I used the Sonos Ace everywhere at work, home, plane and gym and this is what I found out...

I have had a good 3 weeks with the Sonos Ace and have finally brought it along on a trip. Active Noise Cancelling headphones are a must on planes and if you are considering the Sonos Ace, hear what I have to say.
You don't just use the Sonos Ace for travelling. You use it at work, at home and even at the gym. I test the Ace out extensively in all these use cases and I am finally ready to share my findings.
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[@B.Ch3rry]

Got my Ace yesterday as a Father’s Day gift. Other than cracking when full music volume, I’m satisfied. Edit: The cracking has been resolved after the first update.

[@DonKramer-co8xn]

Got my Ace for Father's Day as well. Very happy with the sound. Excels when using USB cable connected to my Mac. I do wish I could turn up the volume more and I need a longer USB C cable.

[@danaltick7628]

Peter, apparently you have not tried sound swap using a good Dolby Atmos 4K Blu-ray movie. Trust me you will not be able to turn it all the way up. It sounds amazing! I'm really surprised that none of the reviews I have seen so far have discussed this. It was the main reason I bought them... and they most definitely deliver! Streaming could use a volume increase, but high fidelity 4k blu ray is where they truly shine. Kudos to Sonos. They've truly done it! I could care less about streaming. One thing to note here, at least with my Vizio H1 OLED TV when playing a 4k blu ray movie passing eARC through the TV, the TV audio must be set to Digital, if set to Auto it will dampened the Atmos before passing it through to the Arc. I recommend setting your TV's audio setting to Digital when testing if passing the Atmos from your blu-ray player through the TV. I get the same dampening when using my external Sonos system. It took me a long time to figure out it was my TV and not the blu-ray player or my Sonos system. Hope this helps.

[@Darkk_Sage]

I think this is a good point. Streaming audio is sorely compressed

[@DG-2323]

Thank you for this! Been wanting this kind of info, like how it technically performs with high fidelity surround sound, out of theses reviews but there’s just no info out there it seems and quickly passed over in in depth reviews. I would only buy a Sonos headset if they delivered in this use case so happy to know you’ve enjoyed it so far

[@danaltick7628]

I have just retested streaming with the latest Sonos app update 80.02.07 and I could swear it is much louder than before at least for my Google Pixel Android phone using AptX decoder. Not quite the level of a 4k blu-ray but still plenty loud to the point I don't turn it all the way up. I tested using Dolby Atmos music with my Amazon Music app on my phone and Disney+ streaming using Roku Ultra with Deadpool playing Dolby Atmos via sound swap. Even KZbin was plenty loud for me. I would recommend testing with a flagship Android phone using AptX.

[@danaltick7628]

Just got another Ace update (version 2.9.3). The version I listed above 80.02.07 was actually the S2 app version. To see the Ace version you have to go into the Ace section of the app and click on Software Update. Curious as to what this update fixes. Another tip for Android users (at least Pixel users anyway): if you find the app doesn't see the headphones when you turn them on then toggle Bluetooth off and back on on your phone. The headphones should now show up.

[@arniesilverberg764]

I have a question for Peter, and apparently you as well. I am shopping for a quality UHD Blu-ray player to be used with my 5.2.4 SONOS set up. I do have questions with regard to “full” audio pass through. All I need to do is set my audio to digital on my TCL series 5 tv? Ty!!

[@catheryndavis8991]

Great job explaining in detail! I’m waiting a little bit before I take the plunge on getting them. Maybe they will release an update on movie sound. Love these videos you guys do! It really does help us out a great deal.

[@PeterPee]

You are welcomed. Glad that you found them useful!

[@UrHainanBoy]

Thanks for this review, you mentioned that the sound swap from Arc is not good enough in terms of volume, any idea if a software update in near the possible future will be able to improve this?

[@apolozorb3649]

I'm fairly certain software update can address that

[@PeterPee]

Yes, like apolozorb said, I am fairly certain it will work with a software update. I am checking out the new firmware to see if that helps. I am on 2.9.3 already which some users claim that there is an improvement in audio volume. I need to verify that.

Hi Peter. Great review as always. A few bugs Wear detection not working when in audio swap Static interference in audio swap when in noise cancelation. Seems signal gets lost for a split second sometimes causing static or misses Certain music genre the mids seem subdued I could watch this review on volume 4 hearing you clearly but Foundation on AppleTV+ was too soft on 100 max volume 🤷🏻‍♂️ Spatial Audio??

[@coxmr1]

@PeterPee do you think the White will be easy to keep looking clean? Wearing them outside for yardwork, or sweating them up at the gym, I would think they would look pretty bad quickly. Your thoughts on this, or just best to go with black?

[@pyroken2417]

Well done as usual. Received these up last night as a Father’s Day gift and as usual it was a breeze to set up. I haven’t tried the TV swap yet so the tip of disconnecting the Ethernet cable will be helpful. I’ve always thought that having the ARC and Beam Gen 2 connected by Ethernet was the reason my systems are always stable. We shall see.

[@PeterPee]

Apparently another viewer commented that the Sound Swap works with the Arc being plugged to Ethernet too. So it might just work.

[@coolmarcus007]

One thing it is missing for work is that it is missing a mute/unmute button. Other than that. I love it.

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

I’ve been using my Aces for a few weeks now and I’m happy with the results. Music sounds the best compared to others I’ve heard. I Will be using on a flight next week and will try on calls inside and outside to complete my testing. Hit the gym! 😅

[@donoban19]

I returned mine, After all my SONOS system, Im looking for the B&O BH95, to drop the price.

[@mauriciosanchez3123]

Hi Pete! Which eq do you recommend ?

[@andrewhan1]

I tried the Aces on a plane side-by-side with the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds and the AirPods Pro 2. The Bose Earbuds cancelled more noise. Surprising, but the Aces either let more engine noise through or have their own white noise. Still good, but the Bose Earbuds were better for pure ANC.

[@benschroeder1161]

Sound is weak when I was on a flight. I could barely hear my movie playing. I think I’m going to return them and wait for the gen 2 or apple air pods max 2

[@coxmr1]

@PeterPee Please let me know if I can use them this way: I have a hearing issue, and want to be able to play my TV sound through the SONOS headphones, while still getting the normal audio through my Arc, Sub, and Surrounds. I don't want to swap it and have it stop coming out of the speakers normally, I just want to add the headphones to the group. Is that possible? That way I can watch & listen to it where I am comfortable, and the family can still listen normally.

[@DoItForMeSolutions]

One thing I wish to clarify - the Sonos Ace does not use Wi-Fi. It does not have Wi-Fi hardware. As Star Trek Chief Engineer Scotty once said "You can't change the laws of physics!" I believe your confusion was assuming that the ARC plugged in via Ethernet with ARC's Wi-Fi disabled was the reason sound-swap wasn't working. I am assuming there is another, situation-specific issue that prevented proper sound-swap, but it was not related at all to Wi-Fi being disabled in the ARC. The Sonos Ace handshakes with the Sonos ARC and then the Sonos ARC sends audio to the Sonos ACE using Bluetooth. Each Sonos device with Bluetooth needs modified firmware to support the Sonos Ace. That's why it only shipped initially with ARC support, but additional soundbars are promised later. If Sonos truly listened to the needs of their customers, they would enable sound-swap with any Bluetooth headphone, as it it technically possible, and then sell the Ace based on it's merits and better sound quality rather than cutting off the ability to use any other headphone to give the Ace an unfair, and undeserved, advantage.

[@Darkk_Sage]

So, soundswap is still Bluetooth? Is this why it has cutouts at times?

[@hELLLcs]

I love them. The tv swap is amazing. Playing games with them is the best experience I had with an headphone. ANC is weird to me. At home when the external sound is not that intense the ANc is insane but if I’m in the bus commuting I felt the ANC was really subpar versus my AirPods Pro. Is there a reason for this?

[@PeterPee]

At the low hundreds of Hz, I am thinking about 200-400 hz or so, the ANC of the Sonos doesn't hold up as well. So if the bus drone is in that range, then that's possibly the reason.

[@timberthewolf733]

Arc should be able to use Ethernet and use its onboard wifi to directly stream to the Ace. Thats what a Sonos one does in a pair. (one unit wired)

[@spicynoodles144]

I really wanted to like the Sonos Ace but i sent it back and replaced it with Bang & Olufsen H95’s. The price difference is significant but also is the sound.

[@MarvinFrancis]

Great review, but I had to return mine, specifically for the work use. I have a windows laptop (running windows 10) provided by the business and no matter what I did, the Ace did not work with Microsoft Teams calls. My WHXM5’s work perfectly, so I don’t know what the issue is. The ACE could have been the perfect headphone for me because they cover work and play. But without them working for Teams, I just could not keep them.

[@PeterPee]

Hmm, what was the issue? I had them setup for Teams and it worked. What was the error message that you got?

[@Grygal]

So far I am happy with my Aces. I got some crackling noices when connected with my Arc but I hope they will fix this with further updates. Anything else is very good, the ANC is mindblowing compared with my air pods pro 2

[@PeterPee]

I agree!

[@IanRainford-t9k]

I have my Arc connected via Ethernet and TV sound swap to my Ace works fine. I didn’t have to disconnect the Ethernet cable… 🤔 Love my Ace 😃👍🏻

[@PeterPee]

Oh! That's new. So it could either be fixed or a specific use case that prevented that from happening before.

[@TrevBill]

I didn't need to disconnect my ethernet cable connected to my Arc as well

[@RSx94]

19:11 That elbow lock tho 😬

[@M82RKY]

Only thing I hate is not being able to pair 2 aces to one Arc for home cinema sharing….not good IMO

[@dattsme]

Hi Peter, Off the topic but can you give us a go ahead for latest firmware and if true play fixed for the ultimate sonos setup? Thanks!

[@PeterPee]

The Trueplay is fixed, at least for me. :)

[@dattsme]

@@PeterPee Thank you. I performed True Play today and seems working as expected.

[@Darkk_Sage]

Would you recommend these for just all around use? I want something for gaming, music, travel, etc. I do have a fully outfitted arc setup.

[@PeterPee]

I would say the answer is a solid yes.

[@Darkk_Sage]

@@PeterPee Thanks Peter, came back to your vids several times as you are far and away the most thorough channel when it comes to these products. I purchased them earlier!

[@Darkk_Sage]

@@PeterPeeunfortunately, after receiving them, I noticed significant cutout while using TV Swap. Hate to have to send them back.

[@ZAPPED916]

I love my Ace! I use it as much as possible… I wouldn’t use them at the gym though.

[@Kaniac47]

I feel the same way. I don't even want to take them outside of my apartment. They are too plush and premium.

[@rcvillapando]

Yes the earcups get warm and toasty. Anyone know a company who may release fabric cups anytime soon?

[@PeterPee]

These earcups are ready for 3rd party manufacturers to step in man... They are, afterall, completely user replaceable.

[@TheStealthDawg]

I love my Ace!!

[@lorenzohardy5212]

These Headphones are so good to me. I have all of the big boys. These are perfect for me.

[@PeterPee]

Same as me!

[@miguelcolon4440]

Peter Pee, I really like your channel. I don't care about the heaphones. I like my Sonos Hometheater systems. I absolutly hate this new app, particularly the adds and forcing me to update so often WTF. I have payed premiun mony for Sonos product to be now anoyed by f* ads. Sonos, leave alone with the f* ads. Ads have its place with free things but Sonos are not cheap speakers.

[@MrSalnaq]

Awesome work mate! Subscribed 👊🏽

[@PeterPee]

Thanks for the sub!

[@StevenvanderGraaf]

Can you tell me how wide and high the space for my ears is within the ear cups? Many say it’s relatively small and you have to fold your ears in them if they are a bit larger than average.

[@PeterPee]

I can confirm that they are a little small. The cushioning in the ear cup is thick, eating into the space for your ears.

[@arniesilverberg764]

Hi Peter. I am not able to message you via the Patreon app. This is not a new issue. Is this no longer a possibility? Thanks for the feedback regarding this problem.

[@PeterPee]

I have been trying to figure that out too. Suddenly I don't see messages.

[@DavidBrade]

While travelling, did you have a chance to use them while watching a movie on the plane?

[@PeterPee]

Yes, that's exactly what I did. I watched Godzilla minus 1 on the plane. Soundtrack for that movie wasn't great though.

[@mrzedark3190]

What about the Atmos presence when using sound swap vs BT?

[@PeterPee]

The sound swap immersion is incredibly higher compared to BT.

[@michaelloyd2613]

What settings did you use for the EQ settings with your headphones?

[@davidhouston5577]

Hi Peter. Love your videos on Sonos but am still a little unsure of the Sonos ace due to the fact they don’t connect to my Sonos network. Surely an easy fix for this is for Sonos to build a Sonos Bluetooth transmitter that connects to your Sonos network but transmits anything you select on the Sonos app to your pair of aces. Class 2 Bluetooth transmits a range of 33 feet, class 4.2 200 feet and class 5 800 feet. Even class 4.2 would be enough for most people and would complete the system.

[@PeterPee]

Actually, it plays from the S2 app. It just needs the connection to the phone via Bluetooth, so it works the way you need it to. Just that it doesn't appear as a separate room that you can group and control.

[@gregorydillon9167]

So, sound swap doesn't just play what the soundbar is playing? That makes these a hard sell.

[@PeterPee]

It does, as long as it's coming from the TV (eARC or ARC connection). If the source is music directly, it won't work.

[@gregorydillon9167]

@@PeterPee I have a Victrola Stream Carbon record player. It streams to my beam gen 2 over WiFi, it is recognized as a source in the sonos app. I'm the Ace headphones not being able to receive the signal from either the Victrola or the Beam is such a missed opportunity (or not being able to play music or podcasts from the soundbar) that it went from advantage and reason to buy to just another choice in the Bluetooth headset market.

[@ganwb79]

How about walking outside in the Singaporean heat and humidity? 😅

[@PeterPee]

I don't think that gets warmer than I actually was when working out.

[@mkiiidalek]

Sound Swap at this stage is not on the Android SONOS app.

[@PeterPee]

Yep. Unfortunately.

[@nigelsmith721]

So you have to disconnect Ethernet to allow the Ace to connect to your system? That’s disappointing…

[@PeterPee]

It could be a temporary fix. The ideal situation is to have the Wifi work for only Sound Swap, but ethernet to set up Sonos Net.

[@teegreenburg]

A small WHAT…! @00:15 lol

[@erselsiderov3796]

Sound need to be more loud

[@MohsinWadee]

But why would you want to wear full size headphones when you're working out anyway?

[@deykno87]

Plenty of people use them... You can lock in better

[@PeterPee]

Well, because they really isolate better for me. And I don't hear heart beats like I do when I stuff IEMs into my ears.

[@randolphjlim]

Who the lady that walk in front of you at the gym 😊😅

[@sackk94]

It’s his wife please show respect bro☝🏼

[@PeterPee]

Haha... I have no idea who that is. Just a fellow gym user. :) Photobomber.

[@9714]

It’s definitely not for more views.

[@ZAPPED916]

1:08 hello, how are you doing today? Come here often?

[@PeterPee]

Not really. She got thrown out of the gym for wearing sandals. :D

[@ZAPPED916]

@@PeterPee Ha!

[@ZAPPED916]

@@PeterPee Who’s looking at her feet?!

[@johnselzer2804]

"Focus on me": Sorry no. At least for that moment, no.

[@Darkk_Sage]

I was like, why you being rude to Peter. Then I realized 😅

[@johnselzer2804]

@@Darkk_Sage :)

[@PeterPee]

I mean, even I couldn't focus...

[@Darkk_Sage]

@@PeterPee lmao. Love you Peter.

[@TheCdM1981]

Doesn’t compare to Apple airpod max. Instantly makes the Sonos Ace irrelevant considering apples headphones are many years old and will be releasing new ones soon.

[@Darkk_Sage]

I mean, for me it beats them out. Highly dependent on use case. I have an arc, so the TV audio swap is huge value with all of my inputs. Not an option for Apple unless I’m doing eARC and HomePods

[@TheCdM1981]

@@Darkk_Sage I mean if you have an Apple TV it works no problem with Apple. Same as arc.

[@Darkk_Sage]

@@TheCdM1981 you can only do that with Apple TV if your Apple TV is in eARC. Which means you’d have no input for any speakers anymore aside from HomePods.

[@heimdallyong7181]

As much as I want a full ear headphones, and also a few system Sonos owner, I still find in earphones and I still like my AirPods because they are much more cooling, I have xm3 and xm4 I don’t use it that much let alone going to gym with it, it just so uncomfortable and it kinda yuck after all the sweat and etc. good info and review though. Hope they will come out with a worthy competitor to AirPods but then again they can never be that close to apple ecosystem.

[@TheCdM1981]

@@Darkk_Sage has nothing to do with earc and the AirPods. It’s airplay.

[@jjohnson92784]

1st

[@DrNitin14]

This is a half baked product as it doesn't have the sound swap feature for Android... Pathetic really. It's the only feature that makes it different from the rest.

[@PeterPee]

Yep, unfortunately the Android app doesn't have it enabled yet.