It’s that time of year — Christmas is all finished, and retailers are looking to unload as much inventory as possible to take advantage of all the gift cards people received.
Right now I'm seeing some of the best headphone deals of the year, with up to $180 off the likes of Bose, Sony and Sennheiser. Here are three of the very best after-Christmas deals on headphones right now.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s excellent noise canceling over-ears are a headphone triumph. They sound amazing, feature some of the best ANC around, and they’re comfortable thanks to their lightweight design and nice padding. I’ve had a great time testing the headphones since their release, and I really enjoy the features that Sony has managed to pack in.
When connected to the Sony Connect app, there are some extra modes in the ANC that you can activate. There’s a mode that changes the ANC based on the noise around you, so that its strong when you need it, and less intrusive when you don’t. Then there’s the GPS ANC, which changes the level of noise canceling depending on where you are — you can choose the different levels in the app. Both of these improve battery life, so that the ANC isn’t running at full capacity at all times, and thus not drinking all your battery life. That battery life is good too at 30 hours.
Then there are extra sound modes. There’s an EQ so that you can change the way the headphones sound, and it works well if you like playing with your audio. Then there’s the 3D audio setup, which while initially irritating while you pan around your head with the camera, soon becomes cool when you listen to Spatial Audio. Overall, the WH-1000XM5 are a pair of headphones that are good at almost everything, and thanks to a $100 discount, they’re a great price right now.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are our pick for the best noise-canceling headphones. That’s thanks to their incredible ANC, which manages to be better than just about every other pair of headphones around. Put them on your head, turn them on and the outside world just kind of… disappears. It’s Bose’s specialty, and the Ultra prove how good the brand is at it.
But there’s more besides that excellent noise canceling. The fit is among the very best, thanks to their very light weight and top-notch padding. I’m always impressed with just how pillowy soft the earpads and the headband of the headphones is whenever I pull them from their hard case, and it means that I can wear them for long periods of time while listening to my music. And because the sound is also really good, it means I’ll actually want to listen to them for a long time — if only the 24-hour battery life were a little better, and then I would actually be able to listen to them for super long periods of time.
The touch controls are interesting as well. Rather than an annoying touch panel on the outer side of one of the earcups, there’s a kind of touch stip. You slide your finger over it to control the volume and tap it to skip and pause. It’s a whole lot better than the silly touch panels that change tracks when you want to adjust your headphones. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a stellar pair of cans, and this $100 discount brings them down to their lowest price ever.
Sennheiser Momentum 4
Sennheiser’s excellent noise-canceling headphones might not be talked about quite as much as the Sony or Bose alternatives, but they more than deserve your attention. Sennheiser brings some of the best sound quality of the three, with an excellently detailed yet warm and wide sound profile that sounds better than many options at a similar price. Grab a pair of these and you’re in for a lovely audio experience.
They also pack in some great flagship features. There’s some really good ANC on board, and while it’s not as strong as the Bose or as fully featured as the Sony option, it still does a very good job of keeping out the noises that the outside world might throw at you. The transparency mode is good as well, making sure that you can hear things when you need to in a natural manner. The battery life is the biggest boon here though — you get 60 hours worth of listening out of the headphones for the longest lasting pair of cans on the list.
The fit is comfortable as well thanks to their large, wide earcups. They’re fairly deep as well, so your ears won’t be scraping the inside of the cups when you wear them. We also found them really good for call quality, so if you frequently take calls with your Bluetooth headphones, then the Momentum 4 might be just the option you’ve been looking for. The Momentum 4 are a lovely pair of headphones — and they’re currently $180 off at Amazon.
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