The Sonos Ace is the first pair of wireless headphones from the company renowned for its room-pounding wireless speakers. With premium features and a fat price tag to match, the Sonos headphones compete with Apple’s over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max. But in a Sonos Ace versus AirPods Max comparison, which pair of high-end headphones comes out on top?
If you have the money to spend, check out the specs, pros and cons of each model in our hands-on comparison.
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Sonos Ace vs. AirPods Max comparison
If you are ready to spend big bucks on headphones, you will want the best option possible. While the Sonos Ace and the AirPods Max are both excellent headphones, the right pick for you will depend on more than just sound quality. Apple’s headphones hold up well against Sonos’ first product in this category, despite being on the market for more than 3.5 years. But AirPods Max’s shortcomings in some areas are now more evident than before.
Table of contents: Sonos Ace vs. AirPods Max comparison
Design and dimensions
Photo: Sonos
- AirPods Max: 187.3 x 168.6 x 83.4 mm, 0.85 pounds (384.8 grams), aluminium finish, brushed aluminum ear cups, mesh acoustic on-ear cups
- Sonos Ace: 191 x 160 x 85 mm, 0.69 pounds (312 grams), matte finish, plastic ear cups, memory foam on ear cups with vegan leather on top
As over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max and the Sonos Ace look similar. However, some significant differences set the two designs apart. Apple uses aluminum construction and ear cups for the AirPods Max to give it a more premium look and feel. In comparison, the Sonos Ace features a plastic-and-steel construction with plastic ear cups.
Add in the Ace’s matte finish, and the headphones might not look as premium as Apple’s offering. But they still offer a stellar build quality that appears more durable than Apple’s offering. More importantly, the Sonos Ace weighs around 73 gms less than the AirPods Max. While that might not seem like a big deal, the added weight makes a big impact during daily use. The Sonos headphones will feel much more comfortable to wear over an extended period.
Both headphones use a telescopic arm, so you can adjust the ear cups’ placement for the ideal fit. On the AirPods Max, the arm is exposed, while Sonos hides the arms inside the ear cups for better durability.
The AirPods Max uses mesh fabric for the ear cups, which should be much more breathable than the Sonos Ace’s memory foam. The latter, however, feels more comfortable to wear.
Sonos Ace vs. AirPods Max: One comes with a decent case
Neither of the headphones fold up for easy stowing. So, they are not easy to carry around in your backpack. But at least Sonos ships the Ace with a usable carrying case made from recycled plastic bottles. In comparison, the AirPods Max’s smart case offers little protection. No wonder it became the butt of many jokes soon after the headphones launched in late 2020.
While both headphones use magnetic earcup cushions, Sonos utilizes a smarter implementation. The company placed magnets with opposite polarities for each cup, so you cannot snap the wrong cushion into the wrong earcup. In contrast, Apple puts lettering inside each ear cup to help you quickly identify the right cushion for the right ear cup.
Finally, Apple’s premium over-ear headphones definitely win when it comes to color choices. You can get the AirPods Max in five colors: space gray, silver, sky blue green and pink. Sonos offers its first headphones in only black and white shades with a matte finish.
Sound quality and drivers
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
- AirPods Max: Apple-designed 40mm drivers, spatial audio, active noise cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ
- Sonos Ace: Custom-designed 40mm drivers, spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, active noise cancellation, adjustable equalizer, TV Audio Swap
Given the steep price tag, the AirPods Max and the Sonos Ace deliver outstanding sound quality with clear details. However, the companies tuned their headphones differently, with the AirPods Max benefitting from a more neutral and balanced sound profile. The Sonos Ace focuses more on bass, which might please you if you are a bass head. However, over long listening hours, this can tire out your ears faster.
Unlike the AirPods Max, the Sonos Ace offers a customizable equalizer, so you can tweak its output to your liking. Both headphones support spatial audio, with the Sonos Ace featuring Dolby Atmos. Active noise cancellation works great on the AirPods Max and the Sonos Ace, easily blocking out all the noise on a busy street. However, between the two, I’d give the AirPods Max a slight edge on ANC.
The microphone quality proves good on both headphones. Callers did not complain about my voice crackling with the AirPods Max or Sonos Ace.
Controls
- AirPods Max: Digital Crown, button
- Sonos Ace: Three buttons, including a Content Key
Similar to the Apple Watch, the AirPods Max features a Digital Crown. You can rotate the crown to adjust the volume, while pressing it controls audio playback. A double-click will skip to the next track, while a triple-click will go back to the previous track. Apple’s headphones also come with a dedicated button to switch between noise cancellation and Transparency mode. For reasons best known to Apple, the AirPods Max do not offer a power on/off button. Instead, they automatically go to sleep when you put them in their smart case.
Sonos offers more elaborate control options on the Ace. You press the Content Key to play/pause music, while a double/triple-press will skip forward or backward. To control the volume, you slide the Content Key up or down. As with AirPods, you can toggle between ANC and the Ace’s Aware mode using a dedicated noise control button. Long-pressing this key will trigger your phone’s default voice assistant.
Sonos Ace and AirPods Max both feature built-in sensors that can automatically pause music playback when you take the headphones off your ears.
Connectivity and ecosystem integration
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac
- AirPods Max: Apple H1 chip, Bluetooth 5.0, Lightning cable, Lossless audio playback over Lightning-to-3.5mm cable
- Sonos Ace: Bluetooth 5.4, multi-point Bluetooth, USB-C, lossless audio playback over USB-C and Bluetooth
If you are all-in on Apple products, the AirPods Max will seamlessly integrate into that ecosystem. Thanks to its Apple H1 chip, the headphones can automatically switch between your active iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Sonos Ace supports a newer Bluetooth version as well as multi-point Bluetooth. So, you can simultaneously connect the Ace to two devices. And while the headphones don’t feature a 3.5mm jack, Sonos bundles a USB-C-to-3.5mm cable in the box to make your life easier. You can even enjoy lossless audio over a wired connection.
A unique feature of the Sonos Ace is integration with Sonos soundbars. Once connected through the companion app, you can directly stream TV audio to the Ace by long-pressing the Control Key.
Battery life
- AirPods Max: Up to 20 hours with ANC or Transparency mode enabled, five minutes of fast charge provides 1.5 hours of listening time
- Sonos Ace: Up to 30 hours with ANC, three-minute quick charging provides three hours of music playback
Despite being heavier than the Sonos Ace, the AirPods Max delivers a considerably shorter battery life. Apple says its headphones can last 20 hours with ANC enabled on a single charge. The Sonos Ace does much better, lasting 30 hours. More importantly, it ships with USB-C, so you can easily top off the headphones’ battery on the go.
In comparison, the Lightning connector on the AirPods Max sticks out like a sore thumb in a USB-C world. Its fast charging capabilities are also not as good as the Sonos, with a five-minute top-up providing only 1.5 hours of juice. Sonos says the Ace can deliver twice the runtime with a quick three-minute charge.
AirPods Max vs. Sonos Ace: Clear winner on price
Photo: Sonos
- AirPods Max: $549
- Sonos Ace: $449
The AirPods Max cost $100 more than the Sonos Ace. That’s despite Apple’s premium headphones launching in late 2020 and now being more than 3.5 years old.
With all its features, the Sonos Ace headphones better justifies their $449 price tag, especially since they work equally well with both Android and iPhone.
AirPods Max vs. Sonos Ace: Which headphones should you buy?
The AirPods Max and Sonos Ace are both excellent headphones, and you can’t go wrong with them. However, if you must pick one, you also need to factor in ecosystem integration. If you own an iPhone and other Apple products like a Mac or iPad, the AirPods Max is a no-brainer because of how seamlessly it will integrate into that ecosystem. While Apple’s premium headphones can pair with Android devices, the experience will prove horribly frustrating.
Also, the AirPods Max seem too expensive and old for what they offer. The Lightning connector feels outdated now that everything’s going to USB-C. You typically can find the headphones with $100 discounts on Amazon. But that’s not affordable enough to look past some of the aging device’s shortcomings.
The Sonos Ace is a better buy for Android users or those with Sonos soundbars who can take advantage of the TV Audio Swap feature. The Sonos headphones also retail for $100 less than Apple’s premium headphones.
Ideally, even if you already made up your mind on which headphones to buy after reading this Sonos Ace versus AirPods Max comparison, I recommend trying them out at your nearest electronics store. See how they fit and assess their sound quality with your own ears. Headphones are very personal devices, and everyone’s ears are different.
Buy: AirPods Max | Sonos Ace
