The first rumours of ‘Sonos Headphones’ began many years ago, so official news that the over-ear product is finally here – and set to go on sale from 2 June – almost feels like a relief. Especially as the leaks have been so abundant it’s pretty much spoiled any surprise at all.
Originally thought to be called Sonos Headphones, the official product name is indeed Sonos Ace. These are the audio company’s first-ever pair of headphones – which will be priced at £449/$449 in a clear face-off with the likes of Apple’s AirPods Max and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Sonos’ first foray into the best noise-cancelling headphones market hasn’t been taken lightly by the brand, that’s clear to see. The Sonos Ace deliver a design that’s oh-so-very Sonos, most eloquent for the eyes, yet with a focus on comfort by using long-lasting, lightweight materials.
(Image credit: Sonos)
A stainless steel slide-adjustable headband hides its hinge within the earcup for a pristine finish that also serves a function: to avoid hair- or finger-snagging. A multi-function toggle-button on the right earcup (also steel) makes for easy physical controls, while a separate active-noise cancellation control button beneath cycles between ANC modes.
As you’d expect, Sonos Ace come in black or white finishes. But neither is an exact echo of other Sonos products: the ‘Soft White’ is much less shiny, featuring a laser-etched Sonos logo to the right earcup, which is debossed against the fingerprint-resistant paint finish. ‘Black’, which also features that laser-etched logo, is an even darker finish compared to Sonos’ best wireless speakers – and less polished-looking than the white alternative.
So why would you want Sonos’ headphones over any of the (many) other best headphones competitors? Well, this being Sonos, there’s some app-based and cinema-focused magic to really appeal. Beyond being at-home or on-the-go headphones, Sonos Ace also features a spatial audio mode called TrueCinema, for private at-home experiences when watching the best TV shows.
(Image credit: Sonos)
At launch TrueCinema is a very interesting proposition that will only work with a Sonos Arc soundbar (and Apple iOS device) – however, Sonos will bring Beam and Ray compatibility in the future (and Android compatibility is coming too) – that will measure the room in which you’re viewing to ‘recreate’ that in the headphones, without anyone else being able to listen in. Dolby Atmos spatial audio and head-tracking will deliver a true 7.1.4 surround experience within the headphones.
TrueCinema is similar to Sonos TruePlay in the way it measures, but what’s interesting is that the profile is saved on the Sonos Arc soundbar. That means should you encounter another Arc system elsewhere with a TrueCinema profile setup specifically for that room, it’ll automatically deliver that acoustically-optimised listening experience without needing to run the setup process again.
This doesn’t mean the Sonos Ace aren’t capable of processing spatial audio within the headphones, though. If you receive a spatial audio source – TrueCinema works by Wi-Fi only (not lossless) – directly from, say, Spotify or Apple Music, then Dolby Atmos will do its magic and deliver a three-dimensional experience via Bluetooth connection too.
That means the Sonos Ace are tied into Sonos’ ecosystem for full feature availability, but beyond being ‘just another pair of headphones’ are therefore specifically designed for personalised home cinema experiences. They look fantastic, they sound fantastic, and with some future feature updates these headphones might replace your best soundbar for late-night listening experiences. All of which sounds, you guessed it, ace…
