Sonos Ace gets more useful for Sonos soundbar owners

The Sonos Ace headphones arrived with the promise of an easy TV Audio Swap feature that’d make it easier to transfer the TVs audio to and from Sonos soundbars.

Upon launch, the feature was only available on the flagship Sonos Arc soundbar making the headphones a little less exciting for those soundbar owners farther down the trough.

That changes today with an update that means the TV audio swap feature will now be available on the Sonos Ray and the Sonos Beam (generation 1 and 2).

The update, which was promised by Sonos back in June, comes through the update to the much maligned new Sonos app. Once it is installed Ace users will be able to commandeer the TV audio from the Sonos soundbar simply by pressing the content button on the right ear of the headphones. The feature can be turned off in the same way.

The tech is achieved by making a direct Wi-Fi connection between the Ace headphones and the Sonos soundbar so, the audio is still transmitted through the HDMI eArc port from the TV to the soundbar but then from the soundbar to the headphones. Handily, when you send the audio back to the soundbars, it will do so at a lower volume so you don’t blast everyone in the living room.

Today’s update makes the Sonos Ace headphones much more atractive for those who’re already in the Sonos ecosystem. Our reviewer was impressed with the first pair of headphones from the long-time multiroom specialist. But decided there was plenty od room for improvement.

The Sonos Ace got a four-star score, with Kob Monney concluding: “A very good attempt at a pair of headphones from the Sonos, but the Ace are beaten in several areas by more experienced rivals. The levels of comfort and the TV Audio Swap feature are excellent, though the Ace doesn’t feel like it’s the complete package, especially for the high asking price.”