Sonos Ace Ultra review: Bose has some real noise-canceling competition

Tom's Guide Verdict The Sonos Ace Ultra are a triumph in active noise cancellation, delivering a 10-microphone array that legitimately gives Bose a run for its money. Featuring redesigned 40mm drivers, subtle structural refinements, a 35-hour battery, and direct Wi-Fi linking into the Sonos home system via Headphone Engine 2, these are an absolute dream for commuters and home theater enthusiasts alike. But at $449, they are a steep investment, and unless you already own Sonos home gear, rivals like Sony and Bose offer similar standalone value for less. Pros +Massive ANC upgrade +Seamless WiFi TV audio swapping via Headphone Engine 2 +Refined, ultra-comfortable build with slimmer earcups +Clever travel case with internal magnetic cable storage +Long 35-hour battery life with rapid charging Cons -Steep $449 price tag -Hard to justify if you don't own Sonos home speakers Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate. Jump To: Price & availability Design Connectivity & Sonos Ecosystem Sound quality ANC Call quality Battery life Verdict Sonos Ace Ultra review: SpecsPrice: $449 MSRPDurability: No official IP ratingConnectivity: Bluetooth 6.0; WiFi (Headphone Engine 2); USB-C audio; 3.5mm inputCodecs: SBC, AAC, Qualcomm aptX Adaptive LosslessCompatibility: iOS/Android (via Sonos app) & Sonos Home SystemMultipoint connectivity: YesANC: Adaptive ANC with 10-microphone arrayWear detection: YesBattery life: Up to 35 hours with ANCWeight: 0.71 lbsColors: Black, Soft White, Agave, SandI’ve had a soft spot for the original Sonos Ace ever since they launched. In fact, they quickly became one of my default commuting picks. Whenever I catch someone sporting a pair at an airport terminal, it feels like an unspoken "if you know, you know" nod between us frequent flyers.With the new Sonos Ace Ultra ($449), Sonos took what worked on the original and focused heavily on performance and ecosystem polish. The headlining upgrade is easily the active noise cancellation: thanks to a new 10-microphone array and updated Adaptive ANC, these cans are legitimately giving Bose a run for its money.Add in redesigned 40mm custom drivers, subtle design tweaks like a more flexible swivel, and direct Wi-Fi system linking via Headphone Engine 2, and you have an exceptionally polished pair of premium headphones. But one big question remains: are these worth buying if you don't already own a house full of Sonos gear?Latest Videos FromTom's GuideI'll answer that for you in my full Sonos Ace Ultra review below.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Price & availabilityThe Sonos Ace Ultra land at $449 (£399 / €449), positioning them squarely in the luxury over-ear bracket. They're still comfortably below the $550 Apple AirPods Max 2, but align pretty evenly with the $449 Sony WH-1000XM6 at full price. (Image credit: Future)General availability opens September 29, 2026, directly through Sonos and major audio retailers.Sonos Ace Ultra review: DesignSubtle ergonomic refinements and slimmer earcup profileIntuitive physical Content Key sliderTravel case features an internal magnetic cable poucCompared to the Sonos Ace, the Sonos Ace Ultra's design has been refined in meaningful ways. You get a slimmer earcup profile, a more flexible headband swivel, slightly enlarged control buttons and a repositioned USB-C port for easier charging while resting on a stand.Tom's Guide: Direct to Your InboxGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.They come in classic Black and Soft White, as well as two stunning new matte finishes: Agave and Sand.ComfortWeighing 322 grams (0.71 lbs), the Ace Ultra balance their premium metal and high-grade materials with exceptional weight distribution. The soft memory foam ear cushions create a gentle acoustic seal that doesn't pinch over earrings or my sunglasses. I had no comfort concerns even when wearing the Ace Ultra for hours at a time. (Image credit: Future)ControlsSonos kept the tactile Content Key on the right earcup, which slides up and down for smooth volume adjustments, presses in to handle play/pause/skip, and holds down to swap audio with your nearest Sonos speaker.A separate dedicated Noise Control button handles ANC/Aware mode toggles. (Image credit: Future)Carrying caseThe included travel case retains its familiar, felted aesthetic, but Sonos added a clever touch inside: a magnetic interior pouch that cleanly secures your charging and audio cables.Inside the case, you'll find both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable. My only minor nitpick here is that the cables are standard black or white. I would have loved to see color-matched cables for the new Agave and Sand options, but the magnetic storage pouch is so convenient it's easy to forgive.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Connectivity & Sonos EcosystemHeadphone Engine 2 enables direct WiFi linking to Sonos speakersBluetooth 6.0 with aptX Adaptive Lossless supportWhile these operate as stellar Bluetooth 6.0-compatible headphones on the go, their best performance inside the home. Powered by Sonos' new Headphone Engine 2, the Ace Ultra can join your home Wi-Fi network directly to participate in the broader Sonos audio operating system.If you are watching TV with a compatible soundbar like the new Beam Ultra or Sonos Arc Ultra, pressing the Content Key instantly pulls the TV audio off the soundbar and hands it off to your headphones in full spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and TrueCinema head tracking. Pressing it again sends the soundtrack right back to the room.If you're already embedded in the Sonos ecosystem, as I am at home, this feature alone elevates the Ace Ultra above standard Bluetooth noise-cancelers. I actually wanted to keep wearing them even when I got home from my evening work commute, enjoying my standard fix of reality TV to decompress through the privacy of my Ace Ultra headphones.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Sound qualityRedesigned 40mm custom drivers with Adaptive EQSupport for Spatial Audio3-band and 8-band EQ tuning in the Sonos appAcoustically, the redesigned 40mm drivers deliver a wide, detailed soundstage with zero distortion even when pushed to high volume levels. Adaptive EQ continually measures the seal around your ears to compensate for hair or glasses, keeping the overall response balanced and natural.That said, the iconic bassline in Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc." lands with thick, resonant depth. The driver handles heavy sub-bass decay effortlessly without masking the acoustic guitar plucks or vocal textures in the mid-range. (Image credit: Future)Stevie Nicks’ vocals sound hauntingly intimate and centered in Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." Instrumental separation between the clean rimshots and background harmonies is crisp, demonstrating impressive warmth and acoustic layering.And of course, I had to test the audio performance in blockbuster soundtracks. Hans Zimmer's "Paul's Dream" from "Dune" excelled with spatial rendering and high-frequency control. Dynamic brass swells and intricate percussion sparkled across a wide soundstage without ever becoming shrill or fatiguing at higher volumes.Sonos Ace Ultra review: ANC10-microphone array 2x stronger ANC performance vs. original AceBose-rivaling in travel scenarios (Image credit: Future)ANC is where the Ace Ultra make their biggest leap forward from the first-generation Sonos Ace. Jumping from eight to ten microphones allows the Adaptive ANC to adjust much faster to changing environmental sounds.In real-world testing, these give Bose’s flagship noise-cancelers a serious run for their money. Lower-frequency drones (think: air conditioning HVAC hums and jet engine rumble) are muted with shocking efficiency.Meanwhile, the Aware Mode uses the 10-mic array to blend ambient surroundings back into your ears. I will say it's not the most natural-sounding awareness setting on the premium headphone market, but it certainly suffices.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Call qualityBeamforming mics with background noise suppressionSidetone feature prevents shouting on calls (Image credit: Future)With 10 microphones and upgraded background noise suppression, call performance is noticeably improved over the original Ace. Voice isolation remains clean even when taking calls near busy street traffic.Sonos also added a dedicated Sidetone feature, which feed a natural mix of your own voice back into your ears while on calls so you don't end up shouting over the Active Noise Cancellation. I'm guilty as charged, so I consider this a clever quality-of-life feature.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Battery lifeUp to 35 hours of listening time with ANC enabledLow Power Mode extends battery life by up to 30%3-minute rapid charge gives 3 hours of playbackBattery life gets a welcome boost up to 35 hours from 30 hours on the OG Ace with ANC turned on. At 35 hours, it outperforms both the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen (24 hours) and AirPods Max (20 hours.)If you toggle Low Power Mode within the Sonos app, battery life can extend by up to an additional 30%. And if you ever get caught at 0%, a lightning-fast 3-minute quick charge over USB-C yields 3 full hours of listening time.Sonos Ace Ultra review: Verdict (Image credit: Future)The Sonos Ace Ultra are an exceptional, luxury pair of noise-canceling headphones. The upgraded 10-microphone ANC array places them squarely in the top tier of noise isolation. Combine that with refined wearability and 35-hour battery life, and I found no shortage of reasons to love these headphones.That said, the $449 price tag is a significant hurdle. If you don't own any Sonos home gear, you are paying a premium for ecosystem features like Headphone Engine 2 and TV audio swapping that you simply won't use. In that case, standalone alternatives from Sony or Bose offer similar everyday performance for less. Not to mention, Sonos devices go on sale less frequently than those from the aforementioned competitors.But if you do already happen to have some Sonos speakers at home and want impressive ANC that transitions seamlessly from your living room soundbar to your morning flight, the Ace Ultra are a match made in audio heaven. Managing Editor, Social and Video Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.