One of the products that Sonos is preparing to introduce in September may be the company’s new high-end headset, Sonos Ace Ultra. The documents, which appeared in the records of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and were noticed by Lowpass, contain the first details about the name of the Ace Ultra, which has not yet been announced, and some of the features of the device. Although most of the documents are kept secret, it is understood that the new model will come with an ear-surrounding design like the Sonos Ace, which goes on sale in 2024. However, it looks like Sonos will increase the two color options in the first Ace model to five in the Ace Ultra. In addition to the light gray tone called Greige, the documents list Shadow Black, Agave, Blush and Sand colors.
Sonos announced that it planned to introduce a new product in September at the meeting where the third quarter financial results were evaluated. The company did not specify which device would be introduced at the time, but the FCC filing indicates that the Ace Ultra was one of the products that could be announced within this schedule. The registration gives a strong indication that the device is at an advanced stage in development, as FCC filings often appear before the official introduction of consumer electronics products with wireless connectivity capabilities. Despite this, the documents do not contain basic information such as the price of the headset, battery life, audio equipment or sales date. Therefore, it is not yet clear what technical improvements the “Ultra” tag called Ace Ultra will represent compared to the current Ace.
Sonos Ace Ultra may focus on AI and voice control features
One of the striking details in the FCC documents is the signs for Sonos Voice Control support. The company’s own voice control system can provide direct voice access to various functions on a headset without a display. As Bloomberg points out, voice interaction is becoming more functional as it can be used with artificial intelligence assistants and chat bots on devices that do not have a screen. Sonos CEO Thomas Conrad also said at the financial results meeting that they are preparing to make artificial intelligence one of the technologies at the center of the company’s activities. So it seems likely that the Ace Ultra will connect with AI-based features the company is developing, beyond existing Sonos Voice Control capabilities; However, the FCC registration does not provide a concrete feature list in this regard.
One of the most important issues facing Ace Ultra will be the legacy of the first Sonos Ace. The release of Ace, which was launched in 2024, was overshadowed by the serious problems experienced in the Sonos application in the same period. The company’s renewed application was released with various errors, and some basic functions that were previously available were not included in the new version. Sonos later admitted that it released the app design earlier than it should have. One of the main reasons for this was that the Ace headset was not compatible with the old Sonos application, and the company offered the incomplete application to users in order to support the new headset.
The impact of these problems was not limited to implementation. TrueCinema spatial sound enhancement, which was shown as one of the prominent features of the product when Sonos Ace was introduced, could not be used with the headset. The company only introduced this feature to users about a year after the release of Ace. TrueCinema creates a personalized spatial audio experience for the headset by leveraging the acoustic properties of the room containing a compatible Sonos soundbar. The room information obtained through the soundbar is processed and transferred to Ace, thus aiming to make the listening experience with headphones closer to the sound character of the physical environment.
It is not yet known how Ace Ultra will develop this infrastructure. Features such as a more powerful processor, improved active noise cancellation, longer battery life or new spatial audio options may be considered among the innovations that would be compatible with the “Ultra” naming, but FCC documents do not confirm any of these. The preparation of five different color options shows that Sonos is considering differentiating the new model from the first Ace not only in terms of technical features but also in terms of design options. Considering the software problems experienced in the first model, the smooth operation of the new headset with the Sonos application as well as the hardware features and the usability of the announced features from the first day will directly affect the user experience.
Thomas Conrad’s statements also indicate that Sonos may not limit its artificial intelligence features only to headphones. Conrad thinks that the company’s offering of speakers and sound systems that can communicate with each other throughout the home may provide an advantage in terms of artificial intelligence. Since Sonos’ speakers, soundbars and headphones work within the same ecosystem, the ability to use voice commands between different rooms and devices technically overlaps with the company’s existing infrastructure. In addition, users’ approach to always-on microphones and cloud-based artificial intelligence services at home can make privacy and data processing policies more visible. If the Ace Ultra is actually introduced in September, Sonos can be expected to explain in more detail not only the technical features of the new headset, but also its approach on the artificial intelligence and voice control side.
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