Travelling alone can be daunting but one thing that works to keep me entertained is good music and there’s not been a trip where I’ve not taken my trusted Sonos Ace headphones.
As Sonos’ first venture into wearable tech, the Sonos Ace is packed with their audio engineering best and left many fans impressed. Awarded by Time Magazine as one of 200 best inventions in 2024, the headphones are retailed for £449 on official website but I’ve found discounts on Amazon and John Lewis, with the black version reduced to £299 and the white edition, now at £279.
These cans were my companion when I did a solo trip to Florence, Italy for four days and there’s one feature that keeps me safe and sound throughout. Instead of a touch control panel, Sonos prefers to use pressable buttons, giving a sense of control wherever I am.
When I was queuing to get in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the third largest church in the world, the Sonos Ace kept me entertained while others spent their time chatting with friends or playing mini games to pass time. The custom-designed drivers work to render each frequency with impeccable precision and clarity so I could fully immerse myself into the music.
Putting on Noise Cancellation mode filtered out all the surrounding noise – it muted the sound of a crying child in front of me and the loud tourist group who decided to play games while waiting. During my one-hour queue, I stayed on high alert for safety and made use of the quick switch button to alternative between noise cancellation and “aware mode” whenever I needed.
It took me a second to do so and it’s been a huge improvement compared to my previous Sony XM5 headphones, which took me awhile to remember the swipe gesture to turn on ‘aware mode’. If Sony is more up your street then Argos are still running a sale with £50 cut off the price – buy here.
The cushions on the pair are so comfortable that I could wear all day long without feeling a clamping force. The Sonos Ace are made to look and feel as good as it sounds – the sleek matte finish won’t leave any fingerprint marks and the sleek metal finish gives it ewellery-like accessories.
Despite the travel case is lightweight, it’s still bulky to carry around though and I hope Sonos consider launching a sleeve pouch so I can ditch carrying the case and give my headphones equal protection.
The current sale at John Lewis is the cheapest price I’ve seen since it’s launched in May – you can get the white version for £279 at John Lewis or the black ones for £299 at Amazon.
If you are worried of getting discomfort from wearing headphones, you can consider Jabra’s Elite 10 Gen 2 Wireless Buds. The in-ear sets also feature Dolby Atmos and spatial audio head tracking and they are now reduced from £249 to £179.99. You can also read my full review here.
Another option this Black Friday is the Bose Quiet Comfort pair which Deputy Tech editor Henry Burrell recommends. You can read his full review here.