WIRED Tries: Sonos Ace wireless headphones
The Sonos Ace headphones have made a significant splash since the launch. It is the first-ever headphones from Sonos and perhaps marks the brand’s ambition into the personal audio space. With meticulously crafted design and advanced features, the Sonos Ace quickly became a hit, contributing to a notable increase in the company’s year-over-year revenue growth. Check the video to see some of the cool perks of this pair of stylish headphones.
The Sonos Ace headphones stand out in a crowded market with their blend of high-fidelity sound, superior comfort, and sleek design. Built with custom-designed drivers, these headphones deliver exceptional audio clarity. Sonos is known for its modular setup in the home theater experience, And the Sonos Ace is no exception. You can seamlessly switch audio from a Sonos soundbar to headphones with a single tap for spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and dynamic head tracking.
Comfort is another key feature. With a lightweight (only 312g) built and ear cushions made with vegan leather and memory foam, the headphones create a perfect acoustic seal without sacrificing comfort.
The Active Noise Cancellation is one of the best I’ve experienced. But what’s also worth mentioning is the Aware mode, which you can activate with one tap. It creates a nice balance between the ambient sounds in your environment and your audio without the loud white noises that appear in most noise-canceling headphones.
The headphones feature intuitive controls with a tactile button, a fold-flat design for easy storage, and a battery life that supports up to 30 hours of listening with a quick-charge option that provides three hours of playback with just a three-minute charge.
For those who have a limited budget to upgrade their headphones, something to notice is that the Sonos Ace is a bit pricy at 2,099 AED.
Sonos App issues overshadow the success
Despite the strong market performance of the Ace headphones, Sonos has faced significant challenges with its newly redesigned app, which has been met with widespread customer dissatisfaction due to bugs, missing features, and unstable performance. In my case, the app asks me to upgrade every time I open it, and it can never finish a full upgrade in one go.
In an interview with Verge, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence admits that “With the app, my push for speed backfired. As we rolled out the new software to more and more users, it became evident that there were stubborn bugs we had not discovered in our testing. As a result, far too many of our customers are having an experience that is worse than what they previously had.”
These issues have prompted Sonos to delay two major hardware releases initially planned for the fourth quarter of 2024, including the much-anticipated new flagship soundbar, codenamed Lasso.
To address these problems, Sonos has deployed an all-hands-on-deck approach, enlisting the help of Nick Millington, the original software architect of the Sonos experience, and Tom Conrad, a Sonos board member, to oversee the app improvement effort. The company has committed to regular app updates every two weeks as it works to restore customer trust and satisfaction.
That being said, you can still enjoy a high-quality audio experience with the Sonos Ace without accessing the app (if you are fine with the default EQ settings). For those who are looking for great sound, comfort for long wear, and classy designs, this pair of headphones is a great contender.
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