FCC filing hints at new Sonos headphones arriving this fall

Documentation submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revealed new details about upcoming Sonos wireless headphones carrying the model number S52A. Sonos CEO Tom Conrad had already hinted at new headphones during the company's third quarter earnings call.

One of the submitted documents includes an oval diagram, likely depicting an ear cup, labeled "Sonos Ace Ultra." That name does not appear elsewhere in the filing, but it follows a naming pattern Sonos has previously used for its soundbars, such as the Arc and Arc Ultra.

Colors and possible features

The filing also points to a wider range of color options than the current Sonos Ace, which is only available in white and black. Five new colors are named: "greige," shadow black, agave, blush, and sand.

Documents also indicate testing of local network connections over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This could simply relate to the TV-swapping feature already found on the Sonos Ace, or it could suggest the new headphones will support Wi-Fi music streaming similar to Sonos speakers.

Learning from the original Ace

The original Sonos Ace launched more than two years ago, but its debut was overshadowed by a troubled redesign of the Sonos app, which was reportedly pushed out early because the previous app could not support the Ace. While the Ace headphones were comfortable, stylish, and delivered good sound and noise cancellation, they fell short of similarly priced rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Sennheiser Momentum 4. The app problems also caused buggy integration with the rest of the Sonos ecosystem.

Since then, Sonos has released several well-received products, including the Arc Ultra soundbar and the Play speaker. If the company applies lessons learned from the original Ace to its new headphones, it could mark a fuller comeback for the brand.