Hands-on Review: Sonos Ace Headphones

**Get them here: amzn.to/3zwCtkG **
When you say Sonos, people tend to think of two things: high quality multi-room speakers and, expensive products. Sonos is expensive for a reason and that’s that it most often delivers on an above average sound experience. But there’s one thing Sonos has NEVER had going for it… and that’s a more personal music solution, like headphones. Until now. Meet the Sonos Ace wireless headphones.
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In this review, I’m going to try the Ace headphones out. I’ll listen to the audio quality, see how they are to use, if they’re comfortable and if they live up to Sonos’ premium branding. I’ll also look at what special features Ace has
Sonos is a special kind of brand in the audio realm. Loyalists will immediately associate the brand with its drive for delivering a quality multi-room audio experience with extra attention to product design. Sonos products are also priced higher than the competition, but their accolades in the audio space hasn’t stopped consumers from demanding a headphones product despite several top manufactures dominating the space with their own. After a short tease on their social media pages, Sonos finally announced the Sonos Ace-an ambitious pair of over-ear headphones priced at $450 USD effectively cutting its obvious competitor, the Apple AirPods Max, by $100.
Unboxing & Initial impressions
I have to say that for a pair of ultra premium headphones, the recycled cardboard box may say green but it doesn’t scream luxury audio. The cartoony emblem also doesn’t do the product justice. I know we’re not supposed to judge the book by its cover but I am a bit worried about the tone that’s being set here.
Inside you get a cool lightly magnetized squeeze case for your 2.5 foot USB-C charging cable but no plug, which does seem like a bit of a cheap-out at this price point. You do get a 4-foot Aux cable; Yes, you can use the Sonos Ace with your favorite analog sources right out of the box.
The headphones are pretty with a stone-like matte finish and pops of chrome, and the buttons are subtle yet easy to find.
Putting them on they have the perfect amount of clamping force; not too strong, not too weak. They legit feel like a nice warm hug.
Set up
To get things started Sonos wants you to use the Sonos app. The Sonos app is probably my least favourite thing about any Sonos product, but in the spirit of following directions, I gave it a try.
I powered the headphones on and opened the app, and my headphones appeared immediately.
The app connected to the headphones on the first try, which has been unheard of for me when setting up Sonos speakers. I was ready to listen in under a minute, which is a Sonos review record in this house.
Maybe I need to chalk one up for the new Sonos app.
Our Expectations
Before I talk about the headphones, I want to point out the unique position Sonos is putting itself in with its approach to pricing because it is the pricing that will set the expectations. You could treat the high asking price of the Sonos Ace as a “brand tax”, but it’s not that simple. People didn’t buy an AirPods Max just because it had an Apple logo, but also because of how well the headphones fit into Apple’s ecosystem of products and services.
Sonos doesn’t have that infrastructure-in fact it’s the opposite. The infrastructure it does have, mainly it’s speakers and app suffered mightily in recent years from buggy software and poorly-timed updates that didn’t fix core problems.
Sonos doesn’t manufacture phones and lacks a burgeoning streaming service. This means Sonos is relying on its brand image and its feature set alone in convincing people to spend $450. That is a high bar to clear because some big brands like Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser offer flagship headphones products for $299 or sometimes less during sales.
Sonos Ace needs to decisively beat them all or offer some big incentives for going all-in on Sonos’s ecosystem. And as a spoiler alert, I’m happy to report they exceeded my expectations.

[@vpookiej9]

I totally agree. These sound fantastic and should be mostly rated as one of the best headphones...

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Erin.

[@TETRARCHFREAK]

Sonos headphones sound great Erin. I could use a pair 👍

[@StephenYoung-iq7qg]

There's always going to be hiccups here and there over all they sound pretty good may have to try them out great review as always take care and God bless. 😊

[@perriconemdbeauty43]

Happy weekend 😊❤.
Great review Erin. I use only headphones from Bose. The Bose 700, the QC 35 second gen. and the new Bose Ultra headphones.

[@071949]

Hi Erin, Thank you for another balanced review. As you say, the Sonos headphones are beautiful, *but* VERY pricey! I am going to stick w/ my Beats Studio 3 wireless...
RogerC 7/6/24