Ace Headphones - no system integration !!

But I think it was confirmed that you can only play the TV (HDMI) input from the Arc to the Ace. No way to sync the Ace to any line in input grouped to Arc or any content via the Sonos app to the Arc. Most baffling result of all of this is that there appears to be no way whatsoever to play Sonos very own streaming service Sonos Radio to their headphones Sonos Ace...

This is correct. Like you can’t even play your Sonos Radio HD subscription on them 🙃

Their latest marketing doesn't even mention the Arc-Ace 'TV Audio Swap' feature. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this function didn't make it to production. Especially considering they haven't got it working with Android yet.

Today's email makes absolutely no mention of 'TV Audio Swap' or of integration with any of Sonos' other products. They're literally being marketed as nothing but a set of every day Bluetooth headphones now:

How many threads will you be posting this in?

Are you affiliated with Sonos, Bruce? An average of 13 posts per day over the past 8½ years is quite the feat.

Depends how tenacious and angry the poster is. 

The whole affair has turned into a maelstrom of anger, fury, resentment, pleading and downright unpleasantness. 

Some future graduate student is going to have a marvellous case study for their doctoral thesis on user/customer response to arbitrary change. 

I was SO very excited when I was the announcement for the Ace headphones only to be TOTALLY disappointed that there is no integration into the Sonos system, other than replacing a sound bar!  I REALLY wanted to listen to my vinyl collection on my Pro-ject turntable thru a pair of really good headphones!  Oh well, it looks to me as if Sonos has taken another step backward!

Maybe they will hear all of us, and integrate them into Sonos at a later date.

I'm not angry in the slightest.

I haven't had any of the negative experiences with the new app that many have shared (I actually quite like what I've seen of it), and although I'm somewhat disappointed with the Ace's lack of integration with the wider Sonos ecosystem, it's not really a deal breaker for me.

95% of the time, my Sonos setup is being used for home cinema. I have a Samsung S95C television, which (miraculously) supports USB audio, so I have my Topping DX7 Pro taking a direct stream from the television and sending it to my trusty set of Senheisser HD660S's whenever I require the audio to be a little more discreet/intimate. The only inconvenience is that I need to disable HDMI-CEC whenever I want to use the TV's USB output, but it's hardly going to ruin my evening.

Along with my Momentum 4's for when I want to be a little more mobile, I really don't see where the Ace would fit into my own setup (unless it can compete sonically with the DX7 and my 660's ‐ but it won't).

What I take issue with is Sonos' ambiguity with certain aspects of the Ace. Why isn't Android functionality ready yet? Why can't they give an ETA for full Android compatibility? Why aren't they being more transparent about the fact that only iOS users will get full functionality (besides Lossless Bluetooth - which isnt coming to iOS users)?

Besides somewhat spurious claims from certain users with suspiciously high post counts that Sonos are actively marketing these headphones for 'Home Cinema' use, I'm yet to see any evidence to support that. Yes, there's a help section outlining 'TV Audio Switching' and compatible products, and it's mentioned towards the bottom of the product page on their store. But considering it's the Ace's one and only true USP, and the fact it would undoubtedly help pull more customers into the Sonos ecosystem, Sonos seem somewhat ambiguous about a feature that should really be front and center of their marketing campaign.

I suspect that the same connectivity issues that affected the Roam are going to affect the Ace - if the switching feature actually makes it to production and doesn't end up in the 'soon' pile with everything else Sonos has promised.

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No, I am not associated with Sonos. I do get a certain amount of joy in helping people, when I understand what the issue is and can help. Occasionally, I fail, and post snarky comments, but try really hard not to do so. I am merely another user of the Sonos system. 

As I understand it, Sonos employees are required to identify themselves as such. I think I can count on one hand the number of posts over my time here in the forums of posts from employees who are not Sonos Forum moderators.