be added into the mix soon.
Also coming later this year, something called TrueCinema will become available. For those familiar with the brand’s TruePlay tuning for its speakers, TrueCinema is basically the Ace’s version whereby it will map your space for a supposedly more realistic listening experience.
Aside from those key features, the Ace sports a design reminiscent of the AirPods Max with plenty of curves, matte touch points, high-end materials (as it should), and sustainable materials used in the construction. There’s also obligatory active noise cancelling and transparency modes together with Dolby Atmos plus Spatial Audio (with head tracking) support.
The drivers are 40mm dynamics driven by its DSP with the latest Bluetooth 5.4 protocol. Glancing through the FAQs, it seems like iOS users will have to settle for AAC codec support, while Android users will get SBC and aptX Lossless on top of that. While there’s no traditional wired connections, Sonos’ headphone utilizes USB-C for lossless audio.
Check out the Sonos Ace now, if you’re interested—it’s available for pre-order for $450. Buyers can choose between Soft White or Black colorways. Meanwhile, you can also snag Apple’s AirPods Max on sale for $450 on Amazon as well.