Sonos Ace are now on Black Friday sale (Image: Sonos)
Stepping out of the world of sound bars, Sonos’ bold move to launch overhead earphones is what got me excited and it blew my mind when I tried them and six months on, I’m still taking my Sonos cans with me. As Black Friday weekend deals soar my much loved pair are now
The Santa Barbara-based tech company calls their new invention a “personal best for sound”, where it “fuses fashion and function with the highest-quality audio in an elegant design”. And as a classical-trained musician, a good pair of headphones can deliver a realistic concert experience as if you are sitting in an auditorium and that requires some good specs.
The Sonos Ace, priced at £449, does tick all the boxes as a premium product – from the touch of supple vegan leather, the matte finish cups to the concealed hinges and custom 40mm drivers – but now shoppers can enjoy all these with
Sonos’ first foray into headphones is the Ace, with excellent noise cancelling skills and great sound quality.
I tested the headphones against my former go-to (which have been r), and realised Sonos Ace did a better job in creating audio depth and delivering crystal clear vocals. On the XM5, the bass is not punchy and somehow “muffled” but that is not the case on Ace.
It’s an elevated emotive experience especially when I put on Billie Eilish’s ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’ – the vocal stood out from the piano and is crisp enough that I could hear the breathing in her vocal performance. Another feature that I like about the Sonos Ace is the pressable controls.
The physical buttons give you accurate control and – there’s an on/off button, a toggle button for volume control, skip tracks and answer calls; and an extra one for switching between ANC and Aware Mode.
The headphone case is lightweight but still too bulky to my liking (Image: Sonos)
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You can connect the Sonos Ace to certain sound bar models including Arc, Beam (Gen 2), Beam, and Ray and when you don’t want to disturb others, and feel enveloped in exhilarating surround sound and spatial audio.
With the dynamic head tracking and Dolby Atmos, the audio stays at the front no matter where you move. Sonos said their Ace headphones are “designed for premium use, people who want a premium listening experience and people in the knowledge of music industry”. As a consumer, and the sleek design exceeded my expectations when it comes to comfort. I can wear them for long hours without feeling discomfort (and it’s lighter than AirPods Max as less metal is used).
The cushions on the ear muffs are removable for easy cleaning in case you have got makeup on and all you need is a cloth and lukewarm water to wipe them off. Sonos did put a lot of thought into the design. The mesh on the right muff has a contrasting colour to signal how you can wear it and the magnetic ring around the cup will repel if you put the wrong muff in.
The Sonos Ace are a definite head-turner when you wear them on the street, offering a sleek, modern aesthetic while you get to enjoy the sounds that matter most to you. The travel case is lightweight but it’s still bulky to carry around and I hope Sonos will consider launching a sleeve so I can ditch carrying the case.
Another down side is the expensive price tag but with Black Friday offers, customers can or , which is £314.96 for the black one and 29% off, £318.97 for the white version.
If you are worried of getting discomfort from wearing headphones, you can consider . The in-ear sets also feature Dolby Atmos and spatial audio head tracking and they are now reduced from £249 to £179.99. You can also here.
Another option this Black Friday is the Bose Quiet Comfort pair which Deputy Tech editor Henry Burrell recommends. You can