The Sonos Ace Ultra are deeply integrated into the Sonos ecosystem, and that's their biggest strength

Published Nov 12, 2026, 6:00 PM EST Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek, Joe has been writing about technology since starting his career in 2018 at KnowTechie. He's covered everything from Apple to apps and crowdfunding and loves getting to the bottom of complicated topics. In that time, he's also written for SlashGear and numerous corporate clients before finding his home at XDA in the spring of 2023. He was the kid who took apart every toy to see how it worked, even if it didn't exactly go back together afterward. That's given him a solid background for explaining how complex systems work together, and he promises he's gotten better at the putting things back together stage since then. Sign in to your XDA account I've been a Sonos convert for years, and I currently rock an Arc Ultra with a Sub 2 and two Era 300s as rear surrounds in my office viewing setup. So when I heard a second-generation set of headphones was coming, I had to have them. See, while the Sonos Ace were good, they only had a point-to-point connection to a single Sonos speaker. The Ace Ultra can connect to your soundbar and hand off between other speakers as you move around. Plus, you get more color options, better ANC, more EQ settings, and redesigned comfort. It's a lot of promises from a company that's been under siege recently, but they've (mostly) delivered. What surprised me, though, is that you don't need Sonos hardware for them to be good headphones on their own. About this review: Sonos sent XDA the Ace Ultra headphones used in this review and had no input into its contents. Sonos Ace Ultra 9/10 Battery Life Up to 35 hours, user-replaceable Microphones 10 Weight 0.71 lbs (0.322 kg) Dimensions 7.6 x 6.42 x 3.57 inches (193 x 163 x 90.8 mm) Sonos' Ace Ultra are comfortable, stylish over-ear ANC headphones with excellent battery life and a pleasant, warm sound signature. They're a great pair of headphones even if you're not already in the Sonos ecosystem. Pros & Cons Lightweight and very comfortable to wear Great ANC Warm sound signature with custom EQ (3- and 8-band) Expensive Audio swapping feature comes with caveats Pricing, specs, and availability The Sonos Ace Ultra is $449, and comes in four colors: black, soft white, sand, and agave. That's not a small price, but you do get a lot more than the previous Sonos Ace, which also cost the same at launch. You can get them from Sonos (where the sand color seems to be exclusive), or from larger electronics retailers like Best Buy and Amazon. Sonos Ace Ultra Battery Life Up to 35 hours, user-replaceable Microphones 10 Weight 0.71 lbs (0.322 kg) Dimensions 7.6 x 6.42 x 3.57 inches (193 x 163 x 90.8 mm) Noise Cancellation Adaptive ANC Foldable No Connectivity Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi (for Sonos features), USB-C, 3.5mm Charging type USB-C Sensors Wear detection Driver size 40mm Supported codecs AAC, SBC, AptX, Dolby [DAW] Colors White, Black, Agave, Sand What I liked about the Sonos Ace Ultra Comfort is king, and the new features make it even better Sonos redesigned the Ace Ultra from the ground up, although you'll be forgiven if you can't see exactly where. The 40mm drivers are new; you get 10 microphones instead of 8 for calls and ANC, and the ear cup pads and battery are both user-replaceable. A new chip supports Sonos' Headphone Engine 2, which powers the Wi-Fi connectivity behind the marquee feature, Headphone Linking. It's become my favorite way to watch TV late at night, when I don't want the subwoofer's thump irritating the neighbors. The overall design hasn't changed much, with some minor tweaks. The earcups now swivel fully flat, enabling a thinner case and the ability to lay flat on a desk. They're some of the most comfortable headphones I've used, and I've used almost everything over the years. That alone is worth the asking price, before you get to sound quality and other aspects. The Ace Ultra's default tuning is warm-leaning, but wonderfully balanced across the spectrum. I've yet to hear a treble peak that was too much, and while the bass is present, it's not muddy or overpowering. Better still, the ANC doesn't affect the sound much, and I found that Adaptive mode kept outside noise at bay, no matter how well the ear cups sealed. The app experience is vastly improved Sonos 27 is the new system software for Sonos devices, and it's miles better than the app you've read so many angry articles about. The Ace Ultra sit on the main page in the Bluetooth section, and you get custom EQ settings, ANC or Aware modes, toggles for Adaptive ANC and EQ, Head Tracking, Headphone Linking, and everything else that makes these headphones feel like a Sonos product. Headphone Linking and TV Audio Swap are genuinely useful Yes, I'm aware you can connect other Bluetooth headphones to most modern TVs and watch that way. It's also a painful experience, with lip-sync latency, compressed audio, limited range, and a complicated switching process. Sonos doesn't do any of that, because once you connect to your soundbar, all the audio is sent over Wi-Fi, so you get uncompressed spatial audio instead. Then you get TrueCinema room calibration, which uses a similar process to TruePlay for your other Sonos speakers to tweak the sound to your room's acoustics. With the Wi-Fi connection, it doesn't stutter or glitch when you walk around, making the experience pleasant. It's become my favorite way to watch TV late at night, when I don't want the subwoofer's thump irritating the neighbors. But it's not limited to that one soundbar, like the previous Sonos Ace. You can walk near any other Sonos speaker in your home, press the physical content button on the earcup, and either push or pull whatever audio is playing in that room. No fishing for your phone and in-app settings, and no having to tap the speaker as well; it's seamless and works wonderfully. It's even more frictionless than Apple's Handoff, where you can tap your iPhone on HomePod speakers to transfer the media you're playing. What I didn't like about the Sonos Ace Ultra They're very much built for the average head The Sonos Ace Ultra's foam ear pads are comfortable, firm enough not to collapse over long listening sessions, yet soft enough not to add pressure. That's not the problem for me; I have a large head and larger ears, which is a challenge for most headphones. The ear cups of the Ace Ultra are mostly large enough, but since they're removable, I'd love the option of a slightly larger size to accommodate my ears without pressure on my earlobes. Should you buy the Sonos Ace Ultra? You should buy the Sonos Ace Ultra if: You are already in the Sonos ecosystem You value comfort and lightness from your headphones You want a long battery life and stellar ANC You should not buy the Sonos Ace Ultra if: You want a more affordable pair of headphones You prefer a bass-forward tuning The wool carrying case will irritate you Sonos' first attempt at headphones fell somewhat flat, partly because of the sound and partly because they just didn't feel like a Sonos product. Those wrongs have been righted in the Ace Ultra, with a livelier sound before you EQ it to your preferences, and a Headphone Linking handover, which is the most Sonos-feeling part. Let's put it another way. I'm a die-hard iPhone user, and I'd rather use the Sonos Ace Ultra than AirPods Max. They're that good. I used to have multiple sets of headphones depending on whether I was going out, using them with my PC, or with my TV. Now I have one, and it's from Sonos. Sonos Ace Ultra 9/10 Battery Life Up to 35 hours, user-replaceable Microphones 10 Weight 0.71 lbs (0.322 kg) Dimensions 7.6 x 6.42 x 3.57 inches (193 x 163 x 90.8 mm) Sonos' Ace Ultra are comfortable, stylish over-ear ANC headphones with excellent battery life and a pleasant, warm sound signature. They're a great pair of headphones even if you're not already in the Sonos ecosystem. Noise Cancellation Adaptive ANC Foldable No Connectivity Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi (for Sonos features), USB-C, 3.5mm Charging type USB-C Sensors Wear detection Driver size 40mm Supported codecs AAC, SBC, AptX, Dolby [DAW] Colors White, Black, Agave, Sand