An FCC filing points to new Sonos headphones coming soon
Some recently released FCC documents include the name Sonos Ace Ultra as potential successors to the brand’s first headphones.
Some recently released FCC documents include the name Sonos Ace Ultra as potential successors to the brand’s first headphones.
by Aug 11, 2026, 9:23 PM UTC
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
John Higgins is a senior reviewer covering TVs and audio. He has over 20 years experience in AV, and has previously been on staff at Digital Trends and Reviewed.
It looks like we’ll be getting a successor to the Sonos Ace headphones sometime this fall, which was hinted at by CEO Tom Conrad during a third quarter earnings call. As reported by What Hi-Fi?, an FCC filing by Sonos, Inc reveals details about upcoming wireless headphones with the model number S52A.
In addition to the S52A designation, one of the submitted documents shows an oval diagram — likely the ear cup — marked with the name Sonos Ace Ultra, although that name isn’t listed anywhere else. It follows the naming scheme Sonos has used in the past with its Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars. The documents also list color options we’ll likely see, which extend beyond the white and black of the Ace. The five colors named are “greige,” shadow black, agave, blush, and sand.
There’s also indication of testing for local networks over 2.4 and 5GHz bands. This could be just for the same TV swapping capability we saw on the Sonos Ace, or it could mean that these new headphones will support music streaming over Wi-Fi like Sonos’ speakers.
It’s been over two years since the Sonos Ace headphones were released, and that launch was overshadowed by the troublesome redesigned app rollout, which was likely pushed out early because the old app would not have supported the Ace. While the Sonos Ace were comfortable and stylish with good sound and ANC, they weren’t quite as good as comparatively priced headphones of the time like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Sennheiser Momentum 4. And because of the app issues, the Sonos ecosystem integration was buggy.
But Sonos has come a long way and recovered from those woeful app relaunch days with some strong product releases, including the Arc Ultra soundbar and Play speaker. If Sonos takes the lessons learned from the original Ace — and we do indeed see new headphones in the coming weeks or months — they could signal the full return of Sonos.
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