Sonos appears to be preparing its second-generation premium headphones, with an FCC filing offering an early look at what could become the Sonos Ace Ultra. The regulatory documents arrive at a convenient time: Sonos has already confirmed a product launch event for September, making the headphones a likely candidate for an official reveal.
The filing identifies a Sonos device carrying model number S52A, although much of the documentation remains confidential. More interestingly, it references five colour options — Greige, Shadow Black, Agave, Blush and Sand. If all five make it to retail, that would represent a considerably broader selection than the original Sonos Ace, which launched in black and white.
There may be more substantial changes underneath the new colours. According to reporting based on the FCC documents, the wireless hardware points toward Wi-Fi connectivity alongside Bluetooth and possible support for Sonos Voice Control. Neither feature has been formally announced, so their exact implementation remains unclear.
Wi-Fi would nevertheless address one of the more unusual limitations of the original Ace. Despite coming from a company built around connected multi-room audio, the headphones don’t operate like another conventional Sonos speaker on the network. Their headline Sonos ecosystem feature instead centres on TV Audio Swap, which can transfer audio from compatible Sonos soundbars to the headphones.
Giving the Ace Ultra a more direct connection to the wider Sonos ecosystem could therefore be a meaningful upgrade, particularly if it enables additional playback or voice-control options without depending as heavily on a paired smartphone.
The timing also lines up with Sonos’ broader plans. During the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Tom Conrad confirmed that Sonos will hold a product launch event in September. He also discussed conversational computing and predictive intelligence as areas that are becoming increasingly relevant inside the home, suggesting AI and voice interaction will play a larger role in future Sonos products.
That makes potential voice assistant support on the Ace Ultra particularly interesting. Sonos has been developing its own voice-control technology for several years, but extending that experience to headphones would give the company another route into personal, rather than room-based, audio.
Pricing remains unknown. The original Sonos Ace launched in 2024 at $449, placing it firmly against premium noise-cancelling headphones from Apple, Bose and Sony. In the UAE, the Ace originally arrived at around AED 2,099 and can now be found for considerably less through some retailers. An Ultra designation suggests Sonos could position the new model above the existing Ace rather than simply replacing it at the same price.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions, including battery life, acoustic changes, noise cancellation and exactly what Wi-Fi will enable. The FCC filing provides useful clues rather than a complete specification sheet. With Sonos already promising a September launch event, however, it should not be long before we find out whether the Ace Ultra is simply a more polished successor or the headphones that finally behave like a full Sonos product.
