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Sonos Ace Headphones vs. AirPods Max

edvj said:
Danish rec.dk has posted their review as well.
”The sound on the Sonos Ace is fantastic. It is fully on par with both the Apple AirPods Max and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 that I have tested previously.”
Test:Sonos Ace [Google translate]
Click to expand...

Some excerpts from that review:

the sound was super clear and clean

The bass is deep, while the midrange and treble are brilliantly clear

I tested with Dune II and there was really good sound

Sonos Ace also supports transparent sound. Aware mode lets in sounds from the surroundings, so you can hear what's going on around you and listen to your music at the same time.
 
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If you can take this review at face value, the Ace aren't so ace.

But it’s quite a simplistic and safe sound – not one we’d call exciting or enthralling. It’s also very congested and there’s a real lack of spaciousness. Rivals draw a clearer distinction between the saxophone line, the claps, the drums and Swift's vocal. Through the Sonos Ace, everything sounds a little blurry and confused. Rivals like the AirPods Max, Sony XM5 and Bose QC Ultra Headphones, in the words of Swift herself, never miss a beat.
 
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edvj said:
Danish rec.dk has posted their review as well.
”The sound on the Sonos Ace is fantastic. It is fully on par with both the Apple AirPods Max and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 that I have tested previously.”
Test:Sonos Ace [Google translate]
Click to expand...
Unfortunately sound quality on headphones is somewhat subjective. Unlike big speakers where you can hook up an Earthworks microphone and run scientific tests on them. With headphones you have to rely on subjectivity.
 
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Sound quality would also be limited by Apple’s standard Bluetooth implementation for 3rd party audio devices.
 
MacRumors said:
Sound quality is similar, but the Sonos app has an adjustable EQ for tweaking sound to your liking, which is something that can't be done on the AirPods Max.
Click to expand...
This leaves out the fact that with all AirPods (not just Max), you can set up a specialized audio profile based on your individual hearing. It will even load up an audiogram from a hearing test!

My own hearing shows a bit of a dropoff in high frequencies, and sure enough, my listening profile boosts that part of the signal so it sounds brighter to compensate. When I switch it off to default settings, the highs are dimished for me.

I think this is a way more sophisticated approach than just throwing up a bunch of EQ sliders and some generic presets and having the user figure it out for themselves.

Customize headphone audio levels on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Amplify soft sounds and tune audio for your hearing needs.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
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PowerButton said:
Unfortunately sound quality on headphones is somewhat subjective. Unlike big speakers where you can hook up an Earthworks microphone and run scientific tests on them. With headphones you have to rely on subjectivity.
Click to expand...

Professional headphone reviewers use test rigs that simulate human ears:

Products

www.grasacoustics.com www.grasacoustics.com

Seems weird, but that's how they produce frequency response graphs. If you see a FR graph compared against the Harmon curve for a headphone, it was created with one of these human-head simulators. 😳

Most reviewers will show the graph they produced with a test rig and then describe the subjective sound.
 
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gleepskip said:
The clamp force and weight of the AirPods Max is insane.
Click to expand...

As much as I love my AirPods Max, I will admit that it took me a while to get used to the weight and the clamping force needed to keep them in place. I did eventually entirely stop noticing both and now I can wear them for hours without thinking about it.

That said, one of my top wishes for a v2 AirPods Max would be a weight/clamping force reduction.
 
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dmr727 said:
I feel like the Airpods Max have turned a corner in popularity - at least here in NYC. I went from not seeing them much at all to seeing them everywhere. The price doesn't seem to be scaring anyone away - even grade school kids are wearing them.

I've always heard good things about Sonos, but this latest software issue of theirs has me staying away for now.
Click to expand...
When they fail on them they will go from popular to hated…
 
It does seems a little off comparing headphones released 4 year apart, not in the sound quality aspect because thats a fair comparison but in the extra features.

The next version the AirPods Max need Lossless obviously because thats what's coming out on top headphones for the Android side with the new Qualcomm chips. Better noise canceling, better battery and maybe a more detailed sound but without going into the rabbit hole. Clamping is an issue that can also be addressed as well as a case and an off switch.
 
turbineseaplane said:
It would seem that nobody is actually doing reviews anymore
Nearly everything is just affiliate related marketing spam pretending to be a "review"

What a sad future we've ended up in
Thanks "advertising"
Click to expand...

We as a society get what we ask for. When everyone feels their opinion is as good as anyone else's, informed or not, when we put how we fell over what math and science tells us (not that math and science is 100% right, but still better than feelings), when we value fast and cheap over quality, heck when how something looks is more important than what it actually does, then what can we expect? I agree with you on the sad state of reviews, but I know the source of the problem can be found in the mirror so I don't wag my finger.

off topic I know, but ... yeah, I look for reviews that give me numbers so I can make my own decisions over something like 'they sound fine.'
 
gleepskip said:

Marques weighs in
Click to expand...

I agree with Margues, I bought into the Sonos myth of connectivity across their line and superiority of wifi for audio over bluetooth (I own 9 Sonos speakers), and was disappointed these premium Sonos headphones are only Bluetooth for audio and limited connectivity to the Arc soundbar (with more promised, but I buy on whats delivered not promised). WTH Sonos?

Likewise even this MR review gives me zero reason to replace my Max's with this headset. I am function over form, and value the seamless integration of the Max into the ecosystem. Yep they are heavier, but thats because of the solid construction of the Max. In the years before the Max I bought Sony headsets, and even with their 'better' cases they would break on me in a year. I owned 6 of them. All broke in a year. Plastic breaks. Steel and aluminum, dent lol. My Max has held up for more than 3 years now. To me thats value and I accept the heavier weight to get there. And I am one of the few that values I put them on, they work, I take them off, they stop. no button required. but I am good at keeping my devices charged.

And there are no reviews that say they sound better than the Max. And at least one that says they sound worse.

So like Margues I wonder who the Sonos headphones are for. The only reason I might consider them if I didnt own the AirPods Max is the usb c versus lightening port. And I suspect in the end connectivity with the apple ecosystem would win that debate (even if I ignored the plastic).

So it appears the target customer is an android user with an Arc. Your typical MacRumors reader these days. Choice is good.
 
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In regards to why the Ace is not Wifi, which high-end headphone is? It was so easy or beneficial, other headphone brands would have them out by now. Think about that.

There is a good thread over on Reddit on how the battery consumption would be high on Wifi. There is a reason everyone is using Bluetooth.
 
VisceralRealist said:
Professional headphone reviewers use test rigs that simulate human ears:

Products

www.grasacoustics.com www.grasacoustics.com

Seems weird, but that's how they produce frequency response graphs. If you see a FR graph compared against the Harmon curve for a headphone, it was created with one of these human-head simulators. 😳

Most reviewers will show the graph they produced with a test rig and then describe the subjective sound.
Click to expand...
That’s pretty cool, I had no idea that existed — makes sense though.
 
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longhorn2004 said:
In regards to why the Ace is not Wifi, which high-end headphone is? It was so easy or beneficial, other headphone brands would have them out by now. Think about that.

There is a good thread over on Reddit on how the battery consumption would be high on Wifi. There is a reason everyone is using Bluetooth.
Click to expand...

Counter point. Every smart phone has both wifi and bluetooth. How often do you turn off your phone's wifi to save power?

2nd counter point. Sonos's portable speakers, the Move and the Roam, both have wifi built in.

The fact no one else has wifi in their headsets, is not the point. Point is looking for a Sonos advantage. Wifi could have been it. And superior wifi sound is what Sonos has been preaching since its beginning. As for the power consumption argument, yes, wifi uses more power than blue tooth, especially when you take into account it uses power simply by being connected, whereas blue tooth only uses power when used, but what does that mean in terms of the battery life? I.e. what percentage of the battery is used by communication (wifi or bluetooth) versus forcing a membrane to physically vibrate back and forth (not to mention the electronics in between)? I don't even play an electrical engineer on tv, but on reddit (apparently the source of all info) the argument is made that a standard headset uses 150ma while playing, of that bluetooth uses about 2 ma. Wifi uses 30 ma. So by those numbers one can deduce that in a headset device that gets 30 hours on bluetooth, it would get 25 hours of play, if left on wifi. That would make me pause and consider a headset where I can decide if I want superior audio performance with 17% less battery life, or I can turn off wifi and get the good ole bluetooth experience. But that's not what Sonos gave me. They gave me what everyone else is doing. Which is taking away a reason I should buy them instead of everyone else. Think about that. :)
 
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While I’m very happy with the Sonos setup in our house, I’ve ultimately been spoiled by Apple and the ecosystem because the fact I can go into any of our rooms with an ATV and immediately pair to it with a pair of AirPods is the height of convenience that just can’t be beat.

So it’s a wait for the gen 2 Max’s for me.
 
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