Sonos has announced the Ace Ultra, a new iteration of its debut headphone line. While the physical design remains largely consistent with the original Ace, the company has focused on internal improvements to address shortcomings identified in the initial product launch.

The original Sonos Ace headphones were intended to be a major expansion for the brand, but their market reception was complicated by a simultaneous and widely criticized redesign of the Sonos mobile app. Beyond software issues, the original Ace headphones faced criticism regarding their primary feature: the ability to reroute audio from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones for private listening. At launch, this feature was reported to be glitchy and restricted exclusively to the $1,000 Sonos Arc soundbar, limiting the utility of the hardware for a broader user base.

The Verge reports that the Ace Ultra is the product Sonos should have released initially, suggesting that the hardware improvements are intended to rectify the brand's recent struggles. While the original model was praised for its build quality, sound performance, and comfort, the company is now attempting to regain consumer trust by refining the internal technology that powers the device’s core features.