Did Sonos out-design the AirPods Max?

Sonos thinks it's ready to take on Bose, Sony, Apple, and other competitors with its first-ever pair of wireless headphones. The noise-canceling Sonos Ace have a premium design, impressive comfort, and a feature called TV Audio Swap that lets you privately listen to your TV shows and movies with the press of a button — as long as you also own a Sonos soundbar.

00:00 Sonos headphones are here
00:25 The design
01:39 Listening to music
02:16 Using with a Sonos Bar
03:45 Final thoughts

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content.

[TheVerge]

Has Sonos’ controversial app redesign put you off from getting these headphones?

[TheHanleyProject]

3:20 "And Sonos says any latency shouldn't be perceptible to most people"
So it's perceptible, got it.

[Christian-opss]

Nice production, but you covered everything except the sound quality impression. For a headphone...

[IDiggPattyMayonnaise]

Thank god someones making a premium headphone with physical controls.

[roryradio]

Talk to them about the app - they really dropped the ball with this new hyped update.

[nickhooigray]

They look slick. But what gets me with the AirPods Max is that there’s no logos or writing on it. I think this separates them from the Sonos in terms of design

[Jtx_Tools]

Physical Buttons!!!! Thank you Sonos!!! I’m excited

[GDX]

You didn't tell us how good the active ANC is or the sound

[emarticor]

Often Bowers & Wilkins isn't mentioned as a comparable, but I love my headphones in this category

[nolanblew]

Wait. So you can't just hook it up to your existing sonos wifi setup in your house to say, move your music from my era 300 in the kitchen to my headphones when I want to walk around the house? It can only be used with the soundbar or bluetooth? Seems like a big missed opportunity for direct integration

[hippieCO]

Ordered! I've been waiting for their take on headphones for years!

[Tiltasauras]

Best video the verge has done in a long time

[dc_gator]

When's the embargo on when the actual sound and features can be reviewed?

[justlou]

Can you use 2 pairs at once? Can you use one pair and have the soundbar still output ?

[jonathanVA]

Hi Chris, my thoughts on the design are, they look amazing! I actually think that on your head, they look better than the Apple ones.

[Halbmond]

Is the Dolby Atmos and head tracking stuff also compatible with Apple’s spatial audio? (I’m guessing no)

[Icipher]

Interested in hearing more. I wouldn't buy these unless they went on sale for $300 or less, though. On another note, where is the Arc 2?

[Dan-lrhm]

So I need a Sonos soundbar to have at is on the headphones? Am I understanding that correctly?

[Oldaker]

Lots to like here. Nice to see more premium contenders! I thought these were gonna be more like just another mid-range pair. Interesting product.

[QuinnTeddy]

I had no idea dunkey was doing tech reviews now but I’m all for it