Contributor I

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Ace headphones not charging

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Got my ACE headphones today, they sound great but they’re not charging. Stuck at 53%. Tried different cables and power adapter that work with other devices. Feel like I’m doing something stupid. No orange or green lights to indicate charging status. Blue light comes on ok when connected via Bluetooth. Is there reboot / reset option of some description I could try???

Thanks

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J

JaimusAnswer

Lyricist I

I just wanted to chime in, I use the Anker Ganprime chargers (67w minimum) primarily for work and home. I first noticed the ace not charging after I had it pluged in, for a few hours and the battery depleted. I have not tried the factory reset, since there was the day one update, but I did find switching to a generic USBC 14w charging brick, that it is currently letting me charge without the reset. I'm curious to know if those that have done the reset if they are able to use their "fast" charging bricks and that it's a software fix rather than a power limit issue.

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Ken_Griffiths

Have you installed the latest Ace firmware to see if that perhaps fixes the issue? I am able to charge the headphones with a 100W PD charger and a 36W charger too.

I updated my Sonos Ace firmware immediately after unboxing it. And I experienced this charger compatibility issue a few days after that.

Have you not checked for Ace updates since? See this link…

Bumper

Is there a solution?

Nope. It appears that it's just weirdly incompatible with a lot of chargers. The safest bet is to charge it with a charger that outputs 18W or lower. So all of wall chargers with female USB-A port should be ok.

And as I mentioned earlier, Apple chargers (I've got the 96W one for MacBook Pro, and the 35W dual port one) are working, Google chargers (30W and 18W) are working, and all of power banks I have (various brands) are working.

This does hurt my impression of the product.

Have you installed the latest Ace firmware to see if that perhaps fixes the issue? I am able to charge the headphones with a 100W PD charger and a 36W charger too.

I updated my Sonos Ace firmware immediately after unboxing it. And I experienced this charger compatibility issue a few days after that.

Some more info here, including Some saying their headphones are bricked.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/QY4v1Upd3d

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Niño314

Lyricist III

I have just updated with the latest firmware today (2.9.4.xxx) and the issue still remains. It still doesn't charge with my Belkin chargers (65W and 40W) (both have dual ports and nothing works).

That reddit thread about Anker chargers bricking Ace is very concerning. This is not good, Sonos!

Ken_Griffiths

I have just updated with the latest firmware today (2.9.4.xxx) and the issue still remains. It still doesn't charge with my Belkin chargers (65W and 40W) (both have dual ports and nothing works).

What model numbers are your Belkin chargers and are they both PD certified, or not?

Bumper

I have just updated with the latest firmware today (2.9.4.xxx) and the issue still remains. It still doesn't charge with my Belkin chargers (65W and 40W) (both have dual ports and nothing works).

That reddit thread about Anker chargers bricking Ace is very concerning. This is not good, Sonos!

It’s not just Anker unfortunately. I would probably not use the belkin charger tbh.

Ken_Griffiths

I tend to spend that little bit extra and use charger cables with E-marker chips built in. I also wait at least 10 seconds between unplugging and re-plugging in any device with either a ‘USB’, or ‘lightning’ connection etc, or any power supply for that matter.

I’ve seen some people plug and unplug devices both repeatedly and very quickly …and then wonder why their device has stopped working. I guess we may never know what some users did to cause their Ace to not respond, but maybe there’s a way around such PID controller failure issues, with a reset, other than a factory reset, like we see with some products.

I do prefer to use PD certified chargers, wherever possible.

The 100W PD certified charger I use here will charge two Sonos Moves at the same time, or a single Sonos Roam, aswell as the new Ace. It also charges our mobiles, Android tablets and iPads. So it’s a really handy power brick to have around and very useful when travelling away from Home.

It’s not clear what todays Ace update was for anyway, although I have seen one user mention that it had fixed a minor noise they had noticed with their Ace - but I’ve not encountered that noise issue either.

D

darksage94

Enthusiast I

Is there a solution?

Nope. It appears that it's just weirdly incompatible with a lot of chargers. The safest bet is to charge it with a charger that outputs 18W or lower. So all of wall chargers with female USB-A port should be ok.

And as I mentioned earlier, Apple chargers (I've got the 96W one for MacBook Pro, and the 35W dual port one) are working, Google chargers (30W and 18W) are working, and all of power banks I have (various brands) are working.

This does hurt my impression of the product.

Thank you. Mine too. I don’t think I’ve seen such an issue with a product this expensive.

Ken_Griffiths

Thank you. Mine too. I don’t think I’ve seen such an issue with a product this expensive.

These online platforms where such things are mentioned/highlighted are a bit like hospitals, where a good many people seem to be ill, but the majority of people are actually fine in the world.

The majority of folk will rarely post messages online to say their Ace Headphones are working perfectly. I can only add that my Ace here is working and charging without any of the issues mentioned - but admittedly I don’t possess/use Belkin, or Anker chargers… I have two PD certified chargers and an Apple iPad Pro charger and they’ve each been working fine with the Ace.

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Niño314

Lyricist III

Thank you. Mine too. I don’t think I’ve seen such an issue with a product this expensive.

These online platforms where such things are mentioned/highlighted are a bit like hospitals, where a good many people seem to be ill, but the majority of people are actually fine in the world.

The majority of folk will rarely post messages online to say their Ace Headphones are working perfectly. I can only add that my Ace here is working and charging without any of the issues mentioned - but admittedly I don’t possess/use Belkin, or Anker chargers… I have two PD certified chargers and an Apple iPad Pro charger and they’ve each been working fine with the Ace.

I disagree. There are also many people out there experiencing product issues that don't go online. They just call support or go to the store to return instead. Or just can't be bothered to do anything at all.

The other point I want to reiterate is, Belkin and Anker are some of the most well known brands for chargers. They're not niche. Even official Apple Stores in my region stock Belkin accessories. These chargers can charge or power any USB-C devices I have ranging from laptops, earbuds, cameras, power banks, smartwatches, wireless charging docks, other headphones... But not Sonos Ace.

I think this is an issue that shouldn't be downplayed or let slide easily for such a premium product.

B

BlueDevilJeff

Lyricist II

Thank you. Mine too. I don’t think I’ve seen such an issue with a product this expensive.

These online platforms where such things are mentioned/highlighted are a bit like hospitals, where a good many people seem to be ill, but the majority of people are actually fine in the world.

The majority of folk will rarely post messages online to say their Ace Headphones are working perfectly. I can only add that my Ace here is working and charging without any of the issues mentioned - but admittedly I don’t possess/use Belkin, or Anker chargers… I have two PD certified chargers and an Apple iPad Pro charger and they’ve each been working fine with the Ace.

I disagree. There are also many people out there experiencing product issues that don't go online. They just call support or go to the store to return instead. Or just can't be bothered to do anything at all.

The other point I want to reiterate is, Belkin and Anker are some of the most well known brands for chargers. They're not niche. Even official Apple Stores in my region stock Belkin accessories. These chargers can charge or power any USB-C devices I have ranging from laptops, earbuds, cameras, power banks, smartwatches, wireless charging docks, other headphones... But not Sonos Ace.

I think this is an issue that shouldn't be downplayed or let slide easily for such a premium product.

I agree… I think it would be nice for SONOS to maybe mention why some chargers don’t work. Perhaps they don’t know yet… but it is strange.

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