Sonos could be preparing to launch a new pair of over-ear headphones called the Ace Ultra. An FCC filing suggests the successor could bring voice control and a much wider choice of colours.
The filing, spotted by Lowpass, is heavily redacted, so there isn’t much to go on yet. However, the information that is available points to an over-ear design similar to the original Sonos Ace, which launched in 2024. The Ace Ultra is expected to come in five colours: Greige, Shadow Black, Agave, Blush and Sand.
The FCC filing also appears to reference Sonos Voice Control, which could be one of the more significant additions to the new headphones. Unlike a smart speaker, headphones don’t have a screen for displaying information or controls. Therefore, voice interaction is particularly useful if Sonos is looking to make AI a bigger part of the experience.
The timing also makes sense. Sonos said during its third-quarter financial call that it was planning a product launch in September. However, it hasn’t confirmed which products will appear. CEO Thomas Conrad has also said the company is making AI a core part of its strategy, and the Ace Ultra could potentially play a role in that wider push.
There is some history the new headphones will need to overcome, though. The original Ace arrived during a difficult period for Sonos. At the time, the company’s redesigned app launched with major problems and was missing key functionality. Sonos later acknowledged that it had released the redesign too early. Meanwhile, the Ace’s TrueCinema spatial audio feature didn’t arrive until roughly a year after launch.
TrueCinema is designed to use the acoustics of a room containing a compatible Sonos soundbar. It creates a more convincing spatial audio experience through the headphones. Its delayed arrival meant one of the Ace’s headline features wasn’t available at launch.
For the Ace Ultra, Sonos appears to have an opportunity to put some of those early issues behind it. At the same time, it is making the headphones a more integrated part of its connected audio ecosystem. Exactly what hardware or AI features are planned remains unclear, however, and the FCC filing doesn’t provide enough information to confirm the full specification.
With a September launch reportedly planned, we shouldn’t have too long to wait for the official details.
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