Sonos has released its first headphones, and they’re competing directly with Apple’s AirPods Max. So what do you get with Sonos snuffers? Here’s a detailed comparison of Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max specs, features, battery life and more.
Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max
Audio specifications
Both Sonos and Apple tout high-quality, rich audio thanks to custom 40mm dynamic drivers for each ear, along with powerful active noise cancellation and transparency modes.
Both companies emphasize that their in-ear headphones combine custom hardware and software to deliver the best sound possible.
Sonos wins for lossless support, while Apple says it offers partial lossless support.
| Sonos Ace | AirPods Max | |
| Drivers | 40mm dynamic | 40mm dynamic |
| Microphones | 8 | 9 |
| Active noise cancellation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ambient mode | Conscious mode | Transparency mode |
| Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dynamic head tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| No loss | ✅ (requires a wired connection for iOS) | Sort of like a wired connection |
| Equalizer | Control via the Sonos app | Adaptive EQ |
| TV audio sharing | Yes with select Sonos soundbars | Yes with Apple TV |
| Audio sharing | ❌ | ✅ (streaming audio with two sets of AirPods |
If you have an Apple TV, AirPods Max pair seamlessly with the Sonos Ace, to use TV handoff you need a compatible Sonos soundbar like Arc or Arc SL (coming soon Beam 1/2 and Ray).
Design
Both earphones have a premium design. Sonos uses a mix of vegan leather, fabric/foam, and metal, while the AirPods Max uses metal, fabric/foam, and mostly skips the plastic.
The Sonos Ace are only available in two matte finishes: soft white and black.
AirPods Max come in five colors: space gray, silver, pink, green, and sky blue.
I/O
The Sonos Ace beats the older AirPods Max with USB-C and Bluetooth 5.4. There’s no native voice control though, so the AirPods Max win there with Siri/Hey Siri support.
| Sonos Ace | AirPods Max | |
| Port | USB-C | Lightning |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi support | ❌ | ❌ |
| Cable support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Voice control | – | Siri/Hey Siri |
| Physical controls | Power/Bluetooth button, content key and volume control button | Digital Crown and volume control button |
| Smart feeling | ✅ automatic pause | ✅ automatic pause (optical sensors, position sensors and register detection, accelerometer and gyroscope |
The Sonos Ace comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable. AirPods Max come with a Lightning to USB-C cable, but charge $35 for the required two-way Lightning to 3.5mm cable.
Neither the Sonos Ace nor the AirPods Max offer WiFi music streaming.
Battery life
The Sonos Ace beats the AirPods Max for both battery life and fast charging:
| Sonos Ace | AirPods Max | |
| With the ANC | Until 30 hours | Until 8 p.m |
| Time to talk | 24 hours | Until 8 p.m |
| Fast charging | 3 minutes = 3 hours of listening | 5 minutes = 1.5 hours of listening |
Weight and dimensions
With more plastic versus metal in the design, the Sonos Ace are a few ounces lighter than the AirPods Max. Both are almost the same size.
| Sonos Ace | AirPods Max | |
| Weight | 11.04 ounces (312 grams) | 13.6 oz (384.8 grams) |
| width | 6.3 inches (160 mm) | 6.64 inches (168.6 mm) |
| Height | 7.52 inches (191 mm) | 7.37 inches (187.3 mm) |
| Depth | 3.35 inches (85 mm) | 3.28 inches (83.4 mm) |
Price
The Sonos Ace are $100 less than the AirPods Max at full retail price.
However, at the time of writing, Apple is offering a limited-time discount to match the $449 price of the Sonos Ace.
goodies
The Sonos Ace come with a nicer hard case for travel (plus a cable pouch), while the AirPods Max come with a slim flap-style case that leaves the headband exposed.
AirPods Max first launched in 2020 and haven’t seen an update. The last we’ve heard is that Apple might do a minor update in 2024 – keeping everything the same except for replacing the Lightning port with USB-C.
Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max conclusion
Deciding which ANC in-ear headphones are best for you between these two will probably come down to how important Apple’s ecosystem integration is. Features like Siri, audio sharing, Apple TV connectivity and more are tempting for Apple users.
Meanwhile, the Sonos Ace has longer battery life, updated connectivity like Bluetooth 5.4 and full lossless support, is lighter on the head and comes with a nicer travel case and wired listening cable.
The Sonos Ace is available for pre-order now from Sonos for $449. AirPods Max normally sell for $549, but are on sale for a limited time for $449.
Which upper ears are more fascinating to you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Look out for our full Sonos Ace review soon!
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