Amaya Tomanová Sonos is apparently preparing for a second attempt at a more significant breakthrough among premium headphones. The upcoming Sonos Ace model Ultra has already appeared in US FCC documents and according to infomacBloomberg We could see it introduced in September. This time, it's not just an improved version of the original Ace. Sonos also wants to use the new headphones as one of the first steps in its larger expansion into the world of artificial intelligence.
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LSA Magazine Original Sonos Ace It arrived in 2024 and technically it was definitely not a bad headphone. It offered quality sound, good active noise cancellation, and with its design and price of $449, it was aimed squarely at the AirPods Max. But Sonos chose the worst possible time to launch them. At the time, the company was dealing with a very unsuccessful redesign of its app that had upset a significant portion of its customers, and the headphones themselves weren't as deeply integrated into the Sonos ecosystem as many had expected.
The result was consistent with this. According to available information, Sonos hadmacinternally expected to sell one million units, but in reality it sold approximately 200,000. Ace Ultra So they will have a relatively difficult task: to convince not only new customers, but also users for whom the first generation did not give enough reason to buy.
Headphones as a gateway to AI
The most interesting news of Ace Ultra there should be support for voice commands and artificial intelligence. InformacThe documentation suggests that it might also be possible to communicate with AI via headphones chatthird-party bots. The exact form of this feature is not yet known, but it fits well with Sonos' own plans.
Its CEO Tom Conrad recently identified AI as one of the areas the company wants to focus on. He talked about, among other things, the arrival of conversational computing and predictive intelligence in the home. Ace Ultra So they might not just be another pair of headphones with a voice assistant, but one part of a broader Sonos strategy.
And this approach has potential, especially with headphones. Voice control here feels more natural than on many other devices, because the microphones are practically always at your mouth and you can hear the assistant's response without having to take out your phone. However, what exactly Sonos offers and how smoothly third-party services work will be decisive. The AI label alone is definitely not enough to make a product successful today.
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They will be confronted by surprisingly old AirPods Max
The current situation is also interesting for Sonos. Appyou. AirPods Max though Apple has been slightly modified over the years, but their basic design dates back to 2020 and the actual second generation, according to current informationmacIt's not in sight. Sonos could introduce a brand new premium headphone in September that will still compete with a product based on a six-year-old design.
Apple Of course, it has one huge advantage – the ecosystem. AirPods Max are closely linked to iPhonem, iPad, Macum Apple TV and other products of the company, which is precisely the discipline in which the first Sonos Ace paradoxically did not shine even among Sonos' own products. So if the manufacturer wants this time AppTo really make a splash, it's not enough to just offer great sound and an AI assistant.
So far, we know at least in color from the FCC documents variaAce Ultra They are to be available in Greige, Shadow Black, Agave, Blush and Sand. Most other informationmacIt has been blacked out, so we will have to wait for technical parameters, price or specific form of AI functions. However, if it really arrives in September, the wait will not be long. And considering how slowly Apple your turn AirPods Max moving forward, Sonos is getting a rather interesting opportunity this time.
Jiří Filip 
