Last month, audio powerhouse Sonos debuted its very first pair of headphones. The £449 Sonos Ace connects to your device via Bluetooth 5.4 and offers 30 hours of battery power so it can last from takeoff to landing on even the world’s longest flights.
If you forget to charge them before takeoff, the headphones can also regain three hours of battery life with just three minutes of charging, so you can be up and running before wheels up. I’ve been using the headphones for the past few weeks to determine if they deserve a place in your carry-on luggage . The first thing you want to know about a pair of headphones is how they sound, and in the case of the Ace, you’re truly getting a world-class experience.
Ace offers a sound quality on par with other top-tier wireless headphones like those from Bose and Sony while bringing Sonos’ sound knowledge to deliver some amazing, balanced sound with crisp vocals and crystal-clear audio. When listening to music, I found myself noticing parts of songs I haven’t with other headphones. The headphones have noise-cancelling functionality for when you need to block the world out, as well as a passthrough mode for times like when you’re on a plane and need to hear the overhead announcements, or when you’re walking around town and want to be able to hear vehicles and other people around you as well.
Both functions work great, and the transition between each mode happens quickly and seamlessly using the on-ear cup controls. Where the .