I have had these for exactly 5 days now so consider this as an early impression.

BUILD - These are very well built headphones. The whole package is fantastic. The ear cups are soft, the outer shell is soft touch and metal hinge is engineered extremely well. The case, well only time will tell how it fairs. My carry case has already had some scratches just by being in the bag, and I’m least bothered. After all it’s a case. I like it’s made of recycled plastic. Case is also super sleek and light which should be a goal for any headphones. Don’t add bulk where not needed. The zipper on the case, is fun to use but I would give it some time to see how it fairs in the future.

SOUND - These headphones are perfectly balanced. They aren’t the loudest of the lot. They sound the best when ANC is switched on. Special mention of incredible ANC algorithm, as it doesn’t vacuum your ears or create that weird feeling. I have been able to hear every instrument incredibly separated well. Sometimes the sound is all over, left ear, right or behind. Great soundstage. The EQ helps to boost up the sound to your liking.

AWARE MODE - initially I didn’t like the way it worked as Apple’s transparency mode is industry standard. But more I use it, I find SONOS took a different route with their thinking here. Aware mode amplifies sounds around you and that isn’t a bad thing.

COMFORT - Special mention of Sonos hardware team to engineer such a perfect metal hinge and headband. This is the first headphone where I haven’t felt the headband at all. No clamping pressure. The earcups are comfortable, easy to clean and love the magnetic system sonos worked on. Personally I find them way better than any other headphones I have tried, especially miles ahead of AirPods Max! But my ears still heat up after a while and I need to remove them for a bit to get comfortable (Anyone else feeling the same? Maybe it’s my issue, just the way my ears are shaped 😅)

BATTERY LIFE - I have used them for about 12-13 hours now over few days and I’m just at 58%. So looks like they will indeed last 30 hours of promised battery life.

CONCLUSION - I am still testing them out and right now on a plane (and ANC is working completely fine) I will keep them a week or two more to decide if I keep them or try out other offerings in market.

Thank you for reading and AMA you might have on Sonos ACE.