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There's nothing better than a reliable and great-sounding set of earbuds or headphones that easily ties into your daily commute or routine. Quality headphones and earbuds are often expensive, but it's now day two of Amazon's October Prime Day event and you can save a lot of money on these devices, both at Amazon and from other retailers competing for your attention.
We've combed through the internet to find you the best Prime Day (and anti-Prime Day) headphone deals worth shopping for. Don't forget these deals go fast, so don't wait if you see one you like.
Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.
So, take advantage of these deals and instantly improve your audio experience, and maybe get a jump on the upcoming holiday season by grabbing another pair -- or two -- for your favorite music lovers. We'll be updating this roundup frequently, so if nothing strikes your fancy right now, check back later for an updated selection of products and deals.
Want to save even more this Prime Day? You could earn a $150 Amazon gift card instantly on approval of a Prime Visa card*, and Prime members will earn up to 5% cash back on purchases through Amazon. There are also some mouth-watering deals for Prime members that you should definitely check out.
Prime Day earbud deals
The AirPods Pro 2 are a fan favorite for good reason. They sport excellent sound quality, with active noise canceling, an adaptive transparency mode and spatial audio -- all powered by Apple's H2 chip.
Some of our favorite budget wireless earbuds can be yours with a discount right now, but you'll need to follow a few steps. First, you'll need to ensure you have Amazon Prime, then you'll need to clip the on-page coupon before you add them to your cart. Finally, you'll need to enter our exclusive code EAP3CNET during checkout for the best price.
Apple's just-released AirPods 4 are already seeing savings at Amazon, albeit a slight discount of $10. Still, it's nice to save on such a new Apple product. Note that the ANC-equipped version is currently at full price.
More earbud deals:
- Amazon Echo Buds (2nd gen): $35 (save $85). Not the latest model but for 70% off, it's a great option.
- Soundcore by Anker P20i: $20 (save $20). These Anker earbuds are affordable at their full price, but for only $20, they become even more of a bargain buy.
- Jabra Elite 10: $175 (save $75). Dolby Atmos Sound gives you an immersive audio experience with solid noise cancellation and useful physical buttons to control volume and play/pause.
- Amazon Echo Buds (2023): $25 (save $25). A newer version of the earbuds at an impressive 50% off.
- Skullcandy EcoBuds: $25 (save $15). A simple, budget-friendly option that will get the job done.
- Sony WF-C700N Earbuds: $83 (save $37). These sleek matte black earbuds are noise canceling and water-resistant.
- Beats Solo Buds: $50 (save $30). This deal, exclusively available to Target Circle members, represents the very first saving on these affordable Beats wireless earbuds. The discount only applies to the (rather lovely) purple version.
- JBL Vibe Beam: $30 (save $20). Get fantastic audio and battery life from these excellent JBL earbuds.
- OnePlus Buds 3: $69 (save $31). Save ~$30 on this affordable pair of earbuds that pack a lot of bass and multipoint connectivity.
- Sony LinkBuds S: $128 (save $72). These compact earbuds are perfect for long listening sessions and have good active noise cancellation.
Apple AirPods Max are usually more expensive, but now you can save $150 on these cream-of-the-crop headphones. Best paired with an Apple device because of the spatial audio virtual surround for iPhones and iPads and multipoint Bluetooth, allowing you to automatically switch between iOS devices. The best discount applies to the pink model, pictured, although other colors are $100 off. Note that these are the Lightning-equipped model, not the just-released USB-C model (but other than that connector and some new hues, they are the exact same).
Sony consistently delivers some of the best ANC headphones, perfect for blocking out noise, whether you're commuting or working in a bustling office. The latest WH-1000XM5 model continues in this vein, but if you're looking to save, the previous-generation WH-1000XM4 headphones are an excellent alternative. And ahead of Prime Day, they're available for just $230 .
This is one of the only proper over-ear Beats headphones currently on sale. TheBeats Studio3, despite being a little dated, is one of our favorite headphones because of its fast charging, Apple compatibility and beautifully simple design.
Soundcore headphones have a history of being far better than the price would indicate; case in point with these Soundcore H30i headphones. At only $26, you get excellent battery life with up to 70 hours of use, and the headphones weigh only 183 grams (less than half a pound), so you can wear them all day long. Bluetooth 5.3 provides a solid connection to your audio source. Choose from black, oat white or red to get the perfect look for you.
More headphone deals:
- Skullcandy Crusher Evo wireless headphones: $98 (save $102). With a 40-hour battery life, you'll never worry about battery life again. With rapid-charge technology, you can charge them for 4 hours in just 10 minutes.
- Ozeino 2.4Ghz wireless gaming headset: $27 (save $23). Play across PlayStation and PC with real-time gaming audio, Bluetooth and a 30-hour battery.
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8: $427 (save $272). Adjustable microphones help enhance voice clarity, greatly improving call quality.
- Soundcore Anker Life Q20: $40 (save $20). Features exclusive BassUp technology that instantly strengthens the bass output.
- Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones: $99 (save $100). The Solo3's Apple W1 chip allows it to pair seamlessly with your devices, maximizing its 40-hour battery life.
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless headphones: $220 (save $160). Sennheiser's wireless headphones promise a 60-hour battery life and a folding design.
- Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro open studio headphones: $450 (save $30). These are some high-end cans from the German audio company, designed for professional use.
- JBL Quantum 300 wired over-ear gaming headphones: $40 (save $40). Gamers need high-quality, reliable headphones in the middle of a battle, and JBL delivers.
Prime Day workout headphone deals
A decent price on our favorite bone-conduction headphones for running. Our testing found them to be lightweight and sound great, while still leaving your ears free to hear the outside world.
More workout headphone deals:
- Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds: $150 (save $100). For 20% off, you can listen to your favorite tunes all day for up to 9 hours and over 24 hours with a charging case.
- Bose Ultra open earbuds: $249 (save $50). These clip-on open earbuds from Bose are designed to provide rich, private audio for runners. They come with IPX4 water resistance, have 7 hours of playtime and can last an impressive 48 hours with the included case.
- Boean Bluetooth headphones: $14 (save $15 with on-page coupon). Made with a flexible ear-hook design for all sports.
What is Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale?
Amazon's October Prime Day event is officially called "Prime Big Deal Days," but the shopping extravaganza essentially functions as a second Amazon Prime Day event ahead of the holiday season.
If you've never shopped during a Prime Day sale before, you might be wondering exactly what it entails, so here's a brief explainer. It's a two-day Amazon sale that will offer exclusive savings to Amazon Prime subscribers with limited-time offers, flash deals and rock-bottom prices. It's a rare chance to score Black Friday-level pricing outside of November, so it's usually well worth shopping.
When is Amazon's October Prime Day 2024?
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days are Oct. 8 and Oct. 9 this year. We've seen early deals leading up to the event, but the best deals will be available starting today. Generally speaking, the deals will end at midnight on Oct. 9. Some deals may linger beyond the set times of the sale event.
Watch this: How to Hack Amazon Prime Day: Shopping and Deals Advice
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How do October Prime Day deals compare to July Prime Day?
There are lots of similarities between the two sales. Many of the same deals return during the October sale, especially on Amazon's own devices, such as Blink and Ring home security devices, Fire TVs and tablets, Echo devices and more.
The main difference is related to the timing of the sale. Since July Prime Day is in the summer, there's more focus on back-to-school and outdoor deals. This includes school supplies, grills, lawnmowers and more. During October Prime Day, we see more deals geared toward the upcoming holiday season, such as kitchenware for a Thanksgiving meal or toys and games for kids for Christmas.
How we choose the best Prime Day headphone deals
Many of us here at CNET have covered shopping events for over five years, including Black Friday, Prime Day, Memorial Day and countless other shopping events. In that time, we've learned how to spot the best deals among a sea of thousands of superficial offers and scams, and we surface only the best offers from trusted retailers. We look for real discounts, quality reviews and remaining sale time when choosing headphone deals to show you.
- Real discounts mean genuine savings. We check pricing history for products listed as on sale, so we know when it's a case of an inflated list price rather than an actual discount.
- Quality reviews and testing are super important for any product. A discount isn't worthwhile if it results in a subpar product experience, no matter how much you saved.
- Remaining sale time is important, too. Some deals are around for only a short time or may be limited in supply. If that's the case, we'll let you know upfront so you don't come back to the deal later only to be disappointed.
*All information about the Amazon Prime Visa card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.