Trying to decide between Sonos and Apple for a premium set of over-ears? We have you covered
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Sonos announced its first headphones in the form of the Sonos Ace at the end of May 2024, but they come with a pretty steep price tag, competing with the likes of the Apple AirPods Max. Both over-ear headphones are brilliant and they both offer a range of different features, but which is best?
We’ve compared the specs of the Apple AirPods Max and the Sonos Ace, but we have also used both extensively to help you figure out which are best for you.
Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Price
The Sonos Ace headphones cost $449 / £449 and they come in Black and Soft White colour options.
The Apple AirPods Max were priced at $549 / £549 when they first launched in 2020, making them more expensive than the Sonos Ace. They have come down in price since then however, now priced around $499 / £499 and occasionally cheaper during sale periods. The AirPods Max also come in five colour options of Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green.
- Buy Sonos Ace from Sonos now: £449 / $449
- Buy Apple AirPods Max from Apple now: £499 / $449
Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Design
The Sonos Ace and Apple AirPods Max share some similarities when it comes to design, though there are a number of differences too. Both are very premium in their appearance and the materials used, but the Sonos Ace are slightly comfier overall, in our opinion.
The Apple AirPods Max opt for a mesh material for the ear cushions and the canopy headband, a stainless steel frame and aluminium ear cups. They are distinctive – especially in their various colour options and they are comfortable too (we’ve worn them for numerous trans-Atlantic flights), but they are heavier than the Sonos Ace at 385g compared to 319g.
The Sonos Ace headphones opt for a matte plastic finish for the top of the headband and ear cups, while a soft and supple Vegan leather covers the memory foam of the ear cushions and inside of the headband. The inside of the right ear cushion is a different colour to the left on the Sonos Ace, distinguishing between left and right, while AirPods Max opt for large “L” and “R” letters.
Both have controls on the right and left ear cups with the power and Bluetooth pairing button for both on the left, and the main controls on the right. The Apple AirPods Max have a rotating Digital Crown that allows for volume control, along with pausing and playing audio, skipping tracks, going back a track and answering or ending calls. There is also a noise mode button next to the Digital Crown that allows you to switch between Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and Off.
For the Sonos Ace, there is s Content Key that slides up and down for volume control, whilst pushing it will play or pause audio, skip songs, go back tracks and answer or end calls. It will also allow you to transfer audio between a Sonos Arc soundbar and the Sonos Ace headphones – more on that in a minute. Beneath the Content Key, there is a smaller circular button that switches between Noise Cancellation, Aware mode and Off.
Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Features
Both the Sonos Ace and Apple AirPods Max offer a range of features. Starting with Sonos, the Ace headphones will function just like any other Bluetooth headphones so you don’t need the Sonos app to set them up. You do get extra features if you use the Sonos app however, including the ability to adjust EQ, turning Wear Detection on or off, turning head tracking on or off and choosing which of the noise modes you want the button on the Ace headphones to offer.
You can also set up the TV Audio Swap feature if you have a Sonos Arc soundbar. It’s nice and easy to do – only take a few taps – after which you can push the Content Key on the right ear cup of the headphones and your TV audio will switch between the Sonos Ace headphones and the Sonos Arc soundbar. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Ray soundbars will also be compatible with this feature eventually.
The Apple AirPods Max offer a number of convenience features for Apple users, including super simple setup and automatic switching between Apple devices whether that’s MacBook, iPad or Apple TV. They have dynamic head tracking like Sonos Ace, which you can turn on or off, and they also will appear in the Apple Find My app in case you misplace them, making them a little easier to find.
You get access to Siri if you press and hold the Digital Crown, and Siri will also announce notifications if you want it to so you can get any notifications that appear on your phone read out when you’re wearing the headphones so you don’t have to get your phone out.
While a similar but not so seamless offering, AirPods Max can connect to an Apple TV 4K and play the audio so you can watch movies on your TV through your AirPods Max and there’s Dolby Atmos support here too. The AirPods Max are Bluetooth headphones like Sonos Ace so you can also connect them to an Android device, though you won’t get all the features Apple users get.
Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Performance
Neither Sonos or Apple specifically detail the sound architecture of their headphones. The AirPods Max have an Apple-designed dynamic driver and they offer nine microphones in total with eight used for Active Noise Cancellation and three for voice pickup (two being shared for ANC). The sound performance is exceptional, with decent bass, a balanced sound profile and lovely clear vocals.
The Sonos Ace feature custom-designed 40mm dynamic drivers in each ear cup and they have eight microphones for noise control and voice targeting. Once again, the sound performance here is excellent. The bass is around the same as the AirPods Max in our experience, but we thought the vocals were slightly clearer in the Sonos Ace.
Noise cancellation is pretty much on par between the two pairs of headphones, with both superb on a plane, drowning out the engine noise and most passengers. They are both great on a train too, as well as walking down busy streets.
The Sonos Ace promise around 30 hours battery life and they offer quick charging through USB-C, with around 3 hours listening time in 3 minutes. The AirPods Max meanwhile, have 20 hours of battery on a single charge. Neither fold, but the AirPods Max case does send them into a low power mode. The Sonos Ace case is nicer however, and more protective whilst offering a small case for a USB-C cable that magnetically attaches inside the case.
Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Which one is right for you?
The Sonos Ace and Apple AirPods Max aren’t too dissimilar in terms of price so the decision will likely come down to which you prefer the look of, and whether you are a current Apple or Sonos user.
For those with the Sonos Arc soundbar, the Sonos Ace headphones offer something extra over the Apple AirPods Max, but you don’t get any extra benefits if you just have Sonos speakers. Meanwhile, for Apple users, the AirPods Max have several perks like adaptive EQ, personalised head tracking and the Find My app if you lose them.
Both have great sound performance, excellent noise cancellation and they are both comfortable. In our experience, the Sonos Ace just take the edge in terms of comfort and sound performance, whilst also offering longer battery life, but the AirPods Max remain an excellent pair of headphones and they come in more exciting colours too.
