I test headphones for a living: the Sonos Ace are my favorites

NBC News

28-04-2025

As a tech reporter for NBC Select, I test a lot of headphones — over-ear headphones, open earbuds, workout headphones, everyday wireless earbuds, you name it. When people ask me what my favorite is, it can be hard to answer because I'm always trying something new — I rarely settle into a favorite for long.
But I realized I do have a preference, at least at home: the Sonos Ace headphones. It is the pair I always go back to when I am done testing. Here's why.
What are the Sonos Ace?
Sonos is best known for its wireless home speakers and soundbars (we're big fans of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Sonos Era 300), and the Sonos Ace are the brand's first pair of headphones. At $450 they compete with headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5 ($399), Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones ($429) and Apple AirPods Pro Max ($549). They have all the features you would expect with that price tag — stellar sound quality, long battery life, strong noise-cancelling and transparency modes, wired and wireless connectivity and the ability to connect to multiple devices at once.
Weight: 312.9g | Battery life: up to 30 hours with ANC on, over 30 hours with ANC off | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 (up to 2 devices), wired | Noise cancellation: yes | Transparency: yes | Carrying case: hard case included | App: Sonos (iPhone and Android)
Why I love the Sonos Ace
I've used the Sonos Ace for about a year after the brand sent me a pair for review in 2024. They are my go-to headphones for rest, relaxation and entertainment. If I am on my iPad or watching TV, chances are the Sonos Ace are on my head.
What I like
Exceedingly comfortable
I've tested dozens of over-ear headphones — the Sonos Ace are near the top of the list when it comes to comfort. They are one of the few pairs of over-ear headphones I can put on my head and largely forget about. They don't feel too heavy, too hot or clamp too strongly.
Part of the reason why is fit. The headband has a seamless telescoping band, no notches or hinges to be found. In practice, that means I can dial in my fit and never feel like I am 'between sizes' so-to-speak. The earcups and headband have soft and supportive memory foam that hasn't worn down much in the year I've worn them.
Intuitive controls and effortless connectivity
The Sonos Ace have my favorite on-ear controls of any over-ear headphone, full stop. There are three physical buttons, the power button, the noise-cancelling mode button and a larger, sliding, rocker-style button the brand calls the content key. Slide the content key up and down to adjust volume, press it in to play, pause, or skip tracks and hold it down to start a TV audio swap. All the controls are responsive and work consistently.
TV audio swap in particular is seamless and painless. If you have a Sonos soundbar, you can press and hold the content key, and the Sonos Ace will instantly connect to your TV audio. To be fair, you can connect any Bluetooth headphones to any new TV these days. But the Sonos Ace does it the fastest, with the least amount of effort.
The same can be said of swapping between other devices — the Sonos Ace can connect to two devices at once, and will automatically disconnect from a saved device if you need to add a new connection.
Great sound and call quality
Like other over-ear headphones at this price, the Sonos Ace sounds fantastic. They take a balanced approach — not pumping up the bass or blasting the vocals, leading to an even feel that never becomes grating. While listening to instrumental music there was an open and detailed soundstage, with each instrument clear and distinct in the track. When listening to pop music the vocal mixes were especially powerful and clear. And the SFX from action movies sound close, punchy and dramatic, as intended.
What could be better
The Sonos app
If you treat the Sonos Ace like any other pair of over-ear Bluetooth headphones, they are simple, elegant and excellent. It's when you start poking around the Sonos app that you are more likely to run into issues. In my mind, the Sonos app is still mostly useful for Sonos home speakers — the Sonos Ace feels a bit like an afterthought, in my experience.
Here's the thing though: I basically never need to open the Sonos app to enjoy my Sonos Ace. Unless you love tinkering with settings and EQ, you probably won't need to either.
Who are the Sonos Ace for?
The Sonos Ace are for anyone who wants a pair of premium, comfortable and streamlined over-ear headphones. They take design cues from competitors like Apple AirPods Pro Max and Sony WH-1000XM5, but the end result feels distinct and compelling. They are my go-to home headphones, and make everything from podcasts to the latest shows and movies more immersive and more enjoyable.
Why trust NBC Select?
I am a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including recent stories on point-and-shoot cameras, smartwatches, running shoes and more. I've been using the Sonos Ace headphones for almost a year. For this piece, I compared the experience of using the Sonos Ace headphones to other over-ear headphones I've tested over the years.