Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends
We spill the beans a mountain about headphones here internally . Sometimes it ’s pretty aboveboard , just a matter of putting them through their paces and commit what we consider into actor’s line . Other time there ’s a destiny more back and forth . What does a particular set of fanny or bud signify ? Where does it come down in terms of the big picture for a exceptional fellowship ?
That last part has been the crux of our conversation regarding theSonos Ace phone . We ’ve been talk about these things for years . That ’s how far back the rumour and leak go — and chances are Sonos has been shape on them even longer than that .
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends
The Sonos Ace have create a sort of chicken - or - egg paradox for us . As someone who already has a fairly decent Sonos apparatus — but by no means comprehensive — are the Sonos Ace a must - buy ? And if not , does that signify they ’re a failed intersection ? After all ( and late software woes notwithstanding ) , Sonos devotee are a pretty passionate crew , to say the least . And I ’ve been among those blab out the praises of the wireless speaker ecosystem because , until the retiring few calendar month , it ’s been about as mere — and as sound — as it can get . ( Yes , Sonos also is a fairly expensive ecosystem . That fact is n’t lost me . )
But the more I ’ve used the Sonos Ace earphone , the more I ’m convinced I ’ve been look at them backward . for sure , Sonos will be utterly glad selling a distich to someonealready in the Sonos ecosystem .
But that ’s not who they ’re really for . And Sonos in reality said as much .
Here ’s CEO Patrick Spence in the caller ’s second - twenty-five percent 2024 earnings call : “ We ’ve been making goodish investments in innovation . Our investments stay on focussed on two thing . The first is appeal novel customers to Sonos , and the second is get our exist customers to add more Sonos product to their life . ”
And that get perfect sense . If you ’re not growing , you ’re give-up the ghost . Sonos wants raw customers , and headphones are a raw class of product for the audio troupe that can attract new customers .
Spence continue : “ This launch will give us a bridgehead into a raw multibillion - buck category , expanding the number of categories we play in from five to six and further diversifying our byplay . This has been a multiyear investment and we anticipate it to ante up off in nigra in Q3 and beyond . This will also mark the beginning of new try on the merchandising front to evolve the Sonos brand and reach unexampled audiences . ”
The Sonos Ace are , for all intents and purposes , very good Bluetooth headphonesthat hold out alongside the likes of the Apple AirPod Max and the top - end offerings from Bose and Sony ( to name but three competitors ) . What they are not is a specialized set of headphones that requires a prominent Sonos ecosystem to work out at all , or even to get the most out of them . Yes , there ’s the “ audio swap ” lineament that connects with aSonos Arcto feed TV cognitive content to the headphones , but that ’s really about it . ( And the lineament presently requires you to have the $ 900 soundbar in addition to the $ 450 headphones . )
So , no . You do n’t have to have other Sonos speakers to even debate buying the Sonos Ace headphones .
In fact , Sonos might actually opt it that manner .
