In case you're just arriving to the Prime Day party (welcome! We've been expecting you) Amazon Prime Day 2022 is coming on July 12...
In case you're just arriving to the Prime Day party (welcome! We've been expecting you) Amazon Prime Day 2022 is coming on July 12 and 13, and that means a non-stop smorgasbord of deals on everything from AirPlay speakers to air fryers.
Having been in this game for longer than we'd care to admit, TechRadar knows that headphones deals always feature heavily, so if you're on the market for a new set of over-ears for your commute that'll block out the entire train carriage, you've come to the right place.
As with any huge annual sales event, the sheer number of deals, price-drops and 'best ever discounts' coming at you from all directions, from the likes of Sony, Beats, Sennheiser and Apple's AirPods and across a multitude of online retailers (it's no longer an Amazon-only event), can feel a little overwhelming. But relax; we're here now.
We'll be scouring the internet to bring you the essential Prime Day cheap wireless headphone deals as and when they drop, but here are some of the top TechRadar-recommended cans to look out for, so you can find the best possible deal for you when the big day(s) arrive.
Prep now, then strike when the Prime Day iron's hot
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail and all that. What you need to know is that dozens of competing retailers out there want you to set up an online shopping cart with them and them alone – and often, they might offer a great deal on some of the best noise-cancelling headphones before Amazon does.
What you need to do is to make sure that when the Prime Day discounts start piling in, you already know what a good deal for your chosen headphones should be, so you can take or leave Amazon's offer. And that's where we come in.
Below, you'll see five top sets of wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones. We doubt they'll drop a ridiculous amount, (these are proven winners, after all) but because of various reasons we'll go into for each product, we expect certain discounts – and it's all useful information.
Not sure it's over-ears or true wireless earbuds you're after? It's all good. Another way to make life easy for yourself ahead of Prime Day is to familiarize yourself with the best in-ears, the best noise-cancelling earbuds or the top true wireless earbuds in your price range.
Lastly, bookmark this page – the best prices will be shown next to each set of headphones over Prime Day. Et voila! Now, you're ready to snap up the deals as and when they drop.
The over-ear wireless noise-cancelling headphones to look our for on Prime Day
The Sony WH-1000XM4 deliver excellent noise-cancellation and surprising sound quality all in a lightweight, comfortable design. Yes, they've not been superseded by the equally excellent WH-1000XM5, but the newest Sony cans only lie flat rather than folding up for easy transportation – and their very existence could bring a few Prime Day discounts on the XM4.
While they don't look significantly different from their predecessors (the sensibly-named Sony WH-1000XM3) a number of new features including multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness and auto-play/pause using a built-in sensor all help the WH-1000XM4 hold on to the title of best headphones in 2022.
By every possible metric, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a wonderful pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones. They deliver exactly what they promise and then some, thanks to their exceptional noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support.
And on top of the adjustments listed above, the Sony WH-1000XM4 support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format that enables spatial audio on stereo headphones plus the LDAC codec that can send a bitrate of up to 990 kbps. The only unfortunate bit there is that they no longer supports aptX or aptX HD, so your Hi-Res Audio support mileage may vary.
Still, even without a discount owing to their August 2020 release date, these cans are highly recommended.
OK so they don't quite beat the Sony WH-1000XM4 above in terms of battery life and price, but the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are still a brilliant pair of over-ear cans – and the best Bose headphones we've reviewed. (Don't believe us? Check out our Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 review).
Bose pioneered ANC technology and it hasn't rested on its laurels. The company's noise-cancelling headphones were originally designed for airline pilots, to block out environmental sounds and jet-engine noise, but Bose has built on its success, first by bringing it to the rest of and then by applying noise-cancellation to phone calls as well as music for the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. It is a fantastic feature – and these are certainly the best noise-cancelling headphones we've ever tested for making calls.
The sound quality is undeniably good, with a vibrant, lively character and well-balanced soundstage impressing during our tests.
If you’re trying to decide between buying the Sony WH-1000XM4s and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, we’d recommend going for the former because of that slightly lower price and better battery life.
Then again, who knows what kind of discount Prime Day might bring? These headphones came out in September 2019 after all… And you have our full support if you opt for these Bose cans instead – they sound great, look stunning, and the noise-cancellation is out of this world.
Really stylish? Check. Noise-cancelling? Oh yes. But this is Bowers & Wilkins so you'll have to pay a premium fee for the privilege of ownership, right? Well, not so fast. Although they launched at an eye-watering $399 / £349 / AU$600/ R3999, the PX7 S2 is now with us, so it's reasonable to expect a discount on the older model, especially for Amazon Prime Day.
As we alluded to, the sophisticated noise cancellation, brilliant sound quality, and a honed aesthetic here could give any of the headphones on this list a run for their money. And despite being a triple threat, somehow they continue to offer even more.
As we noted in our Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless Headphones review, they also support aptX Adaptive for improved stability and latency between the headphones and your device, as well as higher-quality (24-bit) aptX HD streaming. Our only real complaint is the lack of swipe or touch gesture controls, but that's something not everyone is a fan of anyhow.
Look out for price-drops on these, because even at a minor discount they'll look (feel, and sound) far more expensive than they are…
Yep, back to Sony – it's hardly surprising since a) these headphones are fantastic and b) they're a little older now.
Want to know how good Sony's wireless over-ear 1000XM lineup is? Look no further than this product: the Sony WH-1000XM3 were the best noise-cancelling headphones in the world for two years running – and while they've now been surpassed by the new Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Sony WH-1000XM5, we've every hope that this means deals deals deals on these fantastic cans.
Their noise-cancellation is only really second to their younger siblings, they still feel super comfortable and they offer useful features including a battery life of about 30 hours.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 feature aptX HD and Sony LDAC too, two of the best ways to listen to hi-res music from your phone without a wire too (later models dropped aptX HD).
And because they're virtually identical in looks to the newer XM4, nobody will know which ones you're wearing – or how much money you saved…
Read more: Sony WH-1000XM3 review
The Shure AONIC 50 are wireless, active noise-cancelling over-ear headphones which have been selling at a premium price to compete with the likes of Sony and Bose for a little while now.
But here's the thing: they launched in April 2020 and they aren't getting any younger.
Listeners will enjoy a wide soundstage and great-sounding audio, plus the build quality and finish here is excellent. Even a cursory glance at our Shure AONIC 50 review will leave you in no doubt about how impressed we were with their energetic, textured, detailed performance.
Downsides? A couple. They lack an auto-off feature and, somewhat surprisingly, any on-ear touch controls, but when it comes to sheer audio quality the Shure Aonic 50 know how to lure you in and keep you coming back for more.
The Shure AONIC 50 are laser-focused on delivering the best sound-quality of almost any noise-cancelling headphone – making them the best noise-cancelling headphones for audiophiles, even two years (and change) since their release.
Will these Shure noise-cancelling wireless over-ears see a decent price cut for Prime Day? We don't have a crystal ball, but we certainly hope so…
Read more: Shure AONIC 50 review
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