After years of rumors, Sonos has now entered the headphone market

After months of rumors and leaks, audio brand Sonos has announced its first foray into personal audio, unveiling… Sonos AceExpensive wireless over-ear headphones that compete with Apple’s AirPods Max and Sony’s popular WH-1000XM5 headphones.

The Bluetooth 5.4 headphones were launched this week at select press outlets in New York. It’s too early to judge their sound quality, but they are expensive and Sonos has a good reputation in this regard.

Each cup has a 40mm driver and a total of eight microphones for noise cancellation. What is notable is that the headphones weigh less than Apple’s AirPods Max.

Like the competing pair, these headphones have advanced features like Active Active Noise Cancellation, Aware Modes, Dolby Atmos spatial audio and head tracking. The killer feature is for users who already use other Sonos products in their home theater: you can quickly switch from playing audio through your Sonos Arc speakers to headphones and back. It works with any sound coming from your TV, including a set-top box or gaming console.

This is similar to how Apple’s AirPods Max work with the Apple TV receiver. Support for other Sonos speakers, such as the second-generation Beam, will be available later this year.

Additionally, the Ace gets a new feature called TrueCinema, which enhances the Sonos speaker’s ability to create a 3D map of the room to theoretically simulate the acoustics of your room when you’re wearing headphones and using spatial audio. It sounds like you’re listening to a regular surround system in the room. But this feature will also be available by the end of the year.

Of course, the timing of this announcement couldn’t be worse for Sonos. The company is currently facing consumer backlash after updating its mobile app but ditching several features from the previous version, including accessibility options.

App Update was initially aimed at making it easier to enter and exit apps and perform basic tasks like adjusting the volume without waiting for the screen to load, and it succeeded in doing so, some at length. Overdue But it doesn’t have all the high-end chassis features of its predecessor, and Sonos is playing damage control with a disgruntled segment of its normally loyal user base.

On the Ace, the app is required for adjusting EQ and some other special features, but not for basic listening tasks like volume adjustments or noise cancellation settings. Thankfully, Sonos opted for physical buttons for these things rather than touch gestures or an app interface.

The Sonos Ace will be released on June 5 for $449.

List image from Sonos