Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Which one will be better?

The Sonos Ace is poised to do battle with Apple’s AirPods Max as the company’s first high-end headset, here’s how we think both headsets will compare against each other. 

Even though Apple has several audio products in its lineup, it only has the AirPods Max as a pair of headphones that it sells under Apple branding.

These premium headphones are in a league of their own and have been highly sought after since their launch. That said, Sonos is also gearing up to release its first-ever headphones, expected to rival the AirPods Max when they launch.

Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Price and availability

Dexerto

The Apple AirPods Max comes in five colorways and retails at $549. It is available at various retail partners for a price cheaper than the official MSRP.

The Sonos Ace headphone is expected to be slightly more affordable than its Apple rival. Rumors suggest that the Sonos Ace might launch at $430 and be available in a Black colorway, while the White and Grey variants may arrive later. The Sonos Ace is expected to launch in May or June 2024.

Apple AirPods Max: Design & features

Apple

The AirPods Max has a very unique design. Its distinct look makes the headphones stand apart from the crowd. Apple offers a mesh cover support on the headband, while the cans are rectangular but have curved corners.

The Aluminum cans have a matte finish and come with magnetically connected replaceable ear cups. The Apple AirPods Max deploys Apple’s learning from the design of its various devices. Unlike most headphones with touch-sensitive controls or physical buttons at the bottom of the cans, the AirPods Max has an Apple Watch-inspired digital crown at the top.

This physical button not only helps you control the volume, accept or reject calls, and even turn ANC or transparency mode on or off. It also offers a series of options for the users to control these tasks.

Apple has an app to customize various settings, download firmware, and tweak the audio performance to your liking. However, this app is only available on Apple devices like iPads or iPhones. If you have an Android device, you’ll miss out on various features of AirPods Max.

The AirPods Max offers a shade over 20 hours of battery life and features like Active Noise Cancellation, transparency mode, and more. It also has a spatial audio mode that offers an immersive listening experience.

That said, there are some quirks as well. For starters, the AirPods Max is a perfect example of over-complicating simple things. You cannot turn these headphones off at your will. The AirPods Max will remain in low-power mode for hours before turning off automatically. This is a needless waste of battery life. Moreover, the protective case with the AirPods Max looks bizarre and offers very little protection for the headphones.

Sonos Ace: Design and features

Dexerto

Older leaks and rumors suggest that the Ace might take on the likes of Apple AirPods Max and Bose QuietComfort Ultras with its flagship-grade Active Noise Cancellation, transparency mode, and spatial audio.

Reports also claim that the Sonos Ace may let users stream music over Wi-Fi, offering high-fidelity lossless music streaming.

The latest leaks reveal Sonos Ace’s design, and the matte black colored headphones will remind you of the AirPods Max from almost every angle. Unlike Apple, though, the Ace might not have a mesh-covered headband; instead, we think it might come with a soft plastic to offer support.

The cans are also expected to have a similar design and may have user-replaceable ear cups. The headphones are expected to offer a quick pairing feature with other Sonos devices, and the company might even extend the multiroom audio feature to these headphones.

The Sonos Ace may also have a mobile app to tweak audio settings. However, it might be available for Android and iOS devices.

Sonos Ace vs Apple AirPods Max: Which one is right for you?

Dexerto

The AirPods Max is easily among the best wireless headphones available right now. While they look slightly different and are priced higher than most headphones, they excel in audio quality, spatial music, and active noise cancellation.

These headphones are fabulous for someone with various Apple devices like the iPad, iPhone, and MacBook. Paying a slight premium for the ease of use and compatibility with other ecosystem devices makes total sense.

On the other hand, the Sonos Ace could be great for someone looking for flagship-grade audio quality that Sonos is known for, as well as a pair of platform-agnostic headphones. The Sonos Ace is also expected to be slightly cheaper than the AirPods Max, making it a better value-for-money device.

If you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.