Best headphone deals: AirPods, Sony, Sennheiser and more

With headphones being such an important part of our day-to-day lives, especially when it comes to blocking out noise, it’s always nice to see a good deal floating around, especially with how much the market has expanded in the last few years. You can get everything from the mid-range and budget-friendly to the high-end headphones with the best Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), so you can really pick something that fits both your needs and your budget. While you can certainly spend hours looking at headphones, we’ve gone out and collected our favorite deals to save you the hassle.

Sony WH-CH720N — $128, was $148

The Sony WH-CH720N is a minor upgrade from the previous generation Sony WH-CH710N, which mostly remains the same except for some minor changes to the way it looks and is built. Otherwise, the CH720N are the same sort of good-quality headphones for a relatively budget price, with the audio being dependable but nothing exciting or comparable to the higher-end XM4s, for example. That’s ok since they aren’t meant to compete at that level, and given the price you’re paying, they’re relatively comfortable to wear, have good audio, and you can get about 35 hours of total use with ANC switched on.

Sony LinkBuds — $138, was $178

The Sony LinkBuds are probably some of the most unique earbuds we’ve seen in a while because they’re designed to let everything in instead of using things like active noise cancellation to keep the sounds of the world out. This means that you’re essentially getting an open-backed or pass-through set of earbuds, which can certainly be useful in some situations, especially when it comes to safety and being aware of your surroundings. Interestingly, the LinkBuds still offer pretty excellent audio, so the sounds from outside don’t affect the audio quality, and the total 17 hours or so of charge is also pretty good.

Apple AirPods 3 — $150, was $169

Some of the best wireless earbuds around in this price range, the Apple AirPods 3 are great for daily use. They offer personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking helping you feel more immersed in your music. Dolby Atmos support further helps and you’ll be impressed at how much better it sounds than other cheap earbuds. There’s also good battery life of up to six hours from one charge with up to 30 hours in total thanks to the charging case. The charging case is a wired one rather than wireless but that’s a small concession to make at this price. They also offer Apple features like audio sharing via different sets of AirPods, easy pairing, and Siri support.

JBL Live 660 NC — $150, was $200

JBL is known for its great audio, and since it was taken over by Samsung, it has continued that excellent tradition with the JBL Live 660 NC headphones. They have surprisingly good audio for how much they cost, with solid mid-performance and a clear soundstage, but more interestingly, they have really great noise canceling that comes with an ambient noise boost mode so you can stay aware of your surroundings. It also comes with a solid app that has an EQ that lets you adjust the levels if you don’t like the sound out of the box, while the whopping 40 hours or so of battery life should easily last you a couple of days or more.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 — $189, was $249

Some of the best noise-canceling earbuds around, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are a delight for Apple owners in particular. They do a great job of blocking out noise around you with up to two times better ANC than the previous model. Adaptive audio is there too, seamlessly blending ANC and Transparency modes together so you get the best listening experience. You also benefit from deeply immersive sound with a low-distortion, custom-built driver which provides crisp and clear high notes along with full bass. The earbuds top things up with personalized spatial audio and head tracking, along with Dolby Atmos support. They have six hours of battery life from one charge with a total of 30 coming from the wireless charging case.

Beats Studio Pro — $199, was $350

The Beats Studio Pro might lack some key features like wear sensors and multipoint support but at this price, you’ll simply love how balanced and clear the sound is. There’s also lossless USB audio if you prefer to go wired. In all cases, head-tracked spatial audio while the headphones’s ANC ensures you can block out any unnecessary environmental noise while you listen with a transparency mode allowing you to return to the world as needed. Clear call performance is possible too thanks to voice targeting mics. Up to 40 hours of battery life with ANC off means they’ll last for your weekly commute and beyond.

Sony WH1000XM4 — $250, was $350

While Sony’s highest-end headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5, they can get quite pricey, and if you want a similar level of noise-canceling and audio performance, then going for the cheaper Sony WH-1000XM4 makes a lot of sense. Not only were these XM4s the industry leaders in active noise canceling for a while, but they’re also comfortable to wear, have a great app with a lot of customization, and, of course, have some excellent audio fidelity. Equally impressive is the roughly 30 hours or so of battery life you get with ANC, which is above the industry average.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 — $300, was $380

Sennheiser is known for making high-end pro-grade audio gear, so it’s not surprising that its consumer-grade stuff is also pretty excellent. While the Sennheiser Momentum 4 may not compete with the XM5s in terms of active noise canceling, it does compete, if not outshine, Sony’s headphones when it comes to audio quality and fidelity. Also, the large cups mean better coverage of ears and a more comfortable fit, with excellent padding there and on the headband, too. If you’re more interested in audio fidelity than ANC, this are the headphones to go for.

Sony WH-1000XM5 — $328, was $398

If you want our pick of the best headphones on the market, then the Sony WH-1000XM5 are for you, especially when it comes to ANC. Not only that, but the audio fidelity is excellent, with a very clear sound and deep soundstage; it’s a very impressive set of headphones. Also, it’s very comfortable to wear, especially over extended periods, and the 30 hours of playback mean that you don’t have to constantly charge it, especially if you’re not using it the whole day.  Also, while not necessarily a big thing, the carrying case for the XM5 is pretty excellent, and even though it’s a bit bulky, it’s absolutely going to protect your headphones without issue.

Apple AirPods Max — $530, was $550

The Apple AirPods Max is a pair of headphones that don’t really need an introduction, given that they are some of the best headphones on the market and the best Apple-compatible headphones when you include Apple’s Beats brand. They have excellent active noise cancellation, on par with the XM5s, and the same sort of audio quality and capabilities, including things like spatial audio, which admittedly is better for watching movies than listening to music. Even so, if you’re looking for the best Apple has to offer in terms of audio, the AirPods Max is the way to go.

More headphone deals we love

There are countless other headphone deals around so we’ve only highlighted the very best above. We’ve also picked out a few more below that are also great. These encompass different price ranges so you can spend very little or a lot, depending on your budget and needs. All the headphones below come from reputable brands so you can trust in them all. You’ll be impressed at how deep the discounts are at the moment.

• Anker Soundcore Q20 ANC headphones —
• Sony WF-C700N —
• Apple AirPods 2 —
• Beats Solo 3 —
• Beats Powerbeats Pro —

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