How Sonos plans to market its new Ace high-end headphones in a noisy category

When it comes to high-end wireless headphones, there are plenty of major players on the market. But Sonos — a longtime leader in the speaker category — has a plan for competing in the crowded category while also reaching new audiences.

Along with spatial audio and noise-canceling features, Sonos Ace headphones also offer a way to switch back and forth between the company’s home theater soundbars to let people have immersive audio even while watching movies and shows on a big screen. Early reviews have praised Ace for its design and audio quality, but the challenge will be winning over people who have been longtime listeners of competitors like Bose and Apple. The product comes after Sonos debuted its first spatial audio speaker in April 2023 with the debut of the Era 300.

The Ace, which started shipping this week, cost $450 and come in two color options: black and soft white. However, headphones are something current Sonos customers have been asking about for a while, said Sonos chief commercial officer Deirdre Findlay. Even before the Ace was announced last month, more than 50,000 people have requested Sonos make its own headphones, according to Findlay, who spent several years on the company’s board.

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