The best October Amazon Prime Day headphone deals for 2023

Amazon’s latest storewide sale for Amazon Prime members, Prime Big Deal Days, has brought several headphones of note down to all-time lows or near-lows. We’ve picked out the best headphone deals of the event below, which include a number of our favorite wireless headphones, earbuds, budget picks and more. Just note that some, but not all, of the offers are only accessible if you subscribe to Prime.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is back down to $248, which is $20 more than its all-time low but roughly $80 below its average street price. This is Sony’s last-gen pair of wireless noise-cancelers, but it still delivers powerful ANC, 30-ish hours of battery life and a similarly rich feature set as the newer WH-1000XM5. Unlike its successor, it can also fold up for easier storage. It doesn’t have the XM5’s adaptive ANC system, however, and its mic quality isn’t as clear. It’s slightly heavier too, plus it sounds a bit boomier out of the box. Still, for less than $250, it’s a great choice. We gave the XM4 a score of 94 back in 2020.

Sony WF-1000XM5

The in-ear Sony WF-1000XM5, meanwhile, are on sale for $278. That’s only $20 off, but it marks the first discount we’ve seen for the top pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We gave this true wireless pair a score of 87 earlier this year: Like Sony’s over-ear models, it comes with a range of useful features, powerful noise cancellation and a warm yet detailed default sound. The design here is also much more agreeable than previous Sony earphones.

Apple AirPods Pro

The USB-C version of Apple’s AirPods Pro is down to $189, which is $60 off Apple’s list price and a new low. The Lightning version is available for the same price. This is the “best for iOS” pick in our buying guide. Both models still deliver strong ANC, a superb transparency mode and a pleasingly warm sound. They also come with a variety of Apple-specific features, including hands-free Siri access, Find My tracking and fast pairing with other Apple devices. A recent update added an “Adaptive Audio” mode that dynamically blends its ANC and transparency modes based on your surroundings, while the new USB-C model comes with improved dust resistance alongside the new charging port. That said, you really need to be committed to the Apple ecosystem to get the most out of this, and the six-hour battery life is just OK. We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 last year.

Apple AirPods (2nd Gen)

Apple’s second-gen AirPods, meanwhile, are back down to $89. That’s $10 off their usual street price. We can’t broadly recommend the base AirPods to most people these days, as their one-size-fits-all design won’t work for everyone and there are better-sounding options for the money. However, if you’re all-in on Apple devices and just want the usual AirPods perks in an unsealed design, this deal makes the pair a little more palatable.

Anker Soundcore Space A40

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is on sale for $54, which matches its all-time low and comes in $25 less than usual. The Space A40 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, as it includes a host of features that belie its price: adaptive ANC, multi-device pairing, wireless charging, a transparency mode and up to 10 hours of battery life. Its audio quality and ANC aren’t quite as powerful as more expensive pairs, but both are more than effective enough for the money. Unlike many budget wireless headphones, its default sound doesn’t completely blow out the bass. Just note that its call quality is mediocre, and it lacks wear detection, so it won’t auto-pause when you remove an earbud.

Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC carry most of the same benefits as the Space A40 but use a “stem” design reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods. They put a little more emphasis on the bass by default, but you can change that sound profile up with a few EQ tools in Anker’s app. They also support wear detection. If you prefer this sort of form factor, the Liberty 4 NC is down to $80, which is a $20 discount and matches its lowest price to date.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is available for $150, which matches its all-time low. This pair has normally retailed around $180 in recent months. This is the runner-up pick in our wireless earbuds guide, as Engadget’s resident audio expert Billy Steele considers it the best-sounding true wireless pair he’s tested. That warm yet customizable sound is joined by a solid adaptive ANC system, though Sennheiser’s pair isn’t as effective as the Sony WF-1000XM5 in that regard, nor does it have the same deep feature set.

Anker Soundcore Space Q45

The Anker Soundcore Space Q45 is on sale for $100, which is a $50 discount and an all-time low. While not as nice as pricier models above, the Space Q45 is a fine value if you can’t spend more than $100. Its adaptive ANC is better-than-average and can be set to a manual mode if needed, it supports multi-device pairing and its design is comfortable to wear for hours at a time. Sound quality is where the price is most evident, as it’s a little too uneven in the treble, but its bass-heavy profile should work for fans of hip-hop and EDM. You can tweak the sound somewhat through the EQ tools in Anker’s Soundcore app.

Anker Soundcore Life Q30

If you want a decent set of noise-canceling over-ears for as little as possible, the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 is also worth considering. It’s now down to $56, which is $24 less than usual. This pair isn’t built as well as the Space Q45, nor does it sound as nice out of the box, as it massively inflates the bass and degrades when ANC is active. Call quality is worse too. That said, it’s comfortable, its battery can last more than 40 hours and the ANC itself is excellent for less than $60. You still get multi-device pairing and a customizable EQ as well.

Amazon Echo Buds (2023)

Prime members can get the latest Amazon Echo Buds for $35, which is $15 off and an all-time low. This is another pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds. Specifically, the Echo Buds should appeal to those who prefer a more open design, one that lets in outside noise but doesn’t insert directly into your ear canal. They can sound solid for the price with a bit of EQ tweaking, and they support features we don’t often see for less than $50, such as wear detection and multipoint connectivity. They also have Alexa baked in, natch. Their IPX2 sweat-resistance rating isn’t enough for workouts, and their five-ish hours of battery life is just average, but they’re worth a look if you’re on a tight budget and hate the feel of traditional in-ear headphones. We gave them a score of 77 earlier this year.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale for $120, which is a new low and $80 off Google’s list price. This is the “best for Android” recommendation in our wireless earbuds guide, and it earned a review score of 87 last year. Its ANC and V-shaped sound profile aren’t as superlative as our top picks, but they’re fine, and the whole package integrates tightly with Google’s line of Pixel phones. An upcoming firmware update promises improved call quality — one of our review’s chief complaints — and the ability to automatically pause music when you’re speaking, similar to what pairs from Sony and Apple offer. Those with smaller ear canals may find the fit to be tricky, though we had few issues with comfort in testing.

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