If you’ve got a noisy neighbor who’s always blasting his music for the entire city to hear or you live right next to a busy street with plenty of infuriating traffic noises, peace and quiet must be difficult to come by. You need a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Two of the best that we’ve ever tested, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Sony WH-1000XM3, are both on sale at Best Buy with up to $72 off. Hurry though as we’re seeing limited availability on both headphones.
Sony WH-1000XM3
– $278, was $350
The new and improved Sony WH-1000XM3 are the company’s premium noise-canceling headphones offering and our choice for the best headphones of 2020. Thanks to Sony’s QN1 processor, audio processing and noise cancellation have both dramatically improved. Turning on the ANC practically obliterated every loud sound in the environment, from people to vehicles. The WH-1000XM3 also adapt their noise cancellation based on where you are. Through Sense Engine, these headphones let in certain traffic noises like horns and sirens, so you can safely be aware of your surroundings.
Music sounds immaculate with these headphones, supported by 32-bit signal processing, a high signal-to-noise ratio, and low distortion. Studio recordings sound impeccable, while live recordings are completely immersive. Basses sound punchy and strong, but without overpowering the beauty and subtlety of the mids and highs. You can operate these headphones through gestures as well as by pushing buttons. When you cup your hand over the right earcup, music will automatically pause so you can have a conversation. Swiping and tapping also lets you play/pause, skip/return tracks, and adjust the volume. Lastly, the Sony WH-1000XM3’s battery life can last an epic 30 hours between charges. Even charging these for just 10 minutes allows you to use them for five hours with active noise cancellation. The Sony WH-1000XM3 are hands-down the best headphones that you can buy right now. They are a bit pricey, but as they say, you’ve got to spend a bit of money for real quality. They normally retail for $350, but with Best Buy’s awesome $72 discount, you can snag them for $278.
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
– $299, was $349
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II, or QC35 II for short, were some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones in 2019, earning a solid 4-out-of-5 rating in our review last year. Just like the Sony WH-1000XM3, these headphones’ noise-canceling prowess is amazing, one of the best we’ve ever encountered. The feature comes in three settings: Low, medium, and high. If you still need to hear a bit of what’s happening around you, you can set it at low. To become completely oblivious to the world for total music immersion, crank it up to high. The thunderous roar of plane engines can be completely eradicated, and quieter sounds won’t even stand a chance. These headphones are also outfitted with a noise-rejecting dual-mic system that ensures noise-free phone calls regardless of how loud your surroundings are.
As far as sound quality goes, the QC35 II are excellent. Music sounds great, with punchy bass, adequate midrange presence, and zesty treble. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better-sounding pair of cans for the price. Unfortunately, some of the music’s richness and subtlety gets lost when the noise cancellation is at its highest setting, but not enough to ruin your listening experience. These cans’ battery life is tremendous, capable of lasting up to 20 hours when used wirelessly with noise-canceling on — and an even more impressive 40 hours when wired. Perfect for frequent flyers who travel long distances, the QuietComfort 35 II headphones are currently available at Best Buy for $299 instead of their usual retail price of $349 – a cool $50 worth of savings.
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