I tested the Sonos Arc Ultra with the Ace headphones – here are four things I like, and two things I don't

I really need a new TV. I've known this for a while, but there's nothing like partnering it with a new piece of hardware to really ram home the point.

I mean look at it with the Sonos Arc Ultra above. It's like adding Formula One wheels to a Fiat Uno.

But this article isn't about my geriatric TV. It's about the Arc Ultra and how it works with the Sonos Ace headphones.

When partnered, the two can work together with the TV Audio Swap feature, which lets you 'swap' the audio from the soundbar to the headphones at the touch of a button.

I gave it a thorough testing over the last few weeks and here are four things I loved about it, and two things I didn't.

Four things to love

1. Simple set up
Sonos is known for its ease of use, and getting the Arc Ultra and Ace to work together is suitably straightforward. Get them both onto the same wi-fi network, follow the on-screen prompts within the app, and that's it, job done. You're up and running in just a couple of minutes.

2. Ease of use
The TV Audio Swap is a nice little feature that 'swaps' the audio from the soundbar to the headphones at the touch of a button. All you have to do is press and hold the content button on the headphones to switch the audio from the soundbar to the headphones. Just do the same again to switch it back.

You can even pair more than one set of Ace headphones, so two people can watch together. Though the idea of both watching a film wearing headphones seems a bit strange.

3. Wearer detection
Take the Ace headphones off your head and the headphone audio mutes. It doesn’t swap to the soundbar – which I feared it might – so you don’t have to worry about disturbing anyone else in the house with your viewing.

4. No more bugs
When we reviewed the Ace headphones, we tried out TV Audio Swap, but ran into a few issues: "There are a couple of occasions when switching to the headphones that the sound distorts and crackles," we wrote in our review. We also had some lip-syncing issues.

Thankfully I experienced none of these during all my testing, so hopefully they've been squashed for good.

Two things I didn't love

1. Volume adjustment methods
You change the soundbar's volume using your TV remote – or in my case, the Sky Q remote – but to change the volume on the headphones requires pressing the volume control on the ear cup. It might be asking a bit much to control headphones with a TV remote control, but it would make the experience much more seamless. As it is, it's a bit disjointed.

2. Volume difference
When it comes to volume, the two devices are not on the same page. The volume of one bears no relation to the volume of the other.

So if you turn down the volume on the TV then swap, the headphones will output at a different volume altogether. Swap back to the TV and the same thing happens, rather than defaulting to the set's previous volume level (or, ideally, matching the headphones' volume). Which could prompt some mad scrabbles for the remote in order to turn it down.

This seems a big oversight in a feature one of whose main uses will be to stop disturbing light sleepers during late night viewing.

Verdict

TV Audio Swap is a neat feature, especially if you want to avoid disturbing the kids or neighbours during late-night viewing. There is a slight delay when swapping the audio, and the volume could do with some ironing out, but otherwise it works nicely.

It almost certainly doesn't make the Sonos Ace headphones worth buying on its own for most people, especially when the competition at this level is so fierce. The likes of the Sony WH-1000XM6, B&W PX7 S3 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones all outdo the Ace in one way or another, and in some cases cost less to boot.

But if you own a compatible Sonos soundbar and like the idea of regularly using this feature, the Ace are worth considering, especially now they're coming down in price.

MORE:

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

And our Sonos Ace review

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

And the best wireless headphones