Expected for years, the Sonos headset finally arrives on June 4. The American audio brand took its time before pulling an ace up its sleeve. The Sonos Ace ticks all the boxes for a premium headset, with in-house options to boot.
It will have taken its time, whispered for a long time, almost guaranteed to see the light of day. The first-ever wireless headphones from Sonos are here. The Sonos Ace aims to be premium, with noise reduction worthy of the best in its category.
Having taken all the care to release it, the American brand has ensured quality for each point of the device available in black or white. Enough to justify the price of 499 euros which places it against monsters like the Bose QC35, the Sony 1000X-M5 or even the Apple AirPods Max?
WE love
Comfortable and premium design
It is undoubtedly a premium helmet due to the quality of its materials and its design. Sonos assures that it has been designed to adapt to all heads, all hair and ear shapes. For the first two points, it’s a certainty as the headset is comfortable, adjusts easily with its metal temples and its padded vegetable leather arch to wear the two over-ear headphones in plastic and leather shells. Both earpiece covers detach and can be easily replaced.
It is not too bulky and is rather compact on the head, although we will regret not being able to fold it further to save storage space. In any case, it can be worn for long hours of listening without weighing on the skull.
On the other hand, if you have large ears, the oval format of the earpads may not suit you or show discomfort more quickly. The Sonos Ace has controls on the headset with, on the left, the red and pairing button (long press). On the right side, we find the play/pause button positioned on a slider which is also used to adjust the volume up or down. By pressing the central button two or three times, you can advance to the next song or go back to the previous one.
Audio quality
This is obviously a point on which the Sonos Ace was expected and it does not disappoint. If you have an Era 100 or 300 at home, a Sonos Arc or Beam soundbar, or any other product from the brand, you will recognize the house sound with a balanced and detailed audio signature, no unnecessary excess bass and a wide soundstage. Some may find it lacking in fishing, but it is also the Sonos brand. There are 40 mm speakers which will allow deep Dolby Atmos compatible sound.
The Sonos app lets you adjust the EQ to your preference, with an option to boost bass and treble at low volumes. This allows you not to push the sound unnecessarily, but will not necessarily please the most experienced music lovers.
The headset offers spatial audio for compatible services and binaural sound. It is also possible to activate head tracking (with Dolby Atmos compatibility) for greater immersion. But it’s not to everyone’s taste, especially if you listen to podcasts or people singing who will then rotate around you, depending on your movements. The Sonos Ace supports AptX Lossless and Apple Lossless to further establish itself as a cutting-edge audio headset thanks to its Bluetooth compatibility without loss of quality. And above all, it is possible to pair two devices for parallel use (smartphone, computer, etc.).
Note that two cables are provided in the box: a USB-C/USB-C headset, which will be used to connect it to a smartphone/PC/tablet or to recharge it, and a USB-C/Jack cable to connect to a PC, an amplifier or even an audio player.
Effective noise reduction
To ensure high-level active noise reduction (ANC), Sonos has placed eight microphones. This serves both to limit external nuisances and to amplify your voice during calls. Because the onboard beamforming technology will allow the microphones to seek out and focus on noises. In the application settings, you can choose to activate the three modes (Noise Cancellation, Aware Mode, Disabled) which can then be accessed from the button provided for this purpose on the right earpiece of the headset.
The ANC mode is more than effective and clearly ranks among the best noise reduction on the market, on par with the most popular ones like Apple, Sony and Bose. The transparency mode called Conscious (which does not cut you off from the outside while reducing annoying noises) is quite pleasant and the switch from ANC rather smoothly.
Switching to home cinema in headphones
Strength of the ecosystem, the newcomer is part of the Sonos lineage. The Ace thus benefits from home cinema and can take over from the present soundbar. For the moment, compatibility is only with the Sonos Arc, but the manufacturer has announced a future update to make the headphones functional with the Sonos Beam (1st and 2nd generation) and Ray.
This will allow you to switch listening from the soundbar to the headset with one click (after having activated the function in the application and configuring everything). The Sonos Ace then connects via proprietary Wi-Fi with the system and benefits from 360° spatial sound, from the Home Cinema configuration replacing the soundbar, ideal for not disturbing anyone in the evening without interrupting the current cinema experience. The soundbar settings then become those of the headphones (particularly room mapping). The effect is impressive, because the usual sound reproduction of the soundbar associated with speakers is present… but with headphones on the ears.
Autonomy
Sonos announces 30 hours of battery life with noise reduction. We spent days with it, using it for listening on the go as well as in the office or at home. And the least we can say is that we only had to recharge it once or twice in almost two intensive weeks. And it recharges rather quickly to recover several hours of listening time in just a few minutes. But it takes 2h30-3h for 100% battery.
We don’t like
The bulky carrying case, but…
As with Apple, Sonos has design in mind. The transport case is in line with habits, but paradoxically, not the most practical. It is bulky because the helmet does not fold. Its covering in black or white recycled/recyclable material depending on the model will not be to everyone’s taste. It is especially quick to catch all the dust and lint that crosses its path. On the other hand, the good idea is the small magnetic cable pouch at the heart of the packaging which can be detached to be taken away without carrying everything.
Verdict
Conclusion
It took a while, but it keeps its promises. The Sonos Ace is the premium model that we were hoping for from the audio specialist, with quality noise reduction, very pleasant sound reproduction that is faithful to the brand’s identity, all combined with long battery life. duration. The headset has been designed to enter the home ecosystem and, those who are already equipped with speakers and soundbar, will be delighted to add it to enjoy their home cinema. But, even without equipment already present, it will find its way (and its voice) among audiophiles. If its price may seem high, it has the arguments to make it a worthy competitor to the more expensive AirPods Max or to the 1000X-M5 and the QC35, sold at practically the same price at their launch.
