Sonos Ace Headphones: A Must for Audiobook Enthusiasts Everywhere

Audiobooks are a large part of my life. I listen to them anytime I'm not working, and they often take precedence over TV as my preferred method of entertainment.

I have a pair of Apple AirPods Max, which are my go-to for listening to audiobooks and music, so I was curious about how the Ace performed compared to them. Also, when the company sent the Ace to me, the marketing materials leaned into the headphones' audiobook capabilities. How could I resist?

Here's what I learned as I put these headphones through their paces with audiobooks, podcasts, and music.

Getting Started With the Sonos Ace Headphones

Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: The Sonos Ace look very similar to the AirPods Max. They have a slightly more padded headband, the cups are shaped slightly differently, and there's no digital crown but generally, they're same form factor.

That said, you would never mistake one for the other. The Sonos Ace have three control buttons on them: A power button, a noise/voice control button, and a slider that lets you control your content. That makes them super easy to use. The one control that was immediately obvious was the Play/Pause function. You actually have to press the slider to stop and start whatever you're listening to. You can also press the button to move forward and back or to answer calls. Otherwise, sliding the button up or down adjusts the volume.

The Nose Control button does what it says. You can activate Noise Cancelling and Aware mode or turn those features off completely. There are no touch controls, so nothing to remember there. And charging the headphones is accomplished with a USB-C cable.

Interestingly (and worth mentioning) is that although these are Bluetooth headphones, they also come with a USB-C to audio jack cable, so you can connect them to receivers that don't have Bluetooth capabilities. I didn't use this cable, but it's interesting that it's included.

Listening With Sonos Ace

So, let's get to the important stuff—what does the Sonos Ace sound like? These headphones probably fall into the higher end of the mid-range category. They're not audiophile quality by any means, but they're solid competitors for Apple's AirPods Max, Sony's 1000X Series, and Bose's QuietComfort Series. As such, I had some expectations when I put them on for the first time.

For starters, the noise cancellation needed to be good, and I wasn't disappointed. I hate when the loudest sound you hear is your breathing when you're wearing headphones. That's an instant no for me. On the Sonos Ace, the only time this is true is when you're not using any Noise Control at all.

The Aware mode is pretty good. When I first activated it, I was frustrated by the hum I heard, but the longer I wore them, the less I noticed that hum. What I did notice, however, was the sound of the rain outside my window, the notifications coming from my computer, and the dog's nails clicking on the floor as he followed me around. So, Aware mode works well. I was aware of my surroundings while also being blissfully lost in whatever I was listening to.

The noise canceling was almost as good as what I experienced with Apple's AirPods Max. I couldn't hear the computer, keyboard, or what was going on around my house. Louder sounds still bleed through slightly, but it's not enough to interrupt whatever you're listening to.

Sound-wise, I was also pleased with these headphones. They do a great job with bass and treble, though, honestly, if bass is your jam, you'll start to notice a little distortion when the bass is deeper, and the music is louder. The treble can also get a little lost when listening to a complicated score.

Where the Sonos Ace headphones excel is in the mid-range, which is what makes them so good for listening to audiobooks. Overall, the sound is crisp and clear, but when you're listening to audiobooks, it's exceptional. I was able to fall into a book and get completely lost, which is a win from my perspective. Add the fact that these are very comfortable to wear, and I'm pleased. That padded headband is also a plus when you're wearing it for long periods.

Traveling, Battery Life, and the App

I also took the Ace on a recent trip, and I was pleased with how they blocked out the noises in an airplane cabin. I haven't used them in the car, but I imagine they'd be just a good in that situation. They also come with a nice storage case that has a magnetic pocket for the charging cable that I was particularly fond of. It just feels like they're more protected in my backpack.

Then there's the battery life. Sonos claims that you can use these headphones for up to 30 hours with Active Noise Cancellation turned on, and while I never managed to run the battery down, my perspective has been that's pretty accurate. You might even get a little longer out of these headphones if you're just using the Aware mode.

Charging is pretty quick. You can get up to three hours of use with a three-minute charge. And I charged them completely from about 30 percent to full charge in less than 3 hours.

The app is the last piece of this puzzle. After the Sonos app debacle, I wasn't holding out much hope that it would be good. I don't have the full 'Sonos Ecosystem' that some users have, but I was still concerned, and in fact, the app did stutter a little bit when I was trying to get it connected. I ended up having to walk through the connection process two times before it worked. But it did work, and I was able to set up my preferences, including EQ settings and wear detection settings. Overall, the app worked okay, but it didn't add much to the experience. The one nice feature of the app that I appreciate is that you don't have to sign up for an account to use it.

Are the Sonos Ace Worth It?

The Sonos Ace is regularly $449, which is about what you would expect at this range. (They are on sale at the time of this writing for $349, but that's a limited-time deal, so I'm sure the price will go back up soon.) For that price, you get solid sound, good battery life, and a very comfortable fit. They don't have quite the quality of the AirPods Max, but they're a very close second, so if you're on a budget, you can save a little money and get a pair of headphones that's very close in quality.