Sonos Ace Ultra Headphones Surface in FCC Filing Ahead of September Launch
New regulatory filing confirms colour options and design for the successor to the 2024 model, which faced significant technical hurdles at launch.
Sonos is preparing to introduce the Ace Ultra over-ear headphones at its upcoming September event, following a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing identified by Lowpass. The regulatory document, while heavily redacted, confirms the device’s over-ear design and availability in five distinct colourways: Greige, Shadow Black, Agave, Blush, and Sand. This expanded palette marks a significant shift from the original Sonos Ace, which launched in 2024 with only two colour options.
The filing also indicates that the Ace Ultra will support Sonos Voice Control, the company’s proprietary voice assistant. This integration aligns with CEO Thomas Conrad’s stated strategy to position artificial intelligence as a core component of the business. As noted by Bloomberg, voice interaction is essential for audio devices lacking screens to effectively engage with AI assistants and chatbots, suggesting the Ace Ultra will serve as a key interface for Sonos’ expanding AI ecosystem.
During the company’s third-quarter financial call, Sonos confirmed plans for a product launch in September, though an exact date has not been specified. Conrad emphasised that the company aims to leverage its whole-home audio network as a competitive advantage in the AI market, allowing devices to communicate and function as a unified system. The Ace Ultra is expected to be one of several AI-enabled products unveiled as part of this broader strategic pivot.
The launch of the Ace Ultra comes against a backdrop of technical difficulties for the original Ace model. The 2024 release was marred by app incompatibility issues stemming from a faulty software upgrade, which left the headphones unable to function with the older app version. Sonos later acknowledged that the redesign was released prematurely, resulting in a delayed user experience and the postponement of key features.
One of the most anticipated features, TrueCinema spatial audio, was not released until a year after the original Ace’s launch. This feature utilises data from Sonos soundbars to adjust audio output based on room acoustics. With the Ace Ultra, Sonos is attempting to rectify these early missteps while integrating deeper AI capabilities, although specific technical details regarding the extent of these features remain unconfirmed due to the redacted nature of the FCC filing.
