New Sonos Ace Headphones Deliver Satisfying Sound

The $450 model scores well for noise-canceling, too, but the fit is not ideal for everyone

Allen St. John, Consumer Reports Senior Home & Tech Writer.

By Allen St. John
Senior Home & Tech Writer

Updated July 25, 2024

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Sonos Ace headphones in black and white. — Sonos' Ace is available in two colors, black and soft white.

Sonos, known for its extensive lineup of multiroom speakers, has introduced its first-ever headphones, the high-end, noise-canceling Ace. While the announcement is big news in the audio industry, the $450 headphones deliver a largely conventional design, emphasizing comfort more than cutting-edge technology, although our tests reveal that the Ace may not be equally comfortable for all users.

The Ace has a closed-back design with active noise canceling and a transparency mode you can use to permit some ambient sound from your surroundings, all of which are pretty standard features among high-end—and some not-so-high-end—headphones today.

The biggest technical innovation on the Ace is its ability to “swap” the audio from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones, allowing you to watch TV without disturbing others.

Like most headphones, the Ace model can be paired via Bluetooth straight to a phone, laptop, or other source device. This differs from Sonos speakers, which need to run through the company’s WiFi smartphone app. (A recent revamp of the app has caused some controversy among brand loyalists, with many lamenting features that were lost in the transition.) Still, access to more advanced Ace features, like the tone controls and head tracking settings, does require access to the Sonos app.

While lacking never-seen-before features, the design does seem to be generally well-executed. The Ace doesn’t attract attention when viewed from across a room, but it’s sleek and even minimalist. And while the Ace headphones look nice when you’re holding them in your hand, they’re also actually flattering when sitting on your head, which isn’t the case with many competitors.

The Ace comes in two colors: a basic black and a soft white that reportedly went through more than 25 iterations before Sonos nailed the exact shade. The materials feel high-quality, as you’d expect for a model with a $450 price, but there’s not a lot of metal, which reflects the company’s other design goal: comfort.

The Ace is reasonably lightweight and its ergonomics are quite straightforward as well, with two buttons on the right ear cup: a master button that allows you to pause content and control volume and another button that lets in ambient sound (Sonos calls it Aware mode)—plus a single button on the left that turns the headphones on and off.

One of the key factors in whether or not a headphone is right for you is comfort and fit. So we employ a diverse panel of listeners chosen in part for their different size heads and different size ears and have them report back on how different models fit.

In this evaluation, our team of testers found that the Ace is quite comfortable for those with small and medium-sized heads. But, for those with larger noggins, the Ace’s headband may not adjust far enough to allow the ear cups to rest properly over the ears. The headband can also press uncomfortably on top of the head for some users. So do try the model on before you buy it or at least make your purchase at a retailer with a friendly return policy.

Admirable Sound and Noise Canceling

In our tests, the Ace rates near the top of the wireless noise-canceling headphone category for sound quality. Overall our testers find the audio to be on the warm side, which is good because it tends to be less grating if you’re listening for a long time. They note that it can be a bit hazy and somewhat bassy.

The noise cancellation is even better, earning our top score. Even in very quiet rooms, there’s none of the audible rushing noise you get with some lesser models.

Sonos Ace headphones — The Sonos Ace's vegan leather earpads are replaceable.

Performance-wise, the Ace lands in the same group with the more expensive Apple Air Pod Max and the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX. The Ace also delivers largely equivalent performance to the Bowers & Wilkins PxY S2e, the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra, and the Sony WH1000XM5, all of which cost a bit less.

Models from those brands all earn strong marks in Predicted Reliability and Owner Satisfaction in our member survey. We do not yet have data for Sonos’ headphones, because this is the company’s first product in that category.

The Soundbar Swap

As for the soundbar swap feature, it’s not exactly a new twist; other televisions and home theater systems allow you to pair headphones for private listening. But that’s often a cumbersome process, one that requires digging into menus to make the switch. The Ace headphones get credit for completing the hand-off—and the return of the content to the soundbar—with a single button press on the ear cup.

For the moment, the sound swap functionality is restricted to the Sonos top-of-the-line Arc soundbar, although the company promises that there will soon be compatibility with the first- and second-generation Sonos Beam as well as the less expensive Ray.

Are the Sonos Ace Headphones Worth a Look?

Our test results reveal that the Sonos Ace is a high-performance headphone that’s competitive with the top models in this segment.

The sound quality compares with that of the best options in our ratings and the noise-canceling is superb. Sonos touts the model’s comfort, too, but, as our testers discovered, it could be less-than-great for listeners with large heads.

So, if you’re looking for a pair of quality headphones that check the main boxes for satisfying sound and near-silent noise cancellation, give the Sonos Ace a try. With the right fit, you also get more than a modicum of comfort and style.

Allen St. John

Allen St. John has been a senior product editor at CR since 2016, focusing on digital privacy, audio devices, printers, and home products. He was a senior editor at Condé Nast and a contributing editor at publications including Road & Track and The Village Voice. A New York Times bestselling author, he's also written for The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife, their two children, and their dog, Rugby.