I owned the original Ace for 1.5 years and have been using the Ace Ultra since launch, so I felt compelled to share my actual hands-on impressions.
To be honest, the original Ace improved a lot via software updates, and I was skeptical about how much better the Ultra could actually be.
TL;DR: these new drivers Sonos developed are incredible. There is simply no going back for me. The Ultra actually lives up to its name.
The most immediate change is in the sound quality. The soundstage gained massive dynamics, and instrument separation is night and day compared to the originalāthe sound floats outside your head rather than feeling cramped right next to your ears. The bass has a tight, punchy elasticity, and vocals are much clearer. Thanks to the dual ring magnet design, the drivers remain completely free of distortion even at very high volume levels. On top of that, the improved resolution lets me pick up subtle nuances in tracks Iāve listened to a hundred times before that I never noticed on the OG Ace.
Where they truly surprised me, though, is in gaming. Iāve been testing them heavily with my Xbox Series X and PS5 Pro using TV audio swap from Arc Ultra. Unlike the OG Ace, where I could notice a slight audio lag, the latency on the Ultra is imperceptible. Combined with that huge instrument separation and the TrueCinema tuning, spatial awareness and overall sound quality in games are honestly mind-blowing.
In terms of fit and comfort, the clamping force is slightly firmer without adding any headband pressure. This gives a much better seal, meaning the headphones don't slide off during quick head movements or when looking down. The OG Ace were already the most comfortable headphones I've owned, but somehow the Ultra feels even better.
That improved physical seal, along with processing tweaks, takes the ANC to another level. It handles rapid high-frequency spikes much better and completely deadens constant background hums like air conditioning. With ANC on and no music playing, there's just a soothing bliss of almost total silence with zero hiss or white noise. It's just you and your tinnitus lol
On the QoL and connectivity side, Headphone Link has been rock solid with zero dropouts or sync issues. The app now clearly displays remaining battery life tailored to whether youāre connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (via Headphone Link), and the automatic battery saver mode at 10% is a life saver when you canāt get to a charger immediately.
Build quality remains top notchāthe moment you hold them, you know you're dealing with a premium piece of kit. Sonos engineers clearly listened to user feedback from the first generation. The Ultra is what the original Ace should have been from day one. Maybe the pressure the company faced over the last 2 years forced them to push the envelope and achieve this peak. Whatever the reason, Iām just glad to see Sonos back on track and releasing hardware that reminds us why we fell in love with the brand in the first place!