October’s Most Monstrous Earbud and Headphone Deals From Apple, Bose, Soundcore, and More

Updated October 3: Personal audio technology continues to evolve by leaps and bounds, with effective active noise cancellation now being included in the tiniest earbuds, along with head tracking, spatial audio, high resolution playback, and more. Whether you prefer in-ear or over-ear, a new pair of headphones can give you pristine audio at a low price.

When testing headphones (whether on-ear or in-ear) with our team of experts, we consider fit, features, connectivity, sound quality, and style. Our testing process uses the same pieces of music every time to objectively compare frequency response and volume. We carefully evaluate every pair we review both in the lab and in real-world situations so we can make clear recommendations for our readers. Here are nine sweet deals on great headphones for October.

What to Keep in Mind When Buying Earbuds

Like with any other hardware purchase, there are things to consider when buying wireless earbuds: Your budget, the brand, its compatibility with your other devices, and, of course, extra features. Ask yourself what’s important to you. Do you need a wireless charger to extend battery life? Would active noise cancelling and/or ambient noise help you stay focused? Are you a high-bitrate audiophile, or do you mainly listen to talk-focused podcasts? Keep these factors at the front of your mind while you browse these deals.

Best Earbud Deals

How about we start off with a huge discount on the Editors’ Choice-winning AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, one of the best mass-market earbuds that has ever been released. We have a comprehensive review of these earphones where we dive deep into what makes them so good, but the key points are: spectacular sound quality, with deep, rich bass and clean, distortion-free high end; frictionless connection with iOS devices and tons of customization; and finally, the best noise cancellation we’ve experienced in an open-ear design, bar none. Throw in hands-free Siri support with gestural controls and you have some seriously powerful hardware.

One of the biggest cash discounts we have this month is a full 28% price drop on the Sennheiser Accentum earbuds, which we rated “Excellent” in our review. We considered these in-ear headphones a bargain at their retail price, with impressively rich and well-rounded sound, a robust companion app with adjustable EQ, and the ability to customize touch and gesture controls. Noise cancellation tested well, with best results against lower tones, and connectivity is strong, with Bluetooth 5.3 using the AAC, AptX, LC3, and SBC codecs, as well as multipoint pairing with two devices simultaneously. Battery life is also good, with 8 hours per charge and 20 hours of stored charge in the case.

For name-brand budget earbuds, the JBL Tune 245NCs are an absolute steal at sixty bucks. We have a robust review of this model, where we tested all of our go-to audio tracks with solid results. We liked the useful companion app that offers a multipoint curve equalizer as well as several presets for different kinds of listening. Capacitive touch controls on each earbud let you do a bunch of different operations, and you can select from a variety of control layouts and customize them. Battery life is competitive, with around 12 hours per charge. They’re IP54 rated for light water and dust resistance as well. For the price, you can’t get much better.

The Technics brand has been an audiophile favorite for a long time, primarily on the strength of its turntables, which have been the tool of choice for DJs since the beginning of hip-hop. Recently, it’s branched out into personal audio for consumers, and the EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds are a great choice if high fidelity is key to you listening experience. We have a detailed review of these headphones, giving them an “Excellent” rating and being impressed by how the proprietary 10mm magnetic fluid drivers bring out the finest details in all kinds of music. Active noise cancellation is also well above average, with the Technics Audio Connect app giving you lots of granular control. Battery life is also good, with 12 hours in the earbuds and an extra 28 hours in the case.

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What to Keep in Mind When Buying Headphones

Headphones aren’t a one-size-fits-all type of purchase — there are so many other factors that go into choosing the perfect pair, including fit, features, and perhaps most importantly, sound quality. That’s where the PC Labs come in.

Over-ear options have significantly longer run times and are generally more comfortable for extended use than in-ear headphones, though the latter have the advantage of a rechargeable case. We also like to see headphones that have an app for tuning the EQ to your preference and making adjustments based on what you’re listening to.

If you listen mostly to music, headphones with a bass boost are nice to have. Active noise canceling is extra important in loud environments like a shared workspace, a public transit commute, or an airplane trip; a “transparency mode” is crucial for those who need to let the sounds of the outside world in for a brief conversation. On-ear headphones are also an easy way to tell others that you want to be left in peace with your music.

Best Headphone Deals

We gave the Bose QuietComfort headphones an “Excellent” rating in our 2023 review, and even though they’re not the newest models on the market, they still deliver category-leading quality at a great price, especially with a discount of over $100. One of the most important factors for over-ear headphones is how comfortably they fit, and the combination of memory-foam padding and vegan leather upholstery feels great on your ears for extended periods of time. The 40mm dynamic drivers in each ear deliver crisp, rich sound, and the free Bose Music app lets you adjust noise cancellation levels, change control settings, and pick from presets or use a three-band equalizer. Battery life runs 24 hours on a charge, so you literally have all-day listening.

Sony is one of the most trusted names in consumer audio, essentially innovating the portable format with the Walkman, and it continues to produce high-quality gear at reasonable prices. Amazon has the solid WH-CH720N over-ear headphones on sale for a whopping 42% off retail right now, and if you’re hunting for a versatile pair with good sound quality and battery life, give them a look. This is the lightest pair of noise-cancelling over-ears that Sony has ever produced, weighing in at just 6.7 ounces, so they feel great to wear all day. While we haven’t taken them into the lab yet, we did review their predecessors, the WH-CH710N headphones, and were impressed by their well-rounded sound and above-average active noise cancellation.

For a pair of over-ear headphones that deliver solid active noise cancellation and decent audio at an ultra-low price, you won’t be able to beat the Soundcore Q20is for forty bucks. With four built-in microphones, they pick up and cancel out as much as 90% of ambient noise, giving you a peaceful cocoon to listen to your favorite movies and podcasts. 40mm dynamic drivers are industry-standard and pump out robust, well-rounded audio for as long as 40 hours on a single charge. You can connect through Bluetooth or get high-resolution audio with a wired 3.5mm jack. For this price, there’s simply no better over-ears on the market.

Additional reporting by Jade Chung-Lee.

About Our Expert

K. Thor Jensen

Contributing Writer

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Experience

K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.

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