7Rank 07 of 8 · Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Sonos Sonos Ace
aptX Lossless and a strong ANC score, at €289 against a €499 RRP. But there is no 3.5 mm socket at all, and HIFI.DE found the ANC noticeably degraded for spectacle wearers.
7.9BPR score
- €289Price
- ANC 8.8/10 (SoundGuys) — but the seal fails for glasses wearersMeasured ANC performance
- 7 of 8in Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- 7.9BPR score 0–10
Review
What this product is
Written after the analysis, from the same sources the score is built on: the manufacturer's documentation, available studies and verified owner feedback.
Technically strong, with two limitations that will rule it out for a lot of people.
SoundGuys recorded an ANC score of 8.8/10 — the highest number in this ranking — with a peak of about 26.9 dB at 9.7 kHz. HIFI.DE scored the headphone 9.0/10 and rated its ANC on constant noise as roughly Sony XM5 class, among the best available. SoundGuys is cooler overall at 7.4/10.
The first problem is specific and important: HIFI.DE found the ANC noticeably degraded for spectacle wearers, because the cushions are thin and glasses arms break the seal. Since everything above roughly 1–2 kHz is passive isolation, a broken seal cannot be recovered by any amount of processing. If you wear glasses, this is the wrong headphone — and it is a limitation you will not find in most reviews.
HIFI.DE also found the ANC weaker on variable sounds and voices than on constant noise, which is the general ANC limitation rather than a fault of this model.
The second problem is connectivity. There is no 3.5 mm socket. Lossless works over USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter — but you cannot plug into an aircraft entertainment system without an adapter, and you cannot listen with the headphone powered off in the conventional way.
Codecs are SBC, AAC and aptX Lossless on Bluetooth 5.4 with two-device multipoint. 312 g on 40 mm drivers. Claimed 30–32 hours with ANC on, with no measured figure available. TV Swap, which passes Dolby Atmos from a Sonos soundbar with head tracking, was iOS-only at the time of testing.
At €289 street against €499 RRP the discount is the largest in this ranking. A Sonos Ace Ultra was reported at around €449 for late September 2026 — treat that as unconfirmed.
Technical data
Specification
Figures from the manufacturer's documentation, verified against available outside sources. Values we could not confirm are marked as declared.
- ANC score
- 8.8/10 (SoundGuys) - highest here
- Measured peak ANC
- approx. 26.9 dB at 9.7 kHz
- Battery
- 30-32 h ANC on claimed; no measured figure
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, aptX Lossless
- Bluetooth
- 5.4, multipoint 2 devices
- Weight / driver
- 312 g / 40 mm
- Wired
- No 3.5 mm socket. USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter
- IP rating
- None
- Known issue
- ANC degraded for spectacle wearers (HIFI.DE)
- HIFI.DE / SoundGuys
- 9.0/10 / 7.4/10
- Price
- EUR 499 RRP; from EUR 289 street
Component scores
Where the score
comes from.
Four components, equal weight, each on a 0–10 scale and each resting on a named source. The overall score is their mean — the full procedure is in the methodology.
What we liked
- ANC score 8.8/10, the highest number in this ranking
- aptX Lossless support
- HIFI.DE 9.0/10 — ANC on constant noise roughly Sony XM5 class
- €289 street against a €499 RRP — the biggest discount here
- Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint
- TV Swap passes Dolby Atmos from a Sonos soundbar with head tracking
Worth knowing
- No 3.5 mm socket at all — USB-C or an adapter only
- ANC noticeably degraded for spectacle wearers (HIFI.DE) due to thin cushions
- Weaker on variable sounds and voices than on constant noise
- No measured battery figure available
- TV Swap was iOS-only at test
- No IP rating; SoundGuys overall score only 7.4/10
Comparison
How it compares
within the category
All values come from the same analysis and are comparable only within the category Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones.
| Product | Score | Measured ANC performance | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony WH-1000XM6Top score | 9.3 | ANC 8.7/10 — beats 90% of over-ears (SoundGuys) | €315 |
| Sonos AceThis product | 7.9 | ANC 8.8/10 (SoundGuys) — but the seal fails for glasses wearers | €289 |
| Category average8 products analysed | 8.3 | — | — |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
I wear glasses. Is this really a problem?
Yes, and it is worth taking seriously. HIFI.DE found the ANC noticeably degraded for spectacle wearers on this model specifically, because the cushions are thin and the arms of your glasses break the earcup seal. Since all cancellation above roughly 1-2 kHz comes from that seal rather than from the electronics, no processing recovers it. Glasses affect every headphone to some degree — this one more than most.
Should I wait for the Sonos Ace Ultra?
We would not plan around it. A model at around €449 launching late September 2026 was reported by a German outlet, but this is leak reporting rather than a Sonos announcement, and we could not confirm it. The current Ace at €289 against a €499 RRP is a real discount available now.
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