Introduction

Sonos Ace headphones have a great feature called TV Audio Swap, which allows users to enjoy home cinema sound by connecting them to a compatible soundbar. Since its launch, this compatibility has been exclusive to Sonos Arc, but that’s changing.

Expanded Compatibility for TV Audio Swap

At launch in June, the brand promised that support would eventually be rolled out to other soundbars sometime in “late summer [to] early autumn”. That date comes earlier than expected because TV Audio Swap now works with the brand’s more affordable options, including first- and second-generation Beam soundbars and the compact Ray.

Updating the Sonos App and Devices

To get started, first download the latest software update to the Sonos app on your Android or iOS mobile device and make sure your headphones and soundbars are up to date.

Setting Up TV Audio Swap

According to a support page, users should go to the Settings menu and then select “Sonos Ace in the Headphones section”. This will connect the pair to the smartphone. Next, navigate to the Home Theatre section and tap “Add TV Audio Swap”. From there, you can select the soundbar model you own and follow the instructions to complete the setup.

Activating TV Audio Swap

Then you can enjoy your favourite movie or series on your headphones via TV Audio Swap. Once set up, there are two ways to activate the connection. You can either long press the content button on the right earcup or go to the mobile app and press the Swap button. This switches the audio source from one device to the TV.

Benefits of TV Audio Swap

TV Audio Swap is quite handy, especially if you want to watch a film or TV show on a big screen but don’t want to disturb others. You can have the audio transferred to your Ace headphones without any drop in quality and listen with full sound quality. The switch only takes a few seconds and if needed, you can easily send it back to the soundbar.

Advanced Features of TV Audio Swap

Even better, Ace headphones support spatial Dolby Atmos sound with TV Audio Swap, and you can even activate active noise cancellation to shut out the world around you and get deeper into what you’re watching. These more advanced, immersive features work in TV Audio Swap with all compatible soundbars – Arc, Beam (1st and 2nd generation) and Ray included.

Additional Improvements in Latest Update

Getting back to the patch, there’s more to this update beyond the expanded support for TV Audio Swap. Sonos CEO Patrick Spence published a letter on the company’s official blog last month apologising for their new app. It was a highly controversial update that removed many favourite features, and he announced a bi-weekly update schedule that will run until October and consist of several improvements. And that’s exactly what we see here.

Performance Enhancements and Future Updates

The iOS patch notes reveal several performance improvements in the latest update. Group volume control will experience less latency, speech enhancement will become more reliable, and users can clear the app queue, among other things. Future updates will improve alert consistency and restore editing functionality in playlists.