Sonos Ace Headphones Review: Top New Headphones of 2024 With a Few Caveats

[@HockeyKCA]

Love the staff participation

[@vokso11]

Sennheiser Momentum 4 is my absolute winner ! Sound quality , crazy battery , great build, great Mic for phone calls the almost complete package ( I wish ANC was Bose QC Ultra level they would be pure perfection) !

[@DarrenFaulkner365]

I have the Senni M4s and the AirPod Max. The M4 are better sounding EXCEPT they don’t have Spatial Audio, and some music (Good Kid mAAd City, A Kind Of Blue, The Off Season, Doggy Style etc) just sounds far better in Spatial Audio.

[@jackreacher4547]

I just don’t know why I would buy these over a good pair of Bose or Sony headphones.. especially since it cost $449. I’m sure these will be on sale relatively quickly.

[@rcvillapando]

Correct. But I am one of the few people that can take advantage of its niche feature: SoundSwap. It will basically cover all the bases that I can think of for my use case. But yes, the general public who aren’t in the Sonos soundbar ecosystem will have a hard time convincing themselves to buy these. QC Ultra and XM4/5 just works as well for way cheaper.

[@VinnyUnion]

I would've nearly considered these for fifty.

[@samsdad638]

I turned in a dead Sonos Play FIVE for a 30% discount code. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bought them. IF they are as good as my AirPods Max, I’ll sell those and keep these. Especially if wired is that much better and working with Arc and then BEAM down the road works as advertised. Lots of IF’s.

[@411hippieCO]

Quality. Very happy with my Sonos speakers.

[@jackreacher4547]

@@411hippieCO they’re not really a better quality than their competitors though.. also not sure what your speakers have to do with the headphones.

[@lubis1991]

9:10, how did the guy know which was Apple????? Weight alone? Isn't it meant to be a BLIND TEST for SOUND QUALITY? So why was bro yapping about plastic build and all? Build quality is addressed in other parts of the video????

[@artarealmblazer]

The AirPods are considerable heavier than any of the other brands, and the metal is cool to the touch. Plus, you can feel the difference between metal and plastic…

[@lubis1991]

@@artarealmblazer So why blind them at all?????

[@artarealmblazer]

@@lubis1991 Better than nothing (shrugs)

[@lubis1991]

@@artarealmblazer Nah mate, this is absolutely nothing. If the participants can differentiate between the headphones, there’s absolutely ZERO point for blinding them. They are essentially unblinded.

[@artarealmblazer]

@@lubis1991 Ok

[@BlueDawg-e6x]

I purchase the Samsung 77" S90C. I'm looking for a set of headphones or earbuds with dobly atmos and head tracking to use in my small apartment at night. Would you share your opinion on which of these you think would best fill my needs. FYI, I would prefer that they are wireless with loseless streaming capabilities

[@AttilaPatakiJr]

What’s your opinion about the app update?

[@venvedam]

Thanks Dave for the impressions, useful information!

[@samsdad638]

1. Is wired sound that much better than Bluetooth? 2. Can the 3.5mm be used to listen to turntable without amp? Thanks and great video!

[@DroidLocks6971]

Yes It Is Noticeably Better But LDAC Codec With Sound Set To PRIORITY ON SOUND QUALITY Which Is Definitely AN Awesome BLUETOOTH Experience. I have an Fiio BTR7 & BTR15 connected to my Phillips Fidelio X2HR Using LDAC Woth PRIORITY ON SOUND QUALITY And AweSomeNess PerSoNiFied Is What This Sound Set Up Is To Me ....

[@samsdad638]

@@DroidLocks6971 that’s what she said. Lol. I wish I understood some of the nuanced audiophile stuff. Above my pay grade for sure.

[@RandySpeer]

@@DroidLocks6971 I tried wired with usb-c and wireless and couldnt tell any difference with all settings on max lossless. In theory there should be a noticeable difference, but I couldnt hear one.

[@samsdad638]

@@DroidLocks6971 it looks like “LDAC Codec” does not apply to an iPhone. Is that correct?

[@viva1924]

Always love your reviews!

[@hotcayenne]

Another great review, David! Been watching/reading them for decades. Thanks!

[@davidcarnoy961]

Thanks for the support over the years! Appreciate it.

[@attilab.2818]

Another liar review, yes. Money talks.

[@davidcarnoy961]

@@attilab.2818What money?

[@Burn_In_Oled_On_Purpose]

Sennheiser has the rs 175 that uses wifi with the wireless receiver built into the headphone stand with pogo pins that attach to the headphones. There is a possibility that sono can implement a wireless receiver in there headphones since there are headphones that use usb c dac mode like the focal bathys. The usb c dac mode will still drain the battery on the phone since the dac on the phone needs power to drive the headphones. The dac on the headphones uses the amp depending on the device if the amp is powerful enough to drive a clean signal without any noticeable distortion as much as possible for the headphones to be able to drive the headphones depending on the impedance on the headphones. I have the sony xperia 1 iv android phone connected to the headphone jack from my sennheiser hd 600 the original marble version are 300 ohms and the amp on the phone is too weak to drive high impedance headphones since the amp is not a very powerful amp and the amp on my phone does not have the circuitry to drive high impedance headphones properly. However, any low impedance headphones can be driven by my phone. I use my sennheiser headphones all the time when commuting by bus, walking around and running errands.

[@zmanag5297]

Thank you, David for the great review but I have to say I think I will stick with my Bose smart sound bar 600. I love that paired with my surround and subwoofer 700 series. and also it pairs perfectly with my Bose ultra earbuds and my Bose comfort headphones. I love Sonos and their ingenuity, but I had a Sonos system and I had massive issues with my surroundsound speakers, always disappearing and having to reinstall them.. I just think Bose has a better set up. But I do thank you for the review because I was curious.

[@davidcarnoy961]

Thanks for watching! And yes, that seems like a good decision sticking with your Bose set up.

[@NizarNoor]

How do these compare to Sennheiser Momentum 4?

[@flowstatelabs]

Yea interested to know know too. Waiting for Flossy Carter

[@06bostonguy]

that Sonos headphones look incredible and i'm sure they sound great too, can't wait ti try them. AirPods Max are my favorite of all so far but let's see how Sonos feel like on your head and how they sound like.

[@football_prediction]

But why is the call quality a little robotic Or

[@bburg2000k]

I have purchased them today. Setup the headphones. Updated them. For some reason only left ear sound works, right has no sound. I re-paired them didn't work. I worked through the factory resets and decided these headphones are going back to the store. If you pay $450 price tag you shouldn't be having issues this early in using them. I have never come home and had headphones that don't work in both ears at the beginning. NONSENSE! Sorry, Sonos! Hoping you be next best..

[@LuisGarciaRamirez]

Got them last night and they’re amazing

[@rudygray8433]

For sound quality, I wish you had mentioned the Bluetooth codec of your source. Was your source a cell phone? Android or IPhone? The headphones and your music source have to support the same codec. Was it SBC, AAC, and aptx adaptive, aptX Lossless via snapdragon? Please let us know. Thank you.

[@PeterHepworth-y4n]

It’s apex lossless via snapdragon from what I’ve seen.

[@Thecrooms]

Go buy a good pair of wired headphones and a Fiio BTR have a much better audio experience. And the BTR can be used on multiple headphones so you listening pleasure go much further.

[@jasonkim4334]

will be purchasing these soon.

[@ErnPrivado]

Why compare to xm4

[@isnameisfree]

Frequency response range please!

[@GenomiMontavani]

This feels like a product that was just simply released too soon. The “tru cinema” thing sounds like it could be the market differentiator, and that isn’t ready yet. And this product release seems to be the catalyst for updating the app with a half-baked design that should have spent more time in testing and QA. This really feels like an executive-suite blunder at that company, I feel for all the employees who’ve had to deal with the fallout from what is ultimately just a bad call.

[@ThomasHoffDE]

Can’t believe they have a WiFi chip and don’t allow you to decide if you want to use it or not? WTH

[@timhamock2996]

So your going to listen to headphones when you got thousands of dollars worth of sonos speakers at home? 😂😂😂 besides play music on your soundbar and just audio swap it to your headphones if your that keen 🤦‍♂️ Sonos could easily make an update to have them join as a standalone anyhow

[@markymarkreviews]

Excellent review

[@RadiantandDire]

Where do you get your shirts

[@davidcarnoy961]

I think that one is from Banana Republic outlet. Costs more to get them pressed 😂

[@Wankidy]

I bought my Sonos for $68 off. So the price makes some sense to me

[@Kaniac47]

Me too. 15% military discount.

[@SweBun]

They might add the Wifi headphone feature in an update. If users are asking for the feature they might reconsider.

[@Jayden-lr2mm]

A $450 price tag damn

[@eddiecastro8227]

Got mine I love them

[@samirshah5411]

When are the Sony XM6s coming out?

[@AdventureVixen]

No LDAC?

[@Moose185]

If these were priced at $349 literally everyone would be talking about them.

[@bmdubyou]

But everyone is already talking about them 🤷🏻‍♂️🤣…if I understand your logic, if they were $1000 nobody would be talking about the 1st headphones by Sonos? 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@JoyStickJester_]

Bose QC Ultra for the win

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Nah, like you say they are expensive! I'll just stick to my Bose Quiet Comfort Noise Cancelling Heaphones! They are the best to me!

[@KingKikikoi]

You can easily get discount codes for Sonos 😂

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

@@KingKikikoi Thank you! But in your opinion are the Sonos "better" than the BOSE Quiet Comfort II?

[@nigelsmith721]

Cue 147 different "nah, i'll stick with my Walkman headphones etc etc" comments...

[@dvil51]

Why was he struggling to be honest about theirANC? Just say they r not as good as competitors

[@noblemoon]

9:11 "I'm picking Apple" instead of saying the number of the headphones is definitely not suspicious.🙃

[@IMHO88-dm1xf]

If Sonos is worried about the battery life while using WiFi audio, how about using them while plugged in?? At least give us that option!! What a waste of an opportunity to stand out from other manufacturers...

[@rolins3279]

Honestly, why will someone pay $450 for these Sonos when to really benefit from them, you have to be in the Sonos "Close-System", while most are already in that of Apple, and for those who are not there, Sony or other Sennheiser exist and do not have "Close-System" constraints, frankly, why 🤷🏽‍♂️ Today, all manufacturers want to have their "Close-System", none realize that the only winner at the end of this crazy race will be Apple, and perhaps Google to a certain extent 🤦🏽‍♂️ Ps:and I can guarantee you that 90-95% of people who are in both Close-System will choose the Airpod Max.

[@PhillipSoto]

Amazing headphones 🎧 but that price hurt 😅

[@Diatonic5th]

It's a $250-$300 headphone with a $450 price tag.

[@Bruceneuman]

Sonos headphones that do not work with their speaker system? What’s the point? They need another connect accessory that broadcasts a Bluetooth signal from their other devices. Oh, well, maybe something like that will come down the road.

[@josephcavicchiolo5977]

Well, just returned mine. To be honest I was very disappointed. Bass is lacking in a huge way and when paired with the ARC - volume at the highest setting is way way too low. ANC average at best, Transparency decent. I compared these side by side to Bose quiet comfort plus, Beats Studio pro and AirPods Max. My ranking - 1. Apple 2. Bose 3. Beats 4. Sonos.

[@fantasticplanet]

The APMs are expensive and getting long in the tooth but they still have the best sound quality out of the top options. People like to hate apple for being Apple but they’re the ones to beat still for me. And for anyone claiming bias I also own the Sonys and have tried the QC ultras.

[@BenDMitchell]

Can I wear these outside?

[@FransVanderGeest]

Turn up the volume with (rock) music, it starts to plop, click and crackle; use the app to set the EQ Treble to anything above +3 and everything plops and ticks and massive clipping so bad it us unusable. Latest firmware 2.9.5 does not fix this, it simply can not handle high volume… That problem is well known and discussed on the Sonos User Forums. It is bad. I returned it.

[@gaganmalik4421]

I have these headphones, but not these problems

[@FransVanderGeest]

@@gaganmalik4421 Consider yourself lucky, the Sonos user forum is filled with other users that do…

[@daveveloz]

who the heck is getting 20 hours out of their AirPods Max?!?!?!

[@DroidLocks6971]

....Well My Opinion Is The Soundcore Q35 And Soundcore Q45 Both Sound Better Than The Sony XM5....And The Sony XM5 Look Like Peasant Gear ....They Look Cheap They Are A Cheap Flimsy Build And There's So Little Cushion On Top That The Top Of My Head Started Hurting Which Never Happened With My XM3 And XM4 ....

[@darthwolverine747]

Pretty pricey for no lossless audio.

[@alanine98]

lossless audio is so overrated, only a few can discern the difference. They eat away at the battery too, imo just a marketing gimmick

[@HolyNarz]

But they support losless audio.

[@joelblomvik8876]

Team xm5

[@two20john]

Another Sonos product that doesn't do what it's supposed to straight from the box. No doubt it won't work with legacy products either.

[@awkc63]

Too bad SONOS is 9 years behind. Legit, 2015 was the year they were flooded with requests for headphones.

[@reesespuffcereal]

New best but with caveats? Might as well not recommend it then instead of being Sonos shills

[@JesseBurger-qc8sw]

Floss, brother, where is the Sonos review??

[@Alex-uy8zx]

It doesn’t matter how good hardware might be, if the software sucks. And no one makes worse software for their products than Sonos. Their app is an absolute freaking disaster. And the customer service is the absolute worst as well. Sonos speakers are the best solution out there today. but all that means is they are the prettiest ugly pig in the smart home speaker market.

[@RobSnow-ui4sz]

First gen....no thanks

[@jtjdt]

First gen, but they’ve been working on these for almost 6 years now.

[@RobSnow-ui4sz]

@@jtjdt I will stick with my Sony and Bose at 1/2 the cost

[@jtjdt]

@@RobSnow-ui4sz nice 🥰 I'm sticking with my AirPods Max. While they don't have the incredible battery life of the ACE, their ability to scan my ears, measure my auditory response, and adjust with auto-eq is unmatched.

[@football_prediction]

This ks why apple airpod max 2 would be the best of 2024 Because everything would jist be better When apple launched the airpod max it was king supreme and it took 3 years for the competition to catch up Even still they havent defeated it yet

[@MOO67204]

They look cheap

[@markp99]

Your hand waving is sooo distracting...

[@Webzterr]

Just watch another video. What's the problem? We can only be ourselves can't we?

[@henry1667]

nah look like a pair of donuts...no thank you

[@thestimp1]

I want whatever the product manager is smoking to create sonos prices...