Two years ago, Sonos took its first crack at making headphones and came out the other side only slightly scathed. It may even have learned a thing or two. We had a good time with the cans, though they were a little pricey, at least compared to the stiffest competition. Now, Sonos is back with the Ace Ultra, with a few big improvements.
At the same time, Sonos unveiled the new Beam Ultra soundbar, yet another refresh of a beloved Sonos entry. The Beam line was long overdue for a refresh, with the second-gen Beam releasing all the way back in 2021. Still, it’s better late than never. Sonos, after a turbulent couple of years, is focused on audio more than ever.
Getting that Ultra sound
Sonos doesn’t want you to judge the Beam Ultra off its small stature alone. Improvements include a wider soundstage, deeper bass, and enhanced dialogue with the help of, surprise surprise, AI. Under the hood sit nine drivers (two of which are upward-firing), five tweeters (two side- and two upward-firing, with one in the centre), and four woofers to cap it all. The final result is a soundbar that’s been stretched a little to accommodate the tech.
The Beam Ultra supports 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos surround sound, and a wealth of connectivity options — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and HDMI eARC — at its fingertips. It’s meant to be a soundbar, sure, but it’ll jive with the rest of the Sonos family, no problem. Even portable models, like the Move 2 and Play, can act as rear speakers when needed.
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As for the Sonos Ace Ultra, there isn’t much to help you tell ’em apart from the old pair. From the outside, anyway. One of the best new features isn’t even one that’s fully out, and requires users to opt in before they can use it. That’d be the Ultra’s ability to link directly with other Sonos products and move the audio from there right into the headphones. Take the audio blasting from your soundbar, for instance, and send it to the headphones.
Sonos reckons doing so is as easy as a simple button press on the body. Tapping it again will send the audio back to where it originated. It’s a rather classy solution that could sway even current Ace owners into upgrading. That’s not to mention the massive improvements to ANC — with Sonos claiming up to 2x more ANC performance compared to the original. Battery gets a bump too, making for a solid 35 hours of listening with ANC on.
Both the Sonos Ace Ultra and Beam Ultra are currently up for pre-order overseas, with a planned launch on 29 September. The cheaper of the two is the Ace Ultra, priced at $450 (∼R7,300), while the Beam Ultra will set buyers back $700 (∼R11,300). What they’ll cost when they inevitably hit South Africa, we can’t be sure yet.
