Right now is a great time to buy a new pair of headphones. Brands have largely finished launching their latest models for the year, leaving some great discounts on older generations. As part of early Black Friday deals, I’m even seeing some of the latest and greatest models on sale for the first time. I’ve been reviewing headphones for more than four years, and I’m currently eyeing the 50-percent-off deals on older Sony headphones in particular.
All the deals below are WIRED-tested products we stand by, including wireless earbuds and over-ear headphones. For more early Black Friday deals, check out our guides to the Best Early Black Friday TV Deals and the Best Early Black Friday Mattress Deals.
Updated November 14: I added new products on sale from Nothing, CMF, and Shokz, and removed products no longer on sale from Bose, Google, and Beats.
Best Earbud Deals
Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the best wireless earbuds not only for anyone with an iPhone—but also for anyone who wants to keep things simple. They sound great and have some of the best active-noise-canceling (ANC) and transparency modes on the market. They also seamlessly sync with all of your Apple devices. While 20 percent off isn’t the best price I’ve seen for them, it’s still a solid discount.
-white-and-Ear-(3a)-yellow-credit-Chris-Haslam.jpg)
-pink-credit-chris-haslam.jpg)
-pink-and-yellow-credit-chris-haslam.jpg)
The Nothing Ear (3a) are one of our favorite pairs of earbuds under $100, and 30 percent off is the biggest discount I’ve ever seen for them so far. They have a semi-transparent design and bold colors that stand out from the crowd (particularly the yellow version). While the automated noise-canceling isn’t the best, it’s hard to fault them at this new low price.
The Shokz OpenFit open ear headphones were one of my favorites before the newer clip-on open earbud design started becoming more popular. This is the lowest price I’ve ever seen the Shokz model go for. They wrap around the top and back of your ear and rest there, leaving your inner ear clear to hear the outside world around you. The OpenFit 2+ have great sound quality (for open ear headphones, that is), long battery life, and wireless charging support.
Best Over-Ear Headphone Deals
The more premium XM6 and the newly revived, cheaper XM4C have effectively replaced the Sony WH-1000XM5. But I am still seeing the blue colorway of these excellent headphones at the lowest price I’ve clocked for these sunsetting cans. When they launched in 2022, they were our top pick for over-ear headphones. They remain excellent and far outperform other options at this limited price.
The Nothing Headphone (1) are a home run in looks and sound, and they are at their lowest price ever ahead of Black Friday. They’re solid noise cancelers with a bold, transparent design on the ear cups that’s somehow techy, retro, and futuristic-looking. Among their best features are the on-ear controls, namely the clicky wheel that adjusts volume and the flat rocker paddle that you can push back and forth to move to the previous track or skip ahead, respectively.
The budget Nothing Headphone (a) and premium Nothing Headphone (1) Pro are also on sale, but the Headphone (1) is the most appealing deal in my view.
Sony recently launched the WH-CN730N to replace these headphones, hence the rock-bottom price of 50 percent off. While these headphones can’t compete with most specs of more premium options on this list, they’re ultra-lightweight at just 192 grams. That and 35 hours of battery life with ANC on is nothing to scoff at.
Want to spend even less on headphones? CMF is Nothing’s sub-brand focused on stylish designs at a lower price point, and this is the best deal I’ve seen on its Headphone Pro over-ear cans. Frankly, $49 is a steal for these headphones, considering they are comfortable, sound surprisingly good, and have noise-canceling and long battery life.
Want the best ANC over-ear headphones? Look no further than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen). They are the benchmark to which I compare other ANC headphones. Plus, they are comfortable, premium, and sound excellent.
My top over-ear headphone pick, the best-in-class Sony WH-1000XM6 is matching the lowest price I’ve seen. These headphones are amazing across the board, with their high comfort, superior sound quality, and great noise-canceling capability.
AirPods Max 2 are excellent over-ear headphones for Apple fans, but the $550 sticker price is frankly absurd. Thankfully, they are almost always a little bit on sale, including now. This is far from the best deal I’ve seen on these headphones, and I do expect the price to dip further during Black Friday sales events, so I would add them to my cart and wait to pull the trigger.