Sonos is expanding its vision for the connected home with Sonos 27, the latest version of its audio operating system, introducing new AI-powered controls, smarter ways to move sound around the home, a redesigned app and two new flagship products: the Sonos Beam Ultra and Sonos Ace Ultra.
Built from more than two decades of development, Sonos 27 is designed to make the Sonos platform more open and adaptable, allowing listeners to choose how they interact with their audio system while making it easier for different Sonos products to work together.
“Twenty years ago, we made a bet that the rest of the industry is only now arriving at — a home deserves an audio operating system made just for it,” said Tom Conrad, CEO of Sonos. “We built our system around a shared love of music and the belief that nothing sets the mood like great sound. Sonos 27 takes that further, bringing acoustic engineering, adaptable software, intelligence and design together in a way only Sonos can. This is just the start of what our audio operating system can do.”
An open approach to AI
One of the biggest changes arriving with Sonos 27 is a more open approach to AI. Rather than requiring users to rely on a single assistant, Sonos is giving listeners more flexibility in choosing how they interact with their audio system.
Sonos 27voice is the company’s own voice assistant, designed specifically around music and mood curation. Alongside it, Sonos 27mcp allows external AI assistants and agents to connect with a Sonos system, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The integration allows users to ask ChatGPT to play music anywhere in their home directly from their phone or computer, without having to leave their existing conversation.
“With this Sonos integration, people can ask ChatGPT to play music anywhere in their home from their phone or computer, without leaving the conversation they’re having,” said Atty Eleti, product lead for ChatGPT Voice at OpenAI. “It’s a simple way to stay in the moment, and we’re excited to bring it to Sonos listeners around the world.”
Sonos is also previewing its next step with Sonos Custom Agents. The feature will allow users to create their own agents through the system, with each agent able to have its own model, persona and voice.
“The smartest home isn’t run by one do-everything assistant; it’s run by people having the ability to pick or create the right agent for each job. That’s what Sonos’ open platform gives you,” said Nick Millington, Chief Innovation Officer.
Sonos Fabric moves sound around the home.
Sonos 27 also introduces new capabilities through Sonos Fabric, a system-level technology that allows Sonos products to sense one another and adapt based on their surroundings and how they are being used.
This fall, Sonos Fabric will power two new features designed to make it easier to move audio between speakers and headphones.
The first is headphone linking, which connects the Sonos Ace Ultra directly to the Sonos system as an Early Access feature. This allows listeners to move audio between nearby Sonos speakers and their headphones, effectively taking the sound experience with them.
The second is Sonos Positioning Technology. Using high-frequency sound, the system can determine where a speaker is located and adjust its role within the Sonos setup.
This enables a new portable surround feature, allowing compatible portable Sonos speakers to automatically become rear surround speakers when they are moved into the appropriate position.
A redesigned Sonos app
Sonos is also introducing a redesigned app with new navigation and improvements aimed at making the system easier and more intuitive to control.
The new app has been shaped and tested with input from the Sonos community, and joins Sonos 27voice and Sonos 27web as additional ways for users to control their Sonos system.
The new app navigation and portable surrounds features will begin rolling out from 8 September.
Sonos Beam Ultra brings 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos to a compact soundbar
Alongside Sonos 27, the company has unveiled the Sonos Beam Ultra, a new mid-sized soundbar designed to deliver a more immersive home theatre experience without taking up the space of a larger soundbar.
Beam Ultra features nine custom drivers, including two dedicated up-firing drivers. Together, they deliver true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos while also providing warmer bass in a relatively compact form factor.
A redesigned centre channel is intended to make dialogue clearer, while four levels of AI Speech Enhancement give users additional control over dialogue clarity. Night Sound is also available for late-night viewing when users want to reduce louder sounds.
The Beam Ultra can serve as the centre of a wider Sonos home theatre setup. Users can add a Sonos Sub for deeper bass or rear surrounds to expand the experience. With Sonos 27’s portable surrounds feature, compatible portable Sonos speakers can now also be used as rear surrounds when positioned accordingly.
“A great mix means the listener feels everything without noticing how,” said Chris Jenkins, EVP Digital Studios UMG. “That’s exactly what Beam Ultra delivers, sound that pulls you into the scene instead of reminding you you’re listening to a speaker.”
Sonos Ace Ultra brings deeper headphone integration
The Sonos Ace Ultra is the company’s latest premium over-ear headphone, combining new hardware with deeper integration into the wider Sonos ecosystem.
The headphones feature a Sonos-designed 40mm driver and Adaptive ANC powered by 10 microphones. Battery life is rated at up to 35 hours with ANC enabled.
Ace Ultra is also the first Sonos headphone built on Headphone Engine 2, a new hardware platform designed to enable deeper integration with the Sonos system.
Through the Early Access headphone linking feature, users can connect Ace Ultra directly to their Sonos system. A single press can move whatever is currently playing on the Sonos system to the headphones, while another press can return the audio to the speakers, without requiring a phone to be within range.
Built around the Sonos system
The Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra are designed to take advantage of the broader capabilities introduced with Sonos 27.
Both products have been tuned with input from the Sonos Soundboard, a group of leaders from the music, film and other creative industries, with the aim of keeping their sound aligned with the artist’s intent.
Sonos also highlights several ecosystem features across its products:
● A broad music ecosystem: Sonos supports more than 100 streaming services, making it possible to access a wide range of music and audio content through the platform.
● Designed to work together: Beam Ultra can group and bond with other Sonos speakers for multi-room listening and home theatre, while Ace Ultra can tap into the same system through headphone linking.
● Tuned to the room: Trueplay can tune Beam Ultra to the room where it is installed, while TrueCinema provides a similar approach for Ace Ultra when it is pulling sound from a compatible soundbar.
● Multiple ways to connect: Beam Ultra supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HDMI eARC, while Ace Ultra adds USB-C and 3.5mm connectivity.
An audio operating system designed to evolve
With Sonos 27, the company is positioning Sonos as more than a collection of connected speakers and headphones.
The platform is designed to bring together different ways of listening while allowing individual products to become more capable as the overall system evolves.
The company’s open-platform approach also means users can choose how they interact with their system, from Sonos’ own voice assistant to external AI assistants and, eventually, custom-built agents.
As new products and software capabilities are introduced, Sonos says its system is designed to work across generations, allowing existing and new devices to become part of an increasingly adaptable home audio setup.
Singapore pricing and availability
The Sonos Beam Ultra is priced at S$1,299 and comes in Black or White.
Pre-orders began on 2 September 2026 through the TC webstore, Sonos Flagship Store at Wheelock Place and TC Flagship Store at The Adelphi.
It will also be available for purchase through Lazada Singapore from 15 September, with products available at the aforementioned stores from 29 September 2026.
The Sonos Ace Ultra is priced at S$699 and is available in Black, White, Agave and Sand.
