The long-awaited first headphones: Sonos Ace

I’m not considering buying these until you fix your dumpster fire app. 

Why would anyone buy these when the underlying app is feature lacking and bug-ridden?

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/21/24160772/sonos-ace-headphones-hands-on-preview

The app fiasco gets mentioned, as it should, I wonder how it will impact the reviews as they get published. 

They look fantastic! But...

I won’t be buying them until Sonos either resolve their appalling new app’s problems or return the old app to its loyal customers (though I realise that might exclude the Ace headphones, I want my local library back!).

Join me - boycott the headphones.

Will they work with Sonos amp like they do with Soundbars?  
 

probably a better question is will I even be able to add them to my system or will I be stuck due to one of the many bugs. Not risking it until the app is fixed. 

Can the headphones be used to take calls when connected to a phone via bluetooth? 

No Wifi? 
That’s gonna be a no for me, dawg. You are really dropping the ball hard, Sonos.

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

Hi @melvimbe 

Yes!

They won’t connect to your existing Sonos system for listening to music at home WTF!?

And watching films with them only works if you have an Arc, not a Beam or Ray by the looks of it. So they’re just Bluetooth headphones. I’ll stick to my Sony mdr1000x’s. At least their app works. 
 

So you’ve made everyone update to an app they don’t want, that doesn’t work properly, stops you from even listening to your own local music on the hardware you own in your own home without an internet connection, all for headphone features for headphone you can’t integrate with the rest of your Sonos system. Great work execs. Those poor devs, really feel for them. 

No judging by the FAQS on the headphone page. Arc or Bluetooth only, unless you want to use a wire. 

Hi @Bumper 

No, they will not be able to play audio from Amps.

They will work without setting up first - they will connect via Bluetooth straight out of the box, so no app needed! Setting up in the app allows EQ adjustment and Home Theatre audio playback with supported Sonos sound-bars, plus other features.

I just saw that in the product detail page.  While I know that it’s not the most high tech feature you could want, perhaps the most important feature to me.

What is the mechanism to switch between bluetooth sources?  Could it possibly hold  or more connections at the same time and switch between them?  I am doubtful of this, but would be useful to switch between a computer/laptop and phone with the push of a button.

OMG I didn’t really notice that they didn’t mention that these would work as a zone player. Just assumed yes as that’s like the main reason for these for me. That along with seamless integration with my Amp for video watching.

Hi @melvimbe 

Can the headphones be used to take calls when connected to a phone via bluetooth? 

Yes!

 

I just saw that in the product detail page.  While I know that it’s not the most high tech feature you could want, perhaps the most important feature to me.

What is the mechanism to switch between bluetooth sources?  Could it possibly hold  or more connections at the same time and switch between them?  I am doubtful of this, but would be useful to switch between a computer/laptop and phone with the push of a button.

 

 

I need to read more before I ask any more questions. But switching between bluetooth sources is very nice.

That’s really unfortunate that they won’t work with the amp. I guess it’s too old now?

I assumed that these would work as a regular zone player. I guess these are regular bluetooth headphones that can connect to an Arc.

I believe they play over wifi when connected to Arc. Can anyone else confirm?

The connection to the Arc is via WiFi, and it sounds like the connection is a bonding pretty similar to adding surround speakers or a subwoofer.  That would explain why they are not setup as their own zone, and I assume, you can’t  just go to the other side of the house due to 5 Ghz limits, and you can’t easily switch between one Arc room to a different Arc room.

I’ve read in other news articles that the other Sonos soundbars (Beam, Beam 2, and Ray) will be added later for home cinema.

Yeah. I’m guessing they have no wifi in them so the Arc must do the audio processing and send it via wifi to your phone, then via Bluetooth to the headphones. Hence the need for the new app. 

I don’t use headphones for any thing, but even to me what is being said of what these will do for surround sound is interesting, especially what is said will come later. If true, these should be as effective as sound bars are not for surround/Atmos, the latter being compromised versions of wired HT with speakers above and behind the viewer. With headphones that compromise can be made to disappear, if done right.

The question is will these work directly with an Apple TV or an Amazon Fire Cube, or is the presence of a Sonos soundbar a prerequisite, and if so, only some models? Will someone that has just a TV being supplied by a video streamer be able to use these for surround sound? I suspect not.

Then there is the alphabet soup of AV formats that this has to negotiate.

What’s the competition for the surround sound for movies thing?

When the headphones are bonded to an Arc, will they be able to play audio that the Arc zone/room is playing regardless of source?  I understand that they will play TV source, but if you are playing audio from a streaming source, aux input in another zone (turntable), or local library, will the headphones play that audio?

If the headphones are playing audio, will the Arc and bonded speakers be able to play audio as well?

I see that Sonos is selling a bundled pair of headphones.  Can 2 headphones be bonded to the same Arc?

So, in effect they are really just fancy expensive Bluetooth cans?  Not a player?   Errr, no thanks, then.

Hi All

Thanks all for your continued engagement and feedback around the new app. Yes, we have removed replies from this announcement topic of Sonos Ace, to allow people to discuss just that, The Sonos Ace, in this particular topic. If you want to discuss the New Sonos App, please feel free to join in on any of the topics that are currently ongoing and that we are monitoring for feedback, just like we do here.

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Thanks.

I don’t think that’s the case.  I say that because I’ve seen reports that battery life is reduced when playing audio through an Arc due to WiFi power drain.

That said, I have seen that the connection to the Arc is only currently available through iOS, which would make sense if the phone was involved in the connection.  It would also explain why the headphones can’t be setup as their own zone. 

 Hi Kumar

A compatible Sonos soundbar will be a prerequisite, yes.

Hi @melvimbe  

The linked-to soundbar must be actively playing the source for Ace to play too.

Only if Ace is playing from a Bluetooth source. If playing Arc’s audio, Arc will not play too.

No. We’ve conducted user research and learned the most common use case for wearing headphones with a home theater is for viewing content alone, so you don’t disturb others in your household. We’ll continue to learn how customers are using Sonos Ace and explore additional features over time.