New Sonos Ace headphones are already almost 20% off for Black Friday – but I’d avoid them (and buy these instead)

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Sonos’ debut wireless headphones have only been on the market for a few months, but they’re already being discounted in the UK – and more often than I tend to see, new (and even old) Sonos kits are being reduced in price.

The Sonos Ace are indeed now 17 percent off at Amazon And Seven oaksbringing the price to a more palatable – but still very premium – £369. They actually are slightly cheaper at AV.comalthough there is only one pair in stock at the time of writing.

The best early Black Friday deal on the Sonos Ace

Sonos Ace €449 now £369 at Amazon (save £80)
Sonos’ first-ever headphones are certainly ambitious, combining high-end Bluetooth codec support with active noise cancellation, spatial audio and exclusive Sonos-focused features. However, their performance lets them down somewhat.
Also deal at Sevenoaks
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Normally, such a generous discount on a Sonos product is not to be sneezed at. If you see a good discount on one Sonos Beam soundbar or Speaker from era 100 in the early Black Friday salesFor example, I’d encourage you to buy it if you’re looking for great TV or smart home sound. But in the case of this deal for the company’s Ace headphones, I’m afraid I can’t be quite as excited – not least because there are plenty of cheaper options available.

See, when Which hi-fi?‘s review team went with them for twelve rounds, they were surprisingly disappointed. Their spec sheet indicated an all-round hit, thanks to their high-end aptX Lossless Bluetooth support, active noise cancellation, spatial audio, exclusive Sonos ecosystem features, and 30 hours of battery life. But their performance, in both sound quality and noise cancellation, was not up to par: the class leaders at (and below) their asking price performed noticeably better in both respects. “Ultimately, the Ace’s secure sound is put to the test by several competing headphones that are more exciting, detailed, dynamic and expressive across the board. Both their ANC and call quality could be improved,” concluded our three-star Sonos Ace review.

Does this £80 price reduction make them better value? Well, a little, but it’s still true that you can get a lot more performance for the same money, or less elsewhere…

The best deals on the best Sonos Ace alternatives

Sony WH-1000XM5 amounted to £379 now £274 at Richer Sounds (save £105)
Sony’s latest and greatest wireless over-ear noise canceling headphones are the best in class in their premium segment, offering more effective ANC and more insightful and entertaining sound than the Ace. They also have a 30-hour battery life, but no spatial audio support. Great buys – I use these daily – although I expect them to drop to around £260 (the lowest price ever) as Black Friday approaches.
Which hi-fi? Winner of the prizes

Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 reviewView offer

Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones amounted to £450 now £379 at Amazon (save £80)
Bose’s over-ear flagships also got a full five-star rating from us, and for good reason. They offer the best noise cancellation available, plus rich and immersive sound that’s also better than the Ace. If spatial audio is a must, know that they have their own take on it (‘Immersive Audio’). And a battery life of 24 hours isn’t bad either. This early Black Friday discount is very welcome, although we’ve seen them drop to £329 before.

Read our Bose QC Ultra headphones reviewView offer

Both the £274 Sony WH-1000XM5 And £379 Bose QC Ultra headphones above are better buys than the Sonos Ace, mainly because of their superior noise cancellation and sound quality. At the moment the Sonys are the better value of the two pairs, with almost £100 separating them, but if you value spatial audio and really want the all the best noise cancellation, you could very well side with the Ultra. Us Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones vs Sony WH-1000XM5 comparison can further assist in that decision.

Can’t you afford it either?
The top segment, five star Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless are currently fantastic value, simply £199 at Amazon thanks to a discount of 36 percent. They’re more similar to the Sonys in terms of features, leaving out things like spatial audio, although they do offer high-quality aptX Adaptive Bluetooth and an incredible 60 hours of battery life, plus competitive sound and noise cancellation that’s not far off. the Sony’s not at all. Top, top value, people.

iPhone user?
If you’re an Apple loyalist and have money to spend, you should definitely consider the AirPods Max, which sound better than the Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and Sonos pairs, but cost considerably more – £449.10 at 2am (original model with Lightning connector) or £499 at Amazon (newer version with USB-C connector). We expect the latter to also reach closer to £450 over the official Black Friday weekend.

MORE:

Dive into all the differences: Sonos Ace vs Sony WH-1000XM5 And Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones

Check out our long list of the best early black friday headphone deals

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