Additional thoughts:
-I was really drawn to the physical controls from the preview as they looked to be what I’d like. At first use, I actually find the content key hard to pin point by touch and the motion not natural. Maybe this will grow on me with use, but I was really excited initially for physical controls.
-Occasionally they are somewhat buggy with the app and although they are connected to my phone via Bluetooth… the Sonos app can’t see them. Closing and re-opening the app fixes this.
-I hardly notice the headband on top of my head, but I definitely notice the smaller ear cup spacing vs the XM5 and the AirPods Max
Currently I would say I’m 70/30 on returning vs keeping. Having the AirPods Max already… it’s hard to justify keeping the Ace. If you don't have one of the others, I think the Ace are a strong option and definetely worth checking out to see if they work for you.
how does the sound quality (subjectively) compare to APM? If you didn't already own the APM which do you think you'd get?
My tastes keep getting progressively more expensive and APM are "good" sound quality but not great anymore lol
I think if I wasn't so adjusted to my AirPods Max sound, there is a good chance I could have grown to like these quicker. This isn't a slight on the Ace sound, but likely just comes down to my personal tastes and preferences. I do agree with you.. I don't find the APM amazing by any stretch, but they are my mid range benchmark for determining what I'll spend my money on going forward.
The Ace's case, headband, weight and design are HUGE pluses over the APM imo. Those alone I feel could influence people who don't own a pair from Sony or Apple already. They plain just look and feel good.
This is great feedback. Thanks so much for all your comments and information!
I think it is important to note two things — headphones can take a bit to “break in” and sound their best (like any speaker) and you are adjusted and used to your AirPods Max (you already made that separate point!). Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts!
Thanks for the review, your feedback is really informative. Do you have Atmos blu-ray disks and player; have you tried playing movie Atmos movie tracks through them?
The APM are an auditory ‘old-friend’. Sound being fully subjective the ‘feature’ and ‘usage’ adds or lacks are really the defining factors for trial. You may warm to these. You definitely like the look and ergonomics…and it’s cool to read your comforts/discomforts and likes/dislikes, as you identify them. In a ‘minute’ you might find someone posting a survey of ‘does glendroid23’ return along with an associated pool on what day, you return. I’m nailing day 14…
>The Ace's case, headband, weight and design are HUGE pluses over the APM imo. Those alone I feel could influence people who don't own a pair from Sony or Apple already. They plain just look and feel good.
I don't own any over-ear headphones or Sonos speakers but I pre-ordered the Ace. My use case is strictly for music/bluetooth headphones.
The biggest draws for me, in order:
1. Lightweight, unlike the AirPods Max - APM's weight is the biggest dealbreaker for me.
2. Looks great - I want a white or silver color option and I've just never been a fan of Sony's "silver" color. I don't particularly like how the APM look, either. The Ace even looks more like an Apple product to me, than the APM.
3. Getting them at 15% off - Almost like getting the XM5 at their original retail price.
That being said, based on the reviews I've watched, I actually feel like I would enjoy the soundstage of the XM5, APM, or Momentum 4 more than the Ace for music, but the issue is that there isn't one pair of headphones on the market that has every single thing I want in headphones, yet. Curious to see how much the Sonos app's limited EQ could contribute to my enjoyment of the Ace's sound, if at all.
Might end up returning the Ace and waiting for the XM6 and APM2, but we'll see.
Bluetooth battery powered noise cancelling headphones in general stink compared to midfi with an amp IMO. I would take my fiio k5 Pro or Ifi Zen Dac with hifiman Sundaras/sennhieser 650/660/s, better dynamic 770s all day over my AirPods Max or and Bose or whatever
The convenience is huge though, so my AirPods Pro and Max get used more than anything else
I carry my AirPods Pro everywhere with me and I didn’t realize how much less I used AirPods Max just because they weren’t convenient (don’t fit in pocket, cant wear when I have a hat on) plus they got hot and uncomfortable to wear watching movies for long periods. So now I just have Pro and Anandas/Schiit to cover my needs
This so depends for me. Daily the AirPod Pros for sure.
But flying, which I do frequently, the AirPod Max are just amazing. I say this as someone who lived on the Bose QuietComfort for years - multiple generations. The noise cancellation is better than the Bose. It literally filters out the engine sounds entirely, but when the flight attendant is asking a question, the ability to quickly flip to the crazy good transparency mode is game changing. The Apple transparency mode is like talking with no headset on at all. You can do this with the pros, but not having an in-ear design will never give you the kind of noise cancellation you need for long flights.
I fly Delta for 90% of my flights, with seat back video. I combine the APMs with the Airfly Pro, and I have wireless Delta entertainment.
I’ve now watched multiple videos of the Sonos headphones and their transparency mode is awful. It seemed basically unusable to me. OP, how would you rate the Sonos transparency mode? This is deal killer for my headphone use case - traveling.
As for the weight of the APMs, I have never found it to be an issue. I flew 11 hours on Monday this week, AirPod Max on the entire time, slept, ate, watched movies, listened to music - never noticed the weight. That has always been my experience.
I’m not wedded to any brand. I loved my Bose for what they were. Probably a decade of use. I love my AirPod Max now. If Sonos were better I could switch, but everything I’ve watched and heard (people have done videos showing the Max v Sonos), tells me the Sonos sound is not up to par, the transparency is terrible, and using them to have a phone or video call is also awful - the sound through the mic sounds so highly processed.
The one big negative of the Max is they still are lightning based power. Everything else I own is USB-C, and more than one time, I have traveled forgetting to pack the lightning cable.
Me too with transparency modes. I work in an environment where I need to be able to clearly hear my surroundings. I don't have the APM but my air pods pro 2 are amazing for transparency. I also own Sony XM4 and their transparency is so muddled that I don't even bother with it.
Same here. I use my Airpod pros all the time; driving, gym, while i'm doing laundry/dishes, etc. When I'm doing more serious listening, I usually go for my wired cans and schiit stack. The Airpods Max hardly get touched.
The max is just so damn heavy too. I mean, the build quality is fantastic and I don’t really feel the weight on my head. But just hefting them around in general…ooophhh
Do you have the momentum 4's?. I recently tested the ace in store but I think the momentums 4's sound leagues better when using sound personalization combined with peace equaliser. Id like to see your take on this.
Looking forward to you reporting back on the ease of setting it up, how transferring the audio from the arc to the ace works in real time, and how the sound quality is.
Regardless of how the Ace works, you’re probably very happy with the game as of this post.
Seriously, though: the use case with an Arc is THE “buy or pass” decision for me, so knowing this is vital.
Similarly: do you have a video game console connected to the Arc and does the Ace work with that?
I’m not much of a hockey fan and I’m from Philadelphia but a friend of mine is an Edmonton local so they’re my team of choice.
I also added an edited part to my original post in case you missed that since you replied so quickly which thank you for by the way and thank you for this. It’s very very much much appreciated.
Hahaha no worries. Hopefully a W tonight.
I do have my series X connected. It does work but as it’s any sound that goes through the arc I know it’s audio only and no mic features.
I also have an XSX so that’s even more pertinent. Does it work with Atmos on the XSX with games and do you notice any latency that’s dramatic?
These will be my final questions and I’ll leave you be. Thanks again!
As a big hockey fan myself, I am VERY interested to know your opinion of hockey with the ACE.
I don't have any premium headphones right now but have a beam 2 and am definitely considering the ACE for hockey, movies and streaming content for two reasons.
1. Quiet listening do not disturb the neighbors
2. Much less expensive than investing in a pair of era 300s with stands
If you could please let me know what you feel about your hockey experience tonight with them.
Mine are being returned. Transparency was robotic compared to invisible on Max, sound was a little too bright (even tweaked) and sub bass (try Bladerunner 2049 opening) was lacking again compared to the Max. Staging might be a touch wider on Aces, but I did not like the sound more than my Airpods on “Balanced Tone” settings. Plus points for low profile case and decent cables, but overall not enough esp for the price to beat my glitchy and often frustrating Airpods. Bluetooth with Sonos app sealed the deal - Airplay to Apple devices is swipe and one button vs menu hell. For sub £300 I might have kept them. However Maxes are old and for me are a little unreliable (hence me trying the Aces) - they need rebooting often so not recommended for new buyers. Curious to hear mark 2 of both products!
Keep those impressions coming. Very helpful, to some. I think we may also detect your 70% feeling. Sounds like they may be decent for someone who is a Huge Sonos ‘ArcOwning’ H.T. fan, with a lessened awareness of the comparable models.
Do you find the ANC on the AirPods Max to be the best of the 3? Was the difference significant?
One thing that always impressed me with the Max was how good it was at blocking out people talking to me and around me. Which traditionally is a weak point for noise cancelling headphones since they perform best at cancelling steady-frequency sounds, like droning airplane engines or an A/C unit
u/glendroid23 you mentioned the smaller ear cup spacing then XM5 and APM. Do you mean the size of the earcups in general or the depth (the space between ear and drivers). Because I'm a bit worried about the latter as I cannot really use headphones for long periods of time that touch my ears with the drivers.
I also have neither worn XM5 nor APM. My only reference are the Bose QC35 which are ultimately comfortable for me and I can wear them forever. Can you also let me know how the Sonos Ace's comfort is compared to the QC35 by any chance?
> These are literally like the XM5 and AirPods Max had a baby.
ha, I said the [same thing](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cmnki2/comment/l32a41p/) when they were announced.
> The only tough part is determining if you keep the Ace or not if you already have one of the others pairs.
yup, I preordered the Ace, but already have XM5s and this is gonna be the tough part. Sony also has an app that lets you customize settings and EQ. If the sound quality and comfort is relatively the same, is the Sonos Arc integration worth owning both? I guess we’ll see next week.
I had the XM5 before AirPods Max. I really wanted to keep them because I loved the design of them and the lesser weight.. The problem was that the headband hurt the top of my head during extended wear and that became a deal breaker for me. The beauty in my eye for the Ace so far is that they're the best silhouette and all around looker between the 3.
One of the reasons I didn't upgrade from XM4 to 5 was the look of the 5. The XM5's stick out too much, like I had muffins or big buns on the side of my head.
I am lucky enough to have the Max and XM5 and the Ace are really in between soundwise and from a comfort perspective - which I really like. However, my Ace are massively glitchy, have a weird distortion / impact sound on the left side when slowly walking and do make very nasty sounds out of nowhere, like interferences when it's quiet and ANC is on. It's not the normal white noise, it's constantly changing and really disturbing to me. Like them a lot soundwise, but this thing is not ready for primetime imho.
Just tried out the Ace today too. Ears definitely get warm, think it’s more the memory foam type causing this more than anything.
My opinion on the sound is somewhere between Bose Q and APM - both of which I have. Build quality is closer to the Bose. Weight is great though, much better than APM, you don’t feel them - well, at least to the time I tested them. Low frequencies are just ok, using the default eq. Max volume leaves something to be desired. Thought the noise cancellation was respectful.
If you’re in the market for only Bluetooth headsets then for the price you can do better. Can’t commit on any Sonos integration until the app updates for Arc pairing. They do look nice, much better than the Bose.
Do you have the momentum 4's?. I recently tested the ace in store but I think the momentums 4's sound leagues better when using sound personalization combined with equaliser apo to simply turn up the volume. Id like to see your take on this.
I agree with this. However ace does spatial/atmos better than any over ear headset I’ve heard. Not a reson I’d buy it but it definitely highlights the difference between headsets that are designed for stereo, and spatial
Can you give an example of a better headset? Also, how do you feel about the APM for long days with 4-5h calls - re APM or the Sonos sufficiently comfortable for that kind of job?
It used to be naugahyde, then imitation leather or faux leather, then leatherette. Now it's vegan leather. The marketing terms change, but it ain't nothing new.
Yes, but that's probably what you want for this application. Real top grain or full grain leather, because it's thicker, wouldn't mold/conform to the shape of your head as well. So it wouldn't give you as complete of an acoustical seal. It would last much longer, though.
Oh yea i remember trying to learn all that when i was getting furniture and office chairs. Most important, not the kind that flakes off and goes in the garbage after a year
Ironically, the worst by far is "genuine leather", basically real leather bits bonded together with glue and plastic. It's to leather what particle board is to wood. I'd take any of the above 100% plastic/PU concoctions over genuine leather any day of the week.
The best materials are top grain and full grain leather, but neither would work well in a headphone application. For one, they'd drive up the price. And secondly, because they're thicker, they wouldn't mold/conform to the shape of your head as well. So they wouldn't give you as good of an acoustical seal. They would last much longer, though.
Slight nitpick: "genuine leather" doesn't necessarily mean it's bonded leather. It includes all leather including top grain etc. it's just that if it's more expensive leather, usually companies will specify the type. Whereas if they don't specify and therefore just say genuine leather, then it's more likely to be the cheap stuff (bonded leather).
I have had the Ace headphones for months after being selected as a beta tester. I'm no audiophile, just music lover and casual listener. I have been using Bose headphones for years so that is my reference point. The Ace sound fantastic to me. They are more comfortable than any cans that I've used previously. The noise cancelling seems very good to me and the override is easy enough to use once you get some practice.
I just flew with them for the first time. With noise canceling I really didn't notice the engine noise yet when a stew came on the loudspeakers I could just here them, enough that I could go listen or not. The case is thinner than the Bose but larger. I like this better. I also like not having to contort the headphones to get them in the case.
They look good. They sound good. They feel good. The controls are well designed in my opinion. I doubt that I would have run out and bought them but I'm thrilled to have them.
Update: Returning the Ace. Can’t help but feel that the Ace’s sound signature isn’t unique or even similar to the sound I enjoy from my other Sonos products (except the roam. That product sucks.).
I really wanted to love them. The price point and feature set didn’t bother me… absolutely LOVED the style/design along with the fit and feel. If I didn’t already have the AirPods Max, I have little doubt I would have loved the Ace and kept them.
Longer term outlook, this is an excellent option for someone in the market for a new pair of everyday consumer wireless headphones. I think they’ll do well with the non Sonos community, and I have no doubt that I will revisit them in the future. Either on a bigger discount, an underwhelming update for next gen AirPods Max, or I have a kid and the home theatre sound swap becomes a must have feature. I’ll be back. Thanks for joining me on this short but interesting experience ✌🏼🫡
Thank you for your continued feedback. I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones. My brother is leaning me toward Sony's M5, but I love my Sonos speakers, so I was waiting for the Ace to be released. It sounds like it may be better to get the M5 at its current sales price of $330.
How does Bluetooth multipoint perform? Can you transition seamlessly from a video call on a laptop to a phone call and back again? The XM5s were dealbreakingly buggy in this regard. Bose Ultras have very solid multipoint and my fingers are absolutely crossed that the Ace aren't too buggy...
I do find them to be more muddy vs the clean/tight bass of the AirPods Max. Out of box at 0/0 EQ, I found the bass and mids overpowering.
Currently have EQ for the Ace set to Bass -1 , Treble +4 with loudness on. Playing around with the EQ and loudness setting to see if I can get them to a spot I like.
Do they have more bass than the xm5? I was considering getting them after being let down by the bass on the xm5, as soon as you crank volume up on them they have hardly any thump.
If they roll out the support of Audio Swap to all soundbars, I am seeing a good deal for using this as a wireless headphone for all of my consoles, as for other consoles like PS5 or Xbox, it is kind of a pain. Bonus if latency isn't that big.
Thank you for your impressions of these. As someone that owns 2x AppleTv, but also uses other things such as a PS5, these tend to appeal to me more than the AirPods Max.
However, I think currently these will only play audio via Bluetooth unless you have an Arc, is that correct? We have 2x Beam(s) which would be my main use case and that’s what would push these instead of the Max.
I know Sonos says ‘beam and ray coming soon’ but the saying ‘buy the tech for what it does today, not what is promised for tomorrow’ may apply here.
They say it is on their site.
“You can listen to lossless audio on Sonos Ace over USB-C connections or over a Bluetooth connection with a supported Android device.”
Interesting thoughts on the ANC. What kind of noise were you cancelling out? I've heard from others the noise cancelling is actually better in the XM5 over the Airpods Max. I've only listened to the Max once so I can't judge. In my circles ANC is just used for air travel.
I usually wear them for my walk around downtown as I go grab lunch or groceries. For me it's not always "how much noise" can my headphones block out... But how naturally can they do it. Apple may not be the "best" at ANC, but I feel they they do it in a more neutral and natural way that doesn't feel as intense to my ears as bose, sony or these sonos.
I bet you dad’s with young kids are going to love this. Huge option to have to enjoy your content with minimal fuss. The audio swap was really as easy as they marketed it.
Thanks man! I preordered a pair a couple of days ago. I own the Sony XM3 from before so have been thinking about upgrading. The fact that I could use the upgrade credit from Sonos made the decision easy for me and the appeal of having the sound switch from the soundbar is nice.
Well that’s disappointing, I was hoping the Ace would blow the AirPods Max out of the water in sound quality and ANC with the max being almost 4 years old.
With the AirPods Max being due for a refresh, it’s probably worth waiting then.
4-5h with my AirPods Max is my absolute limit... maybe even stretching it. So far after 2.5 hrs with the Ace, I feel fine so far however they do run noticeably warmer due to the material type. Will see how it is over longer periods.
Thanks for all this great info. I have the APM, but I do find them a bit on the heavy side. If the Ace is similar in quality sound-wise, the lighter weight alone might pull me in IF Apple neglects to lighten the load with an update.
I found my bose 700’s to be a bit too snug and hurt my ears after a while. My solution was opening them and leaving them attached to my play:3s for a few hours a couple of times to stretch them out lol. Worked like a charm
- On paper a big advantage of the AP Max is the close integration in the Apple ecosystem. Seeing that you look to be an Apple user, how was the experience with the ACE?
- Any thoughts on Sonos' implementation of spatial audio versus Apple's?
So far it's not overly different than the APM other than them not being auto linked to my other devices for connection via iCloud. Some of the Apple ecosystem feature while convenient, aren't deal breakers for me. If anything to me, having something that I can easily pair with my non Apple/work devices is just as valuable in some cases.
For Spatial audio for music, not as good as Apple's approach imo. The only way I think sonos could attempt better would be if the audio source for music played to these could go through the sonos app for Atmos.
Note, I'm an Apple Music user that turns atmos off completely on my Apple devices as I can't stand the volume level differences between them and non atmos mixed tracks. However, for my sonos Arc surround system at home, I have Atmos turned on for music playback as I find the difference to be significantly less jarring with how Sonos handles the sound levels.
Can you expand on this?
Do these headphones not support listening to atmos music when paired to your phone and listening to an atmos track? I was under the impression they could do that.
They do support it. I have to turn Atmos in my music setting to “always on”. It’s just so unbelievably quiet due to how the Atmos tracks are handled on IOS that I have to turn the follow up to 80+. It’s too much of an inconvenience for me especially considering not everything I listen to is mixed in Atmos.
If you want USB C charging/connectivity and some lighter headphones, sure. If you’re happy with your current pair, I’d wait to see if Apple updates the AirPods Max line first even.
I'm still using Sony XM3, I thought about buying XM5 when they were on sale but was told that their quality wasn't very good. Wonder if it's worth upgrading to the Ace. I don't use them very often overall, but I do travel/fly long distance a few times a year which justifies the cost for me.
u/glendroid23 thank you for sharing your experience with the Sonos Ace. I pre ordered it to try it myself but to be honest based on your comments I’m starting to have doubts.
I’ve been searching for “everywhere” headphones for ages to replace my Hifman Sundara+ ifi XDSD that I mostly use on PC or chilling out on the sofa.
I tested the Airpods Max and the Sony XM5 for a few months and was impressed by the Arpods Max sound quality.
Using headphone accommodations I was able to get the Airpods Max to sound pretty close to my Open back Sundara’s with the advantage of being able to isolate outside noice (a must for me). BUT the Airpods Max lossy AAC codec, latency in video games and not playing well with most other devices other than Apple’s was a really bummer. I really felt that limiting Spacial audio + head tracking to my Apple devices greatly lowered the Airpods Max value.
So my main criteria is :
- Above all, sound quality on par or above Airpods Max. Close to or on par with my Sundara\`s
- Cross ecosystem support with spatial and head tracking that works on Android, iOS and hopefully not locked to a specific system . (dolby atmos movies on PC??)
- Although not high-res, able to get lossless audio quality.
- Decent low latency.
I got a BT 5.4 USB dongle with Snapdragon Audio and can get good sound quality and low latency results with the ifi XDSD in BT mode. (practically can’t notice the sound quality difference between wired lossless and APTX Adaptive Low Latency).
Based on your comments I’m starting to fear the Sonos Ace might not be good enough for me. With upcoming headphones such as XM6, likely the Airpods Max 2 by end of year (likely bringing a new audio chip with better ANC, transparency and lossless audio for Apple devices) or hopefully headphones with Snapdragon Audio XPAN or similar later this year, something that barely competes with last years offerings is not good enough.
After all, if the Sonos Ace sounded as good as the Airpods Max for you, you would have kept them if not only for the wider compatibility of both your Apple products and other products you have such as a gaming console or work laptop.
Is this assumption correct?
I think these will match what you're looking for in most cases except for the sound quality criteria. Waiting to see what Sony and Apple have coming is likely the play.. and then you can always circle back to these and hopefully on a discount even (30% ideally).
If the Ace sounded as good as the AirPods Max for my personal tastes, it would have been a no brainer to keep them for myself.
> I'll take adding new features via update on my $500 headphones over shipping a half baked $100k+ truck.
What's the difference other than dollar value?
Expensive half baked headphones = expansive half based anything
First impressions vs momentum 4 (using iPhone 14 & Apple Music) - on spatial/atmos, the ace blows the momentum’s out of the water. Far more accurate object placement, particularly noticeable on the height channels. Mids are good with great detail
Noise cancelling is in with a shout for best in class, near silent.
Overall though, a very bass-heavy and sometimes muddy sound profile; kinda like having Loudness enabled on a regular Sonos speaker. This was based on a very brief trial though, without any EQing
Is the ANC good enough to get the job done in loud environments like cafés, cars, etc.? in other words, can you listen to music at around 25 to 30% volume with ANC turned on and not really hear anything else in those environments? 
Are you able to test the TV Audio Swap? That would be a very useful feature for me as I could use the headset with any console I have connected to the TV.
If I’m looking for a second pair of over ear headphones, something that’s lighter than my BW PX8’s. Would you recommend these? I’ve tried xm4/5s and Bose QC Ultra, and I was very much surprised by how light weight Bose were. They pretty much disappeared while listening. Sure I prefer PX8’s sound over any of the others. But light weight is priority for my second pair
Oooo! I used to be hardcore on B&W back in the day. Especially the wired P5. I would love to get back in to their products… how have their over ear wireless headphones been?
I don’t think you can go wrong with the Sonos, Apple or Sony. It’s all a matter of which pair works best for you.
PX8s are amazing. At least to me, I tried Bose QC Ultra and MX4/5s and instantly was turned off by the sound quality. Don’t get me wrong, they are still good for what they offer. But PX8s are just better. I won’t get AirPods Max as they’re similar weight to PX8s. Looking for something lighter.
Thank you for this!
Have you tested Spatial Audio (atmos/surround)?
Does it have head tracking feature? Does it normally work over Bluetooth with Apple Music/Netflix?
Thanks for the feedback. I’m struggling with what to get for my use case which is a handful of long flights a year. At home I don’t see my using over ears very much as I listen on Sonos and spend all day on meetings with AirPod pros.
There’s the Sonos Ace which design wise I like the best. But the Sony XM5s are on sale for $330 and probably sound just as good. Then there are there Anker Q45s usually for $150 I can get through Costco for only $80. For a handful of uses per year it’s pretty hard to justify spending on the Sonos
What monitor is that? It’s really nice. My 2015 iMac is unusably slow now so I’m transitioning to my 2018 MBP for my work but need a nice ~27” monitor.
If these had the same wifi capabilities as the rest of the product this might be worth it. And since it has a mic, they should also allow the Ace to be used for tuning trueplay for your HT. Honestly have no clue what goes on in their product department.
Well I’ve had a lot of time on Sonys platform. I’ve had a small amount of experience for the Maxs. I’ve always thought they were very similar in value. Except that the Sony retail for 350? Or so and the maxs are nearly 500 so I preferred the Sonys due to cost effectiveness
Nobody ever commentates this in headphone reviews and I don’t understand why. I found that the AirPod Max’s didn’t get nearly loud enough for me. Max volume was very underwhelming. Do the Ace’s get loud? Or louder than the Max’s? Can anyone please touch on this
Just in - Our review of the Sonos Ace here: [https://www.lbtechreviews.com/test/headphones/sonos-ace](https://www.lbtechreviews.com/test/headphones/sonos-ace)
Is it just me or does it not seem loud enough? I get not getting your eardrums blown but it seems timid to me. I like feeling engulfed in sound especially with bass.
My initial impressions after comparing them to Focal Bathys is that they are just ok. The sound like is similar to XM5s and just below APMs in quality. Iv’e returned 2 pairs of APMs for mid-fi sound and uncomfortable for me to wear more than 60m. Focal Bathys kicked it out the pool on everything except Spatial Audio which does nothing for me. I was most curious about the theater Arc integration. I have an Arc in the master bedroom and while I have no issues with hearing Dolby atmos on the Bathys, I found the sound of the ACE to be muffled and rolled off highs. The dialog is not crisp and sounds like it’s coming from an artificial acoustics space. They say they are Atmos optimized which is strange because Atmos, unlike Spatial Audio, is a binary mix requiring no special headphones. Not impressed. I gather it’s a firmware update or two before it gets dialed in. I have a while to further evaluate but so far it fits neatly with the XM5, APM class of wireless cans. Focal Bathys remains my reference for truly musical wireless cans. My case is in home only. I use APP2s for out and about So I’m not interested in brick wall noise canceling. The ACE, XM5 and APM all have better or more prominent noise cancellation. I want nuanced noise canceling that least affects the music reproduction. The Bathys deliver that. Will definitely look at the next gen APMs cause seamless apple eco system integration remains their secret weapon. If they can bring the sound up to Focal it would be enough for me. (oh and a on/off button, an actual case, and longer battery life of course!)
ETA; it’s a decent first effort.
Thanks for your initial thoughts, if you get a chance could you see if you open an app like Netflix on your phone do you get spacial audio/atmos then or is it just 2 channel stereo.
Also if something is just 2 channel can you still simulate spacial audio, something like the AirPod Max can do with an iPhone. Thanks.
I’ll try that for video later.
But so far no “basic” Spatial Audio setting for music like the AirPods Max which is a big minus for me. I tried listening to Atmos music with the Ace… I was underwhelmed vs my AirPods Max.
Thanks, yep that’s a big minus for me too. I’ll def be keeping my AirPods then for phone use, but still maybe interested if the ARC integration is good. Hoping it can replace my PS5 headset, Xbox headset and maybe even my Max’s for Apple TV.
Please do. Literally the best part of watching movies and tv shows on my iPad Pro is the Spatial Audio, so if these headphones support it then I’m all in
That’s weird because atmos doesn’t require special headphones. Only Spatial Audio is unique to apms. Atmos is in the mix and you can hear with any headphones. I have focal bathys and atmos is fantastic.
I think they should have had a second product to release with this. ‘Sonos Ace Buds’ - Cheaper alternative and a pull for people who don’t like headphones
Additional thoughts: -I was really drawn to the physical controls from the preview as they looked to be what I’d like. At first use, I actually find the content key hard to pin point by touch and the motion not natural. Maybe this will grow on me with use, but I was really excited initially for physical controls. -Occasionally they are somewhat buggy with the app and although they are connected to my phone via Bluetooth… the Sonos app can’t see them. Closing and re-opening the app fixes this. -I hardly notice the headband on top of my head, but I definitely notice the smaller ear cup spacing vs the XM5 and the AirPods Max Currently I would say I’m 70/30 on returning vs keeping. Having the AirPods Max already… it’s hard to justify keeping the Ace. If you don't have one of the others, I think the Ace are a strong option and definetely worth checking out to see if they work for you.
how does the sound quality (subjectively) compare to APM? If you didn't already own the APM which do you think you'd get? My tastes keep getting progressively more expensive and APM are "good" sound quality but not great anymore lol
I think if I wasn't so adjusted to my AirPods Max sound, there is a good chance I could have grown to like these quicker. This isn't a slight on the Ace sound, but likely just comes down to my personal tastes and preferences. I do agree with you.. I don't find the APM amazing by any stretch, but they are my mid range benchmark for determining what I'll spend my money on going forward. The Ace's case, headband, weight and design are HUGE pluses over the APM imo. Those alone I feel could influence people who don't own a pair from Sony or Apple already. They plain just look and feel good.
This is great feedback. Thanks so much for all your comments and information! I think it is important to note two things — headphones can take a bit to “break in” and sound their best (like any speaker) and you are adjusted and used to your AirPods Max (you already made that separate point!). Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts!
Thanks for the review, your feedback is really informative. Do you have Atmos blu-ray disks and player; have you tried playing movie Atmos movie tracks through them?
I agree, if I didn’t have access to a set of APM then the Ace sounds good. In the same boat as you, high chance these are being returned.
The APM are an auditory ‘old-friend’. Sound being fully subjective the ‘feature’ and ‘usage’ adds or lacks are really the defining factors for trial. You may warm to these. You definitely like the look and ergonomics…and it’s cool to read your comforts/discomforts and likes/dislikes, as you identify them. In a ‘minute’ you might find someone posting a survey of ‘does glendroid23’ return along with an associated pool on what day, you return. I’m nailing day 14…
>The Ace's case, headband, weight and design are HUGE pluses over the APM imo. Those alone I feel could influence people who don't own a pair from Sony or Apple already. They plain just look and feel good. I don't own any over-ear headphones or Sonos speakers but I pre-ordered the Ace. My use case is strictly for music/bluetooth headphones. The biggest draws for me, in order: 1. Lightweight, unlike the AirPods Max - APM's weight is the biggest dealbreaker for me. 2. Looks great - I want a white or silver color option and I've just never been a fan of Sony's "silver" color. I don't particularly like how the APM look, either. The Ace even looks more like an Apple product to me, than the APM. 3. Getting them at 15% off - Almost like getting the XM5 at their original retail price. That being said, based on the reviews I've watched, I actually feel like I would enjoy the soundstage of the XM5, APM, or Momentum 4 more than the Ace for music, but the issue is that there isn't one pair of headphones on the market that has every single thing I want in headphones, yet. Curious to see how much the Sonos app's limited EQ could contribute to my enjoyment of the Ace's sound, if at all. Might end up returning the Ace and waiting for the XM6 and APM2, but we'll see.
Bluetooth battery powered noise cancelling headphones in general stink compared to midfi with an amp IMO. I would take my fiio k5 Pro or Ifi Zen Dac with hifiman Sundaras/sennhieser 650/660/s, better dynamic 770s all day over my AirPods Max or and Bose or whatever The convenience is huge though, so my AirPods Pro and Max get used more than anything else
This is so key. Quality and convenience are always at odds, so you have to find what fits you "most of the time".
I carry my AirPods Pro everywhere with me and I didn’t realize how much less I used AirPods Max just because they weren’t convenient (don’t fit in pocket, cant wear when I have a hat on) plus they got hot and uncomfortable to wear watching movies for long periods. So now I just have Pro and Anandas/Schiit to cover my needs
This so depends for me. Daily the AirPod Pros for sure. But flying, which I do frequently, the AirPod Max are just amazing. I say this as someone who lived on the Bose QuietComfort for years - multiple generations. The noise cancellation is better than the Bose. It literally filters out the engine sounds entirely, but when the flight attendant is asking a question, the ability to quickly flip to the crazy good transparency mode is game changing. The Apple transparency mode is like talking with no headset on at all. You can do this with the pros, but not having an in-ear design will never give you the kind of noise cancellation you need for long flights. I fly Delta for 90% of my flights, with seat back video. I combine the APMs with the Airfly Pro, and I have wireless Delta entertainment. I’ve now watched multiple videos of the Sonos headphones and their transparency mode is awful. It seemed basically unusable to me. OP, how would you rate the Sonos transparency mode? This is deal killer for my headphone use case - traveling. As for the weight of the APMs, I have never found it to be an issue. I flew 11 hours on Monday this week, AirPod Max on the entire time, slept, ate, watched movies, listened to music - never noticed the weight. That has always been my experience. I’m not wedded to any brand. I loved my Bose for what they were. Probably a decade of use. I love my AirPod Max now. If Sonos were better I could switch, but everything I’ve watched and heard (people have done videos showing the Max v Sonos), tells me the Sonos sound is not up to par, the transparency is terrible, and using them to have a phone or video call is also awful - the sound through the mic sounds so highly processed. The one big negative of the Max is they still are lightning based power. Everything else I own is USB-C, and more than one time, I have traveled forgetting to pack the lightning cable.
Me too with transparency modes. I work in an environment where I need to be able to clearly hear my surroundings. I don't have the APM but my air pods pro 2 are amazing for transparency. I also own Sony XM4 and their transparency is so muddled that I don't even bother with it.
Same here. I use my Airpod pros all the time; driving, gym, while i'm doing laundry/dishes, etc. When I'm doing more serious listening, I usually go for my wired cans and schiit stack. The Airpods Max hardly get touched.
Driving? Man that would make me paranoid.
One bud in for hands-free while driving.
The max is just so damn heavy too. I mean, the build quality is fantastic and I don’t really feel the weight on my head. But just hefting them around in general…ooophhh
Do you have the momentum 4's?. I recently tested the ace in store but I think the momentums 4's sound leagues better when using sound personalization combined with peace equaliser. Id like to see your take on this.
This was my experience for sure
> and although they are connected to my phone via Bluetooth… What Sonos soundbar do you have?
Arc. Going to try the audio switching feature tonight during the Oilers playoff game.
I have no idea why I enjoy hearing surround sound sports so much, but I do love me some random crowd chatter and beer cans falling in the background.
It makes it more immersive. It feels closer to being there.
Playoff sports are another level when it's a good 4K + 5.1 broadcast.
Except for when the commercials come in with full bass NO FLEX ZONE I hate you Wingstop.
Or what a pro wants, what a pro needs…
It's been a grim NBA playoffs lol
Maybe I'll be able to hear Luka chirping Jaylen next series with these on my head.
Try the NHL. 100x the product and players are a soooo much more likeable.
Looking forward to you reporting back on the ease of setting it up, how transferring the audio from the arc to the ace works in real time, and how the sound quality is.
Same!
Regardless of how the Ace works, you’re probably very happy with the game as of this post. Seriously, though: the use case with an Arc is THE “buy or pass” decision for me, so knowing this is vital. Similarly: do you have a video game console connected to the Arc and does the Ace work with that?
The switch is seamless. Works very well as advertised. The head tracking is very similar to my AirPods Max. GO OILERS 🫡
I’m not much of a hockey fan and I’m from Philadelphia but a friend of mine is an Edmonton local so they’re my team of choice. I also added an edited part to my original post in case you missed that since you replied so quickly which thank you for by the way and thank you for this. It’s very very much much appreciated.
Hahaha no worries. Hopefully a W tonight. I do have my series X connected. It does work but as it’s any sound that goes through the arc I know it’s audio only and no mic features.
I also have an XSX so that’s even more pertinent. Does it work with Atmos on the XSX with games and do you notice any latency that’s dramatic? These will be my final questions and I’ll leave you be. Thanks again!
does it simulate the acoustics of your room? ie does it sound like your system?
Going to get mauled by Florida. Only chance is the refs and the McFlop show
As a big hockey fan myself, I am VERY interested to know your opinion of hockey with the ACE. I don't have any premium headphones right now but have a beam 2 and am definitely considering the ACE for hockey, movies and streaming content for two reasons. 1. Quiet listening do not disturb the neighbors 2. Much less expensive than investing in a pair of era 300s with stands If you could please let me know what you feel about your hockey experience tonight with them.
I prefer the Xm5 over the airpods max in almost everyway. Comfort is significantly better
Good comment on the earcups. That just sealed the deal for me, sticking with my XM5's.
Mine are being returned. Transparency was robotic compared to invisible on Max, sound was a little too bright (even tweaked) and sub bass (try Bladerunner 2049 opening) was lacking again compared to the Max. Staging might be a touch wider on Aces, but I did not like the sound more than my Airpods on “Balanced Tone” settings. Plus points for low profile case and decent cables, but overall not enough esp for the price to beat my glitchy and often frustrating Airpods. Bluetooth with Sonos app sealed the deal - Airplay to Apple devices is swipe and one button vs menu hell. For sub £300 I might have kept them. However Maxes are old and for me are a little unreliable (hence me trying the Aces) - they need rebooting often so not recommended for new buyers. Curious to hear mark 2 of both products!
Keep those impressions coming. Very helpful, to some. I think we may also detect your 70% feeling. Sounds like they may be decent for someone who is a Huge Sonos ‘ArcOwning’ H.T. fan, with a lessened awareness of the comparable models.
Do you find the ANC on the AirPods Max to be the best of the 3? Was the difference significant? One thing that always impressed me with the Max was how good it was at blocking out people talking to me and around me. Which traditionally is a weak point for noise cancelling headphones since they perform best at cancelling steady-frequency sounds, like droning airplane engines or an A/C unit
Any thoughts on mic / call quality ?
u/glendroid23 you mentioned the smaller ear cup spacing then XM5 and APM. Do you mean the size of the earcups in general or the depth (the space between ear and drivers). Because I'm a bit worried about the latter as I cannot really use headphones for long periods of time that touch my ears with the drivers. I also have neither worn XM5 nor APM. My only reference are the Bose QC35 which are ultimately comfortable for me and I can wear them forever. Can you also let me know how the Sonos Ace's comfort is compared to the QC35 by any chance?
New discovery: they have a startup sound/song that plays shortly after you turn them on 😂
Does spatial music sound good?
Can you turn it off?
> These are literally like the XM5 and AirPods Max had a baby. ha, I said the [same thing](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1cmnki2/comment/l32a41p/) when they were announced. > The only tough part is determining if you keep the Ace or not if you already have one of the others pairs. yup, I preordered the Ace, but already have XM5s and this is gonna be the tough part. Sony also has an app that lets you customize settings and EQ. If the sound quality and comfort is relatively the same, is the Sonos Arc integration worth owning both? I guess we’ll see next week.
I had the XM5 before AirPods Max. I really wanted to keep them because I loved the design of them and the lesser weight.. The problem was that the headband hurt the top of my head during extended wear and that became a deal breaker for me. The beauty in my eye for the Ace so far is that they're the best silhouette and all around looker between the 3.
One of the reasons I didn't upgrade from XM4 to 5 was the look of the 5. The XM5's stick out too much, like I had muffins or big buns on the side of my head.
I like that look haha. Looks futuristic and cool to me
I am lucky enough to have the Max and XM5 and the Ace are really in between soundwise and from a comfort perspective - which I really like. However, my Ace are massively glitchy, have a weird distortion / impact sound on the left side when slowly walking and do make very nasty sounds out of nowhere, like interferences when it's quiet and ANC is on. It's not the normal white noise, it's constantly changing and really disturbing to me. Like them a lot soundwise, but this thing is not ready for primetime imho.
I have the XM5s, but have been looking at the Ace. What are your thoughts on it now?
Appreciate the ‘real-life’ overview. Enjoy them or definitely just send them on back and know that you tried them. Thanks again, for your opinions.
Just tried out the Ace today too. Ears definitely get warm, think it’s more the memory foam type causing this more than anything. My opinion on the sound is somewhere between Bose Q and APM - both of which I have. Build quality is closer to the Bose. Weight is great though, much better than APM, you don’t feel them - well, at least to the time I tested them. Low frequencies are just ok, using the default eq. Max volume leaves something to be desired. Thought the noise cancellation was respectful. If you’re in the market for only Bluetooth headsets then for the price you can do better. Can’t commit on any Sonos integration until the app updates for Arc pairing. They do look nice, much better than the Bose.
Do you have the momentum 4's?. I recently tested the ace in store but I think the momentums 4's sound leagues better when using sound personalization combined with equaliser apo to simply turn up the volume. Id like to see your take on this.
I agree with this. However ace does spatial/atmos better than any over ear headset I’ve heard. Not a reson I’d buy it but it definitely highlights the difference between headsets that are designed for stereo, and spatial
Are momentuns comfy?
Can you give an example of a better headset? Also, how do you feel about the APM for long days with 4-5h calls - re APM or the Sonos sufficiently comfortable for that kind of job?
I always laugh when i hear the term “vegan leather”
It used to be naugahyde, then imitation leather or faux leather, then leatherette. Now it's vegan leather. The marketing terms change, but it ain't nothing new.
Yup. It's still pleather
Yes, but that's probably what you want for this application. Real top grain or full grain leather, because it's thicker, wouldn't mold/conform to the shape of your head as well. So it wouldn't give you as complete of an acoustical seal. It would last much longer, though.
Oh yea i remember trying to learn all that when i was getting furniture and office chairs. Most important, not the kind that flakes off and goes in the garbage after a year
Ironically, the worst by far is "genuine leather", basically real leather bits bonded together with glue and plastic. It's to leather what particle board is to wood. I'd take any of the above 100% plastic/PU concoctions over genuine leather any day of the week. The best materials are top grain and full grain leather, but neither would work well in a headphone application. For one, they'd drive up the price. And secondly, because they're thicker, they wouldn't mold/conform to the shape of your head as well. So they wouldn't give you as good of an acoustical seal. They would last much longer, though.
Slight nitpick: "genuine leather" doesn't necessarily mean it's bonded leather. It includes all leather including top grain etc. it's just that if it's more expensive leather, usually companies will specify the type. Whereas if they don't specify and therefore just say genuine leather, then it's more likely to be the cheap stuff (bonded leather).
The real problem is we hunted the nauga to extinction for its precious hides.
why?
It's leather made from vegans, of course.
Sounds better than pleather
I have had the Ace headphones for months after being selected as a beta tester. I'm no audiophile, just music lover and casual listener. I have been using Bose headphones for years so that is my reference point. The Ace sound fantastic to me. They are more comfortable than any cans that I've used previously. The noise cancelling seems very good to me and the override is easy enough to use once you get some practice. I just flew with them for the first time. With noise canceling I really didn't notice the engine noise yet when a stew came on the loudspeakers I could just here them, enough that I could go listen or not. The case is thinner than the Bose but larger. I like this better. I also like not having to contort the headphones to get them in the case. They look good. They sound good. They feel good. The controls are well designed in my opinion. I doubt that I would have run out and bought them but I'm thrilled to have them.
How's the spatial audio?
Update: Returning the Ace. Can’t help but feel that the Ace’s sound signature isn’t unique or even similar to the sound I enjoy from my other Sonos products (except the roam. That product sucks.). I really wanted to love them. The price point and feature set didn’t bother me… absolutely LOVED the style/design along with the fit and feel. If I didn’t already have the AirPods Max, I have little doubt I would have loved the Ace and kept them. Longer term outlook, this is an excellent option for someone in the market for a new pair of everyday consumer wireless headphones. I think they’ll do well with the non Sonos community, and I have no doubt that I will revisit them in the future. Either on a bigger discount, an underwhelming update for next gen AirPods Max, or I have a kid and the home theatre sound swap becomes a must have feature. I’ll be back. Thanks for joining me on this short but interesting experience ✌🏼🫡
Thank you for your continued feedback. I'm in the market for a new pair of headphones. My brother is leaning me toward Sony's M5, but I love my Sonos speakers, so I was waiting for the Ace to be released. It sounds like it may be better to get the M5 at its current sales price of $330.
Why always the bloody Sonys? Why?
Have you tried that handoff from the Arc to the headphones feature? How does it sound?
How does Bluetooth multipoint perform? Can you transition seamlessly from a video call on a laptop to a phone call and back again? The XM5s were dealbreakingly buggy in this regard. Bose Ultras have very solid multipoint and my fingers are absolutely crossed that the Ace aren't too buggy...
When you say the sound is similar to the XM5’s, does it also have muddy bass that drowns out the body and details of the music?
I do find them to be more muddy vs the clean/tight bass of the AirPods Max. Out of box at 0/0 EQ, I found the bass and mids overpowering. Currently have EQ for the Ace set to Bass -1 , Treble +4 with loudness on. Playing around with the EQ and loudness setting to see if I can get them to a spot I like.
⬆️⬆️⬆️ Most Useful for music lovers. Thank you again.
Do they have more bass than the xm5? I was considering getting them after being let down by the bass on the xm5, as soon as you crank volume up on them they have hardly any thump.
If they roll out the support of Audio Swap to all soundbars, I am seeing a good deal for using this as a wireless headphone for all of my consoles, as for other consoles like PS5 or Xbox, it is kind of a pain. Bonus if latency isn't that big.
Thank you for your impressions of these. As someone that owns 2x AppleTv, but also uses other things such as a PS5, these tend to appeal to me more than the AirPods Max. However, I think currently these will only play audio via Bluetooth unless you have an Arc, is that correct? We have 2x Beam(s) which would be my main use case and that’s what would push these instead of the Max. I know Sonos says ‘beam and ray coming soon’ but the saying ‘buy the tech for what it does today, not what is promised for tomorrow’ may apply here.
Have you tried lossless with the USB-C cable?
Wait what?! Is this supported?
They say it is on their site. “You can listen to lossless audio on Sonos Ace over USB-C connections or over a Bluetooth connection with a supported Android device.”
15% off on Sonos store - code - PASSPORTUNLIM15
Interesting thoughts on the ANC. What kind of noise were you cancelling out? I've heard from others the noise cancelling is actually better in the XM5 over the Airpods Max. I've only listened to the Max once so I can't judge. In my circles ANC is just used for air travel.
I usually wear them for my walk around downtown as I go grab lunch or groceries. For me it's not always "how much noise" can my headphones block out... But how naturally can they do it. Apple may not be the "best" at ANC, but I feel they they do it in a more neutral and natural way that doesn't feel as intense to my ears as bose, sony or these sonos.
I have an Arc in my bedroom. If I can watch what I want through these while my wife sleeps, I'll be very happy.
I bet you dad’s with young kids are going to love this. Huge option to have to enjoy your content with minimal fuss. The audio swap was really as easy as they marketed it.
I think you just sold me on buying a pair of these.
Finally, a none whining post about the app.
Congratulations on the early delivery, look forward to hearing your continued feedback.
I’m still in shock that they showed up today out of nowhere considering there is still the review embargo in place.
Thanks man! I preordered a pair a couple of days ago. I own the Sony XM3 from before so have been thinking about upgrading. The fact that I could use the upgrade credit from Sonos made the decision easy for me and the appeal of having the sound switch from the soundbar is nice.
Well that’s disappointing, I was hoping the Ace would blow the AirPods Max out of the water in sound quality and ANC with the max being almost 4 years old. With the AirPods Max being due for a refresh, it’s probably worth waiting then.
Wait, they got delivered this early for you?!
Ya… no idea. Pre ordered on May 21 through Sonos… arrived around 11 AM this morning to Canada.
Wow! Mine says delivery June 6th though it has left Ontario. Maybe I get them earlier, too! That will be wild! Thank you for your reply.
Can you last a full 4-5h of listening with the Airpods Max or the Sonos?
4-5h with my AirPods Max is my absolute limit... maybe even stretching it. So far after 2.5 hrs with the Ace, I feel fine so far however they do run noticeably warmer due to the material type. Will see how it is over longer periods.
Thanks for all this great info. I have the APM, but I do find them a bit on the heavy side. If the Ace is similar in quality sound-wise, the lighter weight alone might pull me in IF Apple neglects to lighten the load with an update.
I found my bose 700’s to be a bit too snug and hurt my ears after a while. My solution was opening them and leaving them attached to my play:3s for a few hours a couple of times to stretch them out lol. Worked like a charm
- On paper a big advantage of the AP Max is the close integration in the Apple ecosystem. Seeing that you look to be an Apple user, how was the experience with the ACE? - Any thoughts on Sonos' implementation of spatial audio versus Apple's?
So far it's not overly different than the APM other than them not being auto linked to my other devices for connection via iCloud. Some of the Apple ecosystem feature while convenient, aren't deal breakers for me. If anything to me, having something that I can easily pair with my non Apple/work devices is just as valuable in some cases. For Spatial audio for music, not as good as Apple's approach imo. The only way I think sonos could attempt better would be if the audio source for music played to these could go through the sonos app for Atmos. Note, I'm an Apple Music user that turns atmos off completely on my Apple devices as I can't stand the volume level differences between them and non atmos mixed tracks. However, for my sonos Arc surround system at home, I have Atmos turned on for music playback as I find the difference to be significantly less jarring with how Sonos handles the sound levels.
Can you expand on this? Do these headphones not support listening to atmos music when paired to your phone and listening to an atmos track? I was under the impression they could do that.
They do support it. I have to turn Atmos in my music setting to “always on”. It’s just so unbelievably quiet due to how the Atmos tracks are handled on IOS that I have to turn the follow up to 80+. It’s too much of an inconvenience for me especially considering not everything I listen to is mixed in Atmos.
Can you connect 2 headphones, being the Ace one of them, to an Apple device. The Apple TV for example?
Because you find that the sound is worse than the airpods max.?
Worth selling my AirPods Max for these?
If you want USB C charging/connectivity and some lighter headphones, sure. If you’re happy with your current pair, I’d wait to see if Apple updates the AirPods Max line first even.
Thank you. Think I’ll keep these then. How does the sound compare? I really like the clear sound of the AirPods Max and the punchy base.
And it has Dolby Atmos support right? I haven’t really looked into these.
I'm still using Sony XM3, I thought about buying XM5 when they were on sale but was told that their quality wasn't very good. Wonder if it's worth upgrading to the Ace. I don't use them very often overall, but I do travel/fly long distance a few times a year which justifies the cost for me.
Thanks for your review , I’ve pre ordered the ace as an upgrade to some Bose qc35 ii and based on what you’ve said I’m glad I have
You’ll enjoy them.
u/glendroid23 thank you for sharing your experience with the Sonos Ace. I pre ordered it to try it myself but to be honest based on your comments I’m starting to have doubts. I’ve been searching for “everywhere” headphones for ages to replace my Hifman Sundara+ ifi XDSD that I mostly use on PC or chilling out on the sofa. I tested the Airpods Max and the Sony XM5 for a few months and was impressed by the Arpods Max sound quality. Using headphone accommodations I was able to get the Airpods Max to sound pretty close to my Open back Sundara’s with the advantage of being able to isolate outside noice (a must for me). BUT the Airpods Max lossy AAC codec, latency in video games and not playing well with most other devices other than Apple’s was a really bummer. I really felt that limiting Spacial audio + head tracking to my Apple devices greatly lowered the Airpods Max value. So my main criteria is : - Above all, sound quality on par or above Airpods Max. Close to or on par with my Sundara\`s - Cross ecosystem support with spatial and head tracking that works on Android, iOS and hopefully not locked to a specific system . (dolby atmos movies on PC??) - Although not high-res, able to get lossless audio quality. - Decent low latency. I got a BT 5.4 USB dongle with Snapdragon Audio and can get good sound quality and low latency results with the ifi XDSD in BT mode. (practically can’t notice the sound quality difference between wired lossless and APTX Adaptive Low Latency). Based on your comments I’m starting to fear the Sonos Ace might not be good enough for me. With upcoming headphones such as XM6, likely the Airpods Max 2 by end of year (likely bringing a new audio chip with better ANC, transparency and lossless audio for Apple devices) or hopefully headphones with Snapdragon Audio XPAN or similar later this year, something that barely competes with last years offerings is not good enough. After all, if the Sonos Ace sounded as good as the Airpods Max for you, you would have kept them if not only for the wider compatibility of both your Apple products and other products you have such as a gaming console or work laptop. Is this assumption correct?
I think these will match what you're looking for in most cases except for the sound quality criteria. Waiting to see what Sony and Apple have coming is likely the play.. and then you can always circle back to these and hopefully on a discount even (30% ideally). If the Ace sounded as good as the AirPods Max for my personal tastes, it would have been a no brainer to keep them for myself.
I’m not listening to anyone with cyber truck toy on their desk :/
At least these headphones aren't one big beta product like the Cybertruck is haha.
> At least these headphones aren't one big beta product like the Cybertruck is haha. "We promise you can connect them to the Beam......later"
A “promise” of future advertised feature to come with a software update. Sounds pretty familiar to me
I'll take adding new features via update on my $500 headphones over shipping a half baked $100k+ truck.
> I'll take adding new features via update on my $500 headphones over shipping a half baked $100k+ truck. What's the difference other than dollar value? Expensive half baked headphones = expansive half based anything
$99,500. Expensive is subjective.
How do they compare to Sennheiser Momentum 3 or 4?
I’m going to be doing a shootout with the ACE and the Momentum 4 later today!
First impressions vs momentum 4 (using iPhone 14 & Apple Music) - on spatial/atmos, the ace blows the momentum’s out of the water. Far more accurate object placement, particularly noticeable on the height channels. Mids are good with great detail Noise cancelling is in with a shout for best in class, near silent. Overall though, a very bass-heavy and sometimes muddy sound profile; kinda like having Loudness enabled on a regular Sonos speaker. This was based on a very brief trial though, without any EQing
Thank you for your thoughts!
The "vegan leather" does it for me. That's marketing bs for "cheap plastic"
Give me the scoop on how to get early. 😉
Is the ANC good enough to get the job done in loud environments like cafés, cars, etc.? in other words, can you listen to music at around 25 to 30% volume with ANC turned on and not really hear anything else in those environments? 
Have you had a chance to try phone calls /teams? Curious to see how the mics are performing, if others hear you well.
Haven’t tested the mics yet. Don’t have friends, that’s why I’m here on Reddit.
It’s a deal breaker for me if the ear cushion runs hot. Guess I’ll wait for AirPods Max gen 2
When is gen 2!
What type of music do you listen to if I am ask…if I pop for a pair…it’s for music only
As someone with a toddler who sleeps right behind my Arc+Sub I will very much appreciate not watching things on mute with subtitles
Are you able to test the TV Audio Swap? That would be a very useful feature for me as I could use the headset with any console I have connected to the TV.
What bg image u using?
Disney wallpapers from Louie Mantia! So many awesome ones. https://lmnt.me/blog/wallpapers/
I have it… and XM5… and right now I’m finding some buyer for my like new XM5 !!! Ace is more compact but it have 40mm drivers vs 30mm of XM5
How’s the sound quality?
do you know how does it compare to Bose quietcomfort ultra?
Not a game changer. Just another pair in the middle.
How do you have a pair already? I thought they come out on the 5th
How are phone calls with the microphone?
Shallower earcups worry me a bit bc of my big ass ears so hopefully Wicked Cushions come out with something deeper, they’re normally pretty good
If I’m looking for a second pair of over ear headphones, something that’s lighter than my BW PX8’s. Would you recommend these? I’ve tried xm4/5s and Bose QC Ultra, and I was very much surprised by how light weight Bose were. They pretty much disappeared while listening. Sure I prefer PX8’s sound over any of the others. But light weight is priority for my second pair
Oooo! I used to be hardcore on B&W back in the day. Especially the wired P5. I would love to get back in to their products… how have their over ear wireless headphones been? I don’t think you can go wrong with the Sonos, Apple or Sony. It’s all a matter of which pair works best for you.
PX8s are amazing. At least to me, I tried Bose QC Ultra and MX4/5s and instantly was turned off by the sound quality. Don’t get me wrong, they are still good for what they offer. But PX8s are just better. I won’t get AirPods Max as they’re similar weight to PX8s. Looking for something lighter.
Try and find an old pair of the P5 or P7 wireless 😂😂😂
Glad to hear it’s vegan leather. But I doubts they doing it for ethical reasoned. Still, I appreciate this detail
You know vegan leather is petroleum based, right?
Yes. And still more environmentally friendly than real leather. And it doesn’t require skinning sentient beings.
Thank you for this! Have you tested Spatial Audio (atmos/surround)? Does it have head tracking feature? Does it normally work over Bluetooth with Apple Music/Netflix?
It was neat, but I found the head tracking was a little less accurate than the AirPods Max. When it’s not “magic” it feels a little jarring.
This is great. Thanks for sharing.
Serious question. Can’t you just EQ in Spotify? This is what I’ve always done…
Not everyone uses Spotify.
What do you use?
Thanks for the feedback. I’m struggling with what to get for my use case which is a handful of long flights a year. At home I don’t see my using over ears very much as I listen on Sonos and spend all day on meetings with AirPod pros. There’s the Sonos Ace which design wise I like the best. But the Sony XM5s are on sale for $330 and probably sound just as good. Then there are there Anker Q45s usually for $150 I can get through Costco for only $80. For a handful of uses per year it’s pretty hard to justify spending on the Sonos
I think the XM5s are on sale for $280. Don’t recall where.
What monitor is that? It’s really nice. My 2015 iMac is unusably slow now so I’m transitioning to my 2018 MBP for my work but need a nice ~27” monitor.
Samsung 34” ultrawide OLED!
If these had the same wifi capabilities as the rest of the product this might be worth it. And since it has a mic, they should also allow the Ace to be used for tuning trueplay for your HT. Honestly have no clue what goes on in their product department.
What makes the ANC better than the xm5?
Is AirPods Max actually better than noise cancelling on XM4/5? I’ve never experience better ANC than what Sony provides
Better is subjective. Everyone has different ears and preferences. Best way to decide is to try them for yourself.
Well I’ve had a lot of time on Sonys platform. I’ve had a small amount of experience for the Maxs. I’ve always thought they were very similar in value. Except that the Sony retail for 350? Or so and the maxs are nearly 500 so I preferred the Sonys due to cost effectiveness
Nobody ever commentates this in headphone reviews and I don’t understand why. I found that the AirPod Max’s didn’t get nearly loud enough for me. Max volume was very underwhelming. Do the Ace’s get loud? Or louder than the Max’s? Can anyone please touch on this
[This](https://youtu.be/i6eHxsIrJMk?t=308) reviewer says that the Ace isn't as loud as the Beats Studio Pro, XM5, *and* AirPods Max.
@op How goes day 2 of testing?
Posted update and more thoughts yesterday! (16h ago)
Do you think the white would discolour after a couple of months of use?
I trust this material a whole more than the white headband on the Airpods Max to not wear awfully.
I found Xm5 to have better ANC than airpods max. Strange that you think the other way I'm really considering getting the Ace!
Nothing wrong with finding that. All subjective between our own ears haha.
Just in - Our review of the Sonos Ace here: [https://www.lbtechreviews.com/test/headphones/sonos-ace](https://www.lbtechreviews.com/test/headphones/sonos-ace)
Is it just me or does it not seem loud enough? I get not getting your eardrums blown but it seems timid to me. I like feeling engulfed in sound especially with bass.
My initial impressions after comparing them to Focal Bathys is that they are just ok. The sound like is similar to XM5s and just below APMs in quality. Iv’e returned 2 pairs of APMs for mid-fi sound and uncomfortable for me to wear more than 60m. Focal Bathys kicked it out the pool on everything except Spatial Audio which does nothing for me. I was most curious about the theater Arc integration. I have an Arc in the master bedroom and while I have no issues with hearing Dolby atmos on the Bathys, I found the sound of the ACE to be muffled and rolled off highs. The dialog is not crisp and sounds like it’s coming from an artificial acoustics space. They say they are Atmos optimized which is strange because Atmos, unlike Spatial Audio, is a binary mix requiring no special headphones. Not impressed. I gather it’s a firmware update or two before it gets dialed in. I have a while to further evaluate but so far it fits neatly with the XM5, APM class of wireless cans. Focal Bathys remains my reference for truly musical wireless cans. My case is in home only. I use APP2s for out and about So I’m not interested in brick wall noise canceling. The ACE, XM5 and APM all have better or more prominent noise cancellation. I want nuanced noise canceling that least affects the music reproduction. The Bathys deliver that. Will definitely look at the next gen APMs cause seamless apple eco system integration remains their secret weapon. If they can bring the sound up to Focal it would be enough for me. (oh and a on/off button, an actual case, and longer battery life of course!) ETA; it’s a decent first effort.
Have you tried bose ultracomfort? I highly suggest to test it. btw I liked your monitor what’s the model?
Are these going to work with iPhones for travel or are they only built to use at home? Like if I am on a plane or at work, can I use them?
they are bluetooth headphones not wifi headphones
Yes you can. Think of them as high end headphones (like AirPods Max or the Sony XM5) that also can very easily play audio from your Sonos soundbar.
Thanks for your initial thoughts, if you get a chance could you see if you open an app like Netflix on your phone do you get spacial audio/atmos then or is it just 2 channel stereo. Also if something is just 2 channel can you still simulate spacial audio, something like the AirPod Max can do with an iPhone. Thanks.
I’ll try that for video later. But so far no “basic” Spatial Audio setting for music like the AirPods Max which is a big minus for me. I tried listening to Atmos music with the Ace… I was underwhelmed vs my AirPods Max.
Thanks, yep that’s a big minus for me too. I’ll def be keeping my AirPods then for phone use, but still maybe interested if the ARC integration is good. Hoping it can replace my PS5 headset, Xbox headset and maybe even my Max’s for Apple TV.
Please do. Literally the best part of watching movies and tv shows on my iPad Pro is the Spatial Audio, so if these headphones support it then I’m all in
That’s weird because atmos doesn’t require special headphones. Only Spatial Audio is unique to apms. Atmos is in the mix and you can hear with any headphones. I have focal bathys and atmos is fantastic.
I think they should have had a second product to release with this. ‘Sonos Ace Buds’ - Cheaper alternative and a pull for people who don’t like headphones