A couple of years ago, Sonos wowed us with its debut headphones. Before then, it was well-known for making high-quality Wi-Fi speakers suited to kitting out an entire home. Overnight, Sonos brought both of those categories to the fore, announcing the Beam Ultra soundbar and Ace Ultra headphones.
An upgraded version of the Beam from a few years ago, the Beam Ultra gains extra audio drivers without adding much bulk. Now equipped with nine drivers as part of a 7.1.2 system, the Sonos Beam Ultra natively supports Dolby Atmos, with two of the drivers dedicated to up-firing audio.
Sonos describes the new soundbar as having “warmer bass”, plus clearer dialogue courtesy of a redesigned centre channel. Designed for 65-inch TVs, the mid-sized Beam Ultra is a bit wider than the previous model (750mm versus 651mm), but it still weighs less than 3kg. It is a bit pricier, though, at $1,099 in Australia, compared to the Beam’s $799 price tag.
Sonos Ace Ultra upgrades internals, better connectivity
However, the Sonos Ace Ultra costs the same as its predecessor’s $699 launch price. From the outside, it looks similar, but most of the changes are underneath. It uses a new audio driver and gets an ANC upgrade based on 10 microphones, up from the first Ace’s eight mics. This system supports adaptive ANC, meaning it adjusts the noise cancellation in real-time based on your surroundings.
Sonos also estimates a longer battery life, 35 hours versus 30, while the Bluetooth connectivity steps up to version 6.0. Helpfully, the Sonos Ace Ultra’s ear cushions and battery can be replaced, joining a growing trend by headphone makers to engineer more sustainable devices. There’s more customisation, too, with 3- and 8-band EQ customisation, in addition to adaptive EQ.
Arguably the biggest feature for those embedded in Sonos’ ecosystem comes from “Headphone Engine 2”. It’s what Sonos calls the hardware that drives the headphones’ enhanced connectivity. Launching in an early access phase, a major feature lets you send what’s playing on your Sonos speakers to the headphones, and vice versa, via a single button press.
Sonos added more interplay between its soundbars and headphones in post-launch updates, but this feature promises to make the overall Sonos ecosystem tighter and more seamless.
Another major Sonos software update
Another layer to this is the announcement of “Sonos 27”, the brand’s latest operating system. It’s the latest attempt by Sonos to rework its software platform, following a messy app rollout in 2024 that upset many users.
One part of the software enables more custom AI voice assistant integration, including pairing with external AI services, like ChatGPT. Sonos 27, which will also be the name of the revamped app, is set to support the aforementioned headphone-and-speaker linking feature, as well as position-based speaker optimisation.
For example, the app could detect that, based on a speaker’s location, it’s meant to be a rear speaker as part of a broader surround sound system. If a Sonos speaker’s position moves, the software will change how it functions accordingly.
All of Sonos’ major new hardware and software updates arrive this month. Both the Sonos Ace Ultra and Beam Ultra are now up for pre-order, ready to launch in Australia on 29 September. Meanwhile, the new Sonos 27 platform starts rolling out from 8 September onwards.
The post Sonos goes ‘Ultra’ with new soundbar, headphones, and big update appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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