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Hot deals: All our favorite headphones are at all-time low prices

These are nothing but the best headphones, and all of them are at historic low prices!
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Published onDecember 23, 2024

If you’ve checked out our list of the best headphones available, you’ll see three models standing proudly at the top. The Sony WH-1000XM5 are our favorite ones for most people, while the Apple AirPods Max reign supreme among iPhone users. Those who want the best ANC should get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Regardless of your pick, all of these are at record-low prices right now, so it’s your lucky day!

Get the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for just $278 ($121.99 off)

Get the Apple AirPods Max with USB-C headphones for just $499.99 ($49.01 off)

Get the Apple AirPods Max with Lightning headphones for just $379.99 ($170 off)

Get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for just $299 ($130 off)

These offers are available from Amazon, except for the Apple AirPods Max with Lightning, which you can get at this discounted price from Best Buy. We will discuss color availability and other details in each section below.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony WH-1000XM5
SoundGuys Editor's Choice
Sony WH-1000XM5
The king of the ANC pack extends its reign

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are our very favorite headphones for most people. Right now, these are at a new record-low price of just $278, regardless of which color you pick. The lowest we had seen them go for in the past was about $295, and only for a short period.

Put simply, these headphones are fabulous in every department. They have amazing sound quality and impressive ANC performance. Even the microphone sounds great! We also loved the design, which is very minimalist and comfortable. You can wear these for long listening sessions without an issue.

A top down view of the Sony WH-1000XM5 resting on a dark grey graph patterned surface.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best headphones for most people.

Again, these are premium headphones. Even at the heavily discounted $279.99 price, they are quite pricey. This means there is no shortage of amazing features here. You’ll enjoy touch gestures, Find My Device support, Bluetooth Multipoint, and a bunch of Bluetooth codecs, such as LDAC, AAC, and SBC. It also comes with a 3.5mm headset jack, which is becoming rare in modern headsets.

One of the best pros with the XM5 is that they have an impressive battery life. Of course, we ran them through our standardized tests. They managed to survive for 32 hours on a full charge, with ANC enabled. Disabling noise canceling can extend that to over 53 hours!

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
SoundGuys Editor's Choice
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
A spectacular pair of headphones with best-in-class ANC
The AirPods Max wireless headphones offer best-in-class noise canceling with twenty hours of battery life. They provide excellent frequency response and great audio features.
Apple AirPods Max (Lightning)
Expired
Apple AirPods Max (Lightning)
SoundGuys Editor's Choice
Apple AirPods Max (Lightning)
A spectacular pair of headphones with best-in-class ANC
The AirPods Max wireless headphones offer best-in-class noise canceling with twenty hours of battery life. They provide excellent frequency response and great audio features.

The only difference between these two models is the charging port; one has a USB-C port and the other uses Lightning. Aside from that, they offer the same experience in every other department, so take your pick. You’ll save significantly more with the Lightning model, though.

That said, the Apple AirPods Max are amazing headphones, and we consider them the best option for those of you who are well-invested in the Apple ecosystem — so, those of you who use iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, etc. This is because they have special features that only work with Apple products, such as Siri support, auto-pausing, and automatic device switching.

The Apple AirPods Max in white on a coffee table next to a newspaper.
The headphones are built well and connect nicely to any iOS device.

These are great headphones, too. We gave the Apple AirPods Max a great review, mostly praising them for the design. As any good Apple product should, the AirPods Max have a clean and sleek look, made with metal and offering a minimalist aesthetic. Thanks to the large earpads and fabric band, they are also very comfortable.

The sound quality and ANC performance is also up there with the best of them. Battery life isn’t as impressive as Sony’s but we still got a bit over 21 hours per charge, which actually surpasses Apple’s 20-hour estimates.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition)
SoundGuys Editor's Choice
Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition)
Quality and comfort noise canceling headphones
Going ultra with their ANC headphone experience, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra noise cancelling headphones offer up to 24 hours of battery life, a comfortable fit, Spatial Audio support, and powerful ANC.
See price at Amazon
Save $130.00
Limited Time Deal!

This specific deal is only available for the Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Other available color models are $329. That’s arguably still a good deal, though, and these are some impressive headphones.

I have been living in LA for some years. The noise pollution around here is real. I asked my co-workers here at Sound Guys for advice on the best ANC headphones, and all of them mentioned the Bose QuietComfort Ultra without giving it a second thought. These will be the best option for more efficiently reducing loud noises like bus engines, airplane whines, and train screeches by 87%.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have a matte exterior.
Austin Kwok / SoundGuys
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have a matte exterior.

Great noise canceling is only part of the fun with these, though. These are expensive cans, after all, and there is plenty to love about them. The design is stunning, especially if you get this version, which looks even more unique. It’s a matter of taste, but I believe they look gorgeous.

You’ll obviously get impressive audio quality and a very good passthrough mode. Our battery tests resulted in about 27 hours per charge, which is also pretty outstanding. Other features include Bluetooth Multipoint, Snapdragon Sound, aptX Lossless support, gesture controls, spatial audio, and more.


Again, these are all at all-time low prices, and the holidays are ending pretty soon. Both of these usually result in plenty of deals ending, so you might want to sign up for these as quickly as possible!

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