Sonos is finally stepping out of the living room. After years of speculation and development, the company best known for making multiroom speakers has entered the personal audio space with the $449 Sonos Ace, its first-ever headphones. They’re beautifully designed, thoughtfully engineered, and unmistakably Sonos.

A SONOS PRODUCT THROUGH AND THROUGH

Pick up the Ace, and the brand DNA is instantly recognizable. The minimalist packaging, the clean lines, the color palette of soft white or matte black—it’s all very Sonos. At 312 grams, they’re lighter than Apple’s AirPods Max but heavier than Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

The materials, however, tell a different story: a sleek steel frame, vegan leather padding, and magnetically attached ear cups that feel refined and solid. The clamping force is just right, creating a firm acoustic seal without the dreaded “head squeeze.” The felt carrying case is elegant, and even the smallest design touches are quietly delightful. These are headphones designed by people who think about the experience, not just the specs.

NOISE CANCELING THAT COMPETES WITH THE BEST

In noisy environments, the Ace holds their own against Bose, Sony, and Apple. They cut out low-frequency rumble impressively while maintaining a natural transparency mode that lets ambient sound through when needed. Bose may still edge them out in sheer noise reduction, but Sonos has nailed the tonal balance: immersive without isolation fatigue. It’s a sound that feels intentional, not clinical, refined, but human.

BALANCED AND LIVELY SOUND

The Ace’s 40mm custom drivers deliver a confident, balanced sound. There’s warmth without muddiness, crisp treble without harshness, and vocals that sit perfectly in the mix. The result feels intentionally “Sonos”: warm enough for long listening sessions, but clear and articulate when you pay attention. Spatial audio and head tracking add a subtle dimension rather than a gimmicky one, more like an expanded stage than a spinning sound effect.

BATTERY AND CONNECTIVITY

Battery life is rated at 30 hours with ANC on, and a quick three-minute charge gives you three hours of playback, ideal for spontaneous commutes. Calls sound crisp thanks to eight beam-forming microphones; background noise is impressively suppressed, and voices come through naturally, even in chaotic city conditions. The Ace supports Bluetooth 5.4, AAC, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless, the latter a nice bonus for Android users with compatible devices. You can also connect via USB-C digital audio or use the included USB-C-to-3.5mm cable for wired playback.

THE VERDICT

The Sonos Ace is a confident first step into a new category. It doesn’t redefine what headphones can do, but it refines the experience in classic Sonos style: premium, intuitive, and quietly ambitious. If you’re part of the Sonos ecosystem, the Ace is easy to recommend. If not, they still stand tall among today’s best premium Bluetooth headphones, proof that Sonos can make silence sound just as good as its speakers make sound itself.