Photo Credit: Sonos
Sonos announces its highly anticipated foray into headphones with the launch of the Sonos Ace on June 5, with a $449 price tag. Here are the details.
Sound aficionados have long been asking for audio brand Sonos to make its debut into the world of headphones, and that day has finally come: beginning June 5, Sonos Ace over-the-ear headphones will be available in either black or white with a price tag of $449.
Though a tad pricey, as a leading innovator in sound, Sonos boasts its headphones will transform the personal listening landscape, competing with the likes of the Apple AirPod Max — and so far, the response among the tech crowd has been very positive.
Select press outlets in New York were treated to a demo of the Sonos Ace Bluetooth 5.4 headphones this week. The over-the-ear headphones are similar in design to Apple’s AirPods Max, though the Sonos Ace weighs notably less. Each ear cup features a 40mm driver, with a total of eight microphones for noise control. Much like the AirPods Max and Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the Ace touts Active Noise Cancelling and Aware modes, head tracking, and Dolby Atmos spatial audio.
“They’re here! Fans have asked us for years to bring the Sonos experience to headphones — and we knew our first foray into the category needed to champion the type of innovation and sound experience Sonos has become synonymous with,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence in the company’s announcement. “Sonos Ace leverages everything we’ve learned over two decades as an audio leader to bring stunning sound, sleek design, and long-standing comfort to one of the largest and most popular audio categories worldwide.”
Just like Apple’s AirPods Max integrate seamlessly with Apple TV boxes, Sonos Ace will offer integration with the Sonos Arc soundbar, with support for older Sonos soundbars and speakers coming later this year. Also coming later this year, Sonos Ace will feature “TrueCinema,” using your Sonos’ speakers or soundbar to “3D map” your room to simulate the acoustics of that space while wearing the headphones and using spatial audio.
Sonos touts its headphones as responsibly made, featuring replaceable ear cushions made from circular materials that allow the company to use “17% less virgin plastic, and a 75% recycled felt travel case made from plastic bottles.”
Whether the timing of the launch is ideal for Sonos is questionable. Despite the warm response to the headphones’ upcoming debut, the company is currently under fire from its customers after an update to its mobile app omitted several previously available features, including accessibility options.
