Best headphone deals ahead of Black Friday, sourced by an expert tester

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The best early Black Friday headphone and earbud deals

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I spend almost every day at work testing headphones and earbuds, which means I’ve become relatively well-versed in which headphones are really worth your money.

This year has been a particularly notable year for headphones, with major releases from Sony, Bose, and Bowers & Wilkins. Flagship headphones are often recommended in best-of lists – including ours – but considering the new standard’s $449 starting price, they’re not exactly the most affordable option. Enter: early Black Friday deals, when tech deals abound.

As of November 19, I’ve spotted five particularly notable headphones and earbuds on sale — all of which Mashable recommends in some capacity. As we get closer to Black Friday on November 27th, and Amazon’s Black Friday sale starts on November 20th, I expect there to be more deals on sale. But for now, here are the best headphone and earbud deals ahead of Black Friday.

One of the most comfortable pairs of noise-canceling headphones

The first time I put on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, I knew they were the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn (Mashable’s Sam Mangino had a similar experience). This belief became even stronger after years of use (and testing them against new competitors). Although the new second generation headphones feel Sometimes So a little more comfortable, the basics still hold.

On sale for $298, they’re a much better value than the $449 second-gen Ultras. Their main features include no idle playback and sometimes difficulty connecting to more than one device. However, when I compared them directly to their newer counterparts, I found that the ANC and sound are very similar, making it easy to recommend getting these over the second generation if they go on sale.

Sony headphones that sound incredible

The thing about Sony flagship headphones is that they’ll sound incredible. With the release of the XM6s, the WH-1000XM5 headphones are former flagship headphones, but their sound profile remains one of the best in the game. I particularly like the “Find Your Equalizer” feature that guides the less interested audiophiles among us through the process of finding their perfect custom EQ sound, which really helps these headphones shine. More generally, when I tested the XM6s and XM5s head-to-head, I didn’t find any major discrepancies in performance. Plus, the price of the XM6s jumped $50 from their list price, meaning that even if they got a $50 price drop on Black Friday (a markdown we’ve only seen once before), they’d still be $150 more than the

Mid-Range Headphones Under $100

Noise-canceling headphones with great sound quality from a reputable brand don’t need to cost several hundred dollars, and the Sony WH-CH720N is perfect proof of that. Mashable called them Sony’s best headphones under $100, with Mashable contributor Alex Brasetti praising them after two years of use. He considered their sound quality to be at “close to flagship” levels, and was impressed by the 35-hour battery life with ANC, which beats existing flagship models from both Bose and Sony.

Although you can often find them on sale for $98 (a feat in itself considering their $179.99 list price), it’s a little less common to find them on sale for $89.99, making it a great deal ahead of Black Friday. As an added bonus, the pink colorway is more unique than other budget headphone options under $100.

best sounding open earbuds

Open earbuds are great if you like to be somewhat aware of the world around you, but in my experience, this can come across as less than stellar sound quality. In the case of Bose Ultra Open earbuds, you get the best of both worlds. I suspect this is the reason behind their $299 price tag (which seems more appropriate for noise-canceling earbuds). That’s why I recommend them as an upgrade pick for open earbuds, and why I’m an especially big fan of this $100 off deal. Apart from their surprisingly rich sound, I particularly like their small charging case, smartly placed controls on the ear, comfortable clip-on design and multiple choice of colors.

Excellent mid-range noise-canceling earbuds

Rounding out my picks is perhaps the most underrated Bose product – the QuietComfort Earbuds. Although their design is not the prettiest, that is where their weak features end. For starters, these earbuds have incredible battery life — over the weeks of my testing, I rarely had to charge them, and with ANC on and battery life to spare, easily lasted five hours of use.

In terms of sound and noise-cancellation, they don’t impress as much as the QC Ultra earbuds, but they’re also significantly cheaper at full price. For their $129 selling price, they’re less than half the price of premium earbuds, and I promise, their performance doesn’t reflect that. If I had to put a number on it, I’d say there’s more of a discrepancy in performance between the two earbuds at $50 to $75, which is why we’ve named these the best mid-budget earbuds on the market currently. Although we’ve seen them drop to $129 before, this is the lowest they’ve ever been, making it a great deal ahead of Black Friday.