Want some cheap noise-cancelling headphones that are actually good this Black Friday? Here are 3 we love based on real-world testing
For many years now I’ve bought my headphones on Black Friday: wired, wireless, in-ear and over ear, whenever I’ve needed an upgrade or replacement or just fancied treating myself I’ve always found Black Friday deals on exactly the headphones I knew I needed. So if you’re in the market for a new set, this is a good time to start doing your pre-sale homework.
While many Black Friday headphone deals are impressive, they’re often on some of the more expensive headphones – so while discounts on Bose or the high-end Sonys can be eye-catching, they’re still pretty pricey. If you’re looking to get the most audio bang for your Black Friday bucks, you can find some really good options for much less.
These three sets of over-ear headphones impressed us at full price, and we’re expecting to see deals during the Black Friday sales extravaganza. As we know from our in-depth reviews, some of the best headphones don’t cost enormous amounts of money – and you can get surprisingly good headphones with active noise cancellation and even Hi-Res Audio support for very low prices.
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51: the best-value over-ears you can buy?
In our 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review we said they had established themselves as some of the best value over-ear headphones you can buy. They’re strong in three key areas: they have a very satisfying sound that you can tweak to suit your own preferences; they have the most effective noise cancellation at this price; and they deliver a fantastic 65 hours of battery life. All this for a modest list price of $89 / £89 / AU$130, and I’d expect a Black Friday deal imminently.
These are genuinely surprising headphones: at this price you don’t expect higher-end features such as the hi-res LDAC codec, and customizable EQ is still relatively rare in this price bracket. The 1More cans deliver both, and sound quality is impressive for such an affordable set of over-ears. Bluetooth is 5.4 and the drivers are 40mm dynamic drivers.
My colleague Matt Bolton has just done a big group test of noise-cancelling headphones, and said these block noise pretty much just as well as the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 – they punch way above their price tag.
And they won’t get uncomfortable during even long listening sessions: we found them generously padded and not too heavy.
Sony WH-CH720N: impressive and affordable with Sony sonics
We really rate these affordable headphones: in our Sony WH-C720N review we said they were great for the price – and we’re currently seeing discounts that make them an even better buy.
You know what you’re getting with Sony headphones: extremely well-balanced sound, nice clarity, effective noise cancellation and simple, stylish design. The feature set is solid too, including multi-point pairing.
We felt that while you’re clearly not going to get audiophile-level sound at anything close to this price, what Sony’s doing is really impressive: these headphones deliver finely balanced sound that’s brimming with detail.
CMF Headphone Pro: spend your money on Nothing
CMF is the more affordable sub-brand of phone and headphone maverick Nothing, whose stylish products combine innovative engineering with interesting design. And these CMF headphones are rather delightful too, with a focus on tactile controls rather than touch and the ability to swap out the ear pads for more colorful options. There is also a button called “button”, which makes me smile.
The spec is impressive: 40mm nickel-plated diaphragms with 16.5mm copper voice coils, a “precision” bass duct and a dual-chamber design to deliver serious oomph. The headphones are Hi-Res Audio certified for both wired and wireless listening, and they feature LDAC as well as the usual Bluetooth codecs. Battery life is 100 hours with ANC off and 50 with ANC on.
We have these headphones in for review right now, and my colleague Becky Scarrott is impressed, telling me: “The circular ear cups are extremely comfy even with glasses on, with ample padding on the headband and a decent but not too tight clamping force. True to Nothing’s strong sense of ‘go your own way’ style, my pistachio green set looks and feels far more expensive than it is too. The buttons on each ear (there’s a bass slider on the left and a volume wheel on the right) are easy to find and really fun to use. And initially at least, there’s a good sense of separation and detail in the sound.”
These are already super-affordable with a list price of $99 / £79 / AU$179, and yet we’re seeing some immediate price reductions, so they look set to become a Black Friday bargain that’ll delight your ears and your bank balance.
More Black Friday deals in the US
- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
- Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
- Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
- Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
- Lowe’s: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
- Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
- Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
- Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor
More Black Friday deals in the UK
For many years now I’ve bought my headphones on Black Friday: wired, wireless, in-ear and over ear, whenever I’ve needed an upgrade or replacement or just fancied treating myself I’ve always found Black Friday deals on exactly the headphones I knew I needed. So if you’re in the market for…
