The Sonos Ace Ultra has one feature I want on every headphone

Sonos is taking another swing at premium headphones, but the most interesting part of the new Ace Ultra isn’t necessarily how they sound; it’s what happens when you put your phone down.

The Sonos Ace Ultra is the company’s latest flagship over-ear headphones, bringing a new 40mm driver, upgraded Adaptive Active Noise Cancelation (ANC), and up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC switched on. Those are all welcome upgrades, but Sonos is also trying to make the Ace Ultra feel much more like an extension of your home audio system rather than another pair of Bluetooth headphones. 

Your Sonos system can now follow you into your headphones

Headphone Engine 2 is new hardware inside the Ace Ultra that allows the headphones to connect directly to a Sonos system. The feature is launching in Early Access, but the idea behind it is surprisingly simple. Say you’re listening to music through your Sonos speakers and need to leave the room without disturbing anyone else. Press a button on the Ace Ultra and whatever is playing can move directly into the headphones. Press it again, and the audio returns to the Sonos system.

Crucially, Sonos says you don’t need to keep your phone within range for this handoff to work. It’s a feature that makes considerably more sense if your house already has Sonos speakers dotted around it, and that seems to be exactly the point. Rather than treating the Ace Ultra as an isolated pair of headphones, Sonos wants them to become another part of the same audio system.

A little more Ace up its sleeve

Sonos hasn’t ignored the basics in pursuit of that ecosystem trick. The Ace Ultra uses a Sonos-designed 40mm driver and an Adaptive ANC system powered by 10 microphones. Battery life reaches up to 35 hours with noise cancelation enabled, which should comfortably cover long flights or several days of normal listening. There are plenty of ways to connect, too. Alongside the direct Sonos integration, the Ace Ultra supports USB-C and a traditional 3.5mm connection. TrueCinema can also tune the headphone experience to match your room when audio is being transferred from a compatible Sonos soundbar.

All of these features arrive alongside Sonos 27, the company’s updated audio platform, which puts an even greater emphasis on making its speakers, soundbars, and headphones behave as one connected system. The Sonos Ace Ultra costs $449, with preorders starting September 1 through Sonos and select retailers. They’ll be available starting September 29. At that price, Sonos is jumping straight back into a fiercely competitive premium headphone market. This time, though, it’s betting that the speakers already sitting around your house might be its biggest advantage.