When the Sonos Ace first launched last year, I was cautiously optimistic. I liked the brand, loved the comfort, and appreciated the sound quality. But $449 for a pair of headphones without features like TV Audio Swap, spatial head-tracking, or TrueCinema? It was hard to justify.
But today? After a massive June 2025 software update and a Prime Day discount that drops the price to just $299, the Sonos Ace has transformed. These headphones went from being a good first attempt to arguably one of the smartest buys in the premium headphone market.
I’ve been testing the Sonos Ace on and off since launch, and here’s what changed everything for me: software updates. Specifically, the June 2025 firmware update that brought the long-promised features Sonos teased when the headphones first came out.
This is hands down the biggest game changer. TrueCinema lets the Ace map your living room acoustics using a Sonos Arc or Beam, and then recreates that environment virtually in your headphones.
I tried it during a rewatch of Oppenheimer and literally turned my head during an explosion, and the sound shifted with me. The surround effects, dialogue placement, even the low-end rumble from distant effects—it was eerie how close it got to my soundbar setup.
I don’t say this lightly: if you watch a lot of movies and TV, this one feature is worth the price alone.
When the Ace first launched, only one user could wirelessly swap TV audio from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones. That was fine… unless two people wanted to watch without waking the house.
Now, thanks to the update, two Ace users can wirelessly watch together. My partner and I tested it with a late-night episode of The Bear—the sync was perfect, and we didn’t have to compromise on volume or clarity. This used to be something you needed a full wireless headphone base station for. Now it just works.
The original ANC was solid, but the new version introduced in June is much more dynamic. It adapts in real-time based on how you’re wearing the headphones, accounting for glasses, hats, even changes in hair. I wore them during a flight last week, and the difference compared to launch was night and day.
It’s now in the same ballpark as Sony’s WH-1000XM5 or Bose QC Ultra—and you get it via a free firmware update. That’s rare in this space.
Ever catch yourself yelling on phone calls because you can't hear your own voice through noise-canceling headphones? The Sonos Ace now features SideTone, which pipes just enough of your voice back in so you sound—and feel—normal when talking.
It’s subtle, but if you take a lot of Zoom calls, or just want to sound less awkward while talking through ANC, this is a real bonus.
Let’s not forget: even before the update, the Sonos Ace delivered excellent sound. It’s clean, neutral, and detail-rich—Sonos' signature tuning, but in personal audio form.
And of course, it’s Sonos—so you’re not just buying a pair of headphones. You’re buying into an ecosystem that already supports soundbars, smart speakers, and whole-home audio.
At launch, the Ace felt like a luxury product still waiting for key features. But Sonos delivered. A year later, the Ace has evolved into something more complete, smarter, and way more compelling—especially now that it supports room-based surround emulation, dual TV swap, voice clarity enhancements, and adaptive ANC.
If you passed on the Ace last year, I wouldn’t blame you. But if you’re looking again now—at $299 at Amazon—this is absolutely the time to bite.
If you want:
Yes. Buy them.
This is the best version of the Sonos Ace we’ve seen, and with the 2025 firmware update, it finally delivers on all the promises it made a year ago. At $299, you're getting flagship tech at a mid-tier price—and it genuinely feels like the headphones are just getting started.
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