Sonos Ace review: Great noise-cancelling headphones for the Android, iOS crowd

Sonos may not be a household name in the headphone space. The company, mostly known for its range of wireless speakers and soundbars, has recently unveiled its first pair of headphones in India. The Sonos Ace is a pricey affair (more so than the flagship products from the likes of Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose). Since it is priced at ₹39,999, its direct rivals become Apple’s AirPods Max (retailing for ₹59,900).

The Sonos Ace is a brilliant pair of over-ears and one of the most comfortable ones I’ve ever worn. But is that enough to steal the crown in a space dominated by Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose? It does blow away the pricer AirPods Max, mainly because ₹59,999 is a huge price for a pair of headphones.

Zen Mode

It was on a Thursday night, during a journey on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, that I realised I was in seventh heaven. Festive sounds of Ganesh Chaturthi could be heard at every station. But for half an hour of my journey, I heard nothing but the vocals of Adele, Beyonce, Coldplay, U2, Black Keys, and more. That’s because I had the Sonos Ace headphones on with ANC active.

There’s also an awareness mode, which can be accessed with just the press of a button. In this mode, environmental sounds are let in. It’s clear, vivid, and works like a charm.

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Active noise cancellation and instrument separation are where the Sonos Ace shines the most. Plus, they are tremendously comfortable. These are headphones I could wear for hours on end without breaking a sweat (more on that later).

Teething app and Wi-Fi issues

While Sonos did launch a new, revamped app, it was seemingly rushed. Reddit is full of complaints about it. My experience didn’t differ. Connecting to the app took a couple of tries and many resets before it paired on the same network as my Sonos Arc.

For what it's worth, the Bluetooth pairing was nearly instant and worked flawlessly. But without connecting to the app, you can’t get a lot of the features, including the best of them all; TV Audio Swap. Once you do manage to connect to the app, you get access to the equaliser, ANC controls, turning on/off Spatial Audio, wear detection and a few others.

These are Bluetooth first, Wi-Fi second headphones. The Ace cannot stream lossless audio over WiFi (unlike the company’s other products) as it would greatly reduce its battery life. As it stands, the Ace only connects to the Arc soundbar for a personal home theatre experience (Spatial Audio and TV Audio Swap). Simply put, these are great noise-cancelling headphones for the Android and iOS crowd and a way to listen to your TV audio without disturbing anyone, only if you’re already part of the Sonos ecosystem.

Last, but not least, the Ace headphones cannot be grouped with other Sonos speakers. Now let’s get into what I really loved about the Sonos Ace headphones

Comfort, ANC and sound quality shine bright

Thanks to custom-designed 40mm dynamic drivers, the Ace headphones punch above their weight. The sound is well-balanced and clean sounding. There’s a lot of detail, sparkle and a punchy and powerful (yet not overpowering) bass. The vocals are natural, and the instrument separation is brilliant. These headphones have a relatively wide soundstage.

Inside an energetic bar, on a Thursday evening, I was immersed in the vocals of Chris Martin, Miles Davis, Beyonce, Diljeet Dosanjh, and many others. I was having my very own personally-curated concert, despite the loud chimes of the patrons, sitting all around me.

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In fact, various songs by Foo Fighters, The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys played and for half an hour, I was just lost in the various beats of the drums and the crystal-clear vocals. The Ace headphones are paired for a variety of genres and how.

On another day in Delhi, I tried these on and off for about eight hours. During walks, cafe hopping, and just at home. I, for once, didn’t feel the need to take a break, and the comfort was top-notch. It really felt like Sonos had done a lot of R&D into getting the earcups just right.

The battery is rated for up to 30 hours on a single charge with ANC on. I was able to get that many hours out of the headphones and then some. You’ll get three hours of playback with just a three-minute charge. Charging them fully takes about two hours.

Superb TV audio swap feature

During my review period, I also had the Arc soundbar with me. At the same time, the Paralympics were going on. It was the perfect combination.

With the content key, you can handily adjust the volume, with a firm slide up or down. But the key also doubles up as the TV audio swap button. It instantly swaps the audio from the TV to your headphones, while adjusting the volume levels. Sonos has fixed all the problems since its US launch and the feature is magical. With TV audio swap, you’ll get access to spatial audio and head tracking, giving you more of a cinematic experience. I tested this with Dune 2 and Top Gun: Maverick and the experience was next level.

No IP rating and some condensation

Before I conclude, I must quickly address one issue: condensation. The Ace headphones come with no official IP rating though Sonos says these are built to withstand normal environmental conditions. That means that you could probably use them in the gym without breaking a sweat. After a day full of exercise, walking, and sweating it out in the Delhi humidity, I came home and took the ear cups off. What I saw was a whole lot of condensation. Could this be a deal-breaker for some?

Verdict: Best pair of Bluetooth headphones?

If Sonos hadn’t bungled the redesigned app, the Ace would have gotten a near-perfect score. But alas, that isn’t the case. Nonetheless, the company has fixed the TV Audio Swap issues. That’s a step in the right direction.

I’ve been a fan of TWS earbuds instead of headphones for many years. The Sonos Ace is one step away from convincing me to switch. They are the most comfortable (slim, sleek and good-looking) pair of headphones I’ve ever worn. They have fantastic ANC, good awareness mode, superb sound quality, work with Bluetooth (unlike many other Sonos products), and have top-notch battery life. For a first generation product, this is a good effort.

They aren’t foldable, are slightly heavier than their rivals, and are expensive. But, if you own a Sonos soundbar, then the TV Audio Swap feature will be enough to sway you. A private cinema sound just with the touch of a button? That's a USP feature.

But would you spend ₹39,999 on a single pair of headphones (especially when other flagship headphones are far cheaper)? If money wasn’t an issue, I’d be putting these near the top of my shopping list.

Sahil Bhalla is a Delhi-based writer. He posts @IMSahilBhalla

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