We’re barely halfway through November, and I’ve found a headphones deal I think is genuinely excellent, and probably worth grabbing instead of waiting until Black Friday. You can get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for $299 (was $429) at Amazon right now, which is the joint-lowest price I’ve ever seen them – and it’s on their coolest colors!
• Shop Amazon’s full early Black Friday deals
Note that these aren’t the newer Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen that launched just a little while ago – these are the previous model, originally from 2024. But I recently re-tested this model against their successor – and against the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Sonos Ace and more – and I actually rate them as the #1 noise-cancelling headphones to buy right now… because you can find them at this price in the Black Friday deals.
(Not in the US? See today’s best deals in your region below)
Today’s best Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Black Friday deal
This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for these headphones – they’ve hit this price before, but never lower. The deal is on the blue and red colors, which I think are the coolest – but other colors are only a little more, if you want to go more neutral. For this price, these are excellent value headphones – their noise cancellation still hasn’t been comfortably beaten.View Deal
I just went through a process of testing 20 pairs of noise-cancelling headphones, at various budget levels, in a series of tests: a hair dryer, a microwave, road traffic, and in a café. I ranked them and scored them in each test, and here are the results of the high-end competition for these Bose headphones:
|
Model |
Total score |
Hair dryer |
Microwave |
Traffic |
Café |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) |
19.5 |
4.5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones |
19.5 |
4.5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Sony WH-1000XM6 |
19 |
5 |
5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
|
Sonos Ace |
18.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
5 |
|
Bose QuietComfort Headphones |
18 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
|
AirPods Max |
17.5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4.5 |
|
Sony WH-1000XM5 |
16 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
As you can see, I don’t think anything did better than them overall for noise cancellation – and they cost at least $100 less than the (excellent!) Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen or the Sony WH-1000XM6.
I wrote TechRadar’s original Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review when they launched, and all the praise I lavished on them then still holds: the sound is dynamic, expansive, and fun; they’re supremely comfortable and light; the folding design is useful and they feel premium; and they cut down outside sound like you wouldn’t believe.
Only the 24-hour battery life is a bit of a let-down, but I think the vast majority of us can live with this, no problem. When it comes to elite noise cancellation and beautiful sound for a great value (if, admittedly, still expensive) price, this is how I’d spend my own money right now.
Shop more of today’s best Black Friday sales
- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
- Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
- Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
- Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
- Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
- Lowe’s: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
- Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
- Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
- Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
- Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor
