Sonos Ace Ultra review: A sensational second round

Sonos has had a bit of a ride over the past few years. The audio brand has never stopped making great products at its core, though, with the current line of new 'Ultra' models turning the dial up (the Beam Ultra soundbar is well worth your attention).

Much as not everyone loved the brand's first headphones – the Ace, which I thought were super and incredibly comfortable – it has taken on abundant feedback and condensed those learnings into the follow-up model, the Sonos Ace Ultra on review.

These new over-ears aren't just an 'Ace+', though, as the Ace Ultra will act nice among your Sonos network via Wi-Fi, even handover audio to other Sonos products or groups in your system with the press of a button. The Ultra is just far more, well, Sonos.

It's also far improved in terms of hardware and features, with a new driver unit, the benefit of Grammy- and Oscar-winning audio engineers part of the tuning process, new adaptive active noise-cancelling (ANC) enhancements, and a new adaptive equaliser (EQ) too.

So how does all this newness fare? I've been testing the Sonos Ace Ultra for two weeks, both at home via my Sonos network, and when on the go – from lunchtime walks to public transport commutes and even long-haul flights – and must say that Sonos is back with a bang.

Price & Availability

Being premium headphones as they are, the Sonos Ace Ultra's launch price isn't small – set at £399 / $449 / €449 / AU$699 – but is competitive against its closest rivals.

You're also getting a lot more for your money compared to the original Ace model, without a price increase. Indeed, the UK market's RRP is actually lower by £50 for the Ultra.

At the time of writing this review we're in a pre-order phase, with the Ace Ultra set to go on sale on 29 September. You can purchase it in four colours: Black, Soft White, Agave or Sand.

What's New?

During my travels I've carted both the original Sonos Ace and new Ace Ultra in tandem, as a tried-and-tested comparison piece will be forthcoming – just as we've done with the Sonos Beam 2 versus Beam Ultra.

Regarding 'what's new?', however, and it might be easier to say what isn't new. While the Ace Ultra look really familiar, certainly akin to the original, they've been built from the ground up – yet maintain that similar aesthetic and 'Sonos look'.

Re-engineered, starting with that new 40mm driver, which is housed in user-replaceable earcups (same goes for the battery – which now also offers 35-hours per charge, up from 24 hours previously) that make for an incredibly comfy wearing experience.

More microphones have been added – there are now 10 in total – for noise-cancelling (ANC) that Sonos claims is twice as effective as before. It's also able to use those for beam-forming calls with higher clarity.

The added points of measure available from these mics also means a new adaptive system that adjusts ANC automatically (and even EQ if you wish – it can be toggled off in the app), ensuring a better listening experience if, say, you pop your glasses on and add a broader gap between your head that the headphones can adjust for.

A key internal piece of hardware is a new chip that supports Sonos' Headphone Engine 2. This is what enables Wi-Fi connectivity so that the Ace Ultra can be seen as part of your Sonos ecosystem – they never show in the app per a Sonos speaker or group, though, which feels like a miss. Headphone Linking audio handover is the one benefit of this – and something the original Ace headphones will never offer, as the physical hardware isn't there to handle it.

Similar to Bose, Sonos also offers Dynamic Head-Tracking for added immersion – whether Bluetooth listening or for the TV Audio Swap feature (which also uses Wi-Fi, but with the soundbar rather than headphones handling the processing), when you can pass a Sonos soundbar's output to the headphones with three-dimensional audio.

Setup

Now, the one blip that I had with my Sonos Ace Ultra regarded the setup. Keep in mind, of course, that these review headphones are pre-release, with even a pre-release software activation to enable the Headphone Linking feature.

Because, for me, that audio handover feature didn't work at all with my first setup attempt. I had to reset the headphones multiple times, opted to run an iPhone setup for iOS after the initial Android failure, and found the whole experience really irksome.

However, it did work eventually – both on Android and iOS platforms – and Sonos even sent a second Ace Ultra to my colleague, who set up his product in an instant, with zero issues, and Headphone Linking working like a dream. Isolated and unfortunate experience for me? It would seem so. But it would be remiss of me not to mention it here, just in case others have a similar battle.

I've found Headphone Linking a fun feature, but it's a little slow – it takes a few seconds of pressing and holding the Content Key before an audible sound confirms success and your audio stream is sent over to the physically nearest group or speaker in your Sonos ecosystem.

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Note: you cannot run the Ace Ultra as part of a group – it can only handover the audio and cease its own playback. I think more could be done there, such as offering grouped playback so someone could piggyback on a session in a different room while wearing the headphones.

I also think that more can be achieved in general in how the Ace Ultra are presented in the app. As the headphones feature the hardware to act like any Sonos speaker, their absence front-and-centre in the Sonos 27 app seems odd – you have to scroll down to the Bluetooth section to get a better look and dive into the available options.

Once there, however, there's a lot of control that's very handy. You can toggle between the ANC and Aware modes, decide if you want adaptive ANC and/or EQ to be active, toggle Head Tracking on or off, set up the Headphone Linking and separate TV Audio Swap feature, tweak the EQ (three- or eight-band are available), and view the battery life remaining.

Design

From a design perspective I've zero qualms with Sonos' vision in the Ace Ultra – except for calling one colour 'Agave' when I'd argue it's far from it. I did love the original Ace's look and feel, too, which certainly have a similar vibe – Sonos hasn't ripped up a very solid rulebook, which I can only commend.

The Ace Ultra manage to look distinctive without being outlandish; oozing class and consideration without shouting about it. From the subtle logo embossed on the right earcup's exterior, to zero screws or prominent seams being visible, the level of detail here is beyond many other headphone-makers – and I've tested pretty much all the best headphones of recent years.

It's not just for the sake of looks, though, with the Ace Ultra proving supremely comfortable. I'd said the same of the original Ace, and while the two do differ marginally in terms of physicality, I've worn these headphones on a 15-hour flight for the duration and largely forgotten they were on my head.

The physical controls are lovely to use, too, with that Content Key easy to locate due to its protrusion and just as easy to adjust – it can toggle up or down for volume control, or be pressed (in sequence) for play/pause/skip controls. Below it, the ANC button simply cycles through the available modes.

The fit is very comfortable, with no excessive clamping force, and the 322g weight is no burden either. A contender for the most comfortable headphones on the market, beyond even Bose, Sony and Bowers? I reckon so. That alone is reason enough to consider buying these, whether a Sonos diehard or a newcomer with no Sonos kit.

The only not-so-good part about the design? The case. It's basically the same as the original Ace's largely maligned one. The fact the zip can catch on the fabric of the case itself is a major annoyance. It can mark too easily, too, and then look scruffy as a result. The actual layout, size, cable inclusions and whatnot are all fine though.

Sound & ANC

The sound of these headphones depends on the quality of fit, which is where I've heard the adaptive ANC feature act in real-time to great effect.

While on a plane at 41,000ft, with that classic and almost 'fizzy' white noise in full effect, I woke up wearing the headphones and popped my glasses on. This added a gap and the background sound was more present – but then, just as quickly as I'd added my eyewear, it dulled somewhat due to the software.

The ANC is therefore highly effective, able to blot out bothersome external sound with confidence, creating an enclosed listening experience where you can focus on what's important – be that music, podcasts, your TV's audio or whatever else.

The original Sonos Ace was criticised by some for being a little too 'flat' sounding and not having default bass output as large as some rivals. The Ace Ultra is a more lively listen, thanks to that new 40mm drivers and tuning, but can be further tweaked as you please.

As I've said: the Sonos 27 app provides access to a detailed eight-band EQ, but there's even a loudness toggle to amp up the sound further, should you want. So whatever you're listening to and however you want the frequency range to be enhanced, it's all at your fingertips.

You may choose to make no adjustments and that'd be just fine, though. There's all the warm bass, broad soundstage, vocal cut-through and sparkling top-end output without needing to do a thing. Bluetooth has been my typical way to listen, but a USB-C-to-C is in the box for Hi-Res Audio wired listening (and a USB-C-to-3.5mm for other wired connections).

Sonos Ace Ultra: Verdict

The Ace Ultra introduce a feature that really should have been part of the brand's headphones story from day dot: Headphone Linking audio handover to other products in your Sonos ecosystem.

While I've found that feature to be charming (despite initial protestations in my personal setup) – as you can handoff from the headphone's Bluetooth connection to local network speaker Wi-Fi at the press of a button – I've typically used the Ace Ultra standalone wireless via Bluetooth.

In that format, however, I've found the Ace Ultra's astounding comfort, incredible battery life – 35 hours per charge is impressive – and both quality sound and enhanced ANC to be as good as – or often even better than – its key competition from Bose, Sony, Bowers, et al.

Whether you're a Sonos user who's been waiting for a more integrated pair of Sonos headphones, or you're just looking for a class act where design and audio are concerned, Sonos is back with a bang in the Ace Ultra.

Also Consider

Options, options, options. That's very much the case in the headphones market at this kind of asking price.

If you want to save money and care not for Headphone Linking then look to the original Ace to make savings. They still offer the brilliant TV Audio Swap with a compatible Sonos soundbar, which is great for private movie watching without disturbing others. Wider Wi-Fi compatibility isn't possible, though.

If you're not in on the whole Sonos game, however, there are plenty of alternatives. Bowers & Wilkins' PX7 S3 are the most luxurious-looking you could buy. Sony's WH-1000XM6 perhaps have the best ANC going. And Bose's QC Ultra Headphones will save weight for epic transportability – without costing you quite as much.