Why You Can Trust CNET Best Deals on Earbuds and Headphones: Score Beats, Skullcandy and More for Way Less
Tune out the world and tune into these savings on high-quality buds and headphones from across the internet.
If you've been wanting to try a new style of earbuds or headphones, or you're just looking for a simple upgrade to your current ones, now is the perfect time to make your move. The hardest part is deciding what the best headphones are for you and your budget. That's where we come in.
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We've rounded up the best available deals on headphones and earbuds and will continue to update this page as new ones appear. From steals under $40 to discounts on your favorite high-end headphones, check out the best headphone deals below. And with Prime Day deals pouring in, we're also adding all the best Prime Day headphone deals to shop for the event.
Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2024
Best deals on headphones and earbuds
These wireless, open-ear headphones are designed to stay in your ears during workouts, are waterproof and boast clear sound. The regular retail price is $130, but Amazon has these reduced to $100, which makes this a more budget-friendly purchase.
Like
- Well-designed inexpensive earbuds
- Good sound for open earbuds
- Strong feature set, including hands-free Alexa
Don't like
- May not fit everyone's ears comfortably
- Not a ton of bass
- No ANC (they're open earbuds)
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.
Their sound falls short of that of Apple's AirPods 3, which delivers 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.
Like
- Low price
- Surprisingly good sound for the money
- Active noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth
- Strong battery life
Don't like
- Charging case is bulky
- Earbuds are a little big
The Baseus Bowie MA10 delivers surprisingly good sound along with active noise canceling for its low price -- you just don't see too many ANC earbuds at this price. They're IPX6 water-resistant (meaning they can withstand a strong spray of water) and also have multipoint Bluetooth pairing and connect to a companion app. They stick out of your ears a bit, but they did fit my ears comfortably.
The regular price is $40, but right now there is an Amazon on-page coupon that applies a $10 discount to your cart. You can also save 5% if you buy two select items. You can see these options under the on-page coupon and stack savings on an additional accessory.
The earbuds deliver impressive battery life, offering up to 8 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels with an extra 132 hours in the charging case. Yes, you read right: 132 hours. The one big downside to these buds is that their charging case is rather large and bulky. If you can live with that, these are a nice bargain.
Like
- Tapered design allows for secure, discreet, comfortable fit
- Good sound, noise canceling and voice-calling performance
- Robust feature set for Android users
Don't like
- No support for aptX or LDAC audio codecs for Android users
- A few features not available for Apple users
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.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) have superior sound and are especially great if you're a fan of the Apple ecosystem. They're lightweight, offer a battery life of up to 24 hours and are now $40 off at Amazon.
These earbuds are inexpensive but boast good sound quality for the price, and that price is lower than ever right now. Usually priced at $60, they're discounted to $48. If you clip the on-page coupon, you will save an additional 25%, bringing the price down to just $36. Plus, if you buy two or more you can save 5% more.
Note that the total discount isn't viewable until checkout.
Skullcandy is known for its stylish designs and great sound quality, so being able to grab these Skullcandy Grind earbuds while they're 25% off is a gift. Thanks to the charge-carrying case, they have up to 40 hours of battery life. Along with that, they work with both iPhones and Androids. There are plenty of modes and features to play around with too.
Amazon is offering a discount of $52 on these Skullcandy Crusher headphones in gray only. You can still score other colors, but savings might be only $20. These Skullcandy Crusher headphones have 40-hour battery life and a built-in microphone, and they're device agnostic. They also look great and have a built-in Tile, so you can find them using the Tile App.