Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST experience with the Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra and tell you which is better, after personally owning both products. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the best overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
I’ve also conducted a separate in-depth Sonos Ace Review and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Review, for those who are interested in reading more detailed thoughts about each headphone after. (Links open in a new tab.)
Key Takeaways
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra has superior audiophile sound quality than the Sonos Ace.
- Both headphones are fairly tied in world-class comfort and active noise cancelling performance.
- The Sonos Ace is typically around $20 to $70 more expensive than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, depending on sales.
Watch this Comparison on YouTube!
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Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Price Compared
Overall, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is anywhere from $20 to $70 cheaper than the Sonos Ace at current market prices for brand new. They can be much closer in price depending on current sales, and whether you’re buying new, renewed, or used.
Sonos Ace Prices
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Prices
- Retail: $429.00
- New: $429
- Renewed: $329 (save up to $100!)
- Used: $340 (save up to $80!)
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Comfort
These are two of the most comfortable headphones I have tested to date.
On my scale, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is 63.7 grams lighter than the Sonos Ace:
- Sonos Ace weight: 318.1 grams
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra weight: 254.4 grams
Despite being heavier, the Sonos Ace simply feels like a cloud.
I really like the premium leather grain and cushioning on the headband and earpads. I feel very little top-of-head pressure or clamping force from the Sonos Ace. It feels just right.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra is just as comfortable as the Sonos Ace, along with being over 60 grams lighter.
The QC Ultra has similar plushness of the headband and earpad cushioning, along with being lighter.
These are currently the two most comfortable headphones in this class.
Sonos Ace Comfort: 5 out of 5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Comfort: 5 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
These are both modern headphones with roughly the same features such as built-in microphones for calls, Active Noise Cancelling, and Transparency Mode.
One standout feature that the Sonos Ace has over the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is true Dolby Atmos support with its Spatial Audio.
Bose instead features their own “Immersive Audio”, which is similar but not Dolby Atmos, the standard in Spatial Audio.
Both the Sonos Ace and Bose QC Ultra include a hardshell case, although these headphones doesn’t fold or collapse so they’re bulkier than Bose, for example.
Build Quality
The Sonos Ace has slightly better build quality than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, although they use similar materials.
Both headphones feature metal for the hinges, but mostly plastic in the headband and earcup exterior.
The Sonos Ace feels more premium and durable, featuring AirPods Max-inspired metal hinges.
No question, the Sonos Ace looks and feels more worthy of a $400+ pricetag for a headphone.
Looks
The Bose Ultra looks more understated and a tad more generic/bland compared to the Sonos Ace.
They’re fairly sleek, but don’t stand out as a $400+ headphone.
Meanwhile, the Sonos Ace is a sleek fashion statement on par with the AirPods Max.
The metal hinges exude a bit of luxury, with the pleasing form of the round earcups looking great when worn.
Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Battery Life Compared
The Sonos Ace has up to 6 hours more battery life on a single charge.
- Sonos Ace Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
In my testing, I found both of these manufacturer’s battery ratings to be accurate.
The Sonos is above average here, but still half of the class-leading Sennheiser Momentum 4 at 60 hours.
Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Noise Cancelling: Which is better?
Prior to the Sonos Ace, I had put the noise cancelling of the Bose QC Ultra and Sony XM5 in a tier of their own, that being world-class and the current best available.
To my surprise, the Sonos Ace seems to be about on par with both the Bose and Sony in its debut.
I think one factor that contributes to the Sonos Ace’s effective noise cancelling is a very tight physical seal due to the fatter earpad cushions and oval shape.
My ears are snug inside and even with ANC turned OFF, the passive noise isolation is already effective at blocking out a lot of external noise.
Both the Bose QC Ultra and Sonos Ace should handle your ANC needs without issue.
Sonos Ace Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 5 out of 5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Features / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 5 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Sound Quality Comparison
On the Stock Sound…
Comparing the sound quality of these two headphones completely stock, I might slightly prefer the Sonos Ace.
To be honest, this has more to do with the Bose QC Ultra’s underwhelming stock tuning, which is much less balanced than the Ace.
Fortunately for the Bose, custom EQ makes a massive difference in unleashing its full sound quality potential.
The Sonos Ace only has a very basic 2-band EQ that only allows you to alter Bass or Treble, and honestly it’s not an ideal solution. Modifying this doesn’t have the same impact as Bose’s 3-band EQ. So I’m testing the Sonos Ace stock.
Best Equalizer Settings for Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Bass: -6
- Mid: +4
- Treble: +2
Result: Much more balanced, hyper-detailed, “neutral bright” sound. Bass is much more controlled yet still present and impactful. Treble is intentionally pushed forward to bring out all the micro-detail.
First Impressions and Overall Sound Signatures Compared
Immediately, the EQ’d Bose QC Ultra has a much more detailed and open sound, with a fuller representation of the entire frequency response.
There’s a bigger sense of space and soundstage in the QC Ultra, making the Sonos Ace’s soundstage feel narrow and more compressed.
The Bose simply has higher resolution, clarity, separation, and layering than the “2D” Sonos Ace.
The Ace does manage Rock, Metal, Acoustic, Classical, and Jazz quite well, even stock without EQ. It’s more of a treble-focused sound signature, with some mids, but also some wonkiness in the frequency response. The bass is a bit lacking depending on the track, especially the sub-bass and slam.
Bass
The Bose has great sub-bass response that has good quantity and more slam than the Sonos.
On the other hand, the Ace could use more slam and bass quantity to be satisfying for the more modern genres, so this is where it falls a bit short. It is clean bass, however, which I do appreciate.
Mids
Mids is a closer comparison, as the Ace does a good job of creating a realistic and natural timbre for instruments like drums especially.
The QC Ultra is more detailed than it is realistic, but still very flattering for vocals.
Treble
The Sonos Ace has a sharpness and sibilance to its treble than doesn’t seem to go away even with EQ. This is much more apparent on modern Pop songs than older music.
This is the issue with having such a simple 2-band EQ like the Sonos.
In contrast, the QC Ultra absolutely excels in the treble region over pretty much any headphone in this class.
The Bose simply sounds ultra-detailed, while still maintaining a smooth sound with little to no sibilance found.
Audiophile and Overall Thoughts
When it comes to sound quality, the EQ’d Bose QC Ultra is audiophile-worthy, while the Sonos Ace is just a “pretty good wireless headphone”.
Frankly, I find the Sonos Ace’s sound quality in a tier below the Bose QC Ultra, Momentum 4, AirPods Max, and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e.
The Sonos Ace simply doesn’t compete on the level of resolution, detail, and separation as the headphones listed above.
But it is still a decent consumer headphone for listening mostly to Rock, Metal, Acoustic, Classical, and Jazz. It’s also pretty enjoyable for consuming dialogue-based media like TV Shows, Movies, YouTube, and Podcasts.
Sonos Ace Sound Quality: 8.1 out of 10
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Sound Quality: 8.9 out of 10 (after EQ)
Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Value
The newer Sonos Ace retails at $449 USD, while the Bose QC Ultra retails at $429 USD.
At the time of this writing, the current market prices are down to $419 for the Sonos, and as low as $349 for the QC Ultra.
Simply put, the slightly less expensive QC Ultra is a better value due to its superior sound quality, while equalling the Sonos Ace pretty much everywhere else except premium build quality and feel.
Sonos Ace Value: 3.5 out of 5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Value: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Sonos Ace Overall Rating
- Top notch noise cancelling performance
- Incredible comfort and build quality
- Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
- Expensive!
- Sound quality is average for the price
- Slightly compressed sound and soundstage
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Overall Rating
- Audiophile-level sound quality (after EQ)
- Unrivaled noise cancelling performance
- Amazingly comfortable and lightweight
- Expensive
- Sound signature without EQ is disappointing
- Materials feel mediocre for price
Overall Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra beats the Sonos Ace by a good margin in today’s head-to-head comparison.
Both headphones are fairly tied in Comfort and Noise Cancelling Performance, but the Bose is in another tier of sound quality compared to the Sonos Ace.
The Sonos Ace presents a lesser value considering it’s more expensive, but does have a more premium look and feel as a $400 headphone.
Personally, I would happily choose the QC Ultra over the Sonos Ace as sound quality is my #1 priority, especially if I can get a pair for $349 which is a particularly stellar value.
Some very Strong Alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Apple AirPods Max
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- Beats Studio Pro
Some Relevant Comparisons in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sonos Ace vs AirPods Max
- Sonos Ace vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sonos Ace vs Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
I highly recommend you check those out next!
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Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save up to $100 or more?
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Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, musician, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
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Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Review
