Move over, AirPods Max, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Sony WH-1000XM5! The Sonos Ace is finally here. Sonos announced its first-ever wireless headphones on Tuesday, and they are available to pre-order starting today.
I’ll start with the bad part first. Yes, Sonos Ace is expensive — the headphones will cost you $449. But these are premium wireless headphones that promise a superior listening experience, similar to AirPods Max and the other high-end wireless headphones on the market.
The Sonos Ace will be available in the US and other regions soon. Sonos Ace will be released on June 5th, so you have a couple of weeks to decide whether or not you want a pair.
Sonos teases “world-class active noise cancellation (ANC)” from the Sonos Ace, which is what you’d expect from the premium audio company. There’s also going to be an Aware Mode that lets surrounding sounds trickle in when you won’t need ANC. A press of a button lets you switch between the two modes. Meanwhile, eight microphones will handle ANC and voice-calling.
While you’ll primarily use them as wireless headphones connected to your devices via Bluetooth, you can also listen to audio via USB-C or 3.5mm.
The Sonos Ace supports lossless audio (Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound AptX Lossless and Apple Lossless Audio tech) and spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. Each ear cup holds a custom-designed driver that “renders frequencies with astonishing precision and clarity.” Sonos Intelligent Motion Processing with Dolby Head Tracking is the technology that will power the spatial audio feature.
As expected, the Sonos Ace will work with other Sonos products. Initially, you’ll be able to swap TV audio from Sonos Arc to Sonos Ace with the press of a button. Later this year, Sonos will update the headphones to add a TrueCinema experience. The headphones will map the room your TV is in and then offer a surround sound experience “so realistic you’ll forget you’re wearing headphones.”
Also, Sonos says it’s working on adding support for pairing the Sonos Ace with Beam (Gen 2), Beam, and Ray soundbars.
The headphones themselves are designed to be lightweight and comfortable. The hinge-free headband distributes weight evenly, and Sonos says you can wear them all day without any fatigue.
The ear cups are magnetically attached, and you’ll be able to swap them for new ones once they wear out. The memory foam ear cushions are covered with vegan leather. Sensors in the cups will automatically stop and resume playback when you take them off, just like comparable headphones from other brands.
The Sonos Ace is currently available in black or white, and you’ll receive a case for it, as seen below. However, it’s unclear whether other colors will launch down the road.
Battery life is also a key factor when choosing wireless headphones. You’ll be happy to hear that Sonos Ace delivers up to 30 hours of audio and voice calls with ANC enabled. The headphones support ultra-fast charging over USB-C, which gives you up to 3 hours of battery life after just 3 minutes.
Again, Sonos Ace ANC headphone pre-orders open on Tuesday, May 21st, for $499. Orders will then ship in time for the June 5th release date.
