The Sonos Ace headphones launched with a very convenient trick called TV Audio Swap, which lets you send audio that would normally come out of the Sonos Arc soundbar to the headphones instead. Two months later, the company is enabling TV Audio Swap on its more affordable soundbars — and it’s no longer limited to customers with Apple devices.
The feature now works on both generations of the Sonos Beam as well as the entry-level Sonos Ray. Until now, an iPhone or iPad was required to activate TV Audio Swap, but now Android devices can do so as well. The feature itself uses a direct Wi-Fi connection to send audio from soundbar to the headphones, but you’ll need the app for setup and to toggle certain settings.
Sonos’ private listening mode supports spatial audio surround sound with head tracking — both features are optional — for a more immersive experience. And it’ll work with any input running into your TV, including game consoles, a feature I’ve found myself taking advantage of a lot in the later evening hours.
You’ll need to install the latest Sonos app update (iOS | Android) to get TV Audio Swap running on the Beam and the Ray. The new build also includes a number of bug fixes that should lead to smoother day-to-day performance for your Sonos system as the company keeps working to reverse the negative reception to its overhauled mobile app.
Sonos is due to report its quarterly earnings on August 7th. The company’s earnings call will be one of the most interesting in recent memory, since CEO Patrick Spence is likely to face questions from analysts on the company’s current predicament. Late last month, he issued an apology for the problems that customers have experienced with the new app and promised improvements every two weeks through the fall.