Sonos Ace Review—A Shaky Launch For A Stunning Device

A Sonos Ace review is to be expected after the company revealed its “most requested product ever” recently. After years of suspense surrounding the Sonos Ace launch, the company announced the headphones on May 21, 2024, opening their website up for preorders. The official release date for the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones has been set for June 5, 2024. Just as the leaks had predicted, the Sonos Ace design features some stark similarities to the WH-1000XM5 and the AirPods Max and the limited color options don’t help its case. Still, there is enough to love about the new headphones to warrant a purchase.

Sonos Ace Review—Strut Around In Style

Sonos has had us waiting on its every word for years now, dangling the possibility of the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones in front of us without any updates. After its Q1 2024 financial highlights, we had our first sign that the headphones would be arriving soon when CEO Patrick Spence suggested the company was going to transition to a new product category. The announcement had fans waiting for a Sonos Ace launch but they were met with disappointment when the recent Sonos app update arrived instead, whisking away many well-loved features without notice.

The backlash following the Sonos app update has been very noteworthy, both in scale and the range of complaints that people now have. The company has promised that these software functions will be restored soon enough with future updates, but will this do enough to placate users enough to look at the Sonos Ace reviews and consider a purchase? We’re not sure just yet.

One aspect of the Sonos Ace reviews that will stay consistent no matter who you ask is that the new headphones look great but they also look quite familiar. The simple black and white matte color options are permissible, but the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones look a little too much like Apple and Sony’s existing products. There is probably little room and reason for redesigning so many features that other companies have already got right so we see why the Sonos Ace design was kept simple and classic. 

Sonos Ace Design—Classic Comfort Now in Black and Soft White

The main drawback of the Sonos Ace’s design is that there are no defining design features that make it stand out from the market in terms of appearance. If you look at the structural design features though, the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones have replaceable magnetic ear cups that you are free to change out over time, increasing the longevity of the gadget. The cups are also color-coded on the inside, making it easy to see which side each replacement cup goes.

The thick memory foam and vegan leather covers go all the way around your ears for a comfortable fit, and the headband over the head is just as well-padded to ensure the headphones don’t leave you with a headache. The stainless steel section of the headband is visible only on the sides, and they have quite enough room to adjust the size and swivel enough to get the angle of the cups right so they can sit comfortably on your ears.

Instead of overengineering the controls with touch features, the device has some stylish sliders and physical buttons for volume and music control. There’s even a control to switch between transparency modes. While we started the Sonos Ace review disappointed that there weren’t any unique appearance details to make the headphones stand apart, we will admit that regardless, the headphones look amazing and are truly well-designed for comfort.

Does Sonos Ace Support Dolby Atmos?

The Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones are equipped to provide a Dolby Atmos experience with the custom-designed 40 mm dynamic drivers in each cup and they support spatial head tracking features to boot. The device’s “ported acoustic architecture” allows for a bass-boosted experience for those who really like to feel the beat. Guaranteeing high-fidelity audio and distortionless playback, the headphones make a lot of promises that might be easy enough for this audio gadget company to keep. 

One of the highlights of the Sonos Ace review is the gadget’s efficient noise cancellation systems. The device uses 8 optimally positioned microphones to cancel out sounds from the outside, so you can focus on listening to the things you want. If you’re out and about and don’t need quite as much ANC support, the Aware mode should let ambient sounds filter in and keep you alert. 

Sonos Ace Review of Its Connectivity and Battery Features

The Sonos Ace specs include Bluetooth 5.4 and support AAC and Qualcomm’s AptX Adaptive audio codec, according to CNET. For a lossless audio experience, you can connect to a device that supports it via Bluetooth or through the USB-C to 3.5mm cable that is available with the device. The provision of the cable is one detail we appreciate in this Sonos Ace review, and the storage case that comes along with the device is quite a wonderful consideration. The headphones also offer a Bluetooth multipoint connection so you can have two devices paired at once. 

The Sonos Ace features include a 1060 mAh Li-ion battery that should easily leave you with 30 hours of use between charges. This falls to 24 hours when the transparency modes are enabled. The device makes the most of its wired charging option which should provide 3 hours of listening in three minutes. A full charge takes 3 hours. The battery life is another positive we have to offer in our review of the Sonos Ace.

Most Interesting of Sonos Ace Features

One of the more interesting aspects of the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphone’s functionality is the option of connecting to other Sonos speakers over Wi-Fi. Users can swap TV audio between the headphones and the Sonos Arc soundbar when they want a different listening experience. Future sound bars by the company like the Beam 2 should also support this connection. For a company that has an entire range of devices to coordinate with, it is a little disappointing for it to require a specific soundbar to make full use of its capabilities.

The Sonos app is not necessary to use when you just want to connect it via Bluetooth, but in order to set up these additional features, you may just have to download the app. The company’s TrueCinema feature coming later this year “precisely maps your spAce then renders a complete surround sound system for a listening experience so realistic you’ll forget you’re wearing headphones.” So it does look like the headphones—and the app—will improve in upcoming months. 

Final Verdict to Wrap up the Sonos Ace Review

Right off the bat, most Sonos Ace reviews are positive and see the potential of the new headphones. They look great, they feel great, and they appear to be built to last. There’s not much to dislike with the Sonos Ace noise-canceling headphones other than the absence of better Wi-Fi connectivity options. It’s very evident that the company has put in quite some effort to perfect the device. 

However, you do have to consider that the Sonos headphones are priced at $449 USD and rely on an app that is not quite reliable at the moment. From a single glance at the Sonos community update page, it is quite evident that users are determined to hold off on considering a purchase until the app is fixed to their satisfaction. “Why would anyone buy these when the underlying app is feature-lacking and bug-ridden?” said one reviewer. “Join me—boycott the headphones,” said another, and many echo the same sentiment. We’re surprised Sonos didn’t just delay the launch for a while until they could support the new headphones without compromising the quality of the app, but perhaps there is too much work to be done with no fixed timeline on when it will be achieved. 

As a standalone pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones, the Sonos Ace headphones are amazing and can guarantee you have a good time listening to your podcasts or answering calls. If you’re looking for something that can do more than that, you might have to wait for the additional features to roll out before you purchase the device.