Sonos unveils Ace Ultra headphones, Beam Ultra soundbar and Sonos 27 AI software

At an event in New York City, Sonos announced the Ace Ultra headphones, the Beam Ultra soundbar, and Sonos 27, a major update to its audio operating system. Details of both hardware products had already appeared in an FCC filing in early August. The company says the announcement is the largest it has made since 2024, when a new app rollout upset customers and sent it into damage control.

Sonos 27: AI integration at the centre

Software is central to the announcement, with Sonos placing significant emphasis on artificial intelligence throughout Sonos 27. The update includes Sonos 27voice, an in-house voice assistant built for music control and system management, which will arrive as an opt-in early access feature this autumn. A second component, Sonos 27mcp, allows users to connect existing AI models — including ChatGPT and Google Gemini — to their Sonos system, though Google Assistant remains without native support. Sonos 27mcp enters early access on 8 September.

Users will also be able to create up to ten custom AI agents within Sonos 27, each assignable a different voice and role. Brandon Holley, senior director of product development, offered illustrative examples: a moody detective delivering morning news, or a motivational coach delivering affirmations at wake-up. Custom agents are not expected to be available until sometime in 2027.

All products compatible with the current Sonos app can be controlled via Sonos 27mcp. Sonos 27voice works with every Sonos device that has a microphone, and custom agents will function wherever Sonos 27voice is enabled once they arrive.

Sonos Fabric and app updates

Two new capabilities are coming to Sonos Fabric, the company's whole-home connected system. The Play and Move 2 portable speakers can now be used as surround sound speakers in a home theatre configuration, automatically configuring to their new positions without requiring manual setup in the app — though the feature requires a pair rather than a single unit. Compatible Sonos headphones will also be incorporated into the home system through a feature called headphone linking, which senses the nearest speaker and passes its audio to the headphones; this rolls out as early access on 29 September.

App improvements include the addition of home, system, and search tabs along the bottom of the screen, a pinnable room sort option, and a virtual volume knob operated with two fingers. New navigation, room sorts, and the virtual volume knob begin rolling out on 8 September, though the volume knob will initially be available on iOS only. Lockscreen controls for volume and play/pause began rolling out on 17 August. System health views and presets are expected later this autumn.

Sonos Ace Ultra headphones

The Ace Ultra are built on Sonos's Headphone Engine 2 and are positioned as a deeper integration of headphones into the Sonos ecosystem than the original Ace. They feature newly custom-designed 40mm drivers and ten microphones for noise control — two more than the Ace — which Sonos claims makes active noise cancellation twice as effective at what it describes as the frequencies that matter most. Holley cited 65Hz, the general frequency of HVAC systems, where the Ace Ultra is said to be 2.2 times more effective, and 120Hz — described as the aircraft drone range — where performance is 1.8 times better. No performance figures were provided for mid-range speech frequencies such as those encountered in a café setting.

An adaptive EQ compensates for acoustic leaks caused by glasses, jewellery, or hair, and users can choose between a 3-band and 8-band EQ. The headphones support SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive Lossless over Bluetooth, and 16-bit/48kHz high-resolution audio via USB-C. Battery life stands at up to 35 hours with ANC enabled, with a three-minute fast charge yielding three additional hours. The Ace Ultra are available in black, white, blue agave, and beige sand, and are priced at $449 with a release date of 29 September.

Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar

The Beam Ultra is a fully redesigned compact soundbar in a 7.1.2 configuration, up from the 5.0 configuration of its predecessor, adding two up-firing drivers to support Dolby Atmos spatial audio. The centre channel features a new waveguide alongside revised mechanical, acoustic, and DSP design, including four levels of AI speech enhancement. To accommodate the additional drivers, the Beam Ultra is just under four inches longer than the Beam Gen 2. It is available in black or white matte finish, priced at $699, and also releases on 29 September.