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And also from Sony, the ultimate true wireless earbuds: the WF-1000XM5. Also already on offer in the early Black Friday sales.
The list of what the XM5 can do is near-endless. Aside from flexible and effective active noise cancelling, the XM5 use Sony’s DSEE upscaling to boost low-quality files to fine effect, while they also include multipoint Bluetooth, 360 Reality Audio support and flexible touch controls that allow you to change volume and switch between sound modes at the same time.
The real reason for snapping up the Sonys, though, is their stellar sound quality. They put in a breathtaking performance with a wonderfully neutral balance and create a sound stage bursting with class-leading detail and clarity. It’s balanced, and cohesive, and the buds boast a superb sense of timing.
The legendary Sony WH range has been the pair of premium headphones to beat for years now. We are now up to the XM5 version, which brought with it better sound, upgraded design, new controls and even improvements to the noise-cancelling. If you want the best over-ear cans at this price point – and without having to noticeably increase your budget – then these are the ones to get. And you can now save £132 off the original launch price.
I’ve just noticed that the AirPods 4 with ANC have dropped in price for the first time as part of the Black Friday sales.
Launching at £179 just this September, the AirPods 4 with ANC wireless earbuds are now £169 at Amazon. Granted, that isn’t the most exciting saving, but it’s quite unusual to see any money off on Apple headphones just two months after release. These 4th-generation AirPods blend the standard ‘open’ design with surprisingly effecting noise-cancelling, bringing heaps of iOS features and improved sound.
Sony bargain!
Want a bargain pair of wireless over-ear headphones? We have just the thing – the award-winning Sony WH-CH720N. They deliver great sound for the money and offer up to 50 hours of battery life, active noise cancellation and Sony’s DSEE sound upscaling for enhancing compressed low-quality audio files. There is also support for Sony 360 Reality Audio tracks and Bluetooth Multipoint for better connectivity.
After an Award-winning pair of noise-cancelling headphones on a budget? These are the ones to go for.
Audiophiles assemble!
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 over-ear headphones are now down from £599 to just £399 at Amazon. That’s a huge £200 off and their lowest price to date. Given we rated these headphones five stars at their full asking price of £599, the fact they can now be yours for £200 less is certainly a bona fide Black Friday deal.
We said they sound even clearer and more precise than the laser-like accuracy of the Apple AirPods Max, treating the test team to “a level of clarity and insight here that we haven’t heard bettered at this level”.
Now this is what I call a real Black Friday bargain… The superb Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the best noise-cancelling earbuds we have ever tested, and they are now down to their lowest-ever price of £198 at Amazon.
This beats their previous best price, £209, from a few weeks ago, and is a HUGE £112 saving compared to their initial launch price. Available in a range of colours, which are all on offer in the Black Friday headphone sales, the What Hi-Fi? test team awarded these top-tier Bose wireless earbuds the full five stars, heralding their “comfort, noise-cancelling and sound quality”.
Are you in the market for a pair of true wireless earbuds with excellent all-round performance? Look no further.
Black Friday is GO! Or is it? OK, so it isnt actually Black Friday yet – the official date is NEXT Friday, November 29th. But, surprise surprise, lots of Black Friday sales have started with the likes of Amazon, John Lewis, Best Buy and Walmart all dropping their first Black Friday deals.
Myself and the What Hi-Fi? team are product recommendation experts when it comes to anything that plays music or movies, which of course includes headphones. We review hundreds of headphones and earbuds every year, and I’ve been doing this for two decades – so you can count on us for genuine advice, based on products we’ve tried and tested.
Stick with me on this page and I will be bringing you the best headphones and earbuds deals in the Black Friday sales, as they go live…