Shopping for a a new way to enjoy your favorite music, podcasts or TV shows? We’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find the best headphones and speakers we saw on sale this Prime Day. Be sure to check out our guides to the best wireless headphones, the best noise-cancelling headphones, the best workout headphones, and the best Bluetooth speakers for more information on what’s hot right now.
The WIRED Gear team tests products throughout the year. We manually sorted through hundreds of thousands of offers to make these picks. Crossed out products are out of stock or no longer discounted. Our Amazon Prime Day coverage page has the latest stories, and our Prime Day Shopping Tips will help you avoid bad deals. You can also get a one-year subscription to WIRED for $5 here.
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Updated July 12: We’ve updated the links and prices and starred some favorite deals.
Deals on wireless headphones
The affordable price, instant Android pairing, and built-in Google Assistant are just some of the reasons we like the Pixel Buds A-Series (8/10, WIRED Recommends). They’re a great option for Android users looking for an AirPods-like experience in terms of ease of pairing, sound quality, and comfort level. We weren’t too impressed with their battery life, but this price makes up for it a bit.
We love the Beats Fit Pro (9/10, WIRED recommends). Not only do they sound and feel better than Apple’s AirPods Pro, they also have much better battery life—and they are cheaper to run. Our resident headphone expert said the Fit Pro is “the best iOS headphone by a mile”. This price is historically low.
In a world full of more and more affordable wireless headphones, the Tempo 30 (8/10, WIRED recommends) still manages to shine. They are light and waterproof, but have powerful bass. They are also comfortable for smaller ears, which is not always the case. Add in noise cancellation and a sub-$50 price tag, and you’ve got a recipe for affordable headphones that will work for just about anyone. Just keep in mind that you may want to buy an upgraded pair of ‘buds if you need crystal clear wireless phone calls.
If you’re looking for a pair of exercise buds, look no further. The Elite 7 Active has a super durable and comfortable design, excellent noise canceling and transparency features, and fantastic sound. The IP57 rating means they are dustproof and can withstand submersion in a little water. The case also supports wireless charging.
Jabra has long produced some of the best wireless headphones at various price points, and these affordable Elite 3 buds showcase many of the company’s best features. You get an ergonomic design, good microphones and pretty decent sound for the money. They’re IP55 rated, so they’ll still be fine even if you sweat a lot.
These are my favorite headphones for Android phone owners because they pair quickly with all modern Android phones. They also have a dual driver array that produces great bass, plus a wireless charging case. Just know that this is a small deal as they are often on sale for $110.
If you’re looking for noise canceling headphones for work, I like these from Sony. They’re a little bigger than other headphones, but Sony’s excellent technology – combined with the foam ear tips – allows these to really silence the world, and the good microphones make it easy to hear you during calls.
Amazon’s second-generation Echo Buds are some of our favorites for those who want a smart assistant built into their headphones. They sound good for the money, and have good microphones (plus, it’s nice to be able to ask Alexa almost anything when you’re out and about or your hands are busy).
Despite their affordability, these buds have features you’d typically find in higher-end (and more expensive) headphones. Active noise cancellation and emphasis on bass make them a good replacement for someone who doesn’t want to shell out triple digits for fruit-flavored technology.
Headphone deals
They’ve been replaced by a newer model, but that means the Sony WH-1000XM4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) flagship noise-cancelling headphones are a fantastic deal right now. They’re still great, with 30 hours of battery life, great audio and microphones that will make you sound pretty good on phone calls.
These headphones are among the most comfortable and soundest for the money, with a sleek design and up to 50 hours of battery life. They also have decent microphones when you want to make a Zoom call.
Your last experience with Beats may have been when they were plasticky and over-hyped. But now that Apple owns them, they’re actually pretty good! This pair sounds great for the money, and the noise cancellation is also decent for louder environments.
If you’ve ever wanted to drown out the noise of an airplane or your colleague’s loud chewing, it’s hard to find a better option than these. Noise cancellation works equally well for mechanical keyboards and coffee shop background noise. Our favorite feature is the excellent call quality, making the Bose Noise Canceling 700 our top pick for the office.
While we recommend the wireless version of these headphones, the wired version is still a good choice — and not just because we’re a little biased. The comfortable headset is compatible with every gaming platform, including phones (although you may need a dongle if your phone doesn’t have a headphone jack). This price beats the rest of the discounts we’ve tracked.
They’re featured in our best wireless headphones roundup because they’re so damn comfortable. I wish the pairing was as sleek as what you’ll find in some other headphones, and it doesn’t help that they’re a bit more expensive than similar options from other brands. Still, the PX7 (8/10, WIRED recommends) are super light and incredibly comfortable to wear. And they sound great. This price is much lower than we have seen before.
Speaker Deals
The Echo Dot is one of my favorite smart speakers because it’s such a convenient way to fill your bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen with sound. I use it when I’m showering and when I’m cooking dinner, where the round little speaker captures sound in three dimensions very well.
This special edition Echo Dot aims to let parents put control over what their kids listen to (and order) through the smart assistant. It comes with a year of Amazon Kids+, which includes thousands of Audible books and other special games and features. After that, you will be billed $3 per month.
Use the code PRIME30 to see the discount at checkout. The coolest part about this speaker is that it is hydro powered. It is compatible with most shower heads, and once installed, the water will do the rest. While editor Julian Chokkattu says the sound quality is satisfactory, the convenience of never having to fumble around for a cable for shower tunes may just outweigh the lack of room-filling sound. Your shower singing game is about to get a serious upgrade.
Google-owned Nest makes great speakers, especially if you prefer Google Assistant over Alexa or Siri. Nest Audio (8/10, WIRED Recommends) improves sound quality over the original Google Home, and you can also use it to set a timer, check the weather, or catch up on your favorite podcast while you cook. Grab a pair and you can get some pretty awesome stereo sound for the money.
If you just want a basic smart speaker to control your smart home devices, you’ll be happy with a smaller model like the Nest Mini. It sounds decent when playing music, but it’s best for basic tasks like timers and weather.
