Dyson OnTrac vs Sonos Ace: What’s the difference?

Dyson has just announced its newest pair of headphones, OnTrac. Set to launch in August, the headphones are certainly a more traditional pair compared to the Dyson Zone.

We’ve compared the specs of the Dyson OnTrac to the four-star Sonos Ace pair, so you can see what’s the difference between the premium headphones.

The Ace is less expensive in the US

The Sonos Ace are available to buy now, the Dyson OnTrac headphones are launching officially on the 1st August from Dyson’s official website.

The Sonos Ace are slightly cheaper than the Dyson OnTrac, with an RRP of £449 / $449, whereas the Dyson OnTrac will start at £449 / $529. 

Both feature Active Noise Cancelling

Both the Dyson OnTrac and Sonos Ace headphones feature active noise cancelling (ANC) which removes unwanted external sound for an uninterrupted audio experience. Both headphones use a total of eight microphones to analyse and cancel out external sound, with Dyson claiming the OnTrac will be able to cancel out up to 40dB of unwanted noise.  

Both the headphones also deliver sound through 40mm speakers and, after our hands-on time with the OnTrac, we found they “sounded similar to the […] Sonos Ace.”

The Sonos Ace has dynamic head tracking

The Sonos Ace headphones offer users an industry-leading Dolby Atmos experience with dynamic head tracking, which Sonos explains “traces even the smallest movements of your head and adapts the sound to keep you centred in every scene.”

In our review, we said the Ace’s head tracking provided a “natural experience that imitates what happens when you’re not wearing headphones”.

The Dyson OnTrac offers up to 55-hours of battery

For sheer longevity, the Dyson OnTrac surpasses the Sonos Ace as they promise to offer up to a massive 55-hours of run time with ANC enabled. The Sonos Ace offers up to 30-hours with ANC turned on, which while less than the OnTrac is still a solid amount of time. 

Both headphones also offer a quick-charge option, with the OnTrac delivering 2.5 hours of listening from a 10 minute charge or nine hours from a 30 minute charge. The Sonos Ace offers three hours or playback in just a three minute charge.

The Dyson OnTrac have more customisation options

The ear cushions and outer caps of the Dyson OnTracs are interchangeable and can be completely customised to suit your style. According to Dyson there’s up to 2000 potential combinations to select from, the outer caps ae priced at £49.99 each. 

In comparison, the Sonos Ace is only available in a choice of two colours: black or soft white.

Otherwise the Sonos Ace ear cushions are wrapped in memory foam and a soft vegan leather which Kob suggested as “may be the comfiest pair of over-ear headphones I’ve reviewed”. The cushions on the OnTrac are instead made of soft microfibre with Dyson claiming the headphones have been “tested on diverse head sizes for a comfortable fit”.