Sonos Ace headphones and box
On Tuesday, Sonos announced the Sonos Ace headphones, the first product in this category. We've already taken a look and here are our first impressions.
There is something exciting about when a major player enters a new and adjacent market space. Yes, Sonos is traditionally an audio company, but in the last twenty years they have never made headphones.
We only had to stay a few minutes with the headphones at a media-only preview event so far, but they left quite an impression on us.
Sonos Ace headphones have metal accents and nice physical buttons
Sonos' new headphones use custom 40mm drivers to produce rich audio with depth, clarity and range. Eight microphones enable active noise cancellation and clear phone conversations. Sonos teamed up with Dolby for real-time head tracking that follows your movements, similar to Apple's own headphones.
When we picked up the headphones we noticed how light they were, while still retaining these stylish stainless steel accents.
The matte black has an oleophobic coating
They are available in matte black and soft white. We preferred the latter and the black felt a bit generic.
The lighter color scheme has shiny metal that shines with the light. At least the black has an anti-fingerprint coating which made them look clean.
The Content Key is a great physical control
We were quickly impressed by what Sonos calls the Content Key. That button is a spring-loaded multifunction button that can slide up and down to adjust volume, but can also be pressed to call up other functions.
Our listening was limited to a self-guided tour and some time with a tethered iPad mini. The audio sounded clear, dynamic and very detailed.
Sonos Ace is lightweight and comfortable
The same was true when we swapped audio from a companion Sonos Arc. An excerpt from Barbie emphasized the precision as we heard America Ferrara walking down a hallway.
Dolby Atmos was great during a segment Gravity.
In one demo they played a very loud airplane-like sound from a pair Era 300 speakers. When we turned on ANC it quickly melted away.
Even the passive noise cancellation was good with the ultra-soft ear cups. They use a vegan leather that Sonos has the best possible acoustic properties and is easy to clean.
The Soft White case has a sage green lining and a magnetic cable pocket
It may be a small detail, but we are also big fans of the tote bag. It is super slim, making it easy to fit in a bag. Additionally, there is a magnetic holder for the included USB-C and aux cables.
We're fans of AirPods Max. It's hard to keep recommending them after years have gone by without an update.
The Sonos Ace headphones have some great features to test out
Stay tuned for our full review of the Sonos Ace. At first glance, it looks like Sonos has created an attractive set of cans.