It seems that just about everybody these days listens to either music, audiobooks or podcasts on a regular basis. If you’re among them, it’s well worth grabbing yourself a pair of the best earbuds or the best headphones to make sure you’re getting sound quality that actually enhances your audio experience while you’re on the go. Fortunately, there are tons of deals at numerous retailers that have brought premium models down to much more affordable prices. In addition to the big names, some budget brands are easily overlooked but offer surprisingly good sound quality at lower prices.
Side note: Headphones and earbuds also make an excellent holiday gift, so keep others in mind as you peruse the list of deals below. If you’re looking for other gifting ideas, take advantage of our list of the best budget-friendly gifts under $50 this holiday season while you’re shopping.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
Whether you’re listening to the new Sabrina Carpenter album, diving deep into an audiobook or catching up on your favorite podcast, we’ve found plenty of top listening devices on sale to help enhance your audio experience for less. Â
We’ve rounded up the best available deals on headphones and earbuds from across the web and will be continuously updating this page as new ones appear. From bargain finds under $20 to discounts on your favorite high-end models, here are the best headphone deals on offer right now.
Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2024
Best deals on headphones and earbuds
Battery life Rated up to 5 hoursNoise Canceling NoMultipoint YesWater-Resistant Yes (IPX2– splash-proof)
Amazon’s 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. They also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears.Â
Their sound falls short of that of Apple’s AirPods 3, which deliver fuller bass and overall fuller, smoother sound. (They’re better at handling more complicated music tracks with a lot of instruments playing at the same time.) The AirPods 3 cost around $150 and offer only about 15% to 20% better audio. In short, if you’re looking for open earbuds — or “semi-open” as these types of earbuds are sometimes called — the Echo Buds are good value at their $50 list price and even easier to recommend when they go on sale.
Right now, you can save 20% with trade-in of a qualifying device.Â
Read our Amazon Echo Buds 2023 review.
Battery life Rated up to 40 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint NoHeadphone Type Over-ear wireless headphonesWater-Resistant No IP rating
Best Buy’s three-day sale has slashed the price of Beats Studio Pro headphones by a decent $100. Available in black, navy, sandstone and deep brown, the wireless noise-canceling headphones have Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth, a built-in mic and 40 hours of listening time. Remember you only have until Sunday to claim this offer.Â
Battery Life Rated up to 11 hoursANC, PNC or other Active noise canceling (ANC)Headphone type Wireless earbudsConnection type Bluetooth
The Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first earbuds to feature active noise canceling. While it’s nice that they finally have a feature that a lot of true wireless earbuds have had for a while, what ultimately sets the Pixel Buds Pro apart and makes them worth considering — particularly for Android users — is their distinct design and winning fit. That helps enhance their performance on both the sound quality and noise-canceling fronts. While not quite elite for voice calling, they did perform well as a headset for making calls. A couple of features were missing at launch — spatial audio and a five-band equalizer — but both have now been added with firmware updates along with some additional extra features.
Keep in mind the price varies by color.Â
Read our Pixel Buds Pro review.
Battery life Rated up to 5 hoursNoise Canceling NoMultipoint NoWater-Resistant Yes (IPX4– splash-proof)
These earbuds are inexpensive but boast good sound quality for the price, and that price is lower than ever right now. If you clip the on-page coupon, you will save an additional 20%, bringing the price down to just $38.Â
Note that the total discount isn’t viewable until checkout.Â
Apple products are known for holding their price well after launch, so take advantage of this $50 discount on a pair of 2022 Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds. The cheapest we’ve ever seen them sold for is $169, so this isn’t all that far from that record low.
While we haven’t tested Btootos ourselves, the budget brand does appear to have a decent reputation, with one Google search bringing up plenty of articles and threads suggesting their sound quality isn’t that far off Apple’s. They feature Bluetooth, 36 hours of playtime, an IP7 waterproof rating, an LED display and a noise-canceling microphone. Not bad for just under $20. Clip the on-page coupon for the full discount.
More of the best earbud and headphone deals:Â