If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Sonos changed the game when it introduced its line of smart home speakers more than a decade ago, successfully — and seamlessly — merging high-end audio with high design. But when the brand announced the launch of its Sonos Ace headphones in June, reaction from shoppers was somewhat muted (pun intended).
Could the audio brand really transform its cinema-sized sound experience for one of the most popular audio categories in the world? Turns out, the answer is a resounding yes ! Sonos has never relied on “big bass” as a selling point, like some of its competitors , and in the Ace headphones , the bass was clearly “big” and booming, but not overpowering. In fact, everything was impeccably well-balanced, to deliver a listening experience that sounded like it was custom mixed for you in the studio. Spatial audio technology, meantime, lets the music move with you as you move, creating a three-dimensional soundstage no matter where you’re facing or how your head is tilted (it’s like being at an actual show).
We typically test out headphones by listening to a wide variety of songs and genres, from rap to rock to EDM. But in our experience, the best indication of a good pair of cans is when listening to live jazz. Here, an album like The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall sounded as if we were right there in the famed Toronto concert venue .