We didn't know what to expect from the Sonos Ace Ultra. Having not quite hit the target with its Sonos Ace wireless headphones in 2024, we were hoping that the US company would take the lessons learned from its debut over-ears and come up with something a little more competitive the next time around. From sound quality to noise cancelling, we knew that Sonos could do better.
And it has done better. Much better, in fact, with the Ace Ultra unequivocally demonstrating that Sonos is capable of competing in the ultra-competitive space of premium wireless headphones. From better audio to an expanded, refined feature set, this is everything that the Ace Ultra have done to improve upon their somewhat middling predecessors.
Sound's about right
How good they sound is what matters most, and this is the area in which we felt the most let down by the debut Sonos Ace.
Sonos' first wireless headphones missed the sonic mark, with a sound that we described as "listenable and inoffensive" without exactly setting the world alight. Clarity and insight were somewhat mediocre, detail levels were just about acceptable, while a lack of spaciousness and dynamics further hindered our affection for what we called a "simplistic and safe sound".
The new Ace Ultra aren't perfect, but most of the criticisms we levelled at their predecessors have, to an extent, been rectified. The sophomore cans are more powerful, assertive and self-assured than before, like a spotty teenager that's been hitting the gym for six months and discovered the wonders of face wash.
As we wrote in our review: "These headphones sound far more self-assured than their de facto predecessors, with a rich, full-bodied sound that brings a muscular, confident presence to the tunes we feed them."
Dynamics and overall insight aren't yet good enough to trouble the mighty Sony WH-1000XM6 or superlative Sennheiser HDB 630, but this bolder, more muscular sound is certainly a step in the right direction. When the Ace Ultra 2 rock up in a few years, we're expecting the full five stars, Sonos.
Expanded Sonos integration
We're fully aware that ecosystem integration is a massive part of why you may want to buy a Sonos product, and the Ace Ultra are no different. Like the Ace before them, a significant chunk of their allure comes from their ability to play ball with newer-generation Sonos soundbars and wireless speakers.
Like the original Ace, the Ace Ultra feature Sonos' TrueCinema calibration tech, which uses spatial software to tailor your headphones’ acoustics to your room, externalising audio away from your head to create a sound that more closely matches your listening space's real-world characteristics. It works well for us, and certainly helped Blade Runner 2049 sound more purposeful, immersive and cinematic as a result.
The Ace Ultra also add Sonos’ new 'headphone linking' feature, letting you transfer sound to the Ace Ultra from most current Sonos products working under the Sonos 27 operating system, including the Arc Ultra, Ray, Beam (Gen 2) and new Beam Ultra soundbars, and the Era 100, Era 300, Move 2, Play and Roam 2 wireless speakers.
We struggled to get the feature to play ball with the Play on a domestic network, but taking the headphones into our London office and connecting them up to the same system as the new Beam (Gen 2) soundbar worked a treat.
We were able to swap audio from Blade Runner 2049 from the Beam onto the headphones by pressing and holding the Ace Ultra’s content key for around five seconds. To get sound back onto the soundbar, we simply held the button down again, and the second-gen Beam took over audio duties once more.
If you share with housemates, live with a partner and kids or have neighbours who object to your Sonos soundbar pumping out blockbusters at 1am, that could be a really handy feature when you want quick and easily accessible personal listening at the touch of a button.
Cool and comfortable cans
In fairness to 2024's Sonos Ace, a lack of comfort was never something with which we took major issue during testing. If anything, we always found the Ace to be a nicely made and easy to get along with pair of headphones, blending a lightweight, minimalist design with solid ergonomics and nicely padded vegan leather earcups.
It's a similar story with the Ace Ultra, albeit a slightly better one. While their general form and size are practically identical to their forebears, the newer over-ears' earpads have been upgraded with new ‘Rebound’ memory foam cushions, designed to improve comfort via a plusher, more forgiving fit.
These things often vary from person to person, but we also found that they're resistant to heating our ears, a real bonus during those longer listening marathons. Even at this level, that's not always a guarantee.
A cheaper initial price
Well, what a nice surprise this was.
The original Ace launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699 in 2024, but their price has since dropped in the intervening years to a more modest £299 / $299 / AU$449.
The Ace Ultra, on the other hand, landed at £399 / $449 / AU$699, a lower figure than their stablemates which puts them in direct competition with the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 (£400 / $450 / AU$699) and the excellent five-star Sennheiser HDB 630 (£400 / $500 / AU$1000).
Sonos has confirmed that it will keep the older Ace on sale alongside the new step-up model, rather than pitching the Ace Ultra as a direct replacement. That means that Sonos lovers have a more appealing choice of things, as they can either save a bit of cash on the now-cheaper original Ace, or get the Ace Ultra at a competitive opening RRP.
For the record, we'd go for the Ace Ultra every time.
MORE:
Also consider the Sennheiser HDB 630
Prefer soundbars? Read our companion Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review
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