One year after the release of the Sonos Ace, the American manufacturer is carrying out a major update of its flagship headphones, promising an unprecedented cinema headphone experience thanks to the new TrueCinema feature, capable of performing acoustic calibration by microphone. This free update also boosts the active noise cancelling system and now allows up to two headphones to be connected to one Sonos soundbar.
TrueCinema: room-calibrated immersion
When the Sonos Ace was unveiled in 2024, the promise of the TrueCinema function aroused a great deal of enthusiasm. The idea was to offer, with a pair of headphones, spatialization worthy of a multichannel home theater system thanks to acoustic calibration of the room and dynamic modeling of the sound field. We had to wait almost a year to see this feature finally added. And our patience seems to have paid off.
TrueCinema works by learning the acoustics of your living room. To do this, the headphones listen to the sounds broadcast by your Sonos soundbar (Arc, Beam or Ray) and analyzes their behavior in the room. The headphones’ built-in microphones pick up echoes, reverberations and reflection points, then the system creates a customized 3D rendering that simulates the physical presence of several speakers. This feature, inspired by the system already present on the brand’s speakers, promises a more immersive experience, with an extended soundstage and a real sense of space.
Headphones designed for sharing
Another new feature of this update is the ability to listen in pairs. The Sonos Ace now supports shared audio between two headphones connected to the same Sonos soundbar. Dubbed “TV Audio Swap for two”, this feature enables the sound stream of a film or series to be broadcast simultaneously on two pairs of Sonos Ace headphones, each benefiting from the same spatialization and acoustic treatments.
Set-up is simple and efficient. A quick pairing process connects both headphones to the Sonos soundbar. The system ensures perfect audio synchronization between the two users, with no perceptible latency. It’s the perfect solution for couples and flatmates who want to enjoy a film in the middle of the night, or in noisy surroundings, without disturbing those around them.
Upgraded active noise cancelling
While the Sonos Ace already offered powerful ANC, the new firmware version takes things a step further. The manufacturer has reworked the adaptive ambient noise processing algorithms for better real-time management of acoustic disturbances. The microphones now analyze more finely the interference caused by items such as glasses, hair, hats or other accessories that can alter the effectiveness of the noise cancellation system. The result is more natural, uniform noise reduction that’s, above all, more effective in the low frequencies.
Clearer phone calls
The update also improves call quality. Thanks to support for high-resolution encoding, voices become more natural and conversations more pleasant, even in complicated sound environments. The other major new feature is the introduction of the SideTone function. This enables users to hear their own voice slightly when talking with headphones on their ears. This auditory feedback, inspired by that found in professional headphones or certain gaming models, limits the impression of isolation that noise reduction can generate. It’s also an invaluable aid for naturally regulating the volume of one’s own voice, so you don’t raise your voice involuntarily.
All these new features are deployed free of charge via the Sonos Ace firmware 3.9.7 update and version 80.22+ of the Sonos app. It has been available since June 10, 2025, for both iOS and Android.
