Sonos has introduced Sonos 27, the latest version of its audio operating system, which the company has spent more than two decades building. Alongside the software update, Sonos has introduced the new Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and Sonos Ace Ultra headphones globally.
Sonos 27 introduces AI assistants and agents
Sonos 27 allows users to control their Sonos system using different AI assistants and agents. The company has introduced Sonos 27voice, its own assistant for music and mood curation, and Sonos 27mcp, which connects Sonos systems with external AI assistants and agents, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The key AI features include:
- Sonos 27voice: Sonos’ own assistant for music and mood curation.
- Sonos 27mcp: Connects external AI assistants and agents to a Sonos system, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It connects Sonos systems with large language models (LLMs), allowing compatible AI interfaces to control a system after user authorization.
- Sonos Custom Agents: Allows users to create their own agents through the system, with each agent having its own model, persona, and voice.
Sonos Fabric enables new ways to move sound
Sonos Fabric is a system capability that allows Sonos products to find one another, understand their role in the system, and coordinate automatically. Sonos Positioning Technology uses high-frequency sound to detect a speaker’s location and change its role within the system.
Sonos Fabric enables the following features:
- Portable surrounds: Compatible portable speakers can become rear surrounds when moved into position. The feature requires a matched pair of two Sonos Play or two Move 2 speakers and a compatible soundbar, such as Arc Ultra.
- Headphone linking: Available through Early Access, it connects Sonos Ace Ultra directly to the Sonos system and allows users to move audio between the headphones and a compatible Sonos speaker or group streaming over the same Wi-Fi connection. Music can also be selected and controlled through the Sonos app while on the home network.
Redesigned Sonos app
Sonos 27 also includes a redesigned Sonos app with new features, updated navigation, and other improvements. The app was shaped and tested with input from the Sonos community and is one of the ways users can control their Sonos system, alongside Sonos 27voice and Sonos 27web.
Sonos Play
Sonos Play can connect over Wi-Fi to a Sonos system, allowing users to group speakers across rooms or pair speakers for stereo sound. A Charging Base can also be used to keep the speaker at home, while a removable utility loop is provided for portable use.
Key features of Sonos Play include:
- Up to 24 hours of battery life
- IP67-rated waterproof design
- Built-in power bank for charging a phone
- Automatic Trueplay tuning that dynamically adapts sound to the listening environment
- Optimized power management
- Replaceable battery
- Support for voice services, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, and the Sonos app
For the first time, multiple speakers can be grouped directly through a Bluetooth connection when away from home. Users can connect Sonos Play to their phone and press and hold Play/Pause on up to three additional Sonos Play or Move 2 speakers to sync them together.
Sonos Beam Ultra
The Sonos Beam Ultra is a mid-size soundbar with 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos support. It includes AI Speech Enhancement, which adjusts dialogue clarity through the Sonos app, and Night Sound, which reduces the intensity of loud sounds and enhances quieter details.
Beam Ultra uses Trueplay to analyze room acoustics and tune the sound accordingly. It can be connected to a TV through the Sonos app, which guides users through setup, while an existing TV remote can be used automatically after setup.
The soundbar also supports TV audio playback through compatible Sonos headphones, including Dolby Atmos audio. It can be placed on furniture or mounted using the Beam Ultra Wall Mount.
Other features include:
- Sonos app support
- Touch controls for playback and volume
- Sonos Voice Control
- Bluetooth
- Apple AirPlay 2
- Spotify, TIDAL, and other supported services
- Recycled materials and plastic-free packaging
Quick Specs
Sonos Ace Ultra
The Sonos Ace Ultra is a new addition to the company’s headphone lineup with spatial audio, Active Noise Cancellation, and integration with the Sonos system. It uses a Sonos-engineered driver and Adaptive ANC with 10 microphones to detect surrounding sounds and filter unwanted noise in real time.
The headphones offer up to 35 hours of listening time with ANC enabled. A three-minute charge provides up to three hours of playback.
Other features include:
- Aware mode for allowing surrounding sounds through
- Voice boost for clearer voices in Aware mode
- Sidetone for hearing your own voice during calls with ANC enabled
- Wear detection that pauses and resumes playback
- Content Key for volume, system audio switching, and calls
- 3-band or 8-band custom EQ
- Replaceable ear cushions and battery
TV audio can also be sent from a compatible soundbar to the headphones, including Dolby Atmos. TrueCinema adapts the experience to the room, while dynamic head tracking keeps the sound positioned as the listener moves.
Quick Specs
Pricing and availability
Sonos 27’s new app navigation, portable surrounds, and Sonos 27mcp Early Access will roll out from September 8, alongside Sonos Play’s availability in India.
- Sonos Play: Rs. 35,999 — Black, White, and Sand
- Sonos Beam Ultra: USD 699 (Rs. 66,371 approx.) — Black and White
- Sonos Ace Ultra: USD 449 (Rs. 42,633 approx.) — Black, Soft White, Agave, and Sand
Sonos Beam Ultra and Sonos Ace Ultra will be available in India at a later date, with their general availability details to be announced.
Speaking on the launch, Tom Conrad, CEO of Sonos, said:
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. 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 beginning of what our audio operating system can do.