Best Deals on Headphones

The Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds sit near the top of our ratings, with really satisfying sound and exceptional active noise cancellation. Bose headphones also earn top marks from our members for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. It’s a modest discount, but they don’t go on sale often, so it’s definitely worth a look if you don’t want to wait for the $50 discount that tends to come up during bigger sales.

If you like to run outside, the Bose Ultra Opens are a unique option that will allow you to listen to music while still being aware of your surroundings. They hook on your ear, just above the lobe, kind of like a cuff-style earring. They sound surprisingly good, too, once you get the placement just right. And it’s totally easy to hear things around you with a clarity that the "transparency" mode of most earbuds can’t match.

If you’re a fan of the Google Pixel phone, then the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a solid choice for a complementary earbud. They have a Find My Device function, and the sound can be adjusted through the Pixel app. The Pixel Buds 2 earn very good sound quality grades and score well for noise cancellation.

This wireless Bluetooth iPod/iPad/cellphone-centric model from JBL is a solid pick. The JBL Tune 660NC delivers very good sound quality and excellent active noise reduction. These headphones have a closed design, they will provide some muffling of external noises and also reduce the amount of sound that escapes from the headphones.

This is the latest and best incarnation of the company’s top noise-canceling true wireless earbuds—they’re also the best price we’ve seen. The AirPods Pro 2 include a transparency mode that can pipe in outside sound when you want to hear what’s going on around you. (The adaptive transparency mode, designed to reduce loud outside noises, is less impressive.) And the new USB-C charging case lets you refuel the battery using the same cables you’d use for a Mac laptop or the iPhone 15.

If you’re looking for earbuds that prioritize fit above all else, check out the Beats Fit Pro. These noise-canceling buds have soft silicone ear tips in three sizes, plus wingtips that fit into the pinna (the exterior of your ear) for additional security. They have actual buttons, too, rather than the touch-sensitive controls on many other models, which may make it easier to operate them while on the go. The Fit Pros also sound really good and feature effective active noise cancellation, making them a solid alternative to the similarly priced AirPods Pro.

These sleek true wireless earbuds may be a bit expensive, but their stellar sound quality makes them more than worth it if you care about music. Plus, the price dropped $50 since last week, marking the best discount we’ve seen this year. They are sleek successors to the company’s stellar WF1000XM4s, and they deliver so much musical detail that you simply hear your favorite songs in a different way. The noise-canceling performance of the XM5s is top-notch as well, and Sonys have a very effective ambient mode that pipes in outside noise for safety or convenience.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is two generations old—Sony recently introduced the XM6—but headphone tech doesn’t advance that rapidly, and the XM4 remains a solid performer with fine sound and very effective noise-canceling. Most importantly, at less than $200 it’s a flat-out bargain, competing with models that are double the price.

The XM5s are also on sale for around $330 at various retailers, but they actually perform a little worse than this model in our tests, so why pay over $100 more just to have something newer if it doesn’t sound as good?

While Apple claims the AirPods 4 are improved over the AirPods 3, our testers were less impressed. They’re still solid headphones if you don’t like having something stuck in your ear. The fit, despite Apple’s tweaks, is pretty much the same, as is the sound. The price is somewhat lower and that’s an unalloyed good.

JBL Tune 510BT headphones feel like they’re built with quality in mind: They’re cheap, but they don’t seem cheap. This Bluetooth model delivers pretty good sound quality, it has a 40-hour advertised battery life, and we’ve seen it selling at remarkably low prices. The 510BT sits on the ears, which some people find more comfortable than being engulfed by the more common over-ear style. As an extra perk, you can also use them with a cable if you forget to charge them.