Skip to main content
Answered

Sonos Ace Crackling Static/Popping with certain sounds - issue with ANC

  • March 2, 2025
  • 7 replies
  • 539 views
J

Hi all, anyone else hear have some Sonos Ace headphones and can test this for me? I have two Sonos Ace headphones (wife and I) and they both do it. They’re both brand new. Sonos have told me they’re both faulty and to return them both but I’m thinking it’s more of a widespread QC issue. 

Put volume low or even off, and test with both ANC on and also in Aware mode and get some cutlery and drop the cutlery into the cutlery draw so it lands on other cutlery. This noise seems to make the headphones make a loud crackling static noise. It’s not just with cutlery, it’s lots of other loud metal or clicking noises. It’s like the ANC can’t handle it. This is definitely a fault with the ANC on these headphones and needs to be fixed.

the noise does not occur when audio mode is OFF, only ANC on and Aware. 

Best answer by Ian_20

I can confirm I have this same issue and it’s repeatable. 
My other branded ANC headphones have never made me nearly s*** my pants or hurt my ears with a loud POP/BANG while carrying out a mundane task. 
In my case, I was simply emptying the dishwasher and I dropped the stainless steel knives into the cutlery tray - CRACK/BANG!!!  the rest of the cutlery rack went flying across the counter top. Couldn't make up my mind if I nearly s*** myself or nearly had a heart attack. 
Not had the headphones a month yet and now not wanting to wear them again. 
And before anyone suggests turning ANC off, I didn’t pay premium prices for plain headphones!

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

D
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

7 replies

Corry P
Forum|alt.badge.img+19
  • Corry P
  • Sonos Staff
  • March 3, 2025

Hi ​@jameskal811 

Thanks for your post!

I can hear similar behaviour from my own Ace headphones, but it is largely to be expected: if an incoming sound is particularly high in frequency, you may hear a part of it before Active Noise Cancellation has time to react, or if the noise is loud enough to max out the microphone array, not all of the soundwave will be inverted to cancel out the original, resulting in what you are able to hear.

This should be largely limited to unusual circumstances and particularly loud noises, however.

I rather suspect that any replacement will sound the same, but if you want to make sure and go ahead with the replacement, then by all means please do so.

This is not limited to Sonos - any audio devices with Active Noise Cancellation will likely experience something similar, to one degree or another. For example, here is Bose describing something similar.

This is not a Quality Control issue.

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
I
Airgetlam
J
P
  • powerback26
  • Lyricist I
  • March 3, 2025

Yes, I have the same issue with loud noises exceeding the ANC mics’ threshold, and it makes a popping sound and sort of amplifies it for a second. Other ANC headphones I’ve tried (mid range or higher) don’t do this. With ANC/transparency both off using them in regular passive noise-blocking mode, I don’t have any issues, but the sound quality is definitely worse (less rich/lower detail). Using the EQ doesn’t bring it back to the default sound (EQ at 0) with ANC on.

J
  • jameskal811
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • March 3, 2025

Glad I’m not the only one having this issue. I just sold my AirPods Max and kind of wish I hadn’t as I never had these ANC issues with my AirPods Max. 

I
  • Ian_20
  • Lyricist II
  • Answer
  • March 10, 2025

I can confirm I have this same issue and it’s repeatable. 
My other branded ANC headphones have never made me nearly s*** my pants or hurt my ears with a loud POP/BANG while carrying out a mundane task. 
In my case, I was simply emptying the dishwasher and I dropped the stainless steel knives into the cutlery tray - CRACK/BANG!!!  the rest of the cutlery rack went flying across the counter top. Couldn't make up my mind if I nearly s*** myself or nearly had a heart attack. 
Not had the headphones a month yet and now not wanting to wear them again. 
And before anyone suggests turning ANC off, I didn’t pay premium prices for plain headphones!

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

J
I
  • Ian_20
  • Lyricist II
  • May 7, 2025

Well as a follow up from my previous post, these things are terrible. 
Used them on a short 2.5hour flight. 

Cabinet / overhead storage doors closed - loud bang in the ears.
When landing, the same loud pop each time the wheels went over the concrete joins.

Time to get rid of these things. 

J
J
  • jameskal811
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • May 7, 2025

​@Ian_20 I'm glad it’s not just me, when I returned my pair to JB hifi the store person was looking at me like I was some crazy person saying that it’s impossible as these are the best headphones on the market and he has them himself and never happens for him. They didn’t give me a refund but gave me a replacement and the replacement ones are just as bad. Loud noises cause a loud cracking/popping noise and I have no idea how there is not more complaints about this online… 

I
D
  • Doorknob5001
  • Lyricist I
  • July 23, 2025

I ran into the same issue. The Ace will crackle and pop when typing on my mechanical keyboard. I have a pair of AirPod Pros and Bose QC45 and neither have this issue.

Really disappointing because otherwise these would be my daily drivers, but the noise is too distracting when typing all day.

 

I’ll be returning my Aces, hopefully the next generation doesn’t have this same issue.

Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement