- There’s a new update rolling out now for the Sonos Ace headphones
- It brings the long-awaited TrueCinema feature, and TV Audio Swap can now support two Ace headphones
- Sonos also promises more natural calls and enhanced noise cancellation
Sonos is marking a year since the launch of the Sonos Ace – the first and long-anticipated pair of over-ear headphones from the company – with a significant software update that delivers on a much-anticipated feature set.
Rolling out now as a free update, the release introduces several new features and expands existing ones to help the Ace stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
Over-ear headphones are a crowded space, with major players like the newly launched Sony WH-1000XM6, and Sonos is leaning into what sets the Ace apart: deep integration with the company’s home audio ecosystem, particularly its soundbars.
In our review we called the Ace the best headphones for movie watching – and this update only enhances that capability. One of the headline improvements builds on TV Audio Swap, a feature that allows users to wirelessly send audio from a Sonos soundbar (like the Arc, Beam, or Ray) directly to the Ace.
With the update, this feature now supports two pairs of headphones simultaneously. That means two users can listen in sync via their own Ace headphones without disturbing anyone else in the room – it was one of the most-requested features from Sonos fans after the Ace’s launch.
Arguably even more exciting is the debut of TrueCinema for the Sonos Ace. This feature is designed to create a more immersive, spatial audio experience that feels less like headphone playback and more like full home theater sound.
Better yet, Sonos promises that the audio produced, well played back in the headphones, will be close to what you get from the soundbar setup for your own space. Working in tandem with TV Audio Swap, TrueCinema requires a Sonos Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam, or Ray connected to your TV, with the resulting experience delivering more natural, room-accurate sound.
Also included in the update are enhancements to active noise cancellation (ANC). Sonos is using onboard sensors to detect variables such as hair, hats, and glasses, which can affect the seal around the ear and therefore the effectiveness of noise canceling. The Ace headphones then make real-time adjustments to refine noise cancellation, based on testing across a diverse group of users.
Finally, Sonos is introducing SideTone, a feature that makes phone calls sound more natural when noise cancellation is enabled. With SideTone, you’ll hear a bit of your own voice fed back through the headphones, preventing the disorienting ‘vacuum’ effect that often accompanies full ANC during calls.
Altogether, these updates – TV Audio Swap for two, TrueCinema, enhanced ANC, and SideTone – mark a meaningful evolution for the Sonos Ace. With most of the serious app problems fixed and a new CEO at the helm, this update both rewards early adopters and could convince those who are still undecided to give the Ace a closer look. The Sonos Ace remain priced at $449 / £449 / AU$699.
The update begins rolling out today, June 10, and can be installed through the Sonos app on iOS or Android – just make sure your Ace headphones are connected via Bluetooth. I do hope it’s a trend that Sonos continues with the Ace, eventually rolling out more features and introducing more products.
There is still a feature that Sonos fans want most, but that we haven’t seen yet: support for them to act as a full speaker option within the Sonos multi-room ecosystem. Sonos told TechRadar at the Ace’s launch that this could be technically possible, but it hasn’t appeared yet.
It would be useful for people who have one of the best turntables or another music player as part of their Sonos system, because then you could listen to it on the Ace in high quality wirelessly. Perhaps that will be the next big upgrade.
You can read our full review of the Sonos Ace headphones, and we’ll be sharing hands-on impressions of TrueCinema as soon as we’ve tested it.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
