Summary
In the minds of Sonos executives, creating a pair of over-the-ear headphones was inevitable.
Customers were constantly asking for them.
Sonos Ace Headphones: All of the Details
First, the raw facts.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Sonos Ace will be available June 5th, 2024, at a retail price of $449.
They come in soft white and black colors.
Ace headphones include active noise-canceling and transparency capabilities.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
There are eight microphones across the gear to accomplish that with the mics also being used for making calls.
Youre not imagining anything if those specs sound familiar.
Out of the box, theres not really a revolutionary feature present.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Even the spatial audio Dolby Atmos support thats found on the Ace is increasingly common on high-end models today.
Save for snubbing touch controls in favor of physical buttons, the headphones are rather ordinary.
One small trick the Ace are capable of, however, is what the company calls TV Audio Swap.
Maximize your immersion with lossless streaming, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and world-class Active Noise Cancellation. Hear what’s going around you with Aware mode. Enjoy up to 30 hours of battery life, exceptional comfort, and flawlessly clear calls. Connect to your devices wirelessly via Bluetooth, or use the included USB-C and 3.5 mm cables.
This feature will extend to the whole range of current Sonos soundbars and the first-generation Beam in the future.
I was assured that even the entry-level Ray would be up to the task.
Why Headphones From a Speaker Company?
They arent Wi-Fi-driven, and they dont group with other speakers like theEra 100.
For its part, Sonos does have a multifaceted answer to why its getting into the headphones business.
(Ill have a more in-depth full review coming for the products release.)
The sound was sparkling, with tight, powerful bass emphasizing crystal clear mids.
In terms of comfort, the headphones were off the charts.
The headphones achieve this comfort without being overly bulky and even hide their hinges from sight.
At 11 ounces (312 g), they’re heavier than the latest headphones from Sony and Bose.
I didn’t notice that weight and wouldn’t have guessed they were around 50 grams heavier.
The Sonos Ace headphones look and feel oddly similar to the other headphones they’ll be competing with.
From the shape and weight to the padding.
The company played it safe.
Bluetooth might have its problems, but people understand how to pair and use modern headphones.
Will word spread quickly about these new premium headphones?
Will we begin to see athletes showing up to games wearing them soon?
Do the headphones ultimately become a halo product for the speaker company?
A lot of money is riding on those open-ended questions.
Maximize your immersion with lossless streaming, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and world-class Active Noise Cancellation.
Hear whats going around you with Aware mode.
Enjoy up to 30 hours of battery life, exceptional comfort, and flawlessly clear calls.
Connect to your devices wirelessly via Bluetooth, or use the included USB-C and 3.5 mm cables.
