Sonos has delivered on its promise to expand TV audio swap for its new Ace headphones, which launched in June. When the premium cans arrived, support for the TV sound-switching feature was limited to the Arc soundbar. But starting on Tuesday, Ace owners can swap their audio with the Ray and both generations of the Beam.
After installing today’s update through the Sonos app, Ace users can move audio from their TV to their headphones by pressing the content key on their right ear cup. Alternatively, the Sonos app can do the same. The feature works on iOS and Android after being limited to iOS on the headphones’ arrival.
TV audio swap supports spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, so you can feel “centered in the action,” as a Sonos spokesperson put it. Engadget’s audio gear expert, Billy Steele, was impressed with how the feature worked with the NBA playoffs on TNT. “Regularly, the commentary trio is clear with a bit of crowd noise in the background, but after Sonos does its tricks, the announcers are more prominent and dynamic. Plus, the cheers of the crowd envelope you so it feels more like you’re in the arena.”
“TV Audio Swap really is as quick and easy as pressing a button,” he wrote in our Ace headphones review.
Once activated, the feature works through a Wi-Fi chip inside the headphones that takes over to receive the soundbar’s signals. Low-energy Bluetooth will remain connected to your phone for controls and settings, although there’s one caveat: You’ll have to un-swap the audio to reconnect Bluetooth if a call comes in while watching.