San José, California (dpa) — After years of speculation, the time has come: the home speaker company Sonos has entered the headphone business with a debut model called the Ace.
Sonos aims to compete in a market with many long-established rivals, primarily through the Ace’s sound quality and comfort. With a price of €499/$449, the US company is targeting the upper end of the market.
When you hold the Sonos over-ear headphones in your hand, you can tell that they’ll sit comfortably on your head because of the generous padding on the large ear cups and the headband.
The ear cups are made of lightweight plastic. They can be rotated on their metal struts and have a little sideways wiggle room so that the Ace adapts naturally to the shape of your head.
Together with a relatively light weight of 318 grams, all of this ensures that the headphones can be worn comfortably for a long time. The Ace weighs more than competing models from Sony or Bose, but almost 70 grams less than Apple's AirPods Max.
The ear cups block out some ambient noise and active noise cancellation does the rest. Sonos places four microphones on each side of the head. These record ambient noise and identify disruptive sounds, which are then neutralised with opposing sound waves.
All-round sound, but no TrueCinema just yet
In addition to the usual scenarios such as on airplanes and trains, this also works with household noise such as washing machines and dishwashers. The noise cancellation has no audible effect on the sound quality: the software compensates for the affected frequencies.
For situations in which you want to hear the ambient noise, there’s "Aware" mode, which lets some of the sound through.
The 40-millimetre speakers provide a rich, balanced sound. The bass is deep, while the high frequencies sound clearly defined. Even with streamed music, the finest details come through.
The Ace creates an all-round sound panorama, especially with 3D audio in the Dolby Atmos format. This also applies to films and games. If you turn your head, the sound remains "attached" to the display.
Sonos has enabled the sound settings of its speakers to be adapted to the specifics of the living space for years. The TrueCinema feature is supposed to extend that principle to the Ace but the feature won’t be available until later in the year.
Synergy with other Sonos devices still minimal
Initially, only owners of the Sonos Arc soundbar will benefit from having headphones from the same provider. The Ace can connect directly to the soundbar at the touch of a button and play the sound from the TV.
This is intended for cases when you want to keep things quiet at home, like when children are already in bed. The 3D sound information is decoded on the soundbar and transmitted over wi-fi. The feature will follow later for cheaper Sonos soundbars.
Sonos has opted for buttons instead of touch controls on the Ace. The on/off switch is on the left ear cup. On the right there’s a button to quickly switch between noise cancellation and "Aware" mode, as well as a multifunction button. With a short press you can start or stop music playback, by sliding it up or down you adjust the volume.
Sonos claims that the headphones provide 30 hours of music playback. And when it comes to recharging, three minutes at the socket should give you three hours of battery life.
The company has released a new version of its app for the headphones. It’s mainly useful for changing individual settings. To select music, you still have to go to your streaming provider's app.
In conclusion, the Ace is a more than successful debut in a market with strong rivals such as Apple, Bose and Sony. The Ace can easily compete, especially in terms of sound quality and comfort. The app still needs some work but the hardware is certainly up to the mark.
