Sonos Ace Ultra: our analysis of the $449 premium headphones (35h battery, aptX Lossless)

Announced in early September in New York, the Sonos Ace Ultra ($449) takes the Ace formula and pushes Sonos-ecosystem integration further. Here's our analysis, spec sheet in hand.

What changes from the Ace

• Longer battery: up to 35 hours with Active Noise Cancellation on — 5 hours more than the Ace;
• Fast charge: 3 minutes for 3 extra hours of listening;
• aptX Adaptive Lossless over Bluetooth (on top of SBC and AAC), plus 16-bit/48kHz over USB-C;
• an adaptive EQ that compensates for air leaks from glasses, jewelry or hair, plus 3-band and 8-band EQ;
• roomier ear cups, but 10 grams heavier.

The Sonos advantage: headphone-speaker linking

The most original addition is software: headphone linking, which folds the headphones into the home system and passes audio from the nearest speaker to the headphones. It arrives in early access on September 29.

The trade-offs

The headphones aren't available yet (September 29 release), and Google Assistant is still not natively supported, despite Sonos 27mcp opening up to third-party AI models.

Our verdict

On paper, the Ace Ultra ticks the boxes of a strong premium headphone: better battery, modern codecs and a welcome adaptive EQ. What sets it apart is deep Sonos-ecosystem integration — a unique selling point for already-equipped homes. To be confirmed in hands-on testing at launch.