Sonos's Ace articles cover four sound levers. EQ: in the Sonos app go to Settings, choose the headphones under Headphones, Sound, EQ and drag Bass and Treble; Loudness boosts bass at low volume; the first-time update also lets you adjust EQ. Spatial audio: with the headphones connected to an iOS or Android device, Ace plays spatial music from Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music and TIDAL, and Head Tracking, under Sound in the app, dynamically adjusts playback as you move your head.
TV Audio Swap: spatial audio and Dynamic Head Tracking can be set for TV audio, giving surround from Atmos content and a virtualised mix for stereo. Noise Control: Noise Canceling, Aware Mode and Adaptive Cancellation change how much of the world you hear, and a poor fit weakens ANC. If sound is thin or muddy, reset EQ to neutral, check the source's quality, re-seat the earcups, update the headphones and re-pair. Headphone linking on the Ace Ultra uses lossy stereo and does not support lossless or spatial audio.
Differential
Likely causes of “Sonos Ace headphones sounds distorted, muffled or unbalanced”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
EQ is at an extreme
What separates it The sound is muddy or thin because the EQ is set to an extreme
How to confirm Reset Bass and Treble to neutral, and listen again
- 2
A poor fit
What separates it The bass and the noise canceling are weak because the headphones do not fit well
How to confirm Re seat the ear cups, and enable Adaptive Cancellation, then listen again
- 3
The source is low quality
What separates it The sound is flat because the source is low quality
How to confirm Play a spatial or high quality source, to compare it with the first one
- 4
Head tracking or spatial audio is misbehaving
What separates it The sound seems to move because head tracking or spatial audio is misbehaving
How to confirm Toggle Head Tracking off and on, and listen again
- 5
A weak Bluetooth link
What separates it The sound is choppy because the Bluetooth link is weak
How to confirm Stay within thirty feet of the source, for a steady Bluetooth link
- 6
Lossy stream over headphone linking
What separates it Spatial or lossless quality is missing on an Ace Ultra link
How to confirm Use Bluetooth or TV Audio Swap for spatial audio instead
- 7
A stale software version
What separates it The sound settings behave oddly because the software version is stale
How to confirm Update the headphones in the app, and then listen again
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The source: music service, TV Audio Swap or a file
- The EQ and Noise Control settings
- Whether spatial audio and head tracking are on
Try in this order
0 of 9 completedReset the EQ
ReversibleReset the EQ, by going to Settings, the headphones, Sound and EQ, and setting the sliders neutral.
Check the fit
ReversibleCheck the fit, by re seating the ear cups so that they seal around the ears.
Check Noise Control
ReversibleCheck Noise Control, and try Noise Canceling with Adaptive Cancellation switched on, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Try spatial audio
ReversibleTry spatial audio, by playing spatial content from Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited or TIDAL.
Toggle head tracking
ReversibleToggle head tracking, under Sound, by turning Head Tracking off and then on, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Update
ReversibleUpdate the headphones, by checking for headphone updates in the Sonos app, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Contact Sonos
ReversibleContact Sonos Support if the sound is distorted after these steps, giving them the model.
Compare sources
ReversibleCompare sources by playing the same track from two services, to separate the source from the headphones.
Check for updates
ReversibleCheck for updates, by going to Settings, the headphones, About and then Software Updates, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Spatial audio
- Sonos says the Ace and Ace Ultra play spatial music from Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music and TIDAL when connected to an iOS or Android device.
- EQ
- Bass, Treble and Loudness are in Settings, the headphones, Sound, EQ.
- Lossy versus lossless
- Sonos says an Ace Ultra headphone link session uses a lossy stereo stream, so lossless and spatial audio need a Bluetooth or TV Audio Swap connection.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the sound is distorted at low volume with neutral EQ and no ANC, contact Sonos Support
- !If one earcup sounds different after a reboot, contact Sonos
- !If spatial audio never works, check the service and update
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
The EQ steps and settings.
Services offering spatial music and Head Tracking.
Spatial audio and Dynamic Head Tracking for TV.
Adaptive Cancellation and the modes.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Where is the EQ?+
Settings, choose your headphones, Sound, EQ.
Which services offer spatial music?+
Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music and TIDAL.
What is Head Tracking?+
It adjusts spatial audio as you move your head.
Does the fit matter?+
Yes, especially for ANC and bass.
Can I use spatial audio for TV?+
Yes, through TV Audio Swap with a supported soundbar.
Does headphone linking support lossless?+
No, on the Ace Ultra it is lossy stereo.
Does the software matter?+
Yes, the software matters, so keep the headphones updated in the app.