Latest
Woman killed in Times Square stabbing, suspect shot dead by police‘Start being serious’: Canada’s Carney hits back at US officials as tariff talks stall – liveFairness for growers is food security for AmericaGOP hardliners threaten rebellion over stopgap funding billMicrosoft 365 outage drags on, but things are improvingOlivia Rodrigo is standing up for the vulnerable. I wish Taylor Swift would do the same | Arwa MahdawiShelly’s new $50 security camera watches your home without a subscriptionWoman killed in Times Square stabbing, suspect shot dead by police‘Start being serious’: Canada’s Carney hits back at US officials as tariff talks stall – liveFairness for growers is food security for AmericaGOP hardliners threaten rebellion over stopgap funding billMicrosoft 365 outage drags on, but things are improvingOlivia Rodrigo is standing up for the vulnerable. I wish Taylor Swift would do the same | Arwa MahdawiShelly’s new $50 security camera watches your home without a subscription
← Signal: Tech & AI

Sonos announces new headphones, soundbar, and OS overhaul in largest product push since 2024 app crisis

Confirmed1 source · Sep 1, 2026

The company unveiled the Ace Ultra headphones, Beam Ultra soundbar, and Sonos 27 operating system with AI-powered voice assistants and enhanced home audio integration.

Sonos announces new headphones, soundbar, and OS overhaul in largest product push since 2024 app crisis
Image via The Verge

What happened

Sonos announced at a New York City event the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones (releasing September 29th for $449) and Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar, alongside Sonos 27, a major OS update. The Ace Ultra feature improved noise cancellation (claimed to be twice as effective as the original Ace, with specific performance gains at 65Hz and 120Hz frequencies), increased from 25 to 35 hours of battery life, custom-designed 40mm drivers, 10 microphones (up from 8), support for aptX Adaptive Lossless, and availability in three color options. Sonos 27 includes a proprietary voice assistant for music and system control (early access this fall), Sonos 27mcp that connects to third-party AI models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini (launching early access September 8th), and the ability for users to create custom agents through Sonos 27 with different voices and roles (available sometime in 2027). Additional software features include headphone linking—enabling compatible headphones to move audio between speakers and receive it from the nearest device—rolling out September 29th, and app improvements (new navigation, room sorts, virtual volume knob, and lockscreen controls) beginning September 8th. The wireless Play and Move 2 portable speakers can now be used as surround sound speakers with automatic configuration.

Context

This announcement marks Sonos's largest product and software push since 2024, when a major app rollout damaged customer trust and prompted damage control efforts. The company is attempting to reestablish market presence by positioning AI integration and seamless cross-device audio as core features of its ecosystem. The Ace Ultra represents a re-engineering of the original Ace to function as an integrated part of the Sonos system rather than a standalone product. The emphasis on software updates and community feedback—including input from the Sonos subreddit—suggests the company is rebuilding confidence through iterative improvements and transparency. These announcements collectively address both hardware gaps (enhanced headphones and soundbar) and software fragmentation that characterized the previous product cycle.