Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) vs Sonos Ace

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AirPods Max (USB-C) compared with Ace

	AppleAirPods Max (USB-C)	SonosAce
Overview
Released
Released	September 2024	June 2024
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	40 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC and aptX Lossless
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	Yes	Yes
Chip
Chip	H1	–
Drivers
Drivers	Apple-designed dynamic driver	Custom-designed 40 mm dynamic driver in each cup
Chip
Chip	H1 in each ear cup	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode	Active Noise Cancellation that adapts to fit and surroundings; Aware mode blends in ambient sound; sidetone lets you hear your own voice on calls with noise cancelling on
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Lossless Audio and ultra-low latency audio via USB-C; analogue sources need Apple's USB-C to 3.5 mm Audio Cable, sold separately	Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos; Sonos Intelligent Motion Processing with Dolby Head Tracking (turned on in the Sonos app); TrueCinema maps your room to render virtual surround sound from a Sonos soundbar; TV Audio Swap from Sonos Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam or Ray, to one or two pairs at once; adjustable bass, treble and loudness in the Sonos app; lossless audio over USB-C (USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to 3.5 mm) or over Bluetooth with Snapdragon Sound aptX Lossless on supported Android devices
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours of movie playback with ANC and Spatial Audio on; storing them in the Smart Case puts them in an ultra-low-power state	1060 mAh Li-ion battery; up to 30 hours of listening or 24 hours of calls with noise cancelling or Aware mode on
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes of charging gives around 1.5 hours of listening	3 minutes of charging from empty gives 3 hours of listening; full charge in up to 3 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	386.2 g	312 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.4
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Digital Crown (turn for volume; press once to play, pause or answer a call; twice to end a call or skip forward; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri); noise control button to switch between ANC and Transparency; “Hey Siri”	Power/Bluetooth button; Content Key for playback, volume, calls and TV Audio Swap; Noise Control button to switch between noise cancelling and Aware mode; wear detection pauses playback when you take the headphones off
Microphones
Microphones	Nine microphones in total, eight for Active Noise Cancellation and three for voice pickup (two shared with ANC)	Eight microphones for noise control and voice targeting; beamforming for calls; mesh over the microphones reduces wind noise
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	–	Memory foam cushions in vegan leather, replaceable; the right cup has a contrasting colour inside; folds flat into a slim travel case with a magnetically detachable cable pouch; 191 × 160 × 85 mm
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No water resistance rating published
Case weight
Case weight	134.5 g (Smart Case)	–
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint to two devices; Sonos app for iOS and Android; connects over Wi-Fi to a Sonos home cinema player for TV Audio Swap
Colours
Colours	Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, Orange	Black, Soft White
In the box
In the box	AirPods Max, Smart Case, USB-C Charge Cable, documentation	Headphones, travel case with cable pouch, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to 3.5 mm cable