Sonos took its second swing at wireless headphones on September 1, 2026, and the Ace Ultra lands with the thing the original Ace so obviously missed: a real way into the Sonos system. Preorders opened on announcement day at US$449, with general availability set for September 29, 2026. The first-generation Ace stays on the shelf at US$399.
The signature trick is Headphone Linking, a direct Wi-Fi connection between the Ace Ultra and compatible Sonos products that lets audio move between a speaker and the headphones instead of being awkwardly re-paired over Bluetooth. It launches as an Early Access feature, so treat it as a work in progress rather than a finished party piece. The older TV Audio Swap is still here for select Sonos soundbars.
Underneath, this is a genuine redesign rather than a firmware refresh. Each ear cup carries a custom 40mm dynamic driver, and the microphone count rises from eight to ten, feeding noise cancellation, calls, Aware mode and TrueCinema. Sonos rates the adaptive ANC at up to twice the noise cancellation of the original Ace at frequencies up to 65Hz — a claim aimed squarely at the low rumble of planes and trains, which is where the first Ace was merely competent.
The spec sheet in brief:
- Drivers: custom 40mm dynamic, one per ear cup
- Microphones: 10, up from 8 on the original Ace
- Battery: 1,060 mAh lithium-ion, up to 35 hours with ANC or Aware Mode enabled, versus 30 hours on the Ace
- Charging: 3 hours of playback from a 3-minute charge; up to 3 hours for a full charge
- Wireless: Bluetooth 6.0 with Qualcomm aptX lossless, plus Wi-Fi for Headphone Linking
- Wired: USB-C audio and 3.5mm analogue via the included adapter
- Weight: 322 grams
- Dimensions: 193 × 163mm, ear cup width 90.8mm, depth 45mm
- Colours: Black, Soft White, Agave and Sand
Two details deserve more attention than they will get. Both the battery and the ear cushions are replaceable — a quiet rebuke to a category that treats premium headphones as consumables once the cells sag. At US$449, that repairability is arguably worth as much as any driver upgrade.
Software gets its own workout. Adaptive EQ compensates for fit, glasses, hair and acoustic leakage, while the Sonos app offers manual 3-band or 8-band EQ with a Loudness toggle. Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos are supported with compatible content and services, complete with dynamic head tracking. Aware mode includes Voice Boost for conversations you cannot dodge. In the box: a travel case, USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables.
The pitch, then, is coherent in a way the 2024 Ace never quite was. These are not just Sonos-branded headphones; they are a Sonos component that happens to sit on your head.
Earlier on GismoLand: Sonos Ace Ultra. The second-shot headphones that finally want to talk back.
