Sonos teased that their most requested product would be released on May 21, and they weren’t lying. The Sonos Ace headphones are official.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence was excited to show us the product Sonos fans have been waiting for: the company’s first pair of headphones, the Sonos Ace. He discussed how the company carefully went over the build, design, and, of course, the sound. I had the chance to go briefly hands-on with the anticipated headphones, and so far, I like what I see.
Sonos Ace Hands-On
The Sonos Ace headphones are meant to be in the higher-end lifestyle headphones category. They promise great sound and active noise cancellation, all with a clean look. This Sonos Ace is available in soft white and black. Its clean design hides the headband hinge inside the ear cup. The ear cups are wrapped in vegan leather, which feels squishy but sturdy. Keeping things sustainable, Sonos made the ear cushions replaceable. While a bit on the heavier side than some of the other over-ear headphones, the headband on the Ace is lined with memory foam for comfort. It’s a matted look.
Sonos Ace Headphones Features
They have the usual features you’re used to in wireless lifestyle headphones. Sonos steered clear of gesture controls and went with a toggle button that slides up and down and presses in for music playback control on the right ear cup. Sonos calls this button the Content Key. The button under it switches between ANC mode and Aware mode. They don’t have an IP rating, so they’re not meant for the gym. They have a Bluetooth multipoint connection, connecting to up to two devices simultaneously. You can use active noise cancellation or turn on aware mode. The Sonos Ace connects via Bluetooth not wifi. You will need the Sonos app to get more features like EQ settings and head tracking.
To listen to lossless audio, you can use the included 3.5mm to USB-C cable. If you have a phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound, that’s also an option. What differentiates the Sonos Ace from other headphones is the ability to swap the audio from your Sonos soundbar to your headphones with the touch of a button. This feature is coming to the Sonos Arc soundbar first and then will be available on the Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar, Beam Gen One soundbar, and Sonos Ray.
The Sonos Ace has custom 40mm drivers. We’ll have to wait for the review to see how the music sounds and how the active noise cancelling will work outside of the controlled environment.
Battery and Pricing
Regarding battery life, Sonos says the Ace headphones can last up to 30 hours on a full charge. If you forget to charge them, plugging them in for 3 minutes can give you up to 3 hours of playback.
They are available for pre-order on Sonos.com and will be in stores on June 5 at $449.
