When Sonos launched its first headphones in 2024, the company got a surprising amount right.
Our review of the Sonos Ace praised their build quality, comfort, battery life and balanced tuning. There was also one rather obvious problem: headphones carrying the Sonos name could not really behave like another Sonos product.
TV Audio Swap worked with compatible Sonos soundbars, but users could not simply move music playing through their Sonos system directly to the headphones. We raised that issue again last month when a new Sonos headphone appeared in an FCC filing. Sonos apparently got the memo.
The new Sonos Ace Ultra cost $449 and introduce a redesigned 40mm driver, stronger Adaptive ANC, ten microphones, Bluetooth 6.0, longer battery life and Headphone Linking, which allows audio to move directly between compatible Sonos products and Ace Ultra over Wi-Fi.
Preorders begin September 1, with shipments scheduled for September 29, 2026.
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Sonos Headphones That Actually Work With Sonos
The original Ace used Wi-Fi primarily for its home theater connection with compatible Sonos soundbars. Normal music listening remained fundamentally Bluetooth or wired.
Headphone Linking changes that relationship.
When Ace Ultra are connected to a compatible Sonos system on the same Wi-Fi network, pressing the Content Key can move whatever is currently playing to the headphones. Another press sends it back. Sonos says this can work without a phone remaining in range, and Ace Ultra can also stream music over Wi-Fi from services available through the Sonos app. That could include music, television audio or even a turntable connected elsewhere in a compatible Sonos system.
There is an important qualification.
Headphone Linking launches as an Early Access feature. Sonos describes it as opt-in, provided as-is and subject to change during development. It requires compatible Sonos hardware, Wi-Fi and setup through the Sonos app.
We also would not describe Ace Ultra as a conventional permanent Sonos room or speaker endpoint just yet. This is a direct linking and content-transfer system rather than proof that Ace Ultra behave identically to an Era speaker on the network. Even with that distinction, it addresses one of the biggest complaints about the first-generation model.
New Driver and Stronger ANC
Ace Ultra retain 40mm dynamic drivers, but Sonos says the new transducer was engineered specifically for the Ultra and provides deeper bass and greater detail.
Sonos Ace Ultra uses 10 microphones to support adaptive active noise cancellation, Aware Mode, voice calls, and TrueCinema. The expanded microphone array also helps the headphones continuously account for changes in fit and surrounding noise.
Sonos says the new Adaptive ANC can deliver up to twice the noise cancellation of the original Ace at frequencies up to 65Hz. That qualifier matters; Sonos is not claiming twice the cancellation across the entire frequency range.
Adaptive EQ dynamically compensates for changes in seal caused by glasses, hair, fit and movement. Sonos has also expanded manual adjustment with both three-band and eight-band EQ through the app.
Our criticism of the original Ace ANC was not that it was poor. Sony and Apple simply isolated more effectively in some situations, and wind could create problems. Ace Ultra appear designed to narrow that gap, but performance will need to be tested.
Battery Life Reaches 35 Hours
Ace Ultra use a stated 1,060mAh battery and increase listening time with ANC or Aware mode enabled from 30 to 35 hours. A three-minute charge can provide up to three hours of playback, while a full charge can take as long as three hours.
Bluetooth moves from 5.4 to Bluetooth 6.0.
Lossless playback is supported over Bluetooth using Qualcomm aptX with a compatible source, as well as through USB-C. Sonos includes a USB-C to 3.5mm cable for analog sources and airline entertainment systems.
Spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, dynamic head tracking, TrueCinema and TV Audio Swap all return.
A Replaceable Battery Matters
One less glamorous change could become important several years from now.
Sonos says both the ear cushions and battery are designed to be replaceable. The original Ace already offered replaceable cushions, but Sonos now explicitly identifies the battery as serviceable as well. Considering how many expensive wireless headphones eventually become very attractive paperweights because their battery dies, we will take that over another blinking LED.
Ace Ultra weigh 322 grams, compared with 312 grams for the original Ace, and come in Black, Soft White, Agave and Sand.
The original Sonos Ace remain in the lineup at $399.
Sonos Ace Ultra Specifications:
- Drivers: Custom 40mm dynamic driver in each ear cup
- Microphones: 10 microphones for ANC, calls, Aware mode, and TrueCinema
- Spatial Audio: Supported from compatible services/devices
- Dolby Atmos: Supported with compatible content/device
- Lossless Audio: Via Qualcomm aptX over Bluetooth with a compatible device, or through USB-C
- ANC: Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation; Sonos claims up to 2× stronger ANC than the original Ace at frequencies up to 65 Hz
- Aware Mode: Yes, including Voice Boost
- Adaptive EQ: Automatically compensates for fit, glasses, hair, and other acoustic leakage
- Manual EQ: 3-band or 8-band EQ in the Sonos app plus Loudness toggle
- TrueCinema: Yes
- Dynamic Head Tracking: Sonos Intelligent Motion Processing with Dolby Head Tracking
- TV Audio Swap: Yes, with compatible Sonos soundbars
- Headphone Linking: Yes, over Wi-Fi; currently an Early Access feature
- Wi-Fi: Yes, specifically for linking into the Sonos system and streaming through Headphone Linking
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 6.0
- Battery: 1,060 mAh lithium-ion
- Battery life: Up to 35 hours with ANC or Aware Mode enabled
- Quick charge: Up to 3 hours playback from a 3-minute charge
- Full charge: Up to 3 hours
- USB-C audio: Yes
- 3.5mm analog audio: Via supplied USB-C-to-3.5mm cable
- Dimensions: 7.6 × 6.42 inches; ear cup width 3.57 inches; ear cup depth 1.77 inches
- Metric: 193 × 163mm; ear cup width 90.8mm; depth 45mm
- Weight: 0.71 lb / 322g
- Colors: Black, Soft White, Agave, Sand
- Replaceable components: Ear cushions and battery
- Included: Travel case, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, USB-C-to-3.5mm cable, documentation
Sonos Ace Ultra Competitors
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen have the same $449 list price, making them the most obvious direct competitor.
Bose offers CustomTune processing, its latest noise cancellation system, Immersive Audio, Snapdragon Sound connectivity, USB-C audio and up to 30 hours of battery life with Immersive Audio disabled. Its battery is also replaceable.
Bose enters the comparison with decades of ANC experience. Sonos offers five additional rated hours of ANC listening and a meaningful advantage for households already invested in its speakers and soundbars.
Without Sonos hardware in the house, that advantage shrinks considerably.
Sony WH-1000XM6
The Sony WH-1000XM6 are priced at $449.99 and remain one of the benchmarks in premium wireless ANC headphones.
Sony offers up to 30 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, LDAC, DSEE Extreme, LE Audio with Auracast, multipoint connectivity and an established noise-canceling platform.
Sony also allows charging while listening, which frequent travelers may appreciate.
Ace Ultra’s strongest counterargument is not another codec or DSP mode. It is the ability to interact directly with an existing Sonos system in ways Bose and Sony cannot duplicate.
The Bottom Line
The first Sonos Ace were good premium wireless headphones with an oddly limited relationship to the company’s own ecosystem. Ace Ultra address that issue while also adding a revised driver, stronger ANC architecture, longer battery life, Bluetooth 6.0, expanded EQ and a replaceable battery.
The $449 price puts them directly against two of the strongest names in premium noise-canceling headphones, so Sonos still has plenty to prove on sound quality and ANC performance.
But for existing Sonos users, Headphone Linking finally gives Ace Ultra a reason to exist beyond simply being another expensive pair of wireless headphones.
Price & Availability
The Sonos Ace Ultra are priced at $449 and will be offered in Black, Soft White, Agave and Sand. Preorders begin September 1, 2026 on the Sonos website, with general availability starting September 29, 2026
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