Best Early Black Friday Deals on Headphones

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e over-ear headphones are at the best price we’ve seen in months. They rank among the best noise-canceling headphones CR has tested. They have strong bass and an open distortion midrange, and the noise cancellation is also top-notch.

While there’s nothing revolutionary about the design of Sonos’s first headphone, it is well-executed. If you like the Sonos brand, this is a good opportunity to get this model at a discount, as it doesn’t go on sale often and isn’t available at this price anywhere else. The sleek and even minimalist Ace is actually flattering when sitting on your head. The wireless noise-canceling model also offers warm, comforting sound and solid bass.

The Galaxy Buds FE pair nicely with Samsung Galaxy phones, with phone-specific features like live translation. Their noise cancellation works effectively, and the sound quality is well above average. Our testers also find that, with wingtips that help the earbuds stay in place, the Galaxy Buds FE fit users with a variety of head and ear sizes. And at just over $50 on sale, they represent a good value.

The AirPods Pro 2 sound good and offer effective noise canceling, including a transparency mode that pipes in outside sound so you’re not fully cut off from the world while out walking. Better yet, says Apple, a free over-the-air upgrade later this year will allow the model to deliver a clinical-grade hearing test, which can be used to turn them into an over-the-counter hearing aid. They’re almost always available for $200, so when you see them drop down to this price, it’s a good time to buy.

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. They go on sale periodically for this price, which is a pretty nice discount. They were $10 less during the last big sale and could drop back down to that price again for Black Friday (maybe even a little less) if you’d prefer to wait until next month.

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?

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. They were $20 less during Amazon’s big sale at the beginning of October, and even less during Prime Day in July. So we’d actually recommend putting these headphones on your watchlist for Black Friday to potentially get the biggest savings.

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.

JBL Tune 510BT headphones feel like they’re built with quality in mind: They’re cheap, especially at Amazon’s discount, 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.