It's Better! 😯 Sonos Ace Review vs AirPods Max vs Bose QC Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
We're comparing the Sonos Ace to some of the most powerful active noise cancellers: the AirPods Max, the Bose QC Ultra, and the Sony WH-1000XM5. We'll run tests to compare their microphone pickup, active noise cancelling and sound quality. After that, we'll discuss whether you should choose the Sonos Ace or one of these competitors.
Microphone Quality Comparison
The Sonos Ace sounds great in both quiet and noisy conditions. While it didn’t cut as much background noise as the Sonys, which have the best mics in this comparison, but it was very close. The AirPods Max had the most natural voice pickup, but its noise gating was cutting into my voice a bit too aggressively. The same goes for the Bose QC Ultra.
👉 Have a listen to the microphone quality samples.
(Mic tested in both quiet and noisy conditions using loud cafe noise and wind noise from the fan.)
Active Noise Canceling Comparison
In terms of active noise canceling, the Bose QC Ultra appears to cancel more noise than the Sonos Ace across the whole spectrum, from the lows to the highs. The AirPods Max is slightly more powerful against midrange chatter, however it seems to be the weakest at rejecting sub bass rumble. The Sonys don’t cut as much upper bass to mid frequency noise as the others, but it seems to cut more low frequency rumble than the Sonos. In fact, when I compared them on a plane, the Sonys did cut more rumble, but the Sonos was more effective at cancelling the upper bass and mids frequencies, so the sounds of crying babies are a lot more muffled. THAT was a lifesaver.
👉 Have a listen to the ANC samples.
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Transparency
In terms of transparency, it’s a close fight but I believe the Bose has the most natural-sounding transparency. Many people claim the AirPods Max is the best at transparency, and these are indeed extremely transparent. However, the Airpods Max tends to exaggerate the upper mids and highs to create a sense of crispness, which ends up sounding less natural because voices, and even the typing sounds of keyboards, don’t sound as bright in real life.
The Sonos is just a little less natural-sounding than the AirPods, because they apply more compression, making soft sounds sound louder and less transparent in the lower and mid-range frequencies. But, they do sound more natural in the highs, so overall, I would say it’s pretty close to the AirPods Max. The Sonys sound the least transparent of the bunch, because, although they are good at amplifying background noise with no hiss, when you speak to someone on the phone, their voices still seem a little obscured in comparison to the Sonos Ace.
Sound Quality
Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max
In terms of sound quality, the Sonos does very well at resolving transient detail. Its dynamic range will definitely satisfy more demanding listeners, as it reveals subtle hearing details that can’t be heard easily. That to me is the most enjoyable thing about the Ace.
Interestingly, frequency sweeps of their default tuning show that the Sonos Ace’s tuning is quite similar to the AirPods Max. Both are in the sense that they’re not as bass heavy, instead emphasising the prominence and crispness of the mids more. However the AirPods do sound crisper in the upper mids and treble than the Sonos.
Sonos Ace vs Bose QC Ultra
Compared to the Bose QC Ultra, the Bose’s bass is much heavier, allowing so it to reproduce LFE better, while maintaining brightness and clarity in the upper mids, so vocals still sound crisp.
Sonos Ace vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Among the competitors, the Sonys have flatter mids, making vocals sound more full bodied. However, the Sonys also sound brighter in the upper mids, which makes vocals sound more striking compared to the Sonos. They are also the most bass heavy, especially in the region above 100hz. If you’re wondering about their volume, the Sonys are the loudest at 60% volume, followed by the Sonos, then the Bose, and finally the AirPods have the least loudness, about 4db lower than the Sonos at 60% volume.
👉 Have a listen to the sound samples.
(Tip: To compare their sound quality to other headphones, visit loudnwireless.com/soundsamples.)
Buy Sonos Ace or AirPods Max?
So, should you buy the Sonos Ace or the AirPods Max? In my opinion, most people will be happier with the Sonos Ace. Here’s why: while I like the AirPods Max and immersed in the Apple ecosystem. It’s so convenient being able to switch the audio seamlessly between all my Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and getting notifications read aloud. However, it is only with Apple devices that you get to unlock all of the AirPods Max’s features like customising their sound, spatial audio with head tracking, seamless switching and firmware updates.
Moreover, the Sonos Ace is different, it has a lot more flexibility. With the Sonos app, you can customise their bass and treble, and get firmware updates on both iOS and Android.
While spatial audio is limited to Sonos Soundbars, you can still use head tracking with any source. The Sonos also supports multipoint pairing, which is important for me, because I like to stay connected to my Windows PC and my phone at the same time. A feature not available with AirPods Max, but you can do it with the Sonos. Their mic pickup is better in noisy conditions, and they’re also more comfortable to wear than the AirPods. Although they clamp tighter than the AirPods but they’re much lighter, so you don’t feel as much weight after a few hours. Performance wise, they’re very close to the AirPods Max, so I believe more people will be happier with the Sonos than the AirPods.
Buy Sonos Ace or Bose QC Ultra?
Between the Sonos Ace and the Bose QC Ultra, I prefer the QC Ultra mainly because I enjoy its sound quality more. As a basshead, the Bose just gives me more kick. Additionally, the Ultra also has immersive mode which lets you upmix all your audio into spatial versions, with head tracking as an option. You can activate head tracking from the headphones, while the Sonos only allows head tracking activation through its app.
The Bose also provides greater sound customisation through EQ presets and a simple graphic EQ compared to just the bass and treble controls of the Sonos, giving me more flexibility from the Bose overall.
They’re a bit more comfortable to wear because they’re lighter than the Sonos. It folds in smaller, and comes with a smaller case. Furthermore, its noise cancelling and transparency features are better, making the Bose a compelling choice.
On the other hand, some compelling reasons to get the Sonos is its mic pickup has better noise filtering. If you own a Sonos Soundbar you can toggle the audio between the soundbar and the headphones over WiFi which gives you 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos from supported content. You can even calibrate its spatial audio to sound even more realistic with TrueCinema.
At the moment these features only apply to the Sonos Arc, but eventually the Ray and the Beam will also support this feature.
Buy Sonos Ace or Sony WH-1000XM5?
Between the Sonos Ace and the XM5, I do feel that the Sonys to be more comfortable with their lighter and clamp gently. It also has a more spacious soundstage and bass performance by default, and it offers more ways to customize its sound to your preference whether through EQ presets, a graphic EQ, or Find Your Equalizer which auto-suggests a setting based on your taste in sound.
Also, it’s not possible to adjust the intensity of the Sonos’s transparency, which can be done on the XM5. The XM5 also supports LDAC which streams at a higher bandwidth compared to aptX Adaptive or HD, and Sony’s own DSEE Extreme which patches up missing bits of signal that could have been lost in transmission. That is something audiophiles do pay attention to.
So, if you prioritise flexibility, better comfort and Hi-Res certified audio, the XM5 is the better choice. On the other hand, if you want better transparency mode and effective cancellation of mid-range frequencies such as human chatter or crying babies on planes, the Sonos Ace is preferable. Based on my personal experience using them on a plane, the Sonos Ace is good at muffling mid-range frequencies effectively.
Check in the links below for the latest prices:
Sonos Ace - https://amzn.to/3xhgg9t
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones - https://amzn.to/3UecNzS
AirPods Max - https://amzn.to/3AoiHX3
Sony WH-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/4bIqJtZ
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