TL;DR: Sonos introduced Beam Ultra, Ace Ultra headphones, and its Sonos 27 operating system on Sept. 1, 2026, with pre-orders open that day and general availability set for Sept. 29, 2026.

Sonos used an event in New York City to outline two hardware products and a software platform together, a combination described by The Verge as the biggest single Sonos announcement since 2024, when a new app rollout upset customers and prompted damage-control efforts. Details of the Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra had appeared in an FCC filing in early August, according to The Verge. The company framed the day as an expansion of home theater, personal listening, and system software rather than isolated product launches, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

The company said Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra would be available for pre-order starting Sept. 1, 2026 at sonos.com and select retail partners, priced at $699 and $449 respectively, with general availability on Sept. 29, 2026, according to the Sonos Newsroom. TechRadar reported the same Sept. 1 pre-order and Sept. 29 launch dates, listing Ace Ultra at $449 / £399 / AU$699 and Beam Ultra at $699 / £699 / AU$1,099. Sonos said Sonos 27 would arrive through a software update to all Sonos S2 products, although some features are available only on certain products, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

Beam Ultra brings 7.1.2 sound to smaller size

Beam Ultra is Sonos' new mid-size soundbar, built to keep Beam's compact form while adding true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The company said the soundbar uses nine custom drivers, including two dedicated up-firing drivers intended to deliver height effects and warmer bass.

A redesigned center channel is intended to produce clearer dialogue, supported by four levels of AI Speech Enhancement and Night Sound for late-night viewing, according to the Sonos Newsroom. Sonos said Beam Ultra can anchor a home theater setup that adds a Sub for deeper bass or rear surrounds as needs change.

Compatible Sonos portable speakers can now serve as rear surrounds, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The Verge reported that the wireless Play and Move 2 portable speakers can be used as surround speakers, automatically configuring to new positions and roles without initiating setup in the Sonos app. The Verge also reported that the feature cannot be used with a single Play or Move 2.

Ace Ultra links headphones to the home system

Sonos Ace Ultra is Sonos' newest premium over-ear headphone, built with a Sonos-designed 40mm driver, Adaptive ANC powered by ten microphones, and up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC on, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The company said Ace Ultra is the first headphone built on Headphone Engine 2, hardware that links the headphone directly into the Sonos system.

Headphone linking is offered as an Early Access feature, according to the Sonos Newsroom. One press pushes whatever is playing on the Sonos system to the headphones, while another press pulls it back, without needing a phone in range. The Verge reported that a button on the headphones moves audio between a speaker and the headphones, and that no phone is necessary if it is out of reach.

The Verge described Ace Ultra as an integrated part of the Sonos ecosystem built upon Headphone Engine 2, with headphone linking scheduled to roll out at the same time as the headphones' release on Sept. 29. The system senses the closest speaker and passes audio from it to the headphones, according to The Verge. Sonos said headphone linking will arrive Sept. 29 as an Early Access feature exclusive to Ace Ultra, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

Noise cancellation and physical changes

The Ace Ultra look similar to the Ace, with slightly different button placement on the left ear cup, according to The Verge. The same reporting described Ace Ultra as a little bigger, with a little more space in the ear cup, and 10 grams heavier.

The headphones use newly custom-designed 40mm drivers and 10 microphones for noise control, two more than the Ace, according to The Verge. Sonos claims the result makes ANC twice as effective as the Ace at what Brandon Holley, senior director of product development, called the frequencies that really matter.

Those frequencies include 65Hz, described as the general frequency of an HVAC system, where Ace Ultra are 2.2 times more effective, and 120Hz, described as the airplane drone range, where they are 1.8 times better, according to The Verge. No information was provided for performance with coffee-shop chatter, according to The Verge. Sonos said Ace Ultra and Beam Ultra were tuned with input from the Sonos Soundboard, a group of leaders across music, film and more, to deliver sound intended to stay true to artist intent, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

Sonos 27 adds voice, outside AI and custom agents

Sonos introduced Sonos 27 as the latest version of the audio operating system it said it has spent more than two decades building, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The release brings AI control through multiple assistants and agents, new ways to move sound around the home, and changes to the app experience.

Sonos 27 gives listeners the option to control the system using a preferred AI, continuing the company's open-platform approach, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The company introduced Sonos 27voice, its own assistant built for music and mood curation, alongside Sonos 27mcp, which connects outside AI assistants or agents to the system, including OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The Verge reported that Sonos 27voice was built in-house for music and system control and is coming as an early access, opt-in feature this fall. The same report said Sonos 27mcp can connect existing AI models such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, although Google Assistant is still not natively supported. Sonos said new app navigation starts rolling out Sept. 8, alongside Sonos 27mcp in Early Access, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

Users will be able to create up to 10 of their own agents through Sonos 27, using a chosen model with different voices and roles, according to The Verge. Examples described by Holley included a moody detective delivering morning news or a motivational coach whispering aspirations on waking. Custom agents will not be available until sometime in 2027, according to The Verge. Sonos also previewed Sonos Custom Agents, which will let people create agents through the system, each with its own model, persona and voice, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

Fabric, positioning and app navigation

Sonos Fabric is the system capability that enables Sonos products to sense each other and adapt to the moment, according to the Sonos Newsroom. This fall, it powers headphone linking and portable surrounds.

Sonos Positioning Technology uses high-frequency sound to sense a speaker's location and change its role within the system based on that location, according to the Sonos Newsroom. That capability enables portable surrounds, which lets Move 2 or Sonos Play become rear surrounds when moved into position. Sonos said portable surrounds start Sept. 8 for Move 2 and Play owners, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

The company is rolling out new features to its Sonos 27app to make navigation easier and more intuitive, according to the Sonos Newsroom. The Verge reported that Home, system and search tabs will be added across the bottom of the screen, with a room-sort option that can be pinned to the top for a customizable list.

A virtual volume knob controlled with two fingers will start rolling out Sept. 8, although it will launch only on iOS at that time, according to The Verge. Lockscreen controls for volume and play and pause started rolling out Aug. 17, while system health views and presets will roll out later in the fall, according to The Verge.

Prices, compatibility and executive statements

Sonos CEO Tom Conrad said Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra combine innovation, acoustic design and audio engineering developed through decades of learning in homes, according to the Sonos Newsroom. Conrad said the products take advantage of the surrounding system for movie nights and for moving a soundtrack into headphones the next morning.

Chris Jenkins, EVP Digital Studios at Universal Music Group, said Beam Ultra pulls listeners into a scene instead of reminding them they are listening to a speaker, according to the Sonos Newsroom. Atty Eleti, product lead for ChatGPT Voice at OpenAI, said the Sonos integration lets people ask ChatGPT to play music anywhere in the home from a phone or computer without leaving a conversation, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

All products compatible with the current Sonos app can be controlled with Sonos 27mcp, and everything with a microphone works with Sonos 27voice, according to The Verge. When custom agents become available, they will work everywhere Sonos 27voice is enabled, according to The Verge. Sonos said its system supports 100-plus streaming services, groups and bonds Beam Ultra with other speakers for multi-room and home theater listening, tunes Beam Ultra with Trueplay, tunes Ace Ultra with TrueCinema when pulling sound from a compatible soundbar, and connects Beam Ultra over WiFi, Bluetooth and HDMI eARC while Ace Ultra adds USB-C and 3.5mm, according to the Sonos Newsroom.

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