There are plenty of great noise-cancelling wireless headphone deals to choose from during Amazon's October Prime Day Sale. From now until Wednesday at midnight (Pacific time), you can save up to 40% off some of the best over-ear headphones available from well-known brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, Skullcandy, and Shokz. You can't go wrong with any of the choices; these are all excellent headphones and it mostly comes down to your budget and brand preference.
The Best Prime Day Headphone Deals
You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. See below for our favorite picks.
40% Off Skullcandy Hesh ANC Headphones
For a limited time, save 40% on Hesh ANC, the everyday noise-canceling headphone for people who want to keep it simple. Hesh ANC lets you play all day with 36 hours of battery plus Rapid Charge – a 10-minute charges provides three hours of play time. It features Tile™ finding technology, a lightweight, flat-folding design and easy-to-use earcup controls.
43% Off Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM4 drops to $198 for Prime Day, a savings of 43%. This is a prior generation model that still happens to be one of the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market. Features include big 40mm drivers with LCP diaphragms, active noise cancellation by way of Sony's QN1 HD processor, comfortable leatherette earcups that provides a proper seal around your ear for effective passive isolation, a compact design with swivelling earcups that folds up neatly for travel, up to 30 hours of battery life, fast charging over USB-C, and Bluetooth Multipoint compatibility.
25% Off Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones
The WH-1000XM5 is Sony's latest and greatest noise-cancelling headphone. Right now it's on sale for $298 after a 25% off discount. The XM5 offers noticeably better noise cancellation than its predecessor, thanks to a second processor and double the microphone count all dedicated to filtering out ambient noise. The earcups have also been redesigned so that they fit more snugly on the ear, thus creating a better seal and more effective passive noise isolation. Comfort has been improved as well. The headband is wider for better weight distribution and less pressure. The earcup padding is made of a luxurious synthetic leather material that's softer and more comfortable (and provides a better seal, as mentioned above).
In our Sony WH-1000XM5 review, Kevin Lee wrote, "The Sony WH-1000XM5 is the big upgrade we’ve been waiting for from Sony’s flagship wireless headphones. The new design and AI makes the noise-canceling stronger while the ambient listening mode is splendidly natural. Audio quality is impeccable too – whether you want to listen to intricate classical music or a rocking action movie, these headphones can do it all."
43% Off Bose QuietComfort Headphones
The QuietComfort headphone is essentially a rename of the QuietComfort 45 with some new color options. That's not a bad thing. These are neck-and-neck with the XM4s as the best noise cancelling headphones you can find right now for under $200. Aside from Bose's excellent sound and noise-cancelling performance, the QuietComfort features excellent ergonomics, up to 24 hours of battery life, a fast-charging USB Type-C port (15 minutes gives you 3 hours), an "Aware Mode" function that allows you to hear your surroundings, and Bluetooth Multipoint compatiblity.
23% Off Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
The QuietComfort Ultra is Bose's best noise-cancelling pair of headphones. It is a significant upgrade compared to the standard QuietComfort – even when it comes to audio and noise-cancelling performance – and is right up there in terms of quality compared to other modern day heavyweights like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the AirPods Max. In fact, I personally own both the QuietComfort Ultra and the WH-1000XM5, and in my non-professional opinion, the Ultras sound a little better and are considerably more comfortable to wear. Some new features that weren't present in the previous generation QuietComfort models are spatial audio for better immersion and Bluetooth 5.3.
31% Off Shokz OpenRun Pro Sport Headphones
The Shokz OpenRun Pro uses bone conduction technology to send vibrations through your cheekbones directly to your inner ear. As such, the headphones are actually placed in front of your ear instead of on your ear. The biggest advantage is that you can fully hear your surroundings; if you like running on the street, for example, you'll be aware of everything that's going on around you and still be able to hear your music perfectly well.
28% Off Apple AirPods Max Headphones
The AirPods Max is the most expensive headphone on this list, but right now there's a pretty big $150 price drop on the first generation model with the Lightning port that drops it down to $394.99. Although still pricier than the other options, it's getting close to other flagship headphones like the Bose Ultra or Sony XM5s.
A big reason behind the high cost is the exceptional build quality of the AirPods Max. The headphone is almost entirely built of metal with silicone type material wrapped around the headband and knit mesh and memory foam earcups that are comfortable on your ears and provide effective passive noise isolation. The hinge and adjustment mechanisms likewise are extremely smooth and very easy to use. The audio quality and active noise cancellation are superb but you'll only get the most out of it if you pair it with an iOS or Mac OS device like an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. Although it does work with Android or Windows devices, you sacrifice a good bit of functionality like spatial audio, auto-EQ, instant pairing, and more.
For more Prime Day related content, head over to our Prime Day megapost to see our cherry-picked list of all of best deals we've found, including more Apple products, power banks, board games, and more.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
