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Choose your headphones carefully. A good pair can outlast a phone when treated right, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday is the single best time of the year to pick one up.
Let’s not squander it. We’re not going to suggest any £18 pairs of earphones, now available at £2 off this week. We have looked through hundreds of headphone deals–from Amazon and John Lewis to Argos, Currys and more–and simmered the selection down to the pairs people want, those more people should want, as well as some less commonly seen sets you may not have considered.
There are true wireless earphones, full-size headphones and some higher-end pairs only really suitable for home use that delivery the best sound quality of them all.
We're into Black Friday and Cyber Week, so we've uncovered the top discounts. Check out the best Black Friday deals for 2022 here.
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Apple’s Black Friday headphone deals are routinely among the most popular, even when you only get £10-20 off. This year’s discount is a little more substantial, at £55 off Apple's own price. The AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charger are Apple’s top earbuds, even with the recent release of the AirPods 3 (£169). They are similar to the last version, complete with refined sound quality, strong active noise cancellation and seamless iPhone compatibility. MagSafe charging is the change this time, although the wireless charging case still has a wired port. This is likely why we’re seeing a better discount than we might usually get from recent Apple devices. For a bigger sound and further enhanced ANC, check out the Apple AirPods Max (£479), which are also reduced right
These true wireless earphones have sold for around £112 in the days running up to Black Friday, but have just dropped further to £99. They are quite possibly the best buy of all in-ear pairs for the deal hunters out there. Until the WF-1000XM4 were released earlier this year, the WF-1000XM3 were considered the best true wireless earphones around, pound for pound. It’s all thanks to a highly persuasive combo of excellent sound quality, effective active noise cancellation and relatively long battery life for a true wireless pair. now.
Now, although we loved the build quality and the excellent sound from Apple's premium over-ears, as well as their superb noise cancelling, we still had some reservations. In our review we said that they were heavy to wear (no amount of price discount can help us there) and that they were too expensive. Well, thank the lords of Black Friday because your prayers have been answered. Here is the blue version at more than £110 off.
Look no further if you want the best active noise cancellation you can get in a pair of true wireless earphones. While rivals like Sony have improved their ANC with more context-aware modes, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds are still class-leaders for sheer effectiveness. Sennheiser and Sony pairs at this level offer slightly more dynamic sound, but as an all-round package these are excellent at £180.
The headphones and earphones with the most dramatic-looking Black Friday discounts aren’t always the easiest to recommend. For that you’re looking at something like the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+. This pair is currently £30 off its original price, £10 less than the weeks before the Black Friday and Cyber Monday free-for-all. However, their sound and battery life are excellent, the earpieces are unobtrusive and the charging case is small. Their IPX5 water resistance makes them sport-ready too. Active noise cancellation is the potential stumbling block: the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ don’t have it.
We loved these excellent all-rounder headphones when we reviewed them, with comfortable, expansive, detailed and energetic sound, and top-notch great specification and even a quality app to go with the cans. Our only qualms were the humdrum 17 hours of battery life and average noise-cancelling. Neither of these points stopped us from giving Sennheiser's third-gen Momentums a superlative rating.
In-ear headphones this expensive may be out of the reach of most, but Richer Sounds does currently offer the Beyerdynamic Xelento for £200 less than other sellers. The discount is not a fabrication. These earphones have a miniaturised version of the Tesla driver technology Beyerdynamic uses in its top full-size headphones, like the Beyerdynamic T1, for ultra neutral reproduction. Stuck in 2011 in the best possible way, these are wired earphones with an in-line remote, as the name suggests.
These new earphones may not have attracted the same sort of attention as Sony’s flagship pairs, but they have already won awards and cost a whole lot less than the top-end WF-1000XM4. Their battery lasts a near-class-leading 10 hours and IPX4 water resistance is good enough for the runners out there. The Sony WF-C500 do not have active noise cancellation, the main reason to buy a pricier set, but their sound quality holds its own against pricier models.
Sony’s “WF” series true wireless earphones have dominated our WIRED Recommends round-up for some time now. The two most recent generations are in this year's Black Friday sale: the WF-1000XM3 for £99 and the new WF-1000XM4 for £199. Check your budget and make your choice, but the latest version is a significant step up. They are much better-looking earphones, for one, have improved active noise cancellation and greater clarity and dynamism to their sound.
The Philips Fidelio X2 range is a Black Friday favourite. This was once one of the most lauded ranges of mainstream at-home headphones. Fidelio’s star has dimmed, and we get the benefit with the opportunity to snag a sumptuous pair of headphones for under £100. They have ultra-comfortable velour pads, a head-cradling headband and a slightly wider soundstage than rival Sennheiser models around this low price. Don’t even consider them for outdoors use, though, as they are open-back headphones. They let noise in, they leak sound out. This pair sold for around £130 before Black Friday, but originally cost more than £300.
Jabra made some of the first great Bluetooth true wireless earbuds, and has tweaked its designs over the years without discarding their signature slightly sporty look. You’re unlikely to find a more feature-rich true wireless pair than the Jabra 75T Active for under £100. They have IP57 water resistance, high enough to take a rinse under a tap. Their sound is muscular but controlled. And, thanks to a software update, they even have active noise cancellation while also working great with iOS and Android. These would be our current top pick for sports use.
Hifionix has not specifically listed this Audeze LCD-2 Classic deal as belonging to Black Friday, but you get £83 off compared to almost all other retailers regardless. Selling for £666, maybe this hifi retailer is showing its disdain for the whole event. Either way, you get a solid discount off some of the best headphones available for under £1,000. These are planar magnetic headphones, which use a larger driver whose surface does not distort to the same degree as a classic dynamic driver, resulting in less harmonic distortion. Like most planar magnetic headphones the Audeze LCD-2 Classic are a little heavy, but their sound is worth the weight.
This is one of the biggest percentage discounts on a pair of headphones this Black Friday. Of course, it’s a Bang & Olufsen pair and therefore highlights just how pricey its sets are from the off. However, audio quality compares well with the Sony WF-1000XM3 you might buy at around this price, particularly if you enjoy B&O’s warmer sound signature. In their early days these earphones were plagued by connectivity issues, but these have largely been fixed with successive firmware updates. However, there is no ANC, which is why you might want to consider another set.
Before pricey wireless headphones with active noise cancellation became the norm, Sennheiser was the top name to shop with for those willing to spend £300 or more on a pair. And it has quietly continued in the background, making stellar audiophile headphones that put zero of the budget into Alexa support or dynamic noise cancelling algorithms. The Sennheiser HD 660 S are all about sound, and might be the best place to put £356 this Black Friday if you want a pair to watch movies or play games late at night. Or listen to music at home, from your laptop or phone, without disturbing the neighbours. These are high fidelity open-back headphones made for close listening. Useless for outside use, but a dream for the indoors in terms of both sound and comfort.
The Sennheiser IE 300 were released this year, but have none of the trappings usually associated with new pairs. There’s no Bluetooth, no active noise cancellation, or baked-in digital assistant support. These are classic audiophile earphones that use a cable. They aren’t just professional monitors sold to consumers, though, as the IE 300 have powerful and deep bass not usually heard in that kind of earphone. Their original price was arguably at odds with a sound signature that mildly prioritised bass thrill over balance, but this discount means they make much more sense.
The original Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless were among the first truly great-sounding true wireless earphones, but they cost a small fortune at just under £300. This newer version, which doesn’t come with sound downgrades, is pretty appealing at £180. It adds active noise cancellation and some usability improvements. Sennheiser or Sony WF-1000XM4 at £25 more? The Sonys may be a better all-round package but the Sennheisers arguably have a more accurate representation of the mid-range.
Edifier is a value-led brand, and the angular-looking NB2 Pro were already highly rated at their original £70 price. With almost 50% off, these are a real contender for the best budget Black Friday true wireless buy so far. The features on offer for around £40 are stupendous: IP54 water/dust resistance, active noise cancellation and nine hours of use before you need to put them back in their case. Their sound is not neutral, with timid mids overshadowed by punchy bass and bright highs, but it makes for a fun listen.
- The Best Cyber Monday Deals
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- Deals Under £25
- Luxury Deals
- Google Device Deals
- Mattress Deals
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
