The Best Headphones For Watching Movies Received A Huge Upgrade Right Before Prime Day Sales

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Sonos Ace headphones successful soft white

The Sonos Ace headphones are presently discounted to $299, $150 disconnected their original value of $450. You tin find this woody astatine Amazon, Best Buy, Sonos, and Walmart.

It's been 1 twelvemonth since Sonos released its first brace of user headphones, and though they made waves erstwhile they first dropped, really person they fared aft nan hype has died down? You tin often find nan Ace discounted, and if you're willing successful them, that's nan champion clip to bargain them.

Also: The champion headphones of 2025

I've worn nan Sonos Ace often since their June 2024 release, and location are a fewer things I've grown to emotion much astir them since then, on pinch a fewer things I've go much irritated by. Sonos talented nan Ace a awesome package update for their first birthday, addressing nan biggest complaints I had pinch nan headphones. With nan caller updates successful mind, here's nan champion proposal I tin springiness you to thief you make a buying decision.

Aesthetics and thoughtful creation choices

The Ace are a good-looking brace of user headphones; they're much elegant than nan Sony XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, defined by cleanable lines and slimmer earcups. Upon looking astatine them, they abide by Sonos' creation ethos of modern and simple, and location are subtle but meaningful choices that make them easier to deterioration and perceive to.

Also: Sony XM6 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra: How to take nan champion noise-canceling headphone

One of my favourite creation elements is fitting nan Ace pinch nan caller Content Key, a multifunction fastener that you tin property aliases descent to complete a bid of commands. I for illustration it to Apple's Digital Crown because it's placed successful nan mediate of nan backmost of nan correct earcup, making it easier to reach.

Also, it's textured otherwise from nan powerfulness button, making it easy to place by touch, compared to different headphones pinch aggregate multifunction buttons that consciousness nan same.

Dynamic and vibrant sound

The Sonos Ace person a vibrant, lively, and move sound characterized by a salient bass and treble response. They person a wider soundstage than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and nan Dolby Atmos compatibility allows for amended entity imaging erstwhile watching TV shows and movies aliases playing video games.

The Ace don't sound arsenic elaborate arsenic nan Sony XM6, but their bold sound floor plan has a cinematic consciousness primed for enjoying media different than music. If you want headphones that are tuned to person much chemistry pinch an array of genres, you should look elsewhere. The Sonos app has a constricted equalizer, truthful if you want much liberty to customize your headphones' sound, nan Ace mightiness disappoint.

TV Audio Swap: gimmick aliases axenic genius?

TV Audio Swap was nan Ace's standout feature, allowing users to easy link their Ace headphones to a compatible Sonos soundbar. During my first testing, I didn't spot a immense request for it, but now I usage it each nan time. My partner useful overnight, and connected a lazy Sunday, I tin watch TV successful afloat clarity without disturbing him while he sleeps.

Also: Why these Bose headphones are still nan champion I've listened to - moreover though they're a twelvemonth old

I person to beryllium fair; Bose did nan "connect your headphones to your soundbar" point first, but Sonos did it better. How so? Wi-Fi. Bose's exertion uses a specialized relationship via Bluetooth, while nan Ace communicates pinch your soundbar via your location Wi-Fi network. Using Wi-Fi alternatively than Bluetooth allows for much unchangeable connections, little latency, and much state to move astir your house.

However, nan Ace are often buggy, particularly erstwhile trying to usage TV Audio Swap. I'm hopeful nan package updates amended TV Audio Swap's performance. The Ace's package update now allows 2 Ace headphones to link to 1 compatible Sonos soundbar, giving 2 users nan expertise to watch TV together privately. This characteristic is akin to Apple's, which allows 2 pairs of AirPods aliases Beats headphones to link to 1 Apple TV.

Sonos marketed TrueCinema, a exertion that measures nan acoustics of nan room your soundbar is successful and applies them to nan spatial audio coming from nan headphones. It's been an full twelvemonth since nan Ace's release, and TrueCinema is conscionable now disposable to consumers.

What I'd for illustration to spot successful nan adjacent model

There's a captious area Sonos needs to amended pinch nan adjacent procreation of nan Ace headphones: microphones. The Ace's noise-canceling and sound pickup abilities are subpar for $450 headphones, 2 jobs that high-performing microphones and noise-canceling algorithms are responsible for.

However, Sonos' package overhaul features a caller adaptive sound cancellation characteristic that Sonos says will amended nan Ace's noise-canceling abilities. According to Sonos, nan adaptive sound cancellation characteristic tin relationship for your hair, glasses, and hats successful existent clip to compensate for sound leakage, making nan exertion smarter and much intuitive.

Also: Sonos' cheapest smart speaker is still nan 1 I urge most. Here's why

Sonos says nan package update besides enhances sound clarity during telephone calls, including higher audio solution and a SideTone characteristic that allows you to amended perceive yourself talk while wearing nan headphones. The Ace struggle pinch sound pickup successful windy aliases noisy environments, truthful I'm hopeful this caller characteristic improves nan experience.

If their noise-canceling abilities were better, their $450 value tag would beryllium much justified. For nan aforesaid magnitude of money, you tin get industry-leading sound cancellation from nan Sony XM6 aliases Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Sonos Ace are a awesome action for Sonos fans and those caller to nan company. They excel successful quiet to moderately noisy environments, and get moreover amended erstwhile watching YouTube, TV shows, movies, aliases casually gaming. The Ace are highly comfortable, nosy to perceive to, and bully to look at.

Within their first year, they were unpolished and had plentifulness of room for improvement. Although it took longer than expected, nan Ace's caller features are highly impactful successful making them a much versatile brace of headphones for your regular activities.

However, nan Ace's noise-canceling capabilities are down immoderate of its competitors. If you want to salary $450 for top-notch sound cancellation, see nan Sony XM6 aliases nan Bose QuietComfort Ultra.