Want a new pair of headphones? A couple of years ago we might have told you to work out whether you wanted Bluetooth or wired headphones on Black Friday.
In 2019 you need to pick a kind of wireless headphone, given many manufacturers don’t even make the wired kind anymore. First up we have true wireless headphones. These are, like Apple AirPods, earphones that don’t have a cable between the earpieces.
They used to be tough to recommend to many: expensive, rubbish battery life, patchy Bluetooth. The best true wireless earphones today fix that. Hurrah.
Full-size wireless headphones are our favourite type. These are the most comfortable, and all the best “flagship” headphones of the moment are full-size. You’ll find some of these below.
Then there are on-ear headphones and more traditional wireless earphones. These may be a little less trendy than the rest, but will likely provide some of this year’s best headphone buys during Black Friday 2019.
And here are some of the pairs of headphones you need to look our for in the weeks coming up to Black Friday itself on November 29.
Read more about the top pairs in our best wireless headphones test
Sony WH-1000XM3
Pre-sale price: £252.00
View now at Amazon
Sony’s top mainstream pair of over-ear headphones was usually second or third choice just a couple of years ago. But Sony smashed it with the WH-1000XM3, to use a technical term.
These headphones are ultra-comfortable, sound fantastic and were perhaps the first pair to beat Bose’s active noise cancellation. Bose has been the master of this noise-zapping technology for decades, and Sony has finally caught up.
They also have an Ambient Sound mode, which lets you hear the noise of the outside world when you need to. These headphones make long haul flights far more enjoyable. They’ll last for a trip around the world too, with 30-hour battery life.
Sony aims to please with the WH-1000XM3’s sound. It has some extra bass power without leaving your tunes muddy or muddled. These headphones sound positively spacious. They use touch controls on the cups, which may not please technophobes, but they become familiar quite quickly.
Don’t be put off if you see these headphones’ predecessors the Sony WH-1000XM2 on sale either. They are excellent. Sony improved sound quality and noise cancellation slightly in the new version, but you shouldn’t feel as if you’re missing out if you buy the older pair.
Bose QC35 Series II
Pre-sale price: £260.00
View now at Amazon
These headphones are noise cancellation royalty, an indigenous species of the first class cabin of an aeroplane. The Bose QC35 Series II are ultra-comfortable (“ultra” isn’t an understatement) and they let you talk to Amazon’s Alexa assistant directly, as long as your phone is paired, of course.
Active noise cancellation effectiveness is superb too. The Bose QC35 Series II turn the most stressful offices and pram-filled cafes into an oasis of calm.
These headphones also have no-nonsense button controls, perfect if you don’t like the mostly gesture-based controls of the Sony pair above. The Sonys just clinch the win for sound quality, with slightly crisper treble and better-textured mids, but the Bose QC35 Series II still sound fantastic.
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1
Pre-sale price: £119.95
View now at Amazon
The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are the true wireless earphones we recommend to most people. They are fairly affordable, have radically better battery life than almost every other set in this class and they sound great.
These are the full package. But let’s look a little deeper.
Most true wireless earphones last around four hours between charges. The Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 last up to nine hours, and you can recharge them four times in their carry case before needing the charge cable.
They also shrug off the usual sound quality per pound compromise of true wireless earphones. The
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 are detailed, clear and powerful.
Sure, they aren’t the last word in style, but will attract fewer unwanted looks than a pair of AirPods.
Sony WF-1000XM3
Pre-sale price: £217.23
View now at Amazon
The Sony WF-1000XM3 are more proof of exactly how much Sony is killing it in the headphone world. These are the true wireless cousins of the WH-1000XM3. OK, so Sony has aced everything but memorable naming.
These earphones cost a little more than the Melomania 1 from Cambridge Audio, but you do get more in the bargain. The Sony WF-1000XM3 sound even better and have active noise cancellation. ANC is a godsend if you have to commute to work on public transport.
They are comfortable too, and last 6-8 hours depending on whether you use active noise cancellation or not. The bad news? There’s just one little issue. There’s no volume control on the Sony WF-1000XM3 earpieces.
SoundMagic E11BT
Pre-sale price: £79.99
View now at Amazon
The SoundMagic E11 series offers some of the best affordable headphones in the world right now. There’s the wired SoundMagic E11 and E11C if you want to go old-school and keep the cable, and the wireless E11BT if you need something more advanced.
And the SoundMagic E11BT really are advanced in at least one important respect. These are some of the longest-lasting wireless earphones in the world, with up to 60 hours battery life. In our experience they are closer to 40 hours, but that’s still five times longer than some earphones that look similar.
We are big fans of the E11 sound too. It’s warm and lush, but has detail, balance and clarity you don’t often hear at the price.
Jaybird Tarah Pro
Pre-sale price: £79.99
View now at Amazon
Jaybird is an Amazon Black Friday favourite. We remember some of its pairs popping-up in deals over the last two years. This year, we’re hoping for the Jaybird Tarah Pro, a top ranked earphone in our dedicated earphones test.
They are sporty wireless earphones, but are just as happy being worn around the house. The sport angle pops up in their superb water resistance. An IPx7 rating means you can give them a rinse if a run too many leaves them a little grotty.
Battery life doesn’t match the rival SoundMagics at 14 hours, but they do have fast charging, for two hours’ use are just five minutes plugged in.
JBL Tune 600BTNC
Pre-sale price: £80.00
View now at Amazon
Here are some no-nonsense feature-packed headphones that are affordable even before Black Friday. We’re hoping for an even better price on the day.
The JBL Tune 600BTNC are on-ear wireless headphones with just about every feature you could reasonably ask for. They last 12 hours between charges, have solid Bluetooth reliability and active noise cancellation.
They look smart and sound decent, and fold up should you want to shove them in your rucksack. This is the very picture of what a sub-£100 Bluetooth headphone should look like.
