Hands on: Sonos Ace Ultra fixes nearly everything that was wrong with the original

[EntangledOne29]

Sonos has launched the Ace Ultra headphones, and 9to5Mac has a hands on after nearly a month of use. They went on sale on 7 October from Sonos and Amazon for $449, the same launch price as the original Ace. They come in Black, White, Agave and Sand. The original Ace is listed at $239 on Amazon while stocks last, which is a tempting price in its own right

The list of changes is long. There are redesigned 40mm drivers, a ten microphone array instead of eight, and adaptive noise cancelling that Sonos says is up to twice as effective. Battery life is up to 35 hours with ANC on, the batteries are user replaceable and a three minute charge gives three hours of playback. There is also Bluetooth 6.0, an eight band EQ, Dolby Atmos with head tracking, lossless audio on supported devices, USB-C and 3.5mm wired listening, multipoint and TV Audio Swap

Reviewer Fernando Silva used them as his main headphones for nearly a month. On the bass, he says Sonos has not just turned up the bass slider, which suggests a more balanced sound rather than a boomy one. He found the noise cancelling strong against sirens and traffic. He also calls them the most comfortable headphones he has worn

His one complaint is a sticky case closure, which is about as small as complaints get. His conclusion is that the Ace Ultra finally delivers the experience he wanted. That matters because the original Ace launched at a rough time for Sonos, right as its app update was causing chaos. The headphones got caught up in that bad publicity

User replaceable batteries are the feature I like most. Headphones at this price should last for years, and the battery is usually the first thing to go. Making it easy to swap is good for owners and good for the environment. More companies should do it

Would you pay $449 for these over the AirPods Max or the Sony XM line? And does the cheaper original Ace look like a better deal now?

Sonos Ace Ultra fix nearly everything I wanted from the original - 9to5Mac9to5mac.com