Title: Sonos Ace Headphones: A Comprehensive Review
The Sonos Ace headphones, released in June 2024, have generated significant buzz due to their premium design and impressive features. In this article, we will delve into the details of these over-ear headphones and provide a comprehensive review based on multiple sources.
Design and Comfort The Sonos Ace headphones are available in two colors: matte white or black. They have a sleek design with shiny metal bands and supple leather around the headband, ensuring both style and comfort. The ear cups are made from memory foam covered with vegan leather for added comfort.
Price and Connectivity The Sonos Ace headphones cost $449, making them a premium investment. They connect via Bluetooth and do not support Wi-Fi streaming for music outside of the Sonos home network. However, they offer a USB-C audio TV Audio Swap feature that works with the Sonos Arc soundbar.
Sound Quality and Noise Cancellation The Sonos Ace headphones have excellent sound quality and noise cancellation capabilities. They are on par with industry leaders like Apple, Bose, and Sony headphones. The volume slider on the right ear cup allows users to play, pause, and control the volume of music.
Multiroom Audio Sonos is renowned for its multiroom audio capabilities. With Sonos Ace headphones, users can enjoy music in multiple rooms seamlessly. The Sonos app allows users to set a button on the bottom right cup to turn off active noise canceling (ANC) and transparency mode.
Comparisons with Competitors When compared to Apple AirPods Max, the Sonos Ace headphones cost $100 less and have ear cups made from memory foam covered with vegan leather instead of mesh acoustic fabric. However, they do not offer iCloud automatic pairing or fast switching and one-tap pairing like the AirPods Max.
Pros and Cons Pros:
- Well-designed and comfortable
- Excellent sound quality and noise cancellation capabilities
- Strong voice calling performance Cons:
- Quite pricey ($449)
- Not WiFi headphones (only Bluetooth) Spatial audio with head tracking is only available for Sonos Arc soundbar owners at launch.
Conclusion The Sonos Ace headphones are a worthy investment for those seeking premium over-ear headphones with excellent sound quality, noise cancellation capabilities, and multiroom audio compatibility. While they may not offer all the features of competitors like Apple AirPods Max or Sony WH-1000XM5, their unique design and Sonos ecosystem integration make them a compelling choice.