Ace of Spades: Hands-On with the New Sonos Ace Ultra ♠️

Hi everybody 🖖 

Sonos Ace Ultra ships on September 29, and I've had a pair on my head for most of the summer: at my desk, on the couch, and on cross-country flights. We're pushing up the ante with our headphone lineup, and today we’re getting into all the technical details you’re wondering about.

Everything here comes from my own hands-on time with the headphones over the past few weeks, and any mistakes in this post are strictly my own.

Let’s get all the cards on the table ♠️

TL;DR

• Price and Availability: $449 / £399 / €449 / $599 CAD / $699 AUD. Pre-orders are open now, shipping globally on September 29, 2026.
• Colorways: matte Black, Soft White, Agave, and Sand.
• Acoustics and Microphones: Custom 40mm drivers with an improved magnet assembly and a 10-microphone array.
• Noise Control and EQ: Adaptive ANC, Adaptive EQ, Aware Mode, and Sidetone for phone calls.
• Repairability and Battery: User-replaceable 1060 mAh battery with official replacement kits available. 35 hours of real-world playback with ANC or Aware Mode enabled.
• Connectivity: USB-C, Bluetooth 6.0, TV Audio Swap, and headphone linking in Early Access.

Sonos Ace vs. Sonos Ace Ultra

Let me jump straight to the question I've seen the most since September 1st: "I already have Ace…what's actually different?"

Out of the Box

Let's say you buy Ace Ultra at the airport right before a long flight and don't have time to set it up in the Sonos app. Good news: Bluetooth audio and calls, wear detection, Adaptive ANC, and Aware Mode all work straight out of the box. Ace Ultra ships ready to pair; hold the Power/Bluetooth button until the light blinks blue and pick it from your phone's list.

You unlock the rest when you add it in the Sonos app, like software updates, TV Audio Swap and headphone linking (compatible speakers required), the advanced and Adaptive EQ, Voice Boost, paired-device management, and the charging and power saving settings.

Worth noting: you can add them in the Sonos app even while you’re away, but keep in mind that downloading updates might take longer if you’re on LTE. 

Design and Fit

Ace Ultra comes in Black and Soft White, plus two new colors: Agave (a deep blue-ish color) and Sand, which matches the new Sand version of Sonos Play, if you like your gear to coordinate.

Attention to detail was a critical part of the development process. I asked a member of our Industrial Design team, Sam Prentice, to tell me more about what that looked like from the inside:

Comfort is the top priority in any wearable product, and it was a major focus for us with Ace Ultra. We developed new internal foams for both the ear cushions and headband that make the headphones even more comfortable for longer listening sessions. We’ve also refined the ergonomics of the on-product controls, making them slightly larger and more satisfying to use.

Colour was another area we were really excited to explore. Alongside Soft White, we developed a softer, more wearable Black, as well as two completely new colours, Sand and Agave. We spent a long time getting these colours exactly right. Sand and Agave in particular give people an opportunity to be more expressive in how they style and wear their headphones, while still feeling sophisticated and easy to wear every day.

- Sam Prentice, Lead Industrial Designer

One improvement I especially appreciate is the ear cup rotation. Ace rotated 90° forward to lie flat in the case, but had almost no rotation in the other direction (about 10°). Ace Ultra rotates about 50° in reverse, which does two things: it accommodates wider heads and jewelry, and the cups can now lie flat against your chest when you wear them around your neck.

And one more thing I really like: the new carrying case. It's lighter, the inner material is softer, the cable pouch still attaches magnetically, and the zipper is improved. 

Controls and Bluetooth

Ace owners will know their way around Ace Ultra very quickly. The buttons are mostly unmoved; the power button has shifted back slightly, but it’s an easy adjustment to get used to. Here’s the breakdown:

• Content Key (right cup). Press to play/pause, slide up and down for volume, double-press to skip forwards, triple-press to skip backwards. After you've set up headphone linking, press and hold to swap audio with your Sonos speakers or soundbar. Similar to TV Audio Swap.
• Power/Bluetooth button (left cup). Double-press to cycle between your paired Bluetooth devices. If you have Multipoint on with a laptop and a phone connected, a quick double-tap swaps the active source without touching either device.
• Content Key (left cup). Used for switching between ANC, Aware Mode, and Off (if enabled in the app)

Multipoint is what lets two devices stay connected to Ace Ultra at once, and it's still off by default, same as Ace. Turn it on in Settings → (Ace Ultra) → Bluetooth → Multipoint. You'll also find a new Paired Devices screen in the app where you can see everything that's been paired with your Ace Ultra (up to 11 devices), what's currently connected, reconnect to a previous device (if it's powered on and in range), forget devices, and set a preferred device that the headphones will try to connect to first when powered on. Set your laptop as preferred, for example, and Ace Ultra will pick it over your phone when you sit down at your desk.

One quick note about headphone linking: this will get its own separate post, so I won’t be diving into that here. Keep an eye out for more in the coming days.

Audio and Equalization

The biggest acoustic upgrade inside each cup is a new custom-designed 40 mm dynamic driver, with a redesigned motor structure that adds an additional outer ring magnet. 

The tuning was done with input from the Sonos Soundboard along with Grammy and Oscar-winning engineers. We know that artists and creators are what give our products meaning, and we appreciate and value the feedback they give to help our products shine. On that note, here’s a word from our Audio team about the behind-the-scenes process:

A big part of how we tune the sound on our products comes from spending real time with the content creator community. The people actually recording and mixing the movies, music and shows we all watch and listen to every day. For Sonos Ace Ultra specifically, that meant going into the studios where that content gets made and spending time with the creators in their own environment. We had sessions at Chelsea Studios in NYC, Sterling Sound in NJ and 21fifteen in Santa Monica. Being able to listen to content in the rooms where it was actually mixed and mastered, and discussing the process with the creator, gives us a reference point you just can't get any other way. You hear exactly what they intended the mix to sound like, straight from the source.

- Cameron MacLeod, Wearables/Headphones Audio Systems Manager

On the EQ side, the standard equalizer adds a Mid slider to the classic Bass and Treble sliders, plus our standard Balance and a Loudness toggles. Flip on the “Advanced” toggle and you’ll get the new 8-band advanced EQ, with each band adjustable from -10 to +10. You can drag points directly on the graph, or step through the bands with a slider. 

Lossless audio is available two ways: over Bluetooth via aptX with a supported device, or wired over USB-C with the included cable (which also carries playback controls and calls, unlike the 3.5 mm cable).

Noise Control

Ace Ultra moves from 8 microphones to 10, and we’re introducing Adaptive ANC, which delivers up to twice the reduction in low-frequency noise under 65Hz compared to Ace. 

That frequency range is the important part. Sub-65 Hz is exactly where the drone of an aircraft cabin lives, and that's where I tested it: a cross-country flight, five or six hours in the air on the main leg plus the layovers on either side, with Ace Ultra on the whole way. I've done similar trips with Ace, and Ace Ultra was significantly better. The engine rumble that most ANC headphones turn into a dull hum mostly went away, and I watched the in-flight movies in peace and quiet.

The array also powers Adaptive EQ, which is new to Ace Ultra. The microphones measure the seal of each ear cup in real time and re-tune the response to compensate for leaks from glasses frames, thick hair, or a slightly shifted fit. If you've ever noticed bass drop out on one side because your glasses broke the seal, this is the feature for you, but you can turn it off if you'd prefer to have a fixed response.

Aware Mode is more natural-sounding than on Ace, and it gains Voice Boost, which emphasizes the voices around you while de-emphasizing the rest of the ambient noise. It's off by default; toggle it under Noise Control. It's great for a quick conversation without taking the headphones off. Aware Mode also suppresses sudden loud noises, so a slammed door doesn't spike in your ears.

While on a phone call, Sidetone feeds a natural-sounding version of your own voice back into the cups while ANC is on, so you don't end up accidentally shouting over your own ANC to hear yourself.

Battery and Longevity

Charging behaviors are similar to Ace; a full charge from 0% takes up to 3 hours. If you're at 10% or below, 3 minutes of rapid charging gets you about 3 hours of playback. Rapid charging requires:

• 15 W USB-PD, USB-C to USB-C only
• an ambient temperature between 59°F and 86°F (15°C to 30°C); outside that window it charges at normal speed.

In my own real-world testing, using them as my daily driver with Aware Mode active about 90% of the time (and ANC for a couple of long flights), I clocked in right around 36 hours of continuous playback before needing a charger. 

There's also a new Power Saver Mode that roughly doubles whatever battery you have left by limiting a few features (volume ceiling, noise control, head tracking). It's off by default, but Auto Power Saver is on by default and kicks in automatically at 10%. There's also a Rapid Charging toggle (which you can turn off if you'd rather prioritize long-term battery health), and a customizable Auto-off timer. With wear detection on, the headphones power down after 30 minutes of sitting idle by default, adjustable from 5 minutes to 2 hours (or “Never”).

When it comes to longevity, Ace Ultra is designed to join you for the long-haul. Here is one of my absolute favorite hardware details: user-replaceable batteries. Battery replacement kits can be purchased right alongside the headphones. Fair warning on the battery: this is a real repair, not a battery door. Also, this is only something to consider after the warranty has expired; if your headphones aren’t lasting as long as they should while they’re under warranty, reach out to our Support team instead of jumping to a battery replacement.

Ace Ultra uses 46% recycled and renewable materials across the headphones and case. That includes the ~80% recycled-content case and bio-based plastics. Wherever possible, we used fasteners instead of adhesives, so the headphones are easier to refurbish, repair, and recycle, and the packaging is plastic-free. More on our sustainability work here 💙

The Battery page in the app shows current charge and an estimated time remaining based on how you're using them. TV Audio Swap and headphone linking run over WiFi, which uses more power than Bluetooth, so expect a shorter runtime when you're using them as part of your system.

Honest Limitations

Every product has these, and this crowd finds them sooner than later anyway. Better you hear them from me.

• Ace Ultra is not waterproof, and there’s no water-resistance rating. Officially: avoid using them in wet conditions. If you like to gamble: I've worn mine for workouts without incident so far, but proceed at your own risk.
• Ear cushions aren't interchangeable with Sonos Ace. New sensor position, new ANC tuning, new cushions.
• Fully manual 8-band EQ. I'd love to save a "movies" and a "music" preset too, and I've passed that along to the team.
• Ace Ultra does not come with a power adapter. For optimal charging, make sure your charging brick supports 7.5 W minimum, 15 W USB-PD recommended (required for rapid charging), and only USB-C to USB-C cables for charging.
• Headphone linking is Early Access. Only one Ace Ultra can be linked per system at a time. More on headphone linking in a separate post coming later.

Final Tidbits ⬇️

• Similar to Ace, the right ear cup has a contrasting interior color and there's an L and R printed inside, so you can tell which way is up without looking too hard. The Content Key should end up under your right hand.
• Charging temperature is 41°F to 104°F (5°C to 40°C) and operating is 32°F to 104°F (0°C to 40°C). Translation: don't leave them in the car in Phoenix in July, and don't try to charge them on a ski lift. If you try, you’re gonna have a bad time.
• The mics do a lot of jobs: ANC, Aware Mode, Voice Boost, Sidetone, calls, Adaptive EQ's seal measurement, and TrueCinema's room measurement. Ten microphones, plenty of work to go around.

Wrap-Up

If you’ve made it this far, Ace Ultra is probably in your near future. Questions, corrections, and dream setups go in the comments, and I'll be there to go all-in on the action. Anything I can't answer on the spot, I'll take to the engineering team and get you an answer.

The pleasure is to play. Pre-order now